EP0481415A1 - Removable stacker for an automatic mail sorting machine - Google Patents

Abstract

Removable stacker for an automatic mail sorting system, characterised in that it comprises a stacking surface (1), a movable wall (4) for keeping the documents in position, which wall moves as filling proceeds against the action of a return device, and a hinged flap (8) able to assume a first position in which it is retracted and a second position in which it grips said documents in co-operation with said movable wall (4) during handling of the removable stacker, said flap comprising means for keeping it in the second position against the action of the weight of the stacked documents. <IMAGE>

Description

The present invention relates to a stacker for an automatic mail sorting machine.

• - un magasin d'approvisionnement sur lequel l'opérateur installe le courrier à traiter. Le courrier est alors pris en charge pour être présenté devant un dépileur,
• - un dépileur dont le rôle est de séparer les lettres les une des autres pour les amener une à une sur un système de convoyage,
• - une tête de lecture associée à un microprocesseur et placée en regard du système de convoyage pour identifier chaque lettre et lui affecter une zone de rangement correspondant à sa destination finale. Ces zones de rangement sont des cases et/ou des empileurs,
• - une série de cases ou empileurs dont le nombre varie selon les machines et qui sont les réceptacles des lettres précédemment triées. Chaque case ou empileur représente une destination de tri bien déterminée.

An automatic mail sorting machine usually includes the following:

• - a supply store on which the operator installs the mail to be processed. The mail is then taken care of to be presented before a destacker,
• - a destacker whose role is to separate the letters from one another to bring them one by one on a conveyor system,
• - a read head associated with a microprocessor and placed opposite the conveyor system to identify each letter and assign it a storage area corresponding to its final destination. These storage areas are boxes and / or stackers,
• - a series of boxes or stackers, the number of which varies according to the machine and which are the receptacles of the letters previously sorted. Each box or stacker represents a specific sorting destination.

The present invention relates more particularly to the stacker thus called since the letters are arranged one against the other by constituting a stack.

The generalization of automatic mail processing has led to the creation of sorting machines for small sorting centers which carry out what is called routing sorting as well as distribution sorting which is the last sorting to be carried out before distribution to users by the agents .

Problems have been encountered, relating to the size of the machines and their size, which has led to seeking an optimization of the number of sorting directions, and consequently of the number of stackers or boxes of the machine. It appeared that a sorting routing or a sorting distribution can be carried out on a machine having fewer sorting receptacles than before, on condition of increasing the number of sorting passes.

• - réduction des temps morts,
• - suppression des manipulations inutiles de courrier,
• - réduction du nombre d'opérateurs,
• - etc...

The profitability of the machines therefore requires very good management of operations:

• - reduction of downtime,
• - elimination of unnecessary handling of mail,
• - reduction in the number of operators,
• - etc ...

The most significant gain in productivity is to be obtained in the sorting distribution operation, also called the preparation of the postman's tour. Preparing the postman's tour means sorting and storing the mail according to an order to be scrupulously observed: the ordering of the mail must correspond exactly to the route actually made by the postman.

Depending on the number of letters to sort, the sorting method chosen, the number of destinations, etc., several successive sorting passes will be carried out.

In addition to the profitability problems mentioned above, there is that of the quality assurance of mail sorting, implying an imperative respect for letter scheduling throughout the sorting process.

• - la valeur des cartes, par exemple dans l'ordre arbitraire décroissant suivant:
  • As, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, Valet, Dame, Roi
• - les valeurs des couleurs, par exemple dans l'ordre arbitraire décroissant suivant:
  • Coeur, Carreau, Pique, Trèfle

To show the operational process of preparing the postman's tour, we can give an analogy as follows: suppose that we want to sort the 52 cards from a deck of cards while respecting:

• - the value of the cards, for example in the following descending arbitrary order:
  • Ace, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, Jack, Queen, King
• - the color values, for example in the following descending arbitrary order:
  • Heart, Tile, Spades, Clover

First pass

We will make a first pass in a sorting machine taking as a sorting criterion the value of the cards and using 13 destackers since there are 13 card values.

We will get for example:

• Empileur 1, Empileur 2, ......, Empileur 13

We will unstack the clearance arranged on the supply store, respecting the stackers' order:

• Stacker 1, Stacker 2, ......, Stacker 13

Second pass

A second sorting pass will be made using four stackers to sort by color value.

