CA2250194A1 - Method and apparatus for sorting flat articles - Google Patents

Abstract

A method and apparatus (10) for automatically sorting and feeding flat articles (75). The method stacks flat articles (75) into cartridges (25) in output compartments (20) of a sorting machine (15), robotically (30) transfers filled cartridges (25) from the output compartments (20) of a sorting machine (15) to a buffer shelf (40); and from the buffer shelf (40) to a docking station (55) of a cartridge unloader (275) and automatic feeder (50) to the input of the sorting machine (15), and for transferring empty cartridges (25) from the docking station (55) to either the buffer (40) or the output compartments (20) of the sorter.

Description

CA 022~0194 1998-09-2~

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR SORTING FLAT ARTICLES

This app'i~tion claims the benefit of a U.S. Arp' c2tion Serial No. 08/625,793, filed March 29, 1996, which was converted to a provisional appl.~tion by Pet;tion to Convert Non-Provisional ApplicaliGn to a Provisional Application Pursuant to 37 C.F.R. 1.53(b)(2) (ii), A~-plicalion Serial No. , filed January 30,1997, and granted on March 14, 1997.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to automated handling of nat articles, particularly automated feeding to and removal of flat articles from a sorting orother flat article processing machine.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Machines for auton,dlically sorting flat articles, such as mail, into one of an array of selected bins or compartments, are known. Typically, such sorting machines have a feeding station, including an intake drive member such as a rubber-covered wheel or belt, sensing and detecting equipment for determining the appro~ridte output compa,l",enl forthe article to be sorted, diverting gates or other mechanisms and an array of output compartments or bins for the sorted articles. An example of an advanced sorting machine is the DBSCII sorting device, available from ElectroCom Automation, L.P., Arlington, Texas.
Conventionally, to feed articles into the sorting machine, an operator manually grabs a bundle of mail to be sorted and manually shakes or jostles the

2~ mail to generally align the bottom edges, making a stack, typically horizontal. The operator then places the stack of mail against the feed member of the sorting CA 022~0194 1998-09-2~

machine which then feeds the articles into the sorting machine, one at a time tobe sorted.
At the output of the sorter the sorted articles are routed to the approp, idte co",pal l,nent for each of the sorted articles and st~cked. The feeding and sorting of articles continues until one or more of the receiving co",pa,l"~ents becomes s~.rri~ enLly full of a stack of sorted mail. At this point an operator will manually remove a stack of the sorted articles from the compa,l",ent and place the articles into a box for either later reprocessing through the sorting machine, transferring to another sorting machine for further sorting or transporting to a delivery person such as a mail carrier for ultimate delivery to the intended location if all sorting is completed.
Although automatic sorting macl,i"es have greatly speeded and improved the prior pr.cess of manual sorting manual attention is still required to feed the flat articles into the sorting machine and to retrieve the sorted articies from the output of the sorting machine. The need for such manual feeding and sweeping is undesirab'e for ergonomic reasons, because of the bending and reaching required. Furthermore, the need for such manual handling of the mail tends to limit the maximum benefits of automation that can be gained from the sorting machine.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
Accor iinyly it is an object of the present invention to ",i.~i",i~e the ergonomic plo~'ems and reduce manpower requil~l"ents by automating the feed;ng and retrieving of flat articles from a flat article sorting machine or other flat article processing machine.

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- 3 -It is a further object of the l~resent invention to provide a cartridge for receiving and holding the flat articles in an orderly manner which can be readily handled and transfe~ led by either a robotic cartridge handling and transfer device or by a human operator, if necess~.y.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a call,idge that willreadily dock onto a receiving dock of a feeding device and can be inserted into the output cG,npa,l",ents of a sorting machine to directly receive sorted articles in an orderly stack, so that the call,idge containing the stacked flat articles is readily removed from the sorting machine.
It is a further object of the pr~sent invention to provide an automatic unloading apparatus and method for removing stacks of flat articles from a cdll,idge and for queuing the stacks for feeding to a sorting r"achh,e.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for automatically stacking flat articles into a ca,l,idge at the output of a sorting ",achi. ,e.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a robotic call,idge l,dnsrer system for auto",dtically removing cartridges containing a stack of flat articles from the output cor"~)a,l",ent of a sorting machine when the ca,l,idge has reached a desired stage of filling and to transfer the cartridge to a buffer storage shelf or the receiving dock of the same or a dif~èrenl sorting machine for resorting.
It is a further object of the p~esent invention to provide a feed-through - jogging/edging apparatus for autol"alically edging flat articles prior to entrance to a document feeder.

CA 022~0194 1998-09-2~
WO 97/36696 PCTtUS97/05818 It is a further object of the present invention to provide a system for dynamic co",pa~ ,ent ~oc~tion that automatically r~desiyl)ales a different output location when it is desired to remove a ca,l,idge filled with sorted articles so that the sorting machine continues to sort into the redesignated output location evenwhen designated output cG""~a,l",e"ts have been filled when the call,idge has either not yet been removed or is still in the prucess of being removed fr~m theoutput cG""~all"~ent of the sorting ",acl,i"e.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a system for allocation of output corl,pa,l."er,ls which groups high-occurrence destinations together to maximize efficiency of cartridge removal based on probability of occurrence of the particular deslinalions.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Cartridqe In accordance with the present invention a call,idge for st~-ked flat articles includes:
a container co",prisi.,g a bottom sides and an openable front door supporting a stack of flat articles a longitudinally slidably mounted stack support paddle resiliently urgable against the stack of articles said stack support paddle further including ~ctuators for extemal sensors for determining the position of said stack support paddle.
In a prt:rel,~d embodiment the ca,l-idge further includes a lock for selectively securing the stack support paddle to prevent movement of stack support paddle when the lock is engaged the lock including an extemal actuator for disengaging the lock when the call,idge is mounted in a cartridge receiving CA 022~0194 1998-09-2~

dock and d;~ngaging the lock when the ca,lndye is removed from the receiving dock.
In a further prt:fe"~d embodiment the door includes a cam r 'l~wer for opening and closing the door as a result of relative movement bet~,veen a fixed extemal cam and the cam fellwnrsr.
Aulofeeder In accordance with a pr~fe~d embodiment of the present invention a method for l,anare" ing a stack of flat articles from a cartridge having an openable door includes placing a cartridge onto a ca,l,idge receiving dock;
opening the cartridge door while supporting the stack of articles; placing a front stack support finger that moves with the stack to support the stack of flat articles engagi,lg the stack of articles with a movable paddle; and moving the paddle forwardly to push the stack forwardly while supporting the front of the stack with the front stack support finger to retain the stack of flat articles between the front stack support finger and the movable paddle during movement of the stack from the call,idge.
The method further cGlnprises:
moving a rear stack support finger between the movable paddle and the rear of the stack of flat articles; moving the front and rear stack support fingers with the stack retained between thereby moving the stack behind a previously queued stack of articles the moved stack becoming a newly queued stack;
moving a queued stack support from beh~.ecn the previously queued stack and the newly queued stack to a position behind the newly queued stack; and CA 022~0194 1998-09-2~

moving the front and rear fingers back to .especti~e ~ta,li,.g posilions.
In accGrdance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, apparatus for l.dnsfe-,i-)g a stack of flat articles from a ca,l-idge having an openable door includes:
hold bars for supporting the front of the stack of flat articles when the door is opened;
a cam and cam r~l'Dwer for opening the door when the hold bars are in place;
front fingers for supporting the front of the stack during removal thereof from the cartridge; and a pusher for pushing the stack forwardly, to cause the stack to be moved from the call.idge.
In accordance with the p,esenl invention, the apparatus further comprises:
rear fingers for sut~po,li"g the rear of the stack of flat articles;
a queuing station, including a queued stack support for suppoi ~ing the rear of a queued stack of flat articles;
In accordance with a pr~feued embodiment of the pr~senl invention, there is provided an apparalus for transferring a stack of flat articles from a cartridge having an openable door and a longitudinally slidable rear stack support paddle for supporting a rear of the stack, and queuing the stack for feeding to a flat article processi"g machine, further including:
a movable mechanical arrn for placing the cartridge on and removing the ca,l,idge from a ,eceiv;"g dock;

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hold bar for supporting the front of the stack while the door is opened; a cam for opening the door by means of relative movement bet~rlecn a cam on the receiving dock and a cam follower on the door as the cartridge is placed on the receiving dock and for closing the door when the cartridge is removed from the receiving dock;
a front finger for supporting the front of the stack during removal thereof from the ca,l,idge;
a drive for placing the front finger in front of the stack for support thereof when the hold bar is removed;
a pusher positionable behind the stack of flat articles; and a drive for moving the pusher forwardly, to push the stack forwardly, to move the stack out of the cartridge.
In accordance with the invention, the apparatus further comprises:
a drive for moving the front finger from the receiving dock to a queuing station along with the stack of flat articles;
a rear finger for supporting the rear of the stack;
a drive for placing the rear finger ~e~een a longitudinally s' ~le rear stack support paddle and the rear of the stack;
a queuing station, including a queued stack support for supporting the rear 2û of a queued stack;
a drive for moving the rear finger with the stack, to retain the stack betvl~cn the front finger and the rear finger during movement;

