GB1032420A - Automatic culling and sorting machine - Google Patents

Abstract

1,032,420. Sorting mail items. STANDARD TELEPHONES & CABLES Ltd. March 26, 1963 [March 27, 1962], No. 11937/63. Heading B8A. An arrangement which can be adapted for either culling mail items in accordance with the position of postage stamps thereon or sorting the mail items in accordance with printed destination code marks thereon comprises a feed-in device 6, separating device 7, sorting bins a-k and a reading device 9 incorporating a scanning device. Unsorted mail items are fed by means of stacking belts 4 to three presorting or culling devices 11, 12, 13 which eject through slots 5, items unsuitable for automatic letter facing and insert the rest which are arranged in accordance with their long and short edges on to the feed in device 6. The latter comprises an endless chain conveyer having section dividers or pusher members. The pneumatic or mechanical separating device 7 is positioned at the end of the device 6 and delivers mail singularly to an edgewise conveyer 8 which conveys the mail through the reading device 9 and on to the bins a-k of the sorting device 10. For the culling process the reading device 9 incorporates two pairs of scanning tracks I, II with photo-electric cells 21, 23, 26, 27 on each side of the mail item to detect any one of the four possible stamp positions, whereupon the item is delivered to the relevant one of four bins a-d. For the sorting process, the reading device 9 incorporates three scanning tracks and associated photo-electric cells 22, 24, 25 plus the two tracks and cells 21, 23 which are also used in the culling process. These identify the fluorescent dye code marks which are printed in two positions out of five in each of four rows and determine which of the bins ak is to receive that mail item. The scanning tracks of photo-electric cells 26, 27 may for the culling process be coupled to the photo-electric cells 24, 25 by means of light conducting rods. In the latter case the tracks of cells 26, 27 would have to be covered up during the sorting process.