We will get:

Third pass

Unstacking of the clearance is carried out on the supply store according to the order of the stackers (Stacker 1, Stacker 2, ..., Stacker 4) and respecting the scheduling of the mail inside each stacker. The following result is obtained:

We can then store the deck of cards thus classified in the game box.

• - le non mélange des empileurs pendant et entre les passes de tri, c'est-à-dire au moment du transfert des cartes de chaque empileur:
  • ^* sur le magasin d'approvisionnement
  • (passe 1 à 2, passe 2 à 3)
  • dans la zone de rangement
  • (passe 3 à boîte de jeu)
• - la conservation de l'ordonnancement des cartes à l'intérieur de chaque empileur (2ème et 3ème passes).

We see in this example that the sorting could be carried out successfully by imposing:

• - the non-mixing of the stackers during and between the sorting passes, that is to say at the time of the transfer of the cards from each stacker:
  • ^* on the supply store
  • (pass 1 to 2, pass 2 to 3)
  • in the storage area
  • (pass 3 to game box)
• - the preservation of the ordering of the cards inside each stacker (2nd and 3rd passes).

• - le code postal de la ville
• - le nom de la rue
• - les numéros dans la rue (ordre décroissant par exemple)
• - la parité des numéros

Sorting letters has the same analogies, the sorting criteria being:

• - the postal code of the city
• - the name of the street
• - street numbers (decreasing order for example)
• - parity of numbers

• - sur le magasin d'approvisionnement (passe 1 à 2, passe 2 à 3, etc..)
• - dans les caissettes de transport (de la dernière passe de tri au facteur).

The quality assurance of this sorting therefore requires the non-mixing of the stackers between the passes, that is to say at the time of transporting the mail of each stacker:

• - on the supply store (pass 1 to 2, pass 2 to 3, etc.)
• - in the transport boxes (from the last sorting pass to the postman).

• - d'empilage
• - de transfert dans les conditions actuellement appliquées dans les petits centres de tri, à savoir:
• - place disponible réduite impliquant un faible encombrement des machines,
• - machines à un seul opérateur, en veillant à accroître la rentabilité en supprimant les manipulations inutile du courrier, en diminuant les risque de mauvaise manipulation, en réduisant les temps morts et en garantissant la qualité du tri par un respect de l'ordonnancement du courrier.

An object of the present invention is to propose a sorting machine stacker making it possible to best perform the functions:

• - stacking
• - transfer under the conditions currently applied in small sorting centers, namely:
• - reduced available space implying a small footprint of the machines,
• - machines with a single operator, taking care to increase profitability by eliminating unnecessary handling of mail, reducing the risk of mishandling, reducing downtime and guaranteeing the quality of sorting by respecting the scheduling of mail .

The subject of the invention is therefore a removable stacker for an automatic mail sorting system, characterized in that it comprises a stacking range, a movable wall for keeping documents in the field and moving as the filling against the action of a return device, and an articulated flap, which can take a first position in which it is erased, when stacking the documents, and a second position in which it comes to enclose said documents by cooperating with said movable wall, during handling of the removable stacker, said flap comprising means for keeping it in the second position against the action of the weight of the stacked documents.

In a first embodiment, said means comprise a magnet fixed to said flap and cooperating with a fixed magnetic element.

As a variant, said means comprise a magnet placed on a fixed element and cooperating with said flap made at least partially of magnetic material.

Advantageously, the stacker has less of a handling handle.

• - la figure 1 est une vue en perspective de l'empileur de l'invention, représenté vide,
• - la figure 2 est une vue en perspective de l'empileur en cours d'empilage de documents,
• - la figure 3 est une vue en perspective de l'empileur rempli de lettres et retiré du système,
• - la figure 4 illustre le transport de l'empileur d'un poste à un autre.

The invention will be better understood from the following description of an embodiment of the invention, with reference to the accompanying drawing in which:

• FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the stacker of the invention, shown empty,
• FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the stacker during the stacking of documents,
• FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the stacker filled with letters and removed from the system,
• - Figure 4 illustrates the transport of the stacker from one station to another.

The removable stacker of the invention comprises a stacking range in which the stack of sorted letters is constituted, each letter being arranged vertically on edge, against the previous letter. The range is constituted by a rectangular plate 1, for example aluminum or any other material having a low coefficient of friction, sufficient rigidity and low weight.