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a drive for moving the que-led stack support from bet~een a previously queued stack and a newly ~ueued stack to a position behind the newly queued stack; and a drive for moving the front and rear fingers away from the stack to permit movement of the front and rear fingers to respective starting positiGns.
Autost~cker In accordance with a pr~fe~,ed e",boJi",ent of the pr~sent invention, a method for transferring flat articles from an article p.~,cessi"g ",achi"e to a cartridge in an output cor"pa,l",ent includes-moving articles toward an open end of a cartridge docked at an output co",pa,l",enl said ca,l,idge having a longitudinally slidable rear stack supportpaddle;
guiding the articles into the ca,l~idge to form a stack of articles in the cartridge;
determining when the ca,l,idge should be removed from the output COI "pa, I",enl discG"ti"uing the movement of articles into the cal 1, idge when the call,idge is to be removed from an output compartment;
closing a door of the call,idge while su~upolling the stack in an upright position; and removing the ca~l,id~e from the output co",pall",ent.
In accor~Jance with another embodiment of the present invention, an appardl-Js for transferring flat articles from an article processi"g machine to a cartridge in an output compartment includes:

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g a t,dnsport for moving articles toward an open end of a cail,idge docked at an output compartment said ca,l,idge having a longitudinally s d-~ e rear stack support paddle;
an article guide for guiding articles into the ca,l,idge in a stack of articles 5 in the ca,lndge;
a sensor for determining when a call,idge should be removed from the output cGmpa,l",ehl a cohl,-"er for discontinuing the movement of articles to the cartridge when the ca,l,idge is to be removed from an output compartment;
an actuator for closing a door to the cartridge while supporting flat articles in the stack in an upright condition; and a drive for removing said ca,l,idge from said output co",pa,l"~er,t.
Further in accordance with the present invention an apparatus for transferring flat articles from an article processing machine to a cartridge in an output compartment includes:
a drive for moving articles toward an open end of a cartridge docked at an output cGmpail",ent said cailndge having a longitudinally sl~-~le rear stack support paddle;
a sweep gate for guiding articles into the cartridge in a stack of articles in the ca,l,idge;
a sensor for detemmining when a cartridge should be removed from the output compartment;
an actuator for discontinuing the movement of articles to the cartridge when the cartridge is to be removed from an output cGn,pa,l",eril CA 022~0194 1998-09-2~

a cam on the output co-"pa,l,..er,l for closing the cc-,l,idge door by means of relative movement betwecn the cam and the door; and a mechanical arm for removing the cartridge from the output compa, l,nent.
Joaqer In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, apparatus for aligning the bottom edges of flat articles includes: a plurality of spaced apart, generally vertical fingers, ~o~:aiJly l,anslatable while SUppOlti"g groups of flat articles, each finger being rockable back and forth through a vertical centerline as the fingers are forwardly l-anslaled to jostle the articles to align the bottom edges 1 0 thereof.
Also in accor~lance with the present invention, the appardtus as dehned above further comprises a plurality of fixed cam lobes, with the fingers having a cam follower mounted thereon to ride over the cam lobes as the fingers are forwardly l,dnslated, thereby to impart a back and forth rocking motion through a vertical ce"lelli"e as the fingers are forwardly l,dnslaled.
Robot In accorJance with an embodiment of the present invention, apparalus for aulo" ,alically inserting and removing cartridges from an article processing machine incl-ldes a cartridge holding pldtroll";
an X-Y pOSitiOI~ 9 device mounted to the cartridge holding plal~ol", for positioning the call,idge holding plafform at a specified location for delivering or retrieving a ca,l,iJge;
a call,idge capturing arm including extendible arms for extending to and supporting the ca,l,idge; and CA 022~0194 1998-09-2~

a drive for moving a hold bar into and out of the ca,l,idge.
Further in accorJance with the present invention the ca,l,idge holding pldlro"" is rotatable about a vertical axis.
Also in accordance with the pr~sent invention the ca,l,idge holding platror." is rotatable about a horizontal axis to align the extendible arms with the cal ll idge.
Further in accordance with the present invention the X-Y positioning device cG",p,ises a robot that includes an end effector for actuating a stack shover into an output compartment.
Overall SYstem with Buffer In accordance with an embodiment of the presenl invention a method for sorting and feeding flat articles includes: placing a cartridge retaining a stack of flat articles onto a ca,l,idge receiving dock;
removing the articles from the cartridge as a group;
moving the articles as a group to a feeding station of a sorter;
sorting the articles to selected ones of a plurality of output col",oa, I",ents each of the output co,-)pa,l",ents having a caill,idge contained therein;
moving articles into a selected cal ll idge in one of said plurality of coi"pa,l",ents and as a stack in the cartridge;
sensing when the cartridge should be removed from an output compai.l",ehl and disconlinuing movement of articles into the cartridge when the ca,l,idge is to be removed from an output cGI"pa~l"~erlt.
In accGrdance with this embodiment the method further col"prises:

CA 022~0194 1998-09-2~

WO 97/36696 rCT/US97/05818 moving the ca,l,idge from the output compa,l",enl to a buffer shelf for le",porary storage.
Further in accordance with the pr~:senl invention an apparatus for sorting and feeding flat articles inc~udes- a carbidge receiving dock receiving a ca,l,idge holding a stack of flat articles;
a pusher for removing articles as a group from the ca,l,idge;
a l,anspoll for moving groups of articles to a feeding station of a sorter;
an article sorter for sorting articles to selected ones of a plurality of output compartments each of the output cGr"pa,l",ent~ having a cartridge contained 1 0 therein;
a l,anspo,l for driving articles into a selected ca,l,idge in one of the plurality of compa.l,ne"ls to a stack in the cartridge;
a sensor for determining when a ca,t~idge should be removed from an output cor"pa, l",ent, and a conll Jl'er for JiacOnlil ,uing the movement of articles into the cartridge for removal from an output compartment.
In accordance with this embodiment, the apparatus further comprises a platform for removing the call,idge from an output compartment and placing the call,idge in a buffer shelf.
Also in accordance with the pr~sei-l invention an apparatus for sorting and feeding flat articles includes:
a call,idge having a longitudinally slidable rear stack support paddle for supporting the rear of a stack of flat articles;

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a mechan ~a' arm for positioning the cartridge containing a stack of flat articles at a cartridge receiving dock;
a cam for opening a door of said ca, ll idge by means of relative movement batwecn the cartridge and the cartridge receiving dock;
a hold bar insertable into the ca,l.idge between the door and a front of the stack of articles for s~"~po,ling the front of the stack to maintain a desired orientation of the stack;
a front finger positionable at the front of the stack of flat articles and a rear finger positionable at the rear of the stack;
a drive for moving the hold bar away from the stack prior to moving the stack of flat articles from the cartridge;
a drive for moving the front and rear fingers from the ca, ll idge to move the stack of flat articles to a feeder station;
a feeder for feeding articles from a queued stack into a sorter having a plurality of output co"~pa~l~"ents each output compa,l",ent having a cartridge therein;
a drive for moving said articles into a selected ca,l,idge in one of the plurality of cGl"pa~l",~nls;
a sweep gate for guiding articles into a call,idge as a stack of articles in the cal ll idge;
a sensor for when a cartridge should be removed from an output co""~a~ ent - a co"t,~' er for disabling the movement of articles into the cartridge when the ca,l,idge is to be removed from an output con"~a,l",ent;

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an ~ctl~tor for moving the sweep gate to a front of the stack;
a cam on the output compartment for closing the cartridge door by means of relative movement between the cam and the door; and a mechanical arm for removing the cartridge from an output cGIllpa~ ellt for placement in a buffer shelf.
Also in accor~ance with the present invention a " letilod for sorting articles into cal l, idges includes: determining the frequently used output CG" ,pa, I" ,e, lls containing call,idges; and desi~"~ling the most frequently used output con,pa,l",enls proximate to one another.
Further in accGrdance with this embodiment the "~eti,od further aIIQCat;ng compa,l"~enla in a buffer shelf ,~,o,~i",ate to one another for receiving ca,l,idges from the most frequently used output compartments.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
1~ For a more complete under~landing of the pr~senl invention and the advantages thereof reference is now made to the fcl ow;.,g DETAILED
DESCRIPTION taken in conjunction with the acco",panying drawings in which:
FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a mail ca,l,idge handling system in accordance with the p~sel)l invention for a mail sorting machine;
FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of an autofeeder system for the mail sorting machine of FIGURE 1;
FIGURE 3A is a perspective view of a ca,l,idge for use in the autofeeder system of FIGURE 2 depicted with the ca,l,idge door closed;

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FIGURE 3B is a pe.apective view of the cartridge of FIGURE 3A with the ca, I,idge door opened;
FIGURE 3C is a perspe~tive view of the front end of the ca,l,idge of FIGURE 3A entering the receiving dock of the aulofeeder system of FIGURE 2;
FIGURE 3D is a per~pecti~/e view of the front end of a cartridge of FIGURE 3A during docking in the r~ceiv;"g dock of the autoreeder system of FIGURE 3A;
FIGURE 4A is a schematic section view taken on the line 4A4A of FIGURE 3A illustrating a ratchet carriage asse",bly for selectively locking a cartridge rear stack support paddle in place in the locked position;
FIGURE 4B is a schell.dlic section view taken on the line 4A~A of FIGURE 3A illu~lldtillg the ratchet ca"iage assel"bly for selectively locking the cail,idge rear stack support paddle in place in the unlocked position;
FIGURE 5 is a side view partly in phanl~ln of the front portion of a cal 1. idge of FIGURE 3A illustrating the sequence of opening of the cartridge door in three stages: 1) with the door closed as the cartridge reaches the receiving dock; 2) with the door opening by means of a cam on the receiving dock as the ca.l,idge is moved further onto the receiving dock; and 3) with the door fully opened when the cartridge is fully docked on the receiving dock FIGURE 6 is a perspective view partly in phantom of an X-Y robotic call.idge handling and transfer apparatus in accGr.Jance with the present invention;
FIGURE 7 is a top view of the ca,l,idge support pldlfollll of the robotic ca,l,idge handling and transfer apparatus of FIGURE 6;

