JPH05174177A - Mail classifying device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To shorten the time required far classifying mails and to simplify the procedure. CONSTITUTION:Relating to a mail classifying device which reads a destination address written on a mail to recognize the address and then, based upon the read result, classifies mails into corresponding destinations, when both a post-office box and a large user name or only a large user name is identified (step 403), mails are classified by their large user name (step 404), and when only a post-office box is identified (step 405), mails are classified by their post-office box (step 406).

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a mail item sorting device for sorting mail items according to destinations described in the mail items.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, in the business of delivering postal items, it is necessary to divide the postal items into areas for delivery workers. Recently, such sorting work has been made into a device by using character recognition technology. Has been done.

This device reads the destination written on the mail and recognizes the destination by a character recognition technique. And
The postal items are divided into areas for delivery workers based on the recognized destinations.

By the way, the address described in the mail is
In addition to the address, there are major names such as PO Boxes and company names, and when PO Boxes are listed, the major names may also be listed.

In this case, in the above-mentioned conventional apparatus, the recognition of the PO box is prioritized. When the PO box is recognized first, the PO box is classified into the designated place, and the PO box cannot be recognized and the large name is recognized. In some cases, it was classified in the place designated by the relevant large name. Therefore, if both the post office box and the large name are recognizable in the address, the postal matter will be classified in the place designated by the post office box.

However, in the case of actually delivering a mail in which both the post office box and the large name are described,
Since it is necessary to deliver to the destination of the large name, the mail items conventionally classified into the place specified by the post office box are again manually divided into the place specified by the large name, which is a great deal of work. It took time and effort.

[0007]

As described above, in the conventional mail sorting apparatus, when both the post office box and the large name are described in the destination, the recognition of the post office box is given priority, and the postal matter is handled by the post office box. Since it is sorted into the designated place, the mail items sorted in the designated place by the post office box are manually sorted again into the place designated by the large name, and it takes a lot of time and labor for the work. I needed it.

The present invention has been made in order to solve such a problem, and eliminates the manual work for sorting, and shortens the time and labor required for the work for sorting mail. It is an object of the present invention to provide a mail sorting device capable of achieving the above.

[0009]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention reads a destination described in a postal matter, recognizes the read destination, and applies the postal matter based on the recognized result. In the mail sorting device that sorts into postal addresses, when both the PO Box and the large name or the address only in the large name is recognized, the mail is classified by the large name, and when the destination in the PO box is recognized, The postal items are classified according to post office boxes.

[0010]

According to the present invention, when both the post office box and the large name are described in the destination, the postal matter is classified by the large name. Therefore, it is not necessary to manually perform the manual work for dividing into the places designated by the large names.
Therefore, it is possible to reduce the time required for the work for sorting the mail and to simplify the labor.

[0011]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an embodiment of a mail sorting device according to the present invention.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a transport path for transporting postal matter by a belt conveyor. At the start end of the transport path 1, there are a postal matter supply device 2, on the transport path 1 a destination reading device 3 and a transport path 1. A sorting device 4 is arranged at the end.

The postal matter supply device 2 collects postal matters classified according to destinations and supplies the postal matters toward the conveying path 1 one by one.

The destination reading device 3 reads the destination of the postal matter moving on the conveying path 1 by an image scanner or the like. The read result is sent to the destination recognition device 5. The address recognition device 5 recognizes the address of the mail item based on the read result.

The sorting device 4 is composed of endless trays for receiving one piece of mail from the conveying path 1. Each plate is designed to open downward. Below each open plate, boxes 6, 6 ... For each section are arranged. Based on the recognition result by the destination recognition device 5, the sorting device 4 opens the plate downward and drops the postal matter into the box 6 when the postal matter on the plate moves onto the corresponding box 6. The boxes 6 include boxes for each area of delivery workers, boxes for post office boxes, boxes for large names, and boxes for unrecognizable persons.

Next, the recognition operation by the destination recognition device 5 will be described with reference to FIG.

Upon receiving the image information from the destination reading device 3, the destination recognizing device 5 first binarizes the image information (step 201).

Next, a region to be recognized, that is, a region in which the destination is described, is specified by projection from the binarized image information (step 202). As shown in FIG. 3, the total of the pixels of "1 (black)" is taken in each of the X direction and the Y direction, and there are a range exceeding a predetermined threshold value in the X direction and a range exceeding a predetermined threshold value in the Y direction. This is done by regarding the intersection range as the area where the destination is described.

When the area in which the destination is described is specified, this area is cut out (step 203), the character is cut out from the cut out area (step 204), and the cut out character, that is, the destination is recognized (step 203). Step 20
5).

Then, it is determined which of the boxes 6 the mail piece whose address is recognized is to be sorted (step 206).

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, when the address is recognized (step 401), the postal matter is sorted into boxes in the area of the delivery worker according to the address (step 402).

On the other hand, when a post office box or a large name other than the address is recognized, it is classified as follows.

When both the PO Box and the large name are recognized, or only the large name is recognized (step 40).
3) Sort mail items by major name (step 40)
4). If only the PO Box is recognized (Step 40
5) Sort mail items by post office box (step 40)
6).

In other cases, that is, when the PO Box and the large name cannot be recognized, the recognition is impossible (step 40).
7).

Therefore, for example, as shown in FIG. 5A, when both the post office box and the large name such as "PO Box No. 35" and "(S) S" are described in the destination,
Mail items are classified by the large name "S Corporation". On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 5B, when only the post office box such as "PO Box 8" is described in the destination, the postal matter is classified by the PO box "PO Box 8".

Therefore, the conventional manual work for sorting to the place designated by the large name is not required, and the time and labor required for the work for sorting the mail can be shortened.

[0028]

As described above, according to the present invention, since the postal items in which both the post office box and the large name are described in the destination are classified by the large name, it is necessary to perform the work for sorting the postal items. The time and labor can be shortened.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an embodiment of a mail sorting device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart for explaining a recognition operation by the destination recognition device shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining a technique for specifying a recognition area.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart for explaining a sorting operation of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining a specific example according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... conveyance path, 2 ... postal supply device, 3 ... address reader,
4 ... Sorting device, 5 ... Address recognition device, 6 ... Box.

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A reading means for reading an address written on a mail piece, a recognition means for recognizing the address read by the reading means, and a case where both the PO Box and the large name are recognized by the recognition means. , When the mail is classified according to a large name, and the address of only the post office box is recognized by the recognition means,
A mail sorting device, comprising: sