EP1773513A1

EP1773513A1 - Method and device for sorting mail

Info

Publication number: EP1773513A1
Application number: EP05759651A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Peter GÖRTZ
Original assignee: Deutsche Post AG
Current assignee: Deutsche Post AG
Priority date: 2004-07-21
Filing date: 2005-07-15
Publication date: 2007-04-18
Anticipated expiration: 2025-07-15
Also published as: US20110192770A1; EP2298459A3; CA2574809A1; EP2298459B1; EP2298458A3; DE102004035365A1; EP1773513B1; JP2008506521A; PL2298459T3; EP2298458A2; EP2298459A2; WO2006008087A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for sorting mail and, in particular, to the route order sorting thereof. The method is characterised in that postcode addresses applied to the mailings are recorded before the sorting process to give route order sorting, on the basis of the recorded postcodes it is determined which address points have mail and, on arranging the address points, those address points for which there is not at least one mailing are suppressed. The invention further relates to a device suitable for both sorting mail by address and also for route order sorting of mail. Said method and device are particularly suitable or the sorting of large and oversize letters.

Description

Method and device for sorting mailpieces

Description:

The invention relates to a method for sorting postal consignments, in which the mailpieces are sorted in a sorting process with at least two sorting passes according to a sequence of at least one delivery point having a plurality of delivery points, for which the mailpieces are entered into a sorting device which inputs one Have a plurality of End¬ points, on each of which a container for receiving the mail items is positioned, the mail items are dropped in a first sorting pass at the terminals in the container, which are assigned to a delivery address auf¬ on the mail items and the mail be fed again in the containers of the material input for at least one further sorting pass.

The invention further relates to a device suitable for carrying out the method.

It is known to sort mail items in so-called multipass method according to the sequence of delivery routes, in which the sorting in several sorting passes er¬ follows, which are commonly referred to as passports.

For the first pass, the delivery points of the access points are assigned to end points of a sorting device in a specific manner. During the first pass, the broadcasts are then collected according to the assigned Zu¬ address at the terminals that are assigned to the delivery addresses. For the following passes, reassignments are made between the delivery points and the end points of the sorting device _/ whereby the delivery points that were associated with a single terminal in a previous pass are distributed in a suitable manner to all terminals.

In order to bring the mailpieces into the predetermined order, the mail items are fed to the sorting device for a pass of the sorting device in a predetermined order, which results from the sequence of the end points at which the mailings were collected in a previous pass are.

In this way, in the last pass provided at the terminals, mail items can be collected in the order in which they are delivered to the delivery points by a mail carrier on his delivery route.

As a rule, a two-pass method is used for the sequence sorting, in which programs for a number of delivery points can be sorted, which corresponds to the squared number of terminals of the sorting device.

In order to achieve the highest possible utilization of the sorting device, shipments for a plurality of individual delivery times are usually sorted in the sequence sorting and, in the case of standard and compact letters, output as a total stack from the sorting device.

US Pat. No. 4,601,369 and German Patent DE 100 39 419 C1 disclose the limits of sections of the total stack that shipments for a Delivery to contain by separation cards or labels attached to the Sendun¬ labels.

Compared to standard and compact letters, the sorting and, in particular, the sequence sorting of large and large letters is considerably more complicated, since due to the size of the letters and, above all, due to the very different transmission formats, no substantially homogeneous stacks resemble those of mailings Formats can be created by the sorter.

A sorting device for large and large letters, which can also be used for sequence sorting, is derived, for example, from international patent application WO 02/090006.

The known sorting device contains a letter sorting machine, in which letters are fed to a plurality of substance inputs and dropped at end points into containers. For carrying out a sequence sorting, it contains a storage device in the container, which has been filled in a pass, is picked up and sorted, in order to be able to feed it to the substance inputs for a subsequent pass in the order in which it is intended.

In this case, a container which has been completely filled during a pass, promoted by the terminal in the Speicherereinrich¬ device, while this terminal is fed to an empty container, are dropped in the further shipments whose delivery address is assigned to this terminal.

In the storage device, the filled containers of each terminal are collected after completion of a pass and these accumulations are placed in the sequence of the terminals. The sequence sorting of large and maxi letters, like the sequence sorting of standard and compact letters, takes place on the basis of a sorting plan in which a sorting matrix is formed for each pass, by which a delivery point is assigned to each delivery point taken into account during the sorting.

In particular, in the sequence sorting of large and medium letters, two-pass methods with only two machine passes are preferred over methods with more machine runs in order to process the mailings as quickly and economically as possible.

In order to be able to take into account a sufficient number of delivery points, a very large number of end points are required, so that the sorting device has a considerable space requirement.

Often the required size of the sorting machine exceeds the available space in the sorting centers of a postal company.

In addition, in order to prepare the sequence sorting of mailpieces, it is necessary to sort them into destinations, in order to supply only the mailings to a sorting process for the sequence sorting, which are to be delivered to the delivery processes for which the sorting process is carried out.

Usually, a first sorting machine is used for sorting by destination. The consignments sorted by this device are then fed to the device for sequence sorting. A sorting device for sorting the gantry is therefore at least two sorting machines, whereby the mechanical sorting is very uneconomical. The sequence sorting is therefore usually performed manually.

The object of the invention is to eliminate the aforementioned disadvantages of the prior art and to enable a sequence sorting of mailpieces, which can be carried out in particular with compact sorting devices constructed as simply as possible.

According to the invention this object is achieved by a method according to claim 1.

Advantageous developments of the method are the subject of the dependent claims 2 to 18.

According to the invention this object is further achieved by a Vorrich¬ device according to claim 19.

Advantageous developments of the device are the subject of the dependent claims 20 to 26.

In particular, the invention provides for a method with the preamble of claim 1 to be carried out in such a way that the delivery addresses applied to the mailpieces are detected, that, based on the detected delivery addresses, it is determined for which delivery items consignments are present, and that in the association between the delivery points are suppressed for the terminals and the delivery points for which there is not at least one mail item.

The method has the advantage that only the delivery points can be assigned to a terminal for which at least a mailing is present. In particular, when sorting large and large letters, which are not available daily for the majority of delivery points, a considerable number of terminals can be saved for sorting a predetermined number of delivery times.

Sorting devices with a considerably smaller space requirement can thus be used for the sequence sorting.

In addition, in a smaller sorting device, the transport paths for the mailpieces are shorter, as a result of which the processing time for sorting is shortened.

Further advantages of the invention therefore consist in a Zeit¬ profit and an increase in the availability of a sorting device, since each additional terminal represents an additional source of disturbances of the device.

Advantageous embodiments of the method provide that at a terminal no more mailpieces are dropped when the container positioned there is completely ge fills.

It is then for the second sorting pass only a container of each terminal of the material input to the sorter supply and a complex device for storing and sorting the container is saved.

The containers can be transported in a simple manner in the sequence for material input, which corresponds to the spatial arrangement of the terminals. In an expedient embodiment, programs with a delivery address, which is assigned to a specific terminal, are dropped at an overflow when the container is filled at the specific terminal.

Filled containers at the end point assigned to the overflow are transported out of the area of the sorting device and are not further taken into account in the sorting process.

In a preferred alternative embodiment of the method, the number of items that are present for each delivery point is determined before the start of the sorting process.

This makes it possible to enter only the items that can be picked up by the containers in the sorting device and to dispense with the overflow.

Preferably, the consignments which are not taken into account in a first sorting process, since they have either been dropped off at the overflow or not entered into the sorting device, are sorted according to the sequence of passes in a subsequent sorting process.

A sorting of a plurality of subsets of the total quantity of mailings in a plurality of sorting processes takes into account, in particular, the logistical circumstances in the sorting of mailpieces.

Thus, in a sorting center of a postal company, not all deliveries to be sorted according to the sequence of orders are delivered simultaneously, but rather distributed over a period of time. Transactions not considered in the first sorting process are therefore sorted according to the gear sequence together with the consignments delivered after the start of the first sorting process.

Compared to a method in which all shipments are sorted in a sorting process that is started after the receipt of the last shipments, when sorting the shipments in several subsets, a larger overall time window is available within the period available for the sequence sorting.

The resulting subsets of consignments sorted according to the sequence of courses for a delivery operation are preferably combined by a further sorting into a total quantity of consignments sorted according to the sequence.

This is done either in a further automated sorting process or manually, for example by the Zustel¬ ler.

In order to further increase the sorting efficiency, it is provided in a preferred embodiment of the method to assign delivery points for a plurality of delivery steps to a terminal.

As a result, optimal sorting of the containers can be achieved during sorting, in which partially filled containers are largely avoided. The number of delivery runs, which is carried out in the sorting with a given number of terminals, can be further increased by this measure. In order to be able to easily separate the consignments from one another for different delivery processes, during the sorting, a separation card is advantageously sorted into the containers after the last consignment belonging to a delivery process, which consignments for several delivery times.

The sorting of the mail items after the sequence of movements is preferably carried out in a distribution center at a destination of the postal items.

In a particularly preferred embodiment of the method, however, the delivery addresses on the mailpieces are detected at a dispatch location of the mailpieces.

Upon detection, an identification code is advantageously applied to the mailpieces, which is unambiguously assigned to the mailpiece.

The assignment is expediently stored in a unit which is accessed during the sorting of the items. In a preferred embodiment of the method, the mail items are dropped as a function of the identification code at the end points of the sorting device.

In the case of sorting, furthermore, dimensions and / or weight of the mailpieces are preferably detected. After checking the dimensions and / or the weight, such items are expediently discharged from the delivery run, which can not be reliably sorted due to their format and / or weight.

In addition, franking markings on the mail items are advantageously checked. Mail without valid exemption notice of cancellation are also discharged from the shipment history aus¬.

The device according to the invention for sorting postal mail has at least one material input for feeding mailpieces, at least one identification link for detecting delivery addresses on the mailpieces, at least one destination and one delivery point, and for applying the mailpieces unambiguously associated identification codes on the mail items, a Mit¬ tel for storing the assignment between the mail items and the identification code, a plurality of terminals where the mail items are dropped depending on the Identifikations¬ codes and taking into account the association between the identification code in containers and At least one conveying device for transporting the containers from the end points to the material input.

The device is characterized in particular by the fact that it has an activating means for activating a first and a second operating state of the device, wherein in the first operating state an assignment means assigns at least one destination to each terminal, the mail transmissions depend on an association between the Identification code and the destination of the mail items are thrown off at the corresponding end stations and filled containers are transported away from the end stations from the area of the device and in the second operating state the allocation means for a first sorting pass of a sorting process for sequence sorting assigning each terminal a Zu¬ set point, the mail items are discarded depending on an assignment between the identification codes and the delivery points at the corresponding terminals, the conveyor the filled containers from the endstel transported to the Stoffingäbe and assigns the Zuordnungsmit¬ tel for a second sorting pass of the sorting process for sorting sequence of each terminal a delivery point and the mail items of the assignment between the identification codes and the delivery points are dropped at the corre sponding terminals.

The device has the advantage that it can be used both for the sorting of mail items according to the destination as well as for the sequence sorting.

The term destination may denote a destination region, a delivery district group and / or a single delivery district and, in particular, refers to the sorting depth which is required for the preparation of the sequence sorting.

The entire sorting of the mailpieces can thus be carried out by means of a single machine, which can be operated flexibly in two operating states.

In a particularly preferred embodiment of the device according to the method according to the invention in the second operating mode in the case of the allocation between the terminals and the delivery points, the allocation means suppresses the delivery points for which there are no shipments.

The apparatus preferably further includes means for dispensing a release card into the containers. This is particularly advantageous if, during the sequence sorting in the second operating state, consignments for a plurality of delivery districts are dispensed into a container. The consignments for different Zustellbezirke can then be separated by the separation card. In a further preferred embodiment, at least one terminal is assigned an overflow function. There, the mail items are discarded when the container is already filled at the end point which is assigned to the delivery address of the mailpieces.

Furthermore, it is advantageous to equip the device with a means for detecting identification features of the containers and with a controller which carries out a supply of the containers to the substance inputs as a function of the identification features.

This makes it possible, in particular, to enter only the items that can be received by the containers in the sorting device and to dispense with the overflow.

It is particularly expedient that the device also has a means for assigning the identification features to the items in the containers.

The identification feature is preferably applied to the container identification codes.

Furthermore, it is advantageous that the device in the area of the terminals a level control for determining the

Fill level of arranged at the terminals container auf¬ has.

In this way, the sorting device can in particular be controlled such that no mailpieces are thrown off at a terminal station where a completely filled container is located, and these mailings are directed, for example, to a terminal station which is assigned an overflow function. Further advantages and expedient developments of the invention emerge from the subclaims and the following description of preferred exemplary embodiments with reference to the figures.

From the figures shows

1 shows a schematic representation of an apparatus for sorting large and large letters in a plan view,

2a shows a sorting matrix for the first sorting pass, and

FIG. 2b shows a sorting matrix for the second sorting pass.

The following is an example of the sorting of large letters (GBf) and maximum letters (MBf) which have a maximum dimension of 353 mm × 250 mm × 20 mm or 353 mm × 250 mm × 50 mm and a maximum weight of 500 g respectively 1000 g.

However, the invention is by no means limited to sorting GBf and MBf with these formats. In principle, the method according to the invention can be applied with little adaptation to the sorting of mailpieces with any desired formats or weights.

Mail can be placed by a customer of a postal company at a place of dispatch, for example in branches of the postal company, at the place of dispatch in a mailbox or, in the case of senders with a very high shipment volume. - be delivered directly to a sorting center of the postal company.

The mailings placed in the branches and at the mailboxes are collected by the postal company and sent to a

Sorting center in the region of the sender of the broadcasts zuge¬ leads. In this exit letter center BZA, the items are sorted according to their destination regions and in particular according to the entry letter centers BZE located in the zones of the destination regions of the mailpieces.

After the BZA sorting, the items are trans ported to the BZE and subjected there to a fine sorting, which as far as possible includes a sorting of the items according to the sequence of delivery times in the area of the BZE. Finally, the items are delivered by a deliverer or in P.O. Box. For the mail items that are sent to a mailbox, no sorting according to a sequence of a delivery process is usually carried out.

The sorting devices in the sorting centers are designed in such a way that they permit both the BZA and the BZE sorting to be carried out. In particular, they can be operated in two operating states, of which one operating state allows a sorting according to destinations and the other operating state makes a sequence sorting possible.

For the BZA sorting at the point of departure, the consignments are fed to the sorting center at about midday. The supply is staggered in a number of subsets, which are sorted in the BZA by destination. This may include a sorting according to target regions or according to Zukunftsbezirksgruppen included in the target region. In a processing step preceding the sorting process, the consignments delivered are first separated, and a check is made as to whether the consignments delivered can be sorted by machine or whether they have to be processed manually due to their particular format, a special coating or similar properties.

The programs that are suitable for machine processing are fed to a letter sorting machine (FSQM for F_lat Sorting and Sequencing Machine) for GBf and MBf, as shown schematically in FIG. A sorting center has one or more FSQMs.

FIG. 1 shows by way of example 4 substance inputs 10 ₁ to 10 ₄ , in which the transmissions are entered either manually or mechanically. In the case of machine input, the items are transported via a conveying device, not shown in the figure, preferably in containers to the stock inputs, which are tipped there. The conveying device can be used, for example, as an arrangement of

Be formed roller conveyors.

The emptied to the cloth input 10i to 1O ₄ container wer¬ the rat via a conveyor 90 to a Leerbehältervor- 50 transported.

Via conveyors 2Oi to 2O ₅ which are riert integ¬ in the FSQM, the mail items are initially Identifika¬ tion stretch 3O 3O ₁ to ₄ conveyed, which are disposed on the conveyors to 2O _x 2O. ₄ However, it would also be possible, however, due to a loss in the processing speed less preferred, a single identification route on the conveyor 2O ₅ vorzuse¬ hen. The conveyors 2O _x to 2O ₅ are designed, for example, as endless conveyor belts.

The identification zones 3Oi to 3O ₄ each contain ei¬ nen address reader from which the be¬ on the mailpieces-sensitive delivery data and at least the postal summarizes ER and interpreted.

The recorded delivery data are stored in a data record with transmission accompanying data, which in particular includes the name and address of the recipient of the transmission. The An¬ font consists of specifying a street, a house number, a postal code and a place.

When detecting the delivery address, it is also ensured to check whether the location designation and the indication of the postal code are consistent. If it is ascertained that the postcode is not the postcode which also belongs to the specified location, the destination region is determined by the place name and the postcode is ignored. This procedure results from the fact that a broadcaster is less likely to apply a faulty place name to the mail items than a faulty postal code.

For automatic interpretation of the delivery and sender addresses, an OCR (Optical Character Recognition) device is used. If the delivery address can not be recognized by this device, a video encoding of the

Delivery address made. In this case, an image of the delivery surface carrying the delivery address is recorded by means of a scanner and presented to a video coding personnel, who recognizes the delivery address and enters at an input device.

Depending on the sorting depth provided in the BZA sorting, it is first necessary for the first two or all digits of the postal code to be recognized and input by the video coding person. The destination region for the consignment results from the first two digits of the postal code, while the delivery subgroup is coded in the other digits.

The remaining components of the delivery address, whose knowledge of the sorting in the BZA is not required, can subsequently be coded during the transport of the broadcasts from the BZA to the BZE. This is referred to as the post-coding of the addresses.

This measure makes it possible to carry out the BZA sorting very quickly, and helps to ensure that a large sorting depth can be achieved.

The Sendun¬ be the identification zones 30χ to 3O ₄ gene also with an identification code, preferably a bar code, provided that the data record with the Sendungsbegleit- is uniquely associated with and thus allows a unique identification of the broadcasts.

It is first carried out a glossy scan for the broadcasts in order to determine the reflectance of the broadcasts. On the basis of the determined reflectance, it is determined whether the surface of the mailpieces allows the identification code to be printed directly on the mailpieces, or whether a label must first be applied to the mailpieces by means of a label applicator the code is printed. The latter is required, for example, for shipments with a plastic envelope.

On the identification lines 3O ₁ to 3O ₄ , a device for detecting the identification code is likewise provided in each case. These readers allow, on the one hand, to check the readability of the identification code applied to the mailpieces. On the other hand, the readers allow the identification of the broadcasts, and on the basis of the reading result they can be assigned to a terminal 4O _x to 40 _{N of} the FSQM in order to be dropped there.

There are seen forward on each track identification 3Oi to 3O ₄ two read means for detecting the identification code, one of which is arranged in front of the OCR unit. This makes it possible to check whether the item of mail is already provided with an identification code and can be processed on the basis of this code, or whether a recording of the item data is still to be carried out.

The identification zones 3Oi to 3O ₄ may further comprises means for determining the format of the program, eventually ein¬ their length, width and height, and include their weight. The determined transmission format can likewise be included in the data record with the transmission accompanying data.

If the format of a program exceeds the format intended for GBf and MBf, it is sent to a compulsory discharge and removed from the area of the sorting machine, since if the formats are too large, it can not be ensured that the item is dropped off in the intended container. The compulsory discharge is located in the region of the identification paths 3Oi to 3O ₄ and is not shown in FIG. The identification links 30 ₁ to 30 ₄ may also comprise detectors for checking the franking of the mailpieces. The required height of the franking is determined in particular on the basis of the mailing format.

For sorting the items in the BZA, the destination contained in the delivery address of the items is evaluated. This is generally done on the basis of the postal code, the first two digits of which indicate the destination region of the mailing and the other digits of which, in particular, the delivery area group of the mailing.

In the BZA sorting, the sorting in the BZE is prepared as far as possible. It is therefore intended to sort the consignments in the BZA already after the sequence sorting processes in the BZE, so that the consignments entered there directly into the first pass of a process for sequence sorting according to the order of delivery on the delivery routes in the delivery districts of Zustellbezirksgruppen can be.

In a sorting according to delivery sequence sorting processes the terminals 40i to 40 _N - _m of each particular FSQM ei¬ ne or more delivery district and the associated transmitter are administered in accordance with their zip code to the entspre¬ sponding terminals 40i to _40N. _m dropped into containers, which are positioned at the terminals 40 _N _ _m .

A rejection function is assigned to a number of m terminals 40 _N _ _{m +} i to 40 _N , ie there are discarded transmissions which can not be assigned to the remaining terminals - for example because they have no readable delivery address - or which do not belong to them to be assigned - spielsweise, because they have no valid franking. In the plan view of the FSQM in FIG. 1, N = 37 terminals are shown by way of example. Typically, depending on the size of the sorting center, an FSQM has between N = 200 and N = 500, preferably between N = 280 and N = 400 terminals.

The _N to 4O to be positioned at the terminals 4O ₁ Behäl¬ ter are made from a stock empty containers 50 through a conveyor 60 transported to the empty container dereinrichtung supply to the terminals 40 i to 40 _N and brought facilities under the associated Intercept. The conveyor 60 is preferably designed as a roller conveyor.

The containers are provided with an identification code which allows a clear identification of the containers. The identification code is assigned to a container and preferably designed as a barcode.

When entering a container into the FSQM, the identification code is detected and stored together with information about the terminal at which it is filled. To detect the identification code, a container identification station is provided on the conveyor 60, which has a scanner for reading in the code.

At the end points 40i to 40 _N , the mail items are guided into a shaft, through which they pass into the containers located below the discharge devices. If necessary, a direct discharge from the carrier of the sorter, without the need for an additional shaft.

The GBf and MBf are thereby thrown off in such a way that they are stacked horizontally one above the other in the containers. with about 52 GBf and / or MBf in the containers.

The degree of filling of the containers can be determined by the level control. Preferably, the degree of filling is determined based on the number of discarded consignments and their thickness.

In addition, a device for monitoring the stack image is provided in order to detect erroneously stacked programs, which for example are beyond the edge of a container, and to generate a warning signal in the event of a detected defective stack image.

The containers, which have been completely filled in a sorting process of the BZA sorting, are transported out of the area of the sorting device via a conveying device 70 for full container removal. The corresponding terminal is fed to another empty container, which is filled with other to be thrown away at this terminal broadcasts.

Consignments for which only the first two digits of the postal code could be recognized in the BZA, even though a sorting according to the sequence sorting processes is provided, are discarded at one of the terminal stations which are assigned to a delivery subgroup in the destination region. In this way, it is ensured that they are transported to their destination region.

The filled regular containers, ie the containers from the terminals, to which no reject function was assigned, are placed in the BZA in a picking area, where they are used for further transport via the so-called main run appropriate commissions. In the main run, the shipments are transported via the night airmail network and / or by truck and / or other means of transport to the destination regions.

The shipments from the own resources of the BZA, i. The transmissions for which the BZA and the BZE are identical are stored separately from the other consignments in the picking area.

In the manner described above, the incoming mail is sorted in the BZA until about 21 o'clock. After the sorting has been completed, the addresses which could not be recognized during the sorting can be recoded at the video coding stations. After the sorting, considerably more time can be expended for the determination of a delivery and / or sender address, without the processing of the mailing being delayed.

The delivery addresses, which are recognized during the recoding, are included in the data record created for the shipment with the

Shipment accompanying data recorded.

It is planned to link the BZA and BZE with each other and to exchange shipment information. This includes, in particular, that the consignment accompanying data recorded in a BZA is made available for retrieval by facilities in the BZE.

The data sets are either stored in the area of a central server, which can be accessed from all sorting centers, or the data records are transmitted via data telecommunication from the BZA to the corresponding BZE in which the mailings are processed further. In the BZE, a further sorting of the shipments takes place on the basis of these data records, which in particular includes a sorting of the shipments according to the course of the delivery routes in the delivery districts of the destination region.

Therefore, in particular, the assignment means, which carries out the assignment between the terminals of the FSQM and the delivery points for the sequence sorting of the items, has access to the item accompanying data.

For the sequence sorting, the same FSQMs are used, which are also used for the BZA sorting. In order to carry out the sequence sorting automated, they are equipped with additional conveyors 80, by means of which containers from the terminals 40 _α to 40 _{N to} the material inputs 1O ₁ to 1O ₄ can be transported.

In order to be able to perform the sequence sorting, the corresponding operating state of the FSQM is to be selected in which the sorting is carried out.

A multi-pass procedure is used for sorting the sequence. In order to process the shipments as quickly and economically as possible, a two-pass procedure is preferred in which the shipments only pass through the FSQM twice. This also enables a particularly gentle shipment processing compared to a multi-pass process with more than two sorting passes.

To carry out the two-pass procedure, sorting plans are created in which the assignment between the terminals and the delivery points for the two passes is determined. In the corresponding operating state, the sorting plans are loaded into the allocation means and implemented by this allocating means.

The sorting plans can be illustrated in the form of sorting matrices, as illustrated by way of example in FIGS. 2a and 2b.

To explain the principle underlying the sorting method, the example of a sequence sorting for four delivery districts A to D using N = 50 end points of an FSQM is considered. In the example, the access gear A should comprise 620 delivery points, the delivery cycle B should include 710 delivery points, the delivery cycle C should include 530 delivery points, and the delivery cycle D should include 640 delivery points.

The delivery points are labeled with the letter of the appropriate delivery and a number. The numbering corresponds to the order in which the delivery points are served by the mail carrier on his delivery service. This usually does not correspond with the order of house numbers in a street.

The sort of the matrix in figure 2a shows the allocation rule zwi¬ the terminals 40i to 4O ₅₀ and the delivery points for the first pass of the sequence sorting, wherein the numbers of the terminals are indicated 40χ lung in the top row of Darstel¬ to 4O _50th

According to the sorting matrix shown, the terminal 4O _{x is} assigned the infeed points A1, A51, AlOl, etc., to A601 from the infeed A, and the delivery points 4O ₂ to the terminal 4O A2, A52, A102, etc. to A602. Accordingly, the assignment between the other terminals and delivery points takes place.

In general, the assignment takes place at N terminals 40i to 40 _N in such a way that the terminals 40 _k with 1 ≦ k <N are assigned the assignment points with the numbers a, for which the following applies: a mod N = k. The terminal 40 _N are assigned to the delivery points a with a mod N N = O.

For the delivery procedure B, the assignment between the terminals 4Oi to 40O ₅₀ takes place as if this delivery procedure involved the continuation of the delivery process A.

Correspondingly, the delivery point Bl is assigned to the terminal 40 ₂ i, the delivery point B2 of the terminal 40 ₂₂ , etc., up to the last delivery point B710 of this delivery cycle, which is assigned to the terminal 4O ₃₀ .

The assignment between the delivery points of the infeed courses C and D takes place in an analogous manner, which likewise takes place as if each were continuations of the preceding delivery processes.

The sorting matrix is thus set up here as if the infeeds A to D were combined to form a large infeed.

This avoids partially filled containers that would result if a single terminal were not occupied by delivery points from different delivery routes. This is particularly clear on the basis of the sorting matrix for the second pass.

The consignments pass completely disordered into the FSQM at the first pass, so that a container, which is at a terminal has been filled the sorting plan, although only contains sen¬ tions for certain predetermined delivery points, but these are gesta¬ pelt in a random order in the container.

In the two-pass method, it is therefore provided that the adjusting points which were associated with a single terminal in the first pass are distributed in the second pass to all terminal stations, without resulting in duplicate assignments.

Thus, with a total number of N end positions, a maximum of N delivery points can be assigned to one terminal, so that a maximum of N ² delivery points can be taken into account during sorting.

If one observes a predetermined order when feeding the containers filled in the first pass for the second pass, each delivery point is unambiguously determined at a fixed position within a container filled in the second pass in the sense that the shipments for a particular first delivery point are at the bottom the shipments for a second delivery point, etc.

FIG. 2b shows the sorting matrix for the second pass in the example considered.

According to this matrix, the delivery point Al to A50 are assigned in the second sorting pass of the terminal 4O _1, the delivery point A51 to AlOO etc. are assigned to the terminal 4O ₂ , and finally to the terminal point 4O ₁₃ the delivery points A601 to A620.

In the second sorting pass, the feed cycle B is again treated as if it were the continuation Delivery point A. Thus, the terminal 40i _{3 are} also assigned to the delivery points Bl to B30, the following terminal 40i ₄ are 50 delivery points B31 to B80 zugeord¬ net, the terminal 40i ₅ are assigned the delivery points B81 to B130, etc. to the terminal 4O _{27 are assigned to} the delivery points B681 to B710.

The infeed courses C and D are now also treated as if they were continuations of the previous delivery routes. Accordingly, the assignment of their delivery points to the terminals takes place as shown in Figure 2b.

If the containers for the second pass are fed to the FSQM in descending order of the terminals, that is to say first the container which has been filled at the terminal 4O ₅₀ , then the container which has been filled at the terminal 4O ₄₉ , etc. until the last container is fed to the one which has been filled at the end point 40i, the stacks in the containers thus appear as shown in FIG. 2b. That is, in the container at the terminal 40χ lie at the bottom of the shipments for the delivery point Al, about the broadcasts for the delivery point A2, etc.

In the containers at the terminals 40i ₃ , 4O ₂₇ and 4O ₃₈ are after the second pass respectively broadcasts for two ver¬ different delivery districts or Zustellgänge.

In a subsequent step sorting, these items are manually separated. A particularly simple separation is ensured by the fact that at the second pass between the broadcasts of different Zu¬ stellbezirke sorted a separation card in the container becomes. In FIG. 2b this separation card is illustrated by a double line.

In the sorting plan for the second pass, it can also be provided that the items for the delivery point Al are assigned to the container at the terminal 4O ₅₀ and are at the top there, including the items for the delivery point A2, etc., up to the items for the delivery point A50. The mail items for the delivery point A51 are placed at the top of the container at the terminal 4O ₄₉ , including the mail items for the delivery point A52, etc.

This alternative sorting plan, which has been found to be particularly favorable in practice, can be mirror-image represent the sorting plan shown in Figure 2b.

The above-described sorting plans take into account all delivery points of the individual delivery processes. As a rule, however, GBf and MBf are not available daily for each delivery point.

It is therefore envisaged to include in the sorting plans only the delivery points to which consignments are actually to be delivered, it being possible to identify these delivery points on the basis of the delivery accompanying data which are recorded during the BZA sorting or BZE sorting.

Thus, in the sequence sorting in the BZE, no static sorting plan is used as the basis, but the sorting plans for each sorting process are adapted to the respective mailing order.

This means that, for example, the terminal 40χ assigned the first delivery point of the delivery A for the first pass. is the 51st delivery point of this delivery, for which there is at least one shipment, the 101st delivery point of this delivery, for which there is at least one shipment, etc. The first entry point of delivery B, for the a transmission is present is assigned according to the terminal, which follows the End¬ place, which is assigned the last delivery point of Zustell¬ gang A, for the at least one show vor¬ present.

The sorting matrix for the second pass can be set up on the basis of a corresponding transmission.

In this way, end points can be saved in the sequence sorting of GBf and MBf for the sorting of a defined number of access cycles. Conversely, shipments can be sorted for a higher number of delivery times with the same number of terminals.

In order to sort all shipments for a delivery district after the sequence, the sorting process must be carried out with all shipments for this delivery district and can therefore only be started after the receipt of the last shipment for this delivery district.

However, since broadcasts arrive in the BZE until about 4.30 am on the main run, and the sequence sorting should be completed by no later than 7 am in order to be able to deliver the broadcasts on the same day, there is usually not enough time available to make the sequence sorting of all shipments.

It is therefore envisaged that the staggered in the BZE incoming shipments in several successive sorting processes to sort according to the gear sequence. Although several subsets each result according to the sequence of sorted programs for a delivery district, which must be merged into a single set; However, this can be done easily and quickly in another machine cycle or manually by the deliverer in a Zustellstützpunkt.

Furthermore, there is the problem with the sequence sorting that the containers at the terminals 40i to 40 _N can accommodate only a limited number of shipments. If the terminals are assigned, as in the example considered, 50 delivery points and the containers have a capacity of about 52 shipments, the containers can receive on average only about 1.04 shipments for each delivery point.

In particular, if only those delivery points are considered in the sorting plan for which actual shipments are present, the average number of shipments for each delivery point is, however, generally higher.

Usually, therefore, the containers filled during a passport are brought into a storage device, and the terminal is supplied with a further empty container. After the first pass, the bins have to be sorted in order to feed them into the FSQM for the second pass in the correct order.

In this case, however, a very complex storage and sorting device is to be provided for the containers, which has a considerable space requirement and constitutes an additional source for operating disturbances of the FSQM. There is therefore provided in each sorting process Gangfol¬ gesortierung only the program to sort out the food holding of the Be¬ be included nen kön¬ at the terminals 4Oi to 40 _N.

The remaining transmissions are either discarded at a designated terminal, which is assigned an overflow function, or they are not entered into the FSQM at all. The latter is possible on the basis of the consignment accompanying data recorded in the BZA sorting.

The shipments not considered in a sorting process are then kept for the next sorting process of the next subset of the shipments.

The sequence sorting of the programs in multiple subsets thus has, apart from a better utilization of the time available for sorting, the advantage that a sorting method can be carried out in which only one container has to be filled at each terminal 4Oi to 4O _N , and thus costly storage facilities for the containers are not needed.

If a large number of consignments for a delivery point are contained in a subset of consignments which are to be sorted in a sorting process, then a further dynamic adaptation of the sorting plans is provided:

In order to increase the number of items for a single delivery point, which can be sorted in a sorting process, the delivery points, which are assigned to a single terminal according to the above presented concept, are distributed to several terminal stations arranged side by side. Since the number of GBf and MBf is very high only for very few delivery points, the number of terminals has to be increased only slightly.

On the basis of the above measures, the sorting of consignments in the BZE is carried out in the following way:

The consignments are delivered in the BZE within a certain period in different subsets. If all transmissions in a sorting process should be sorted according to the sequence, the sorting could only begin after the last transmission was received. However, this is not possible because after the receipt of the last broadcasts there is no longer enough time to sort all items.

Therefore, multiple subsets of the incoming items are sorted by the order of passage. As a result, for a delivery district, there are several stacks which are sorted according to the sequence of courses and which have to be combined to form a total stack in a subsequent processing step. However, this is possible manually or automatically in a simple manner.

For example, the partial stacks may be from a deliverer before his

Be put together delivery. This is preferably done in the appropriate Zustellstützpunkten, which are then supplied with the sub-stacks from the BZE.

The sorting of several subsets also makes it possible to fill only one container at each terminal during a sorting process. When the container is completely filled, the consignments with delivery addresses that correspond to this final destination Ie are assigned, dropped on an overflow and edited within the subsequent sorting process.

In an alternative embodiment, this overflow is also eliminated, and when calculating the sorting plans, individual shipments are already allocated to the end positions, so that optimum filling of the containers is achieved. During sorting, only the transmissions already assigned to the terminals are then entered into the FSQM so that no overflow is required.

In this way complex container reservoirs for the FSQM can be saved.

According to the illustrated concept for the sequence sorting, the following operations thus result in the BZE:

The GBf and MBf sorted into the BZA according to the delivery district groups are delivered to the BZE. The accesses to the BZE are staggered in time; The last consignments to be delivered on the same day should be received by the BZE until about 4.30 am

Upon receipt of the container in the BZE identification codes of the containers are detected and transmitted to a computer. The codes can then be used to determine which transmissions are located in the containers already delivered.

The consignments from the own resources of the sorting center are then already available.

The sorting schedules are created before the sorting of the shipments in the BZE. This is done on the basis of the information about the shipments already received in the BZE or based on the information provided by the BZA. Since the transport procedures and in particular their duration are known, it can be determined for the departures from the BZA, when the shipments will arrive in the proposed BZE.

The arithmetic unit of the BZE can also access the data of a consignment tracking for generating the sorting plan, if such is carried out.

During the creation of the sorting plans, the subsets of consignments are defined, which are to be sorted in the individual sorting processes according to the sequence. If the planning takes place solely on the basis of the information about the inputs in the BZE, then the sorting plan for a sorting process is determined in each case taking into account the consignments present in the BZE up to a certain point in time.

It is planned to start the first sorting process for sequence sorting from about 10 pm. In particular, in the first sorting process, the items from the own volume of the corresponding BZA for the same region are taken into account. However, the time to start the process is chosen so that there are already a number of shipments that is sufficiently high to fully utilize the capacity of the sorting center.

A typical large sorting center has at least two FSQMs each with 280 terminals. For the sequence sorting, the FSQMs are partitioned, ie subdivided into several regions, in which a sequence sorting is performed independently. A typical partitioning, for example, provides four partitions with 70 endpoints each. One of the endpoints of each partition fulfills a reject function. At this terminal, the consignments are canceled, for which there are no valid addresses or which have been misdirected.

In addition, this or another terminal can serve as an overflow, are dropped on the shipments that can not be taken into account in a pass, since the containers at the terminals where they are dropped according to the sorting plan, already filled completely are.