CA 022~0l94 l998-09-2~

FIGURE 7A is a side view taken along the line A-A of FIGURE 7 of the cartridge support plafform of FIGURE 7;
FIGURE 7B is a side view taken along the line B-B of FIGURE 7A of the cartridge support plafform of FIGURE 7;
FIGURE 8 is a side view partly in phanlGr" of the ca,l,idge support pldlrullll of FIGURE 7 sl)o~i~,g the e~lendible arm and stack support with a release finger in the ,~l,dcted position;
FIGURES 9 and 9A-9M are schematic illusl,dlions of a sequence of operations for docking a ca,l~idge to the autofeeder of FIGURE 2 unloading a stack of mail, removing the cartridge and queuing the stack of mail;
FIGURES 10A-101 are sche",alic illusl,dlions of a sequence of operations for the docking of a ca,hidge onto the cartridge receiving dock of the autofeeder system of FIGURE 2, the unloading of the call,idge and the removing of the cartridge from the dock;
FIGURES 11A-11L illustrate a sequence of operdtions for the robotic ca,l,idge handling and transfer apparatus of FIGURE 6 moving cartridges between a buffer shelf the autofeeder of FIGURE 2 and the output col"pail",ents of a sorter of the mail sorting machine of FIGURE 1;
FIGURES 12A-12D show a pel~pecti~re of the sequence of operations for 20 aulo",dlically slackiny flat articles into a ca,bidge in an output compartment of a sorter of the mail sorting machine of FIGURE 1, depicting stacking moving the stack into the cartridge movement and insertion of hold bars to the front end of the stack and removal of the ca,l,idge from the output cG",pa"",el,l CA 022~0194 1998-09-2~

FIGURES 1 3A-131 are schematic depictions of a sequence of operations for the docking of an empty carl,idge into an output co",pail",ent of the sorter of the mail sorting machine of FIGURE 1 the stacking of flat articles into the cartridge and removing of a filled ca~l-idge from the output compartment;
FIGURE 14 is a pe,~pective view of an X-Y robotic ca,l,idge transfer support plafforrn for the apparalus of FIGURE 6 having dual ca,l,idge support pldtrO~ S;
FIGURE 15 is a side view partly in phantom of a feed-through jogger for use in connection with the mail sorting machine of FIGURE 1;
FIGURE 16isatopviewofthefeed-through joggerofFIGURE 15 partly in pl-antG",;
FIGURE 17 is an end view of the feed-through jogger of FIGURE 15 partly in phanto"" showing the drive elements for the rotating lobed shafts;
and FIGURE 18 is a side view partly in phantom of a section of an improved feed-through jogger in accordance with an en,bod; "ent of the present invention showing the cam track and cam f~"~w~rs for causing back and forth rocking.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Refer,ing now to the dla.~inys in detail wherein like reference characters designate like or similar parts throughout the views and initially to FIGURES 1 and 2 thereof a flat article handling system 10 is depicted. The article handling system 10 includes a sorter 15 and an array 19 of output co""~,l,nents 20 ar,dnged in rows and columns each being adapted to receive a ca,l,idge 25 into which mail (or other flat articles) may be autun,alically st~cked. The article CA 022~0194 1998-09-2~

handling system 10 also includes an X-Y ca,bidge transfer and handling robot 30 having a ca,l,idge support plafform 35 for llarlsrt:llillg ca,l,idges between components of the system. The article handling system 10 pr~fer;lbly also includes a buffer shelf 40 (the rear is depicted in FIGURE 1) having an array ofcompa, I",ents 45 for telnpor~rily receiving and storing filled and unfilled ca, l,idges 25. The article handling system 10 also pr~fer~bly includes an autofeeder 50 including a ca, ll idge docl~i"g station 55 a queuing station 60 and a jogging/edging station 65 leading to a feeding station 70. It will be understoodthat although for convenience the terrn "mail" will often be used herein to refer to the flat articles being handled in accor~lance with the method and apparatus of the present invention it is to be expressly understood that flat articles other than mail including forexample maga~ines and books can also be handled.
The major components of the system will now be desc~ibed in tum beginning with the construction of a cartridge 25.
Cartridqe Ref~"i"g now to FIGURES 3A-3D 4A 4B and 5 call,idge 25 is designed to hold a horizontal stack 75 (FIGURE 2) of pieces of mail (or other flat articles) to interface with the other parts of the system and to facilitate manipul~tion by the X-Y ca, l,idge transfer and handling robot 30. The ca, b idge 25 can also be readily man;p~lated carried and moved by humans when desired.
The ca,l,idge is generally r~ctarig.llar with a generally flat bottom 82 generally flat side walls 85 and 86 a cartridge door 90 pivotable doJ~ ardly on hinges 9~ at a front end 100 and a handle 105 at a rear end 110. r, ~ferably thecall,idge door 90 is spring-loaded by a spring 112 into the closed position. The CA 022~0194 1998-09-2~

handle 105 may simply be a bar, leaving the rear end 110 otherYI.se open. The rear end 110 may also be closed with a wall, if desired, but such is not required.
Preferably, the cartridge 25 is in the range of about 23 inches long, 13 inches wide and 5 3/8 inches high, and holds from 0 to 18 inches of stacked mail. Of course, any convenient size of ca~l~idge can also be used, depending upon the flat articles to be handled and the capacity desired.
The ca,l,idge door 90 ~,eferably covers the entire front end 100 of the cartridge 25 so that when the door is open, a stack of mail can be removed without obstructions or edges to "catch" the pieces of mail. The cartridge door 90 includes a latch bar 115 on the left and right upper comers, which is adapted tomate with a latch 120 pivotally mounted in a latch housing 125 on either side ofthe cartridge 25. As best illustrated in FIGURE 5, a latch release 130 (preferably a push rod) is retained within the latch housing 125, and spring-loaded by meansof a spring 126 to urge the latch 120 into the closed position. As shown in FIGURE 5, the bottom end 132 of the latch release 130 extends through the bottom of the latch housing 125.
As seen in FIGURE 5, as a ca, l~ idge 25 is inserted in the ca, ll idge docking station 55 (or into an output co",pal l",ent 20 in the article handling system 10 the bottom end 132 of the latch release 130 rides over a ramp or unlocking cam 135 on the ca,l,idge docking station 55, and is pushed upward, thus lifting latch 120 and releasing the ca,l~idge door 90 so that it can be opened.
The ca,l,idge door 90 includes two open notches 140, exterlJing from the bottom edge of the door to about its middle. The open notcl~es 140 permit a set of hold bars 145 in docking station 55, as 'epict~d in FIGURES 2 and FIGURES

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3C and 3D, to pass through the cartridge door 90 and press against the stack of mail, while permitting the door to open around hold bars 145 (in a manner to be described more fully below). In this way, the front end of the stack of mail (i.e., the end closest the door) can be supported temporarily by the hold bars 145 while the door is opened, so that the front end of the stack in the cartridge is held in place when the door is opened. The hold bars 145 are preferably motorized, and preferably under computer control, so that the hold bars are selectively raised and lowered. Hold bars 145 are also preferably movable in a back and forth directionin the cartridge 25, which may be provided either by a spring (not shown) urgingthe hold bars in the direction of the cartridge, or by a motor. Although two hold bars 145 are depicted, one or any other number may also be used.
It should be unde,~lood that cartridge door 90 may also be hinged at either the top or side, although a hinge at the bottom is preferred. If a hinge on the top is used, of course, the cartridge must be sufficiently tall to avoid interference with the top of the mail as it is removed. A sliding door may also be employed.
It should also be understood that the function of holding up the front end of the stack 75 of mail during opening (or closing) of the ca,l,idge door 90 canal~o be accomplished by means other than the set of hold bars 145. For example, in lieu of the hold bars, a set of curved fingers extemal to the cartridge could be rotated into the cartridge through holes 150, to press on and hold the leading face of the mail stack, and the door opened around the curved finger or fingers. Alternatively, a finger or set of fingers could be extended from the side into the cartridge through slots 155 in the side wall 85 or slots 160 in the bottom AMENDED SHEET

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W097/36696 PCT~US97/05818 of the cartridge. The door 90 is then provided with appr~priate chal)nels in theinterior face (similar to the open channels 245 in the front face of a rear stack support paddle 180), to receive the fingers without interference with the front of the mail stack. Fingers built into the cartridge, behind the door (either spring-loaded or extemally actuated), or in the door itself, may also be employed.
The cartridge door 90 is fitted with an S-shaped cam f~"~wer 165 at the lower left and right comers. Although a sy",r"et,ical cam f~"Dwer at each of these comers is pr~e"ed, for reducing twisting stresses on the door, one alone may be employed.
Referring to FIGURES 3C, 3D, and 5, to begin the motion of open;ng the door 90, the lower free end 170 of each cam follower 165iS designed to engage a first wedge or cam 172 in the docking station 55 as the cartridge is inserted into the docking station 55 (or an output com~l~a,l,nent 20). The upper free end 175 of the cam f~"~w6r 165 is designed to engage a second wedge or cam 177 in the docking station 55 as the ca~l,idge 25 is inserted into the docking station 55 (or an output compa,l"~enl 20), to complete opening the door 90 to approximately 135 degrees or more, so as to clear obstructions in the receiving dock, or the output co",pa,l",enls 20. This is more clearly dsp ted in FIGURES 3C and 3D.
FIGURE 5 depicts, moving right to left, and somewhat overlapping, three stages of opening the door 90 by the cams 172 and 177: (1) closed, beginning opening; (2) fully opened, cartridge partially docked; and (3) fully opened, call,idge fully docked, with the first and second cams operating on the lower and upper ends 170 and 175 of the cam f~ wer 165 as indicated, the different stages CA 022~0194 1998-09-2~

WO 97136696 PCT/US97105~18 being separated by alle",~lingly dotted lines. Of course as the ca,l,idge 25 is removed the process is reversed closing the cartridge door 90.
The intemal spring-loaded rear stack support paddle 180 is included in the cartridge 25 to hold the stack 75 upright at the back end of the ca,l,idge 25 and to apply a small degree of force to the stack to keep the stack upright. As illusl,~led in FIGURES 3A 3B 4A and 4B the rear stack support paddle 180 is mounted to a ca~iage assembly 185 slidably mounted through a slot 190 in the bottom 82 of the c~ idge in an u,uv:..dly open channel 195 attached to the underside of the bottom 82. Carriage assembly 185 slides on linear recirculatingball bearings riding on a round shaft 200 longitudinally dicposed in the open channel 195 so that the carriage asse" lbly slides smoothly forward and backwardin the open channel 195. In lieu of the recirculating ball bea, i"gs telescoping ball bearing slides such as found on fumiture drawers may be used. In addition plastic or PTFE bushings. or other exl-ed ~nl means for longitudinal bearings orbushings can be used.
The round shaft 200 extends through slots 205 at each end of the open channel 195 and is loosely secured by keeper washers (not shown) and longitudinally spring-mounted within the open channel 195 to be urged forwardly by a spring 181. The front end 210 of the round shaft 200 extends through the front of the cl,a"nel and is engaged by a push rod (not shown) in the docking station 55 or output compartment 20 when the ca~ l, idge 25 is docked. This action pushes the shaft 200 longitudinally inwardly against the force of the spring 181.
The round shaft 200 is mounted to be movable sidev:ays to a degree in the slots 205 and includes a cam f~l Dwer 215 adapted to ride on a wedge-shaped cam CA 022~0194 1998-09-2~

guide or slot 220 at each end of the open channel 195. A similar sized channel 221 (see FIGURES 3A, 3C and 3D) is included undemeath the bottom 82 to maintain symmetry, but does not have an open slot or intemal mechanisms.
The rear stack support paddle 180 is urged forwardly by a ~cGnslanl force"
spring 225 having one end attached to and wound onto a spool 230 mounted to the back side of the rear stack support paddle 180, the other end 231 is atlached to the bottom of the cartridge 25, near the front end. The spring force is pr~ferably app~oxi" lalely 1.4 pounds on the paddle 180 toward the ca, l. idge door 90.
When the ca, ll idge 25 is removed from either the docking station 55 or an output compartment 20, the intemal rear stack support paddle 180 is locked in place by a ratchet mecha"ism that prevents the paddle from moving away from the ca, ll idge door 90, which might result in the stack of mail to falling or becoming d;soryanked. To accomplish this, the car,iage asse",bly 185 includes ratchet teeth 235 adartPd to be selectively engage a rack or series of holes 240 on one side of the channel 195. When the front end 210 of the round shaft 200 is pushed inwardly by the push rod or by an end wall 285 on the docking station 55 or an end wall of output compartment 20, against the force of the spring 181 at the back end of the round shaft 200, the cam fcllower~ 215 on each end of round shaft 200 ride against the wedge-shaped cam surface 220, causing the round shaft to move sideways in the slots 205, until the ratchet teeth 235 on the carriage assel"bly 185 become d;sengaged. When the front end 210 of the round shaft 200 is disengaged from the push rod, the force of the spring 181 on the shaft retums the shaft longitudinally, and sideways, to its original posilion, engaging the CA 022~0194 1998-09-2~

ratchet teeth 235 with the rack or series of holes 240 in the channel 195 and locking in place the rear stack support paddle 180.
The rear stack support paddle 180 preferably has fOl~-dldl~ open channels 245 to permit the entrance of fingers from the side into the open channels 245 between the stack of mail and the front face of the paddle without becoming enta,)yled with the mail. As shown in FIGURE 3B notcl-es ~55 in the front of side 85 allow the enl~ ~nce of fingers from the side when the paddle 180 is at the front end 100.
The rear stack support paddle 180 includes a switch actuating extension 250 on the inboard side (on top of side wall 85) on the upper end of a side support ",ember 251. The switch actuating exlension activates extemal switches (not shown) in the output cG")pa,l-"ent 20 to signal to the article handling system 10 that the ca-llidge 25 is either full or partly full of mail and ready for removal or to indicate the relative degree of filling. The switch actuating extension 250 is also used at the cartridge receiving docking station 55 to signal that the rear stack support paddle 180 has moved forward during the mail removal operation and to sound an alarm (or take other appro~,iale action) if such has not occurred.
Although the actuating extension 250 preferably actuates a switch mechanically any suitable sensor (such as pl-otoelectric dett:.1Or) for determining the location (z~hsol~lte or relative) of the rear stack support paddle 180 may be employed.
For l~asons of economy the construction of the body of the cartridge 25 is preferably r~inror ed injection molded plastic. The rear stack support paddle180 cartridge door 90 door latches 120 carriage assembly 185 and other CA 022~0194 1998-09-2~

moving coi"ponenls are preferably steel for reasons of sl-en~tl, and durability, but may be made of other suitable materials, if desired.
Autofeeder With initial l~rer~nce to FIGURES 1, 2, 3B, 3C and 5, there is illustrated the autofeed system 50, for receiving ca,l,idges 25 filled with stacked mail andaulol,lalically removes the stack from the cartridge, queues the mail, preferably jogs and edges the mail, and feeds the mail to the input feed station of a sorter 15. The ~utof¢eder 50 includes the doc~i"g station 55 for r~ceiv;"g a mail-filled cartridge 25, a mail stack u~.loader 275 operating between the docking station 55, the queuing station 60, and the pg~er/eds~ing station 65, leading to the feedingstation 70 of sorter 15. These will be desc,iL,ed in tum.
1. Dockina Station The docking station 55 includes a receiving shelf 280, a receiving channel 290 in the shelf for receiv;"g the cartridge door 90 without i"le,rerence, the cartridge door latch unlocking cam 135 and the ca,l,idge door opening lower cam 172 and upper cam 177 (shown in FIGURES 3C, 3D and 5, but not FIGURES 1 or 2), which are laterally ~i~placed from one another to line-up when the cartridge 125 is inserted with the lower cam f~ wer 170 and upper cam f~llov.er 175. In addition, ca,l,idge alignment guides (not shown) pr~f~rdbly guide channels 195 and 221 on ~eceiv;ng shelf 280 into the dock end wall 285. The two hold bars 145 are provided in the docking station 55, extending upwdrdly from a common vertical member.
A ca,bi~lge 25 with a horizontal stack 75 is placed onto the receiving shelf 280 and moved for~:drdly to the end wall 285 by automated or manual means.

CA 022~0194 1998-09-2~

Referring to FIGURE 5, beginning with position (1), as the ca,l,idge 25 slides forward, the unlocking cam 135 in the docking station 55 actuates the boffom end132 of the latch release 130, which in tum lifts latch 120, thereby releasing the latch from the latch bar 115, thus unlocking the ca,l,idge door 90. As the cal ll idge 25 continues to move forward (to the left, in the figures) on the receiving she1f 280, the lower cam follower 170 strikes the face of cam 172, to cause the door 90 to begin opening. The door continues to open as the ca,l,idge moves forward, until the door is open about 90 degrees from the closed position. At this point, upper free end 175 of the cam follower 165 is IOW enough to ride under the wedge of the cam 177. As the c~ll,idge continues to move forward to position (2), the wedge of cam 177 continues to open the door 90, until the door is open about 135 degrees from the closed position, that is, a fully open position. The upper free end 175 of the cam follower 165 then continues under the straight part of cam 177 until the front end 100 of the ca,llidge is abutted against the dock end wall 285, thereby unlocking the rear stack support paddle 180 by operation of the round shaft 200. The mail stack 75 can now be removed from the cartridge 25, by pushing the rear stack support paddle 180 forward, over a feeder bar 295 On the top of the dock end wall 285 (see FIGlJRES 3C and 3D).
At the same time as the cartridge 25 is being inserted, and just before the door is unlocked and begins to open, hold bars 145 are raised from the docking station 55, as indicated by the arrows by an actuator (not shown), to pass through open notches 140 in the cartridge door 90 as the cartridge moves forward. The hold bars 145 are spring-loaded to exert a force on the front surface of the stack of mail, while permitting the hold bars 145 to move with the ca,~,idge as it moves CA 022~0l94 l998-09-2~

forward. The hold bars 145 are mounted to move for ~-drd at the same speed as the cartridge. As the ca~l~idge door 90 opens the hold bars 145, passi.,g through open notches 140, hold the front pieces of mail in place, keeping the stack fromfalling as the door is opened. As previously l"entioned, just as the cs,l-idge abuts the dock end wall 285, the front end 210 of the round shaft 200 strikes the dockend wall, to unlock the rear stack support paddle 180 in pr~p~rtllion for unloading of the mail stack from the ca~l~idge. The ins6,lion of a ca,l,idge onto the receiving shelf 280, and the opening of the cal ll idge door 90 around the hold bars 145, are schematically depicted, slepJ~;~.e in order, in FIGURES 9, 9A and 9B.
Refe,.i-,g to FIGURE 2, a stack un'~ad~r 275 iS used to support and remove the stack of mail from the cartlidge 25 after it is docked, and move the stack to the queuing station 60. The unloader 275 includes a rear finger car,iage 300 and a front finger carriage 305 mounted on guide rails 310 and 315 running parallel to the length of the aulofeeder 50, behind a slotted stack support wall320. Each of the finger c~niages 300 and 305 iS i"deper,cler,lly movable longitudinally along the guide rails 310 and 315 betv:3en the docking station 55and the ~ueuing station 60 by means of drive motors (not shown), preferably under computer control.
Each of the finger c811 iages 300 and 305 includes a set of fingers, 325 and 330, respectively, that are mounted to be extended and r~t,acted, in and out from the respective c~"iage 300 or 305, through the slotted stack support wall 320.
The rear finger carriage 300 also includes a rotatable stack pusher 335, p~ererdbly generally in the form of a hook, and mounted to be rotatable into, and CA 022~0194 1998-09-2~
W097/36696 PCTrUS97/05818 out of, the open top of the rear end of the ca, l,idge 25, behind rear stack support paddle 180.
With particular refer~nce to FIGURES 9C to 9M, the operdlion of the unloader 275 will now be descriL,ed. It is u"deralood that, prior to the position depicted in FIGURE 9C, the fingers 325 and 330 of the finger carriages 300 and 305 have been retracted, the stack pusher 335 raised, and both finger carriages 300,305 moved rearwardly, with rear finger ca"iage 300 adjacent the rear end of the cartridge 25 and front finger ca"iage 305 adjacent the front end of the cartridge, such that when the fingers 330 are e~lended the hold bars 145 (when in the stack holding position) will be betw2cn the fingers 330 and the rear stack support paddle 180.
As soon as the ca~l~idge 25 is fully docked, the fingers 330 of the front finger carriage 305 are exteoded through the slotted stack support wall 320, just in front of hold bars 145, as shown in FIGURE 9C. Next, as deFi ted in FIGURE
9D, the hold bars 145 are retracted, out of the way. The front end of the mail stack is now supported by fingers 330. At about the same time, or just after, the pusher 335 iS rotated down into the open top of the rear end of the mail ca,l, idge 25, behind the rear stack support paddle 180, and the rear finger carriage 300, with the fingers 325 still r~lrdcled, is moved forward until the pusher 335 justcontacts the back of rear stack support paddle 180.
The rear finger ca,-iage 300, with the pusher 335 down, is then driven forward, pushing the rear stack support paddle 180 and the stack of mail, while at the same time the front finger ca~,iage 305 with the fingers 330 extended, isdriven forward, with the mail stack 75 retained beh~_cn the extended fingers and CA 022~0194 1998-09-2~
WO 97136696 PCT/US97/~5818 the rear stack support paddle 180, until the rear stack support paddle is all the way to the front of, or just out of, the front end of cartridge 25. Rec-ause of the built-in spac;- ,g between the pusher 335 and fingers 325, at this point, the fingers 325 (still retracted) are positioned directly adjacent the forwardly open channels 245 of the rear stack support paddle 180. As illustrated in FIGURE 9E, the rear finger ca" iage 300 then extends the fingers 325 into the forwardly open channels 245 of the rear stack support paddle 180, bet~een the support paddle and the rear end of the mail stack 75, without interfering with the mail. The mail stack is now supported betY~een the fingers 325 of the rear finger carriage 300 and fingers 330 of the front finger carriage 305. The pusher 335 is then rotated up out of the ca, l, idge 25.
2. Queuinq Station At this point, both front and rear finger car,iages 300 and 305, with the respective fingers extended, are moved in unison longitudinally along the guide rails 310 and 315, sliding the mail stack from the docking station 55 to the queuing station 60, as illustrated in FIGURES 9F-91, where a previously placed stack of mail 75' is held in place by a queuing station paddle 340. The queuing station paddle 340 is longitudinally movable and rui_t-~'e on a guide shaft 341.It should be noted that, in FIGURE 9G, an optional tilting edging table 345 is dep eted as a part of the queuing station 60. The edging table 345 is mountedto tilt and vibrate, to help edge and move the mail to the slotted stack support wall 320. I lowevcr, this tilting edging table 345 is not required if the article handling system 20 includes the jogging/edge station 65, or other means for ensuring that CA 022~0194 1998-09-2~

the mail is feed in an orderly manner to the feeding station 70. The jogging/edging station 65 to be described in more detail below is pr~fe"~d.
At this time the now-empty cs,l,idge 25 iS removed from the docking station 55 by manual or automatic means. Of course as it does so the cal ll idge 5 door 90 is closed latched and the rear stack support paddle 180 locked in reverse order to the operdtion that occurred when the ca,l,idge was inserted.
When a mail stack 75 from the cartridge 25 reaches the queuing station 60 the queuing station paddle 340 enyages the fingers 330 of the forwarding mail stack 75, as illustrated in FIGURE 91. The fingers 330 maintains pressure on the mail stacks 75 and 75', and the queuing station paddle 340 iS rotated from between the two stacks (the previously placed stack 75' and the arriving stack 75), as shown in FIGURE 9J. The queuing station paddle 340 iS then moved on the guide shaft 341 until positioned just behind the fingers 325 of the rear finger carriage 300 and is then rotated into position behind the fingers 325, as depicted in FIGURE 9K. The fingers 330 of the front finger carriage 305 are then retracted into the carriage leaving the stacks 75' and 75 abutted togell ,er forming a 'new previously placed stack 75', as illustrated in FIGURE 9L. The fingers 325 are then .el,acled into the rear finger carriage 300, leaving the arriving stack 75 (now a part of 'new stack 75') suppoiled by the queuing station paddle 340, the 20 starting point of the pr~cess as depicted in FIGURE 9M. At this point both the front and rear finger carriages 300 and 305 are free to move back to the dochi-,g station 55, to prepare to unload another stack of mail from a ca,l,idge 25 and the process repeats.

CA 022~0194 1998-09-2~

_31_ IPEA/US 2 8 0CT 1997 Referring again to FIGURE 2, the stack of mail 75' in the queuing station 60 is moved by the queuing station paddle 340 to the jogger/edging station 65, where the mail is jostled to align the bottom edges of the mail in an orderly fashion, and to urge the inside edge of each piece of mail toward a back wall 345.
The construction and operdlion of the jogger/edging station 65 will now be described below.
3. Feed-Throuqh Joqaer/Edqer The jogger/edging station 65 pr~ferdbly employs a feed-through upstanding tab jogger/edger 350 or an improved rocking tab jogger/edger 350'. Wlth initial reference to FIGURE 2 and FIGURES 15-17, jogger/edger 350 has several rows (three, for example, as shown) of vertical tabs 355 mounted at their lower edge to a continuous chain 357 rotatable betv:~en two sprockets 358. The continuous chain 357 is driven by a motor 358 (visible in FIGURE 15) through a belt drive 354 so that the vertical tabs 355 gradually move counterclockwise, carrying small pockets of mail (approxi",alely 5-10 pieces) in a generally vertical orientationtoward the feeding station 70 of the sorter 15.
A lobed shaft 360 extends longitudinally in the feed direction, one lobed shaft 360 in between each row of tabs 355, and one between the inward-most row of tabs 355 and the back wall 345. Lobed shafts 360 are rotated in a clockwise direction, facing in the feed direction by a drive motor 359 through a belt or chain 361 in conjunction with the feeder/edger 350, to impart a bouncing motion to thebottom edges of the mail to tend to singulate the mail pieces, and to gently urge he mail through friction toward the back wall 345. At the back wall 345 there is AMENDED S~lEEt CA 022~0194 1998-09-2~
18525-513 PCT/lJS 9 7 / 05 81 8 ,olatably mounted a lobed shaft 365 that rotates counterclockwise to urge the back edge of the mail downwardly.
To the extent described above, the foregoing construction of jogger/edger 350 is generally the same as conventional jogger/edgers. A conventional jogger/edger shown in FIGURES 15-17 may be employed in the present invention, although with somewhat reduced edging efficiency overthe improved jogger/edger described below.
It has been found, however, that with a conventional jogger/edger, the bundle of mail between tabs 355 tends to lean to one side, causing the weight ofone mail piece to rest on an adjacent mail piece. Thus, heavy pieces tend to pinch the lighter pieces thereby preventing edging of the lighter pieces and tending to force the individual pieces together, leslli~ lg the ability of each mail piece to move independently.
In accordance with th~e pr~sent invention, improved jostling and edging of the mail is achieved if the tabs are made to vacillate (rock) back and forth longitudinally, across a vertical axis, as the mail bundles are moved forward.
Referring to FIGURE 18, the vacillation is accomplished as follows. In the improved jogger/edger 350', the tabs 355' are provided with ledges 370' on the lower end and on either side of the upward tab 355', like an inverted 'T'.
Mounted below the tabs 355' is a wavy cam guide 375'. As the tabs 355' are moved in the same manner as described for the conventional, non-rocking tab jogger/edger 350, a roller cam follower 380', mounted to each of the tabs 355' engages the guide 375', between the wavy cam lobes, thereby causing the tabs 355 to rock back and forth, preferably in the range of 20 degrees each way. This A~EI~ID~D S~tEEr CA 022~0194 1998-09-2~

motion causes the individual mail pieces to break free from each other and move independently to an edged position. This minimizes the problem of heavy pieces pinching the lighter pieces to obstruct individual edging. It is preferred that the bundle of mail be jostled such that it moves back and forth across a substantially vertical olieiltdtion. When the pieces are vertical, the heavy pieces tend not to restrict the lighter pieces. This allows each mail piece to move i"dependently without the weight of adjacent pieces r~st.i~ 9 movement, thus improving the jogging/edging t:rr~ e.-~.
As the tabs 355' move forwardly, the jogged and edged mail is gradually moved forwardly, until it reaches the feeding station 70 of the sorter 15.
Feedin~ Station Referring to FIGURES 1 and 2, the feedi, ,9 station 70 is conventional, and consiats of a guide roller 71 for r,ictiGnably driving pieces of mail 80 into the sorter 15, one at a time, for sorting. The sorting machine sorts mail pieces into one of an array 19 of output compartments 20 by .eading bar codes on the mail pieces, in accordance with the sorting sequence programmed into the sorter at the time the sort is initiated. Since the sorter itself is conventional, it need not be further described.
Auluslacker at Sorter OUtPUt With reference to FIGURES 12A-12D and 13, the autGn.alic slacl~ing of mail into ca,l,idge 25 in an output compartment 20 of the sorter 15, and the insertion into and removal of the cartridge 25 from the output cor"pa, l" ,ent 20, will - now be desc,ibed. ~

CA 022~0l94 l998-09-2~
W097/36696 PCT~US97/05818 The sorter 15 distributes the mail into one of output cG",pa,l,nenls 20, arranged in rows and columns. Each of the output compartments 20 includes a feed belt 390 encircling a roller 395 a sweep gate 400 and a cartridge receivingdock (not shown) for receiving and holding a cartridge 25 during loading of the ca,l,idge. The call,idge receiving dock includes a wedge for L."lalching the cartridge door 90 a dock end wall or lug for actuating the front end 210 of the round shaft 200 to unlock the rear stack support paddle 180, upper and lower cams for opening the cartridge door 90 and a switch or other sensing device to be a~t~d by the switch actuating extension 250 on the rear stack support paddle 180. Since these devices are ~r.anged and oper~te in generally same manner as the respective devices in the call.idge docking station 55, already des~,iL,ed these items need not be further desc-ibed in detail.
The call,idge 25 fits into the output con.pall",enl 20 in a manner similar to the ca, ll idge dGchil ,g station 55. That is as the ca, l.idge 25 is inserted into the compall.nenl 20 the door locking latch 120is ~el~ascd the ca,-iage asser"bly 185is rele~sed and the can,idge door 90 is opened. The co",pall."ent 20 also includes a switch or other sensor (not shown), ~ctuated by the rear stack support paddle 180 in the c~l 1- iJge, to notify the sorter 15 when the cal ll idge is nearly full (approximately 80%) full empty and/or the relative degree of fullness of the ca~ ge. The caltliJge 25 also pr~ferably ~c~ tes a switch (not shown) in the cor,",a, l,r~ent 20 to notify the sorter 15 or supervisory computer that the cartridge 25iS properly placed.

CA 022~0194 1998-09-2~

When in an output compa,l-"ent 20, the cail,idge 25 ~cceptC and stacks mail directly from the sorter 15 during a sort. The pieces of mail 80 are fed into the ca,l,idge by the drive belt 390 and, guided by the sweep gate ~00.
Referring to FIGURES 12A-12D, the sweep gate 400 preferably consists of an upper smooth guide bar 405 and a lower guide bar 410 having bends or notches 415 open to the ca,l-idge 25, for ,eceiv;"g upstanding fingers 420 of anend effector 425 of a robot ca,tlidge handler (not shown in FIGURES 12A-12D).
During slacl~i.,g of mail into the cail,idge 25 the sweep gate 400 is positioned as shown in FIGURE 12A with bars 410 and 405 straddling the drive tO belt 390 so that mail pieces driven toward the ca,l,idge 25 by the drive belt 390 are guided into cartridge in an orderly stack 75. The spring loaded stack support paddle 180 (see FIGURES 3A and 3B) surp'ies a gentle urging force against the rear of the stack to assist in orderly slacl~ing of the mail pieces.
When the cartridge 25 is nearly full (app(oxi",alely 80%), the stack support paddle 180 in the cartridge ~ctuates a switch (not shown) in the output co" ,pa, lmen~ 20 notifying the sorter 15 or supervisory computer that the cartridge is nearly full and should be replaced with an empty cartridge.
In the pr~sent invention, sorting operations can continue unab~te~ during chal)y;.,g of ca,l,idges. To do so, when the sorter 15 or supervisory computer receives nGlificali~n by means of the switch or sensor that the ca, tl iJge 25 in an output col"palll"ent 20 is nearly full, the sorter 15 automatically ~edesignatesanotl,er output cG"",a,l",ent having a still-empty ca,l,idge as the receiving location for that category of mail. The ,~designation is completed sG.newhat prior to the time the catl~idg~ 25 is CGn ~!~ly full beca-lse the sorter 15 includes a CA 022~0194 1998-09-2~
W097/36696 PCTrUS97105818 number of pieces of mail at any given time which have not yet been routed to an output compartment 20.
After all mail in process in the sorter 15 available for routing to the output co",pa, l",ent 20 has been run through the sorter so that no more mail is available to be routed to the full or nearty-full cartridge 25, the cail,idge removal operation can begin. This process is depicted in FIGURES 12B-12D. First as shown in FIGURE 12B, a robot end-act~l~tor 430 (sche",alically illustrated in the figures as a bar) moves forward and activates a lever 435 attached to the sweep gate 400 that causes the sweep gate to pivot towards the stack of mail in the ca,l,idge to fully shove the end of the mail stack into the ca,l,idge. Meanwhile the end-effector 425 of the robot with support members 427 and upstanding fingers 420 is moved under the cartridge 25. As illustrated in FIGURE 12C the end~ffector 425 and upstanding fingers 420 are raised surfic;e.~lly to insert the upstandingfingers into the call,idge through the bottom notches 160 provided in the bottom82 of the call,idge and up through notches 415 in the lower guide bar 410 of sweep gate 400. The upstanding fingers 420 serve the purpose of retaining the end of the mail stack 75 during call,idge extraction while the cartridge door 90closes as well as assisting in securely holding the call,idge for the removal operation. The ca, I,idge may then be pulled out of the compa, I"lent via the end-effector 425, as illustrated in FIGURE 12D. The end-~ctuator 430 is also r~l, acted at this time and the sweep gate 400 retums to a starting open position preferably by a retum spring on the sweep gate.
As noted above upon insertion or exl,action of the call,idge 25 from the output compartment 20 the cal ll idge door 90 aulomdlically opens and closes by CA 022~0194 1998-09-2~

means of the cam f.licJ~ r 165 on the bottom of the door the stack support paddle 180 is ,cl~ased and engayed respectively in the substantially the same way as described above with respect to insertion and removal of the ca,l,idge 25into and from the docking station 55 of the autofeeder 50.
The steps of insertion of an empty ca, ll idge 25 into the output co",pa,l",ent 20 are sche",dtic illustrated in FIGURES 13A-13D. FIGURE 13A
depicts an empty cartridge being moved into the output comp~,l,oent 20 by means of support members 427 with the upsland;.,g fingers 420 up latch 120 engaged and rear stack support paddle 180 locked in position by means of the round shaft 200. FIGURES 13B and 13C show the cartridge 20 moving toward the receiving dock of the output co""~a,l",ent 20. FIGURE 13D depicts the ca,l,idge 20 just after docking with the latch 120 disengaged the rear stack support paddle 180 un ~oksd and ca,l(idge door 90 open. The cartridge is now ready to receive mail guided by open sweep gate 400.
Tuming now to FIGURES 13E-131 the process of removal of a call,idge fllled with flat articles from output compartment 20 is illustrated. In FIGURE 13E
the cartridge is shown with the cartridge door 90 open the sweep gate 400 open the end-effector 425 has entered the co,,,,ua,l,,,e,,l undemeath the cartridge but the upstanding fingers 420 have not been raised. FIGURE 13F depicts the step in the p,ucess after the sweep gate 400 has been rotated to push the stack of mail into the cartridge 25 after the upstanding fingers 420 have been raised.
FIGURE 13G shows the cal Ll idge 25 just as it has moved away from the dock of the output cGmpa,l,nent 20 enough to lock the rear stack support paddle 180 by movement of the round shaft 200. FIGURE 13H depicts the cartridge 25 after , . . .....

CA 022~0194 1998-09-2~

having been moved away from the dock of the output cor"pa, Imenl 20 far enough to close the ca,l,idge door 90, and to engage the latch 120. FIGURE 131 depicts the c~ll,idge after being entirely removed from output coln~,all~"el)l 20.
Call,id~e Transfer and Handlinq Robot The cal ll idge l,anster and handling robot 30, which pr~ferdbly is employed to move the call,idge 25 betv/ecn the docki"g station 55 the output con,pall",el)t 20, and/or a co~"~.all",ent 45 of the buffer shelf 40 will now be described withreference p,i",arily to FIGURES 6-8.
With reference first to FIGURES 6 and 7, the ca,l,iJge t,dnsfer and handling robot 30 includes a carriage asse",bly 31 mounted to move on a verticalsupport column 32 that in tum is mounted for linear movement on an upper rail 33 and a lower rail 34 extending the length of the array 19 of the sorter 15. The car, iage asser"bly further includes the cal ll idge support platru"n 35 also mounted to the support column 32 for up-down movement. The support column 32 is driven back and forth along the rails 33 34 by cables 36a and 36b mounted to pulleys 37a and 37b driven by X-Y drive servo motors 38a and 38b under computer control.
The calllidge support plafform 35 is pivotally mounted to the end of a cantilever support beam 41, attached to the support column 32 by a rack-mounted collar 42, and positioned under computer control by a servo motor 43. The up-down motion of the cartridge support p6lrur"~ 35 is errected by the of servo motor 38b driving cable 36b and hence driving a pinion (not shown) against a rack ~notshow) on the column 32.

CA 022~0l94 l998-09-2~

With ~t:fer~:nce now to FIGURE 8, in order to securely grasp and hold the ca, ll idges 25 during removal inse~ lion and t, dnspo, ldlion operations the cartridge support plafform 35 of the ca,tlidge transfer and handl;"g robot 30 inciudes theend-effector 425 including the pair of extensible support ",embers 427, which are normally roughly parallel with a horizontal plane. These support nlelllber~ 427 arms are extended by operation of a servo motor 44 on the cartridge support pldtruiln 35, through a chain drive 46.
Each of the extensible support members 427 includes an L-shaped u~ stand.ng fingers 420 pivotally mounted at the end thereof. The uualanding fingers 420 are pivoted up and down by means of a worm gear drive chain drive or other convenient means (not shown), driven by a servo motor (not shown) under computer control.
The cal ll idge support pldlrUI 111 35 also includes the separate end-actuator 430 driven by a servo motor, for operatively pivoting the sweep gate 400.
O~eration of Cartridae Transfer and Handlina Robot The operaliGn of the ca,l,idge transfer and handling robot 30 to t,ar,~fer cartridges 25 between the sorter output colnpa,l",ents 20, the docking station 55, and the coi"pa,l",enls 45 of the buffer shelf 40 will now be described, with primary rer~r~nce to FIGURES 11A-L.
FIGURE 11A shows the cartridge transfer and handling robot 30 in the "home" position without a cartridge. In FIGURE 11 B, the robot 30 has extracted a full call,idge 25 from a compa,l",ent 45 of the buffer shelf 40 (for clarity the stack of flat articles or mail is not shown). As depicted in FIGURE 11 C, the X-Y
servo motors are ach~ated to rotate the robot 30 toward the docking station 55 Of CA 022~0194 1998-09-2~
W097/36696 PCT~US97/05818 feeder assei"bly 50, for resorting. Altematively, the robot 30 extracts filled carl,idges from the buffer shelf 40, for l,dnsfer to the feeder asselnbly 50 or empty cartridges for transfer to an output compartment 20.
As illustrated in FIGURE 11 D the servo motors are ~chlated to lower the pldlror"~ 35 and push the cb,l,idge 25 onto the docl~ing station 55, by means ofend effector 425 and support members 427. As depicted in FIGURE 11E, the c~,l,id~e 35 has been inserted into the doc~i"g station 55. After the ca,l,idye 25 has been unloaded at the docking station 55, the robot 30 removes the empty cartridge, as illustrated in FIGURE 11F. If not prtsenlly needed, the empty ca,l,idge can now be temporarily stored in a cGi"pa,l."ent 45 of buffer shelf 40as depicted in FIGURE 11G.
Refe"i,~g to FIGURE 11H the robot 30 has been repos;~iol~ed to remove a filled cartridge 25 from an~output cor"pa,l",ent 20 of array 19. FIGURE 111 shows the robot 30 removing a full ca,l,idge 25 (the stack of flat articles or mail iS not shown). FIGURE 11J depicts the robot 30 after having been tumed and beginning the Gperdtiol- to place the ca,tlidge 25 into a Compalllllenl 45 of buffer shelf 40. FIGURE 11K illustrates the robot 30 in the middle of removing a ca,l,idge 25 from a buffer shelf 40. Finally FIGURE 11L depicts the robot 30 in the process of putting a cartridge into a compb,l",enl 20 of array 19.
The preferred Irlt:lllOd of ope,atiGn is to move filled cartridges from the buffer shelf 40 to the feeder system 55; empty cb,l,idges from the feeder to thebuffer; empty cartridges from the buffer 40 to the output cGm~Jblli"er,ls 20; filled cbll,idges from the output cornpa~l")el)la 20 to the buffer 40; and so on. Thus the buffer 40 prererably serves as an intermediate "stopover" point between the CA 022~0194 1998-09-2~

feeder and the output compa,l~enls and from the output cG",pa,l",enta to the feeder. If the supervisory computer determines however, that a particular call,idge transfer will be more erl.~- .ll if made directly, without the i"tel",ediate step of the buffer, the robot will transfer filled or empty ca, l, idges directly betv een the feeder and the output co",pall.nel)l, and vice versa.
Although not shown in FIGURES 11A-11L, it is to be understood that, when the ca,l,idge support platform 35 is propelly positioned, the upstanding fingers 420 are lowered (or raised), and the extensible support ",e",ber~ 427 extended (or retracted) as necessary, to ,oosition the upstanding fingers 420 directly underneath mating notches 160 in the front end of the ca,l,idge 25 and to move the fingers 420 up into the notches 160 in the call,idge 25, at the appr~p,iale times, as previously desc,it,ed.
It should be noted that, if the u~,slandi"g fingers 420 are sufficiently long the hold bars 145 in the docking station 55 may be dispensed with in as much as the fingers also prevent the stack from falling with the cartridge door 90 open in the same manner that the fingers 420 function in removing a filled cartridge from the output cG",pa,l",ent 20. I low~vcr for reasons of maximum utilization of therobot 30 it is preferled that the hold bars 145 are used to support the mail during opening of the ca-l,idge door 90, since this allows the robot to leave the docking station 55 immediately after discharging the call,idge 25, before it is docked and ull'. a~ed if desired.
As can be seen in FIGURE 11A-11L some embodi",ent~ of the output array 19 of output co"~pa~ enls 20 may include a top row or tier that is slanteddownwardly a few deg,ees. The reason for the slant is to facilitate manual CA 022~0194 1998-09-2~

removal of mail and/or ca,t~idges from the top tier when manual removal of the ca, ll idges is desired or necess~ry in case of breakdowns of the ca, ll idge handling robot 30. Mail must continue to be processed ,tgar.lless of a breakdown of the ca,llidge transfer and handling robot 30 and many such slanted tier arrays are 5 already in operation. Thus it is desirable that the ca, ll idge l,dr,sfer and handling robot 30 be able to acco~modate such a slanted configuration. To do so the cd,l.idge support asse~"l;ly is mounted to the collar having a mount rotatable to about a hori onlal axis. The rotation is effected by means of a servo motor under computer control pe""itling the end-effector 425 to reach the slanted top 1 0 shelf.
R~fe"i"g to FIGURE 14, in order to speed up the cartridge insertion and removal process a dual plalro,." robot 30 riding on a bottom rail 34', is provided configured with dual cal l,idge support plat~l " ,s 35 . By the use of dual ca, l, idge support plalrulllls 35', the robot 30 is configured to insert and/or remove two call,idges per "trip" thus maximizing the efficiency of use of the robot 30'.
In order to ",axi",i~e the usefulness of the sorter 15, in accordance with the present invention a computer is suitably proy,d",r,~ed so that when the cartridge 25 in a designated output cornpa,l",enl has been filled or nearly filled as indicated by the sensed position of the rear stack support paddle 180 or 20 during the process of removal of a cartridge prior to insertion of an empty cartridge the computer aulumalically instructs the sorter 15 or a supervisory computer to redesignate another output colnpd, l",ent 20, on the fly to enable the sorter to continue to sort to the ,t:designaled output locdlion until an empty ca,l,idge is fully reinserted into the output compartment.

CA 022~0l94 l998-09-2~

WO 97/36696 PCT/US97tO5818 The supervisory computer is also preferably programmed to determine high-occurrence output compartments, either based upon manual input of a probability mapping for the sort locdlions~ or based upon ~eai "i- ~y" the probability of the various sort localions based upon record;"g of info""dlion from prior sorts.
5 The high-occurrence d~sli"dlions are grouped together in the array 19, and in buffer shelf 40, to I naxi, (,i~e efficiency of Cdl l~ idge inse, liGn, removal, and transfer between the buffer shelf 40, the array 19, and the docl~i"g station 55 of feeding asse",bly 50.
It should be noted that, although the invention is iilustrated and described in conjunction with a sorter, the invention is useful in connection with other machines for autollldlically handling and/or processing flat articles and mail, for example, envelope addr~ssi, ~9 machines, labeling machines, cl Idl dcter recognition machines, and bar code printing machines.
Although prerel,ed and altemate embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated in the accon ,panying drawings and described in the fo,ego.ng DETAILED DESCRIPTION, itwill be u"deralood thatthe invention is not limited to the embodi,nenls dicclQsed, but is capable of numerous rearrangel"ents, modifications and substihltions of parts and elements without departing from the spirit of the invention.
r. ~ _ .~

.~
~,,; . ~ .

Claims

WE CLAIM:
24. A method for sorting a stack of flat articles comprising the steps of:
positioning a cartridge supporting the stack of flat articles into a docking station;
transferring the stack of flat articles from the cartridge positioned on the docking station to a queuing station;
aligning the stack of flat articles by moving each of the flat articles from the queuing station in a feed direction along an edger station; and sorting each of the flat articles exiting the edger station into a selected one of a plurality of output compartments, each output compartment containing a predetermined cartridge for receiving sorted flat articles.