For example, the plate has a length of 535 mm, a width of 275 mm, which makes it possible to receive several hundred letters in common format. A thickness of 2 mm ensures sufficient rigidity and low weight. Of course, these dimensions can be modified according to the dimensional characteristics of the documents to be processed and according to the type of machine in which the stacker is integrated.

The plate 1 is closed on a small side by a vertical bottom provided with an opening 3 large enough so that the bottom can serve as a handle.

The stacker also comprises a movable wall 4 on which the first stacked letter rests and whose role is to keep the letters in the field while moving as the stacker is filled.

This wall is equipped with a reminder device allowing it to maintain the mail sufficiently and to return to its original position (that of FIG. 1), once the contents of the stacker have been transferred.

In the example described, this movable wall is a pallet fitted with a ball bushing 5 (visible in FIG. 2), sliding on a rod 6 extending parallel to one of the long sides of the track 1 and fixed on the one hand on the bottom 2 and, on the other hand, on a fixed angle 7 arranged at the other end of the range. The return device is a helical spring not visible in the figures.

• - de maintenir les documents sur chant les uns contre les autres, ces documents étant par ailleurs maintenus par la paroi mobile 4, pendant les phases de manipulation de l'empileur amovible,
• - de s'effacer au moment du transfert des documents hors de l'empileur amovible.

According to an important characteristic of the invention, the stacker comprises an articulated flap 8, located at the entrance to the stacker, and having the functions:

• to keep the documents on edge against each other, these documents also being maintained by the movable wall 4, during the handling phases of the removable stacker,
• - to be erased when the documents are transferred out of the removable stacker.

Returning to the previous digital example, the flap 8 is a metal plate with dimensions 50 x 150 x 2 mm. To keep the flap in an upright position during the handling phases of the removable stacker, a magnet is used. It can be glued to the flap and cooperate with the angle iron 7 then made of magnetic material; alternatively, the magnet is fixed to the angle iron 7 and it is the flap which is made at least partially from magnetic material. This magnet has been represented by a small rectangle 8A in dashed lines in the figures.

The stacker is completed by a jogging edge 10, placed along the long side of the plate where the rod 6 is located; this bank serves as a physical stop for each document entering the stacker, guaranteeing the quality of the stacking.

Finally, the stacker comprises a second handle, produced simply by a metal plate 12 fixed perpendicularly to the plate 1 along the long side where the rod 6 is located, and provided with an opening 13 for the passage of the hand.

The operation of the stacker is as follows: before bringing the empty stacker (Figure 1) to the sorting system (Figure 2), the flap is folded down, exerting at its upper part a force greater than that of the magnet ; the flap then being in the same plane as the plate 1 of the stacker, the latter is placed on the sorting system of which there has been shown, in FIG. 2, only the stacker support 20, the belts 21 and 22 for routing, rotating around the pulleys 23 and 24, the fixed guide flap 25 and the retractable holding cam 26. Such a sorting system is well known and need not be described in more detail.

When the stacking is finished, the stacker is removed from the system and the flap 8 is raised, thus ensuring perfect ordering of the documents (FIG. 3).

The stacker can then be handled and transferred, either to the sorting system supply store for a subsequent sorting pass, or to the boxes or transport bags of the dispensers (Figure 4).

The invention applies to the equipment of small sorting centers, in particular for the preparation of the postman's tour.

Claims (4)

1. Removable stacker for automatic mail sorting system, characterized in that it comprises a stacking range (1), a movable wall (4) for keeping documents on the spot and moving as the filling against the action of a return device, and an articulated flap (8), which can take a first position in which it disappears and a second position in which it encloses said documents by cooperating with said movable wall (4 ), during handling of the removable stacker, said flap comprising means for keeping it in the second position against the action of the weight of the stacked documents. 2. Stacker according to claim 1, characterized in that said means comprise a magnet (8A) fixed on said flap (8) and cooperating with a fixed magnetic element (7). 3. Stacker according to claim 1, characterized in that said means comprise a magnet (8A) placed on a fixed element (7) and cooperating with said flap (8) made at least partially of magnetic material. 4. Stacker according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that it comprises at least one handle (2, 3; 11, 12) for handling.

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