However, since it is intended to enter only those shipments in the FSQM for each sorting process that can actually be sorted, the overflow is generally eliminated.

As explained above, the delivery points of the delivery routes taken into account in the sorting are assigned to the remaining terminals of each partition.

During the production of the sorting plans, a 90% filling of the containers arranged at the end points is preferably aimed for, which, with a capacity of the containers of 52 consignments, corresponds to a filling with 47 consignments. In a partition, it is thus possible to sort approximately 47-69 = 3243 GBf and MBf according to the sequence of steps in a sorting process.

In the case of the association between the terminals and the delivery points, the delivery points which in the diagram of FIG. 2a are assigned to a single terminal are, as already described, assigned to several adjacent terminals if one of these delivery points is too high Number of shipments. After at least the sorting plan for the first sorting process has been created, and all the consignments to be sorted are present in the BZE, these are entered into the FSQM for the sequence sorting at the substance input.

The pressure applied to the program identification code is detected at the identification zones 3Oi to 3O ₄ FSQM and according to this code assigned delivery address of the program, which is determined based on the consignment accompanying data are dropped, the program at the intended in the sorting plan for the ers¬ th matched terminal ,

The assignment between the delivery addresses and the endpoints is stored in the assignment means of the FSQM.

After all transmissions entered into the FSQM have been processed in this way, the containers are conveyed in the order envisaged via the conveyors 8Oi and 8O ₂ for the second pass to the material inlets 10i to 10 _{4 of} the FSQM and emptied there. The empty containers are transported via the conveyor 90 in the empty container stock.

If two parallel lines are provided with terminals as shown in FIG. 1, and if the containers are conveyed from one route to other material inputs than the containers from the other route, transmissions of one route and the other can Shipments from the other route can be entered simultaneously into the FSQM. The prerequisite for this, however, is that the partitioning of the FSQM is selected such that the containers of one route belong to different partitions than the containers of the other route. The containers with the consignments which have been disposed of at the terminal, to which the reject function is assigned, are transported away from the area of the FSQM via the conveyor 70.

In the second pass, in turn, the identification codes of the programs to the identification zones 30χ ₄ to 3O be construed ER and the mail items are in accordance with their Zustellad¬ ress at the terminals dropped associated in the sorting plan for the second pass their delivery addresses.

During the second pass, as already explained, separation cards are sorted into the containers after each last shipment of a delivery process which has been dropped into a container, which permits a simple separation of the items belonging to different delivery processes.

After all shipments have been dropped in the second pass, the containers are transported via the conveyor 70 out of the range of FSQM and collected, for example in the picking area of the BZE in suitable Zusammen¬ settings.

The subsequent sorting processes, in which further sub-quantities of the quantity of mail items to be sorted according to the gear sequence, are sorted and carried out in an analogous manner.

Typically, 3 to 4 individual sorting processes are required to sort all incoming GBf and MBf in a BZE according to the sequence.

The processes are carried out staggered in time such that on the one hand the last sorting process is completed in good time. On the other hand, in particular for the preceding processes, a sufficiently high number of consignments is available in order to be able to utilize the capacity of the FSQM as far as possible.

After all the GBf and MBf of the incoming mail of a BZE have been sorted according to the gear sequence in the manner described above, there are several subsets of programs sorted according to the gear sequence for each delivery district.

These are manually summarized by the deliverer into a total of sorted shipments after the shipments have been transported from the BZE to the delivery hub.

However, it is also possible to provide an automated summary in the BZE.

An alternative embodiment of the method differs from the above-described in that in the BZA sorting a lower sorting depth is provided and in the BZE an additional sorting pass is carried out for all incoming shipments.

The BZA sorting is not carried out according to the delivery distri- bution groups, but according to the higher-ranking target regions.

Subsequently, the shipments are transported to the BZE of the target region.

If not all delivery districts are taken into account in a sorting process for sorting the sorting of the consignments However, sorting by delivery districts or by delivery districts may be required.

However, in this implementation form, this is carried out in the BZE, and, like the sequence sorting, is staggered over time in several processes.

If there are enough consignments for the sorting with as full load as possible in the BZE, the first sorting process for the sorting of the consignments is started according to the delivery districts or to the delivery districts.

If the consignments in the BZA have not been provided with an identification code, the sorting takes place in an analogous manner as has already been described for the BZA sorting. Only the Nachcodierung the delivery addresses must be omitted, since after the sorting process is not enough time for Nachcodieren remains.

If an identification code has already been applied to the transmissions in the BZA, the sorting and, in particular, the assignment of the transmissions to the terminals takes place on the basis of the code and the associated program accompanying data.

After completion of the sorting process, the first sorting process for sorting the sequence is prepared and carried out in the same way as described above.

The second sorting process for sorting by delivery districts or delivery district groups and the second sorting process for sequence sorting, in turn, in particular also include the mailings received during the first sorting processes in the BZE.

In total, three or four sorting processes for sorting by delivery districts or delivery district groups are carried out one after the other in order to process the entire list of GBf and MBf in one BZE.

This takes place at the latest around 7 o'clock, in order to ensure a delivery of the mail on the same day.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

10 _k substance input (k = 1, ..., 4)

20i conveyor (1 = 1, ..., S)

3O _n , identification path (m = 1, ..., 4) 4O _n end point (n = 1, ..., N)

50 empty container stock

60 conveyor for empty container feeder

70 conveyor for full container removal

80p conveyor for transporting containers from the

Terminals to the material inputs (p = 1,2) 90 Conveyor for transporting containers from the

Substance inputs to the Leebehältervorrat

BZA Departure Letter Center

BZE Entrance Letter Center

FSQM letter sorting machine

GBf large letter

MBf Maxibrief

N number of terminals

Claims

claims:

1. A method for sorting mailpieces (GBf, MBf), in which the mailpieces (GBf, MBf) are sorted in a sorting process with at least two sorting passes for a gang of at least one delivery point having a plurality of delivery points, for which

the mail items (GBf, MBf) are entered into a sorting device (FSQM) which has a plurality of end stations (40i,..., 40 _N ), on each of which a container for receiving the mailpieces (GBf, MBf) is positioned

- The mail items (GBf, MBf) in a first sorting pass at the terminals (40i, ..., 40 _N ) are dropped into the container, which are assigned to an on the mail items (GBf, MBf) applied delivery address, and

the mail items (GBf, MBf) in the containers of the sorting device (FSQM) are again supplied for at least one further sorting pass,

characterized in that the delivery addresses applied to the mailpieces (GBf, MBf) are detected prior to performing the sorting process for sorting the travel sequence, it is determined on the basis of the detected delivery addresses for which delivery points consignments are present and that the delivery points are suppressed during the assignment for which there is not at least one mail item (GBf, MBf).