25. The method for sorting a stack of flat articles in accordance with Claim 24 further comprising a step of sensing a docking of the predetermined cartridge onto the output compartment before transporting said flat articles thereto.

26. The method for sorting a stack of flat articles in accordance with Claim 24 further comprising the steps of:
monitoring the quantity of the flat articles entering the predetermined cartridge for determining when to remove the predetermined cartridge from the output compartment; and disabling the step of sorting the flat articles to the predetermined cartridge when a prespecified quantity of the flat articles have entered the predetermined cartridge.

27. The method for sorting a stack of flat articles in accordance with Claim 26 further comprising the step of removing the predetermined cartridge from the output compartment in response to disabling the sorting of the flat articles to the predetermined cartridge.

28. The method for sorting a stack of flat articles in accordance with Claim 27 further comprising the step of placing the predetermined cartridge removed from the output compartment into a buffer shelf.

29. The method for sorting a stack of flat articles in accordance with Claim 24 wherein the step of sorting further includes a step of reading a bar code located on each of the flat articles to determine the predetermined cartridge in which to sort each flat article.

30. The method for sorting a stack of flat articles in accordance with Claim 24 further comprises a step of removing the cartridge from the docking station with a robot handler.

31. The method for sorting a stack of flat articles in accordance with Claim 24 where the step of transferring the stack of flat articles further comprises the steps of:

opening a door of the cartridge following support of the stack of flat articles;

extending a moveable front stack support to a front of the stack of flat articles to provide support for said stack of articles;
removing a stack support from a position supporting the stack of flat articles in response to extending the moveable front stack support in the front of the stack of flat articles;
positioning a moveable pusher into the cartridge to engage a back of the stack of flat articles; and pushing the stack of flat articles from the cartridge while supporting the front thereof and retaining the stack of flat articles between said moveable front stack support and the moveable pusher.

32. The method for sorting a stack of flat articles in accordance with Claim 24 where the step of aligning the stack of flat articles further comprises the steps of:
positioning said flat articles between a pair of tabs;
moving the pair of tabs in the feed direction;
rotating a first roller positioned below said flat articles to position a side edge of each flat article in contact with a back wall of the edger station; and rocking said pair of tabs longitudinally back and forth along a vertical axis of the edger station to adjust a bottom edge of each flat article to be substantially flush to one another.

33. The method of sorting the flat articles in accordance with Claim 32 further comprises a step of rotating a second roller adjacent the side edge of the flat articles to downwardly position the bottom edge thereof.

34. The method in accordance with Claim 32 wherein the step of rocking said pair of tabs further comprises the step of contacting a roller cam follower mounted to each tab with a wavy cam guide.

35. A method for sorting a plurality of letter mail comprising the steps of:
positioning a cartridge supporting the letter mail onto a docking station;
transferring the letter mail from the cartridge positioned on the docking station to a queuing station;
aligning the letter mail by moving the letter mail from the queuing station in a feed direction along an edger station;
sorting each of the letter mail exiting the edger station into a selected one of a plurality of output compartments, each output compartment containing a predetermined cartridge for receiving sorted flat articles; monitoring the quantity of the letter mail entering the predetermined cartridge for determining when to remove the predetermined cartridge from the output compartment;
disabling the step of sorting the letter mail to a predetermined cartridge when a prespecified quantity of the letter mail have entered the predetermined cartridge; and removing the predetermined cartridge from the output compartment in response to disabling the sorting of the letter mail to the predetermined cartridge.

36. The method for sorting a plurality of letter mail in accordance with Claim 35 where the step of transferring the letter mail further comprises the steps of:
opening a door of the cartridge following support of the letter mail;
extending a moveable front stack support to a front of the letter mail to provide support for said letter mail;
removing a stack support from a position supporting the letter mail in response to extending the moveable front stack support in the front of the letter mail;
positioning a moveable pusher into the cartridge to engage a back of the letter mail; and pushing the letter mail from the cartridge while supporting the front thereof and retaining the letter mail between said moveable front stack support and the moveable pusher.

37. The method for sorting a plurality of letter mail in accordance with Claim 35 where the step of aligning the letter mail further comprises the steps of:
positioning said flat letter mail between a pair of tabs;
moving the pair of tabs in the feed direction;
rotating a first roller positioned below said letter mail to position a side edge of each flat article in contact with a back wall of the edger station;

rocking said pair of tabs longitudinally back and forth along a vertical axis of the edger station to adjust a bottom edge of the letter mail to be substantially flush to one another, said rocking occurs by engaging a wavy cam guide to a roller cam follower11 mounted to each tab; and rotating a second roller adjacent the side edge of the flat article to downwardly position the bottom edge thereof.

38. A system for sorting a stack of flat articles comprising:
a carriage assembly for inserting or extracting a cartridge from an article processing machine;
said article processing machine further comprises:
a docking station for receiving the cartridge supporting the flat articles from the carriage assembly;
a queuing station adjacent the docking station for receiving the flat articles transferred from the cartridge;
an edger station adjacent the queuing station for aligning the flat articles received from the queuing station; and a sorter adjacent the edger station for sorting each of the flat articles into a selected one of a plurality of output compartments, each output compartment containing a predetermined cartridge for receiving sorted flat articles.

39. The system for sorting a stack of flat articles in accordance with Claim 38 further comprising a supervisory computer for controlling the operation of the system, said supervisory computer includes:
means for sensing a docking of the predetermined cartridge to the output compartment to enable transportation of the flat articles thereto;
means for monitoring the quantity of the flat articles entering the predetermined cartridge for determining when to remove the predetermined cartridge from the output compartment; and means for disabling the operation of the sorter when a prespecified quantity of the flat articles have entered the predetermined cartridge.

40. The system for sorting a stack of flat articles in accordance with Claim 39 wherein the supervisory computer further includes means for reading and interpreting a bar code located on each flat article to determine the predetermined cartridge in which to sort each flat article.

41. The system for sorting a stack of flat articles in accordance with Claim 38 further comprising a buffer shelf for receiving the predetermined cartridge removed from the output compartment by the carriage assembly.

42. The system for sorting a stack of flat articles in accordance with Claim 38 wherein said carriage assembly further includes:
a support platform;
an extending arm movably attached to the support platform, said extending arm having an extended position for insertion of the cartridge into the article processing machine and a retracted position for extraction of the cartridge from the article processing machine; and a cartridge holder pivotally connected to an end of the extending arm, said cartridge holder having an engaged position for securing the predetermined cartridge and a disengaged position for releasing the predetermined cartridge.

43. The system for sorting a stack of flat articles in accordance with Claim 42 wherein the carriage assembly further includes:
a drive for rotatably supporting said support platform about a horizontal axis;
an actuator coupled to the support platform and having an extended position and a retracted position, said actuator in the extended position engages and enables the sorter to load articles into the predetermined cartridge and said actuator in the retracted position configures the sorter such that articles from the sorter are not loaded into the predetermined cartridge.

44. The system for sorting a stack of flat articles in accordance with Claim 38 wherein the docking station and the cartridge further includes:
a stack support of said cartridge for supporting a front of the stack of flat articles in the cartridge;
a cam and cam follower for opening a door of said cartridge during insertion of said cartridge into the docking station, and for closing said door during removal of said cartridge from the docking station;
a front stack holder for supporting the front of the stack of flat articles during removal thereof from said cartridge;
said stack support moved from a position supporting the stack of flat articles in the cartridge in response to positioning the front stack holder at the front of the stack of flat articles;
a moveable pusher positioned behind the stack of flat articles in the cartridge; and a rear finger carriage for longitudinally moving said moveable pusher to transport the stack of flat articles from said cartridge through the open door.

45. A mail sorting system for handling a plurality of letter mail comprising:
a carriage assembly for inserting or extracting a mail cartridge from an mail processing machine;
said mail processing machine further comprises:
a docking station for receiving the mail cartridge supporting the letter mail from the carriage assembly;
a queuing station adjacent the docking station for receiving the letter mail transferred from the mail cartridge;
an edger station adjacent the queuing station for aligning the letter mail received from the queuing station;
a sorter adjacent the edger station for sorting each piece of the letter mail into a selected one of a plurality of output compartments, each output compartment containing a predetermined mail cartridge for receiving sorted letter mail;
a supervisory computer for controlling the operation of the mail sorting system; and a buffer shelf for receiving the predetermined mail cartridge removed from the output compartment by the carriage assembly.

46. The mail sorting system for handling a plurality of letter mail in accordance with Claim 45 wherein the supervisory computer includes:
means for sensing a docking of the predetermined mail cartridge to the output compartment to enable transportation of the letter mail thereto;
means for monitoring the quantity of the letter mail entering the predetermined mail cartridge for determining when to remove the predetermined mail cartridge from the output compartment; and means for disabling the operation of the sorter when a prespecified quantity of letter mail entered the predetermined mail cartridge.

47. The mail sorting system for handling a plurality of letter mail in accordance with Claim 45 wherein said carriage assembly further includes:
a support platform;
an extending arm movably attached to the support platform, said extending arm having an extended position for insertion of the predetermined mail cartridge into the mail processing machine and a retracted position for extraction of the predetermined mail cartridge from the mail processing machine; and a cartridge holder pivotally connected to an end of the extending arm, said cartridge holder having an engaged position for securing the predetermined mail cartridge and a disengaged position for releasing the predetermined mail cartridge.