GB1498197A - Selectively encodable envelope insert and related sorting apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

1498197 Document sorter and document DOCUTRONIX Inc 11 March 1975 10055/75 Heading G4M [Also in Division B6] A card for use as a mail order form for ordering units and indicating method of payment has a central portion 12 containing instructions and a magnetic encoding bar and, at each end of the central portion, a separate portion 14, 16 joined to the central portion at a line of weakness allowing easy separation of the portions. One portion 14 is used to indicate a method of payment and contains five magnetic encoding bars. The other portion 16 contains four sections separated by lines of weakness with each section containing one magnetic encoding bar. The presence or absence of portion 14 indicates payment by cheque or postal order respectively. The number of bars in portions 12 and 16 indicate the number of units required. The card is inserted in an envelope and posted. The received envelope is opened 52 and the card is fed to a reader 54 which first magnetizes the bars and then counts their number. The count is fed to a logic section 60 and the cards are fed to Pocket Sections 63. The position of the cards is detected by sensors 64 which transmit the count value to Registers 65. Ten different count values can be obtained and each Pocket Section contains pockets for two counts. As each card reaches a section its count value is stored in the associated Register and if the count corresponds to the pocket value the card is supplied to the pocket. For each value two pockets are supplied so that one can receive a fixed number of cards before filling of the other pocket commences and so that one can be emptied while the other is being filled. The number of cards in a pocket is counted by the logic section. The cards with no code or an unreadable code are stored in a separate section.