2. Method according to claim 1, characterized the number of mailpieces (GBf, MBf) is determined for each delivery point.

3. Method according to one of claims 1 and 2, characterized in that only the mail items (GBf, MBf) are input into the sorting apparatus (FSQM) which can be picked up by the containers present at the terminals.

4. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the remaining postal items (GBf, MBf) are sorted in at least one further sorting process according to the order of passage of at least one delivery cycle.

5. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, dadurchgeke nn zeic hn et that the mail items (GBf, MBf) abgege at an overflow, when the container at the terminal, which is assigned to Zu¬ address address of the mailings, already filled ,

6. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that delivery points of several delivery routes are assigned to a terminal.

7. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, dadurchgeke nn zeic hn et that during sorting of the mailpieces (GBf, MBf) after the sequence of delivery routes a separation card after the last belonging to a delivery gear mail (GBf, MBf) is sorted into the container.

8. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the detection of the delivery address of the mail item (GBf, MBf) is carried out at a dispatch location (BZA).

9. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the sorting according to the sequence of delivery routes at a destination (BZE) of the mailpieces (GBf, MBf) is undertaken.

10. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the mail items (GBf, MBf) are sorted in two sorting sequences in a two-pass method according to the sequence of courses.

11. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that an identification code is applied to the mailpieces (GBf, MBf) which is unambiguously assigned to the mail items (GBf, MBf).

12. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the mailpieces (GBf, MBf) are thrown off at the end points during the sequence sequencing in dependence on the identification code.

13. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the dimensions and / or weight of the mailpieces (GBf, MBf).

14. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that postage indicia on the mailpieces (GBf, MBf) are checked.

15. Method according to one of claims 13 and 14, characterized in that mailpieces (GBf, MBf) with too large dimensions, too high weight and / or without valid franking are ejected from a mailing process.

16. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, dadurchgeke nn zeic hn et that the container in the sequence sorting after completion of a sorting through at least one För¬ dereinrichtung (80i, 8O ₂ ) are transported from the terminals to a material input of the sorting device.

17. The method according to claim 16, characterized in that the containers of the sorting device (FSQM) in an order of the terminals (40 ₃ , ..., 40 _N ) are supplied.

18. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the container at least one substance input (1O _x , ..., 1O ₄ ) are emptied by means of a tilting / tilting.

19. Device (FSQM) for sorting mailpieces (GBf, MBf) with

- at least one fabric input (10i, ..., 1O ₄₎ for feeding mailpieces (GBf, MBf)

- At least one identification link (30i, ..., 3O ₄ ) for detecting on the mailpieces (GBf, MBf) befindli¬ chen, at least one destination and a delivery point containing delivery addresses and for applying the mail (GBf, MBf) uniquely assigned Identification codes on the postal items,

a means for storing the association between the mailpieces (GBf, MBf) and the identification codes,

- A plurality of terminals (40χ, ..., 40 _N ) at which the mail items (GBf, MBf) depending on the Identifika¬ tion codes are dropped into containers and

- at least one conveying device (8O ₃ , 8O ₂ ) for transporting the containers from the end points (4O ₁ , ..., 4O _N ) to the material input (10 _!, ..., 10 ₄ ),

d a d u r c h e c e n c i n e s that

- It has an activating means for activating a first and a second operating state, wherein

in the first operating state, an allocation means of each terminal (40 ₁ , ..., 40 _N ) assigns at least one destination to the mailpieces (GBf, MBf) as a function of an association between the identification codes and the Destination of the mail items (GBf, MBf) at the corresponding end points (40i, ..., 4O _N ) are dropped and gefüll¬ te container from the terminals (4O ₁ , ..., 4O _N ) from the Be¬ rich be removed from the device and

- In the second operating state, the assignment means for a first sorting pass of a sorting process for sorting the sequence sorting of each terminal (4O ₁ , ..., 40 _N ) assigns a delivery point, the mail items (GBf, MBf) depending on an association between the Identifikati¬ onscodes and the Delivery points at the corresponding terminals (40 _3. , ..., 4O _N ) are dropped, the Förderein¬ direction (8O ₁ , 8O ₂ ) the filled container from the End¬ places (4O ₁ , ..., 4O _N ) Transported to the stoffingäbe and the allocation means for a second sorting through the sorting process for sorting the sequence sorting of each terminal (4O ₁ , ..., 4O _N ) assigns a delivery point and the mail items (GBf, MBf) as a function of Zuord¬ tion between the identification codes and the delivery points at the corresponding terminals (40i, ..., 40 _N ) ab¬ thrown.

20. The apparatus according to claim 19, characterized in that the assignment means in the second mode in the association between the terminals (4O ₁ , ..., 40u) and the delivery points suppressed the delivery points for which there are no mail items (GBf, MBf).

Device according to one of Claims 19 and 20, characterized in that it comprises means for ejecting a separator card into the containers.

22. Device according to one of claims 19 to 21, characterized in that at least one terminal (4O _x , ..., 4O _N ) is assigned an overflow function and there mail items (GBf, MBf) are dropped when the container at the Terminal (40i, ..., 40 _N ), which is the delivery address of the mail (GBf, MBf) is already filled.

23. The device according to one or more of claims 19 to 22, dadurchgeke nn zeic hn et that it has a means for detecting identification features of the container and be¬ sits a control, which is a supply of the container to the substance inputs in Dependence of the identification features be¬ sits.

24. Device according to claim 23, characterized in that it has a means for associating the identification features with the consignments located in the containers.

25. Device according to one of the claims 23 and 24, wherein the identification feature is identification codes applied to the containers.

26. Device according to one of claims 19 to 25, characterized in that it has a level control for determining the Füll¬ state of at the terminals (40i, ..., 40 _N ) arranged Be¬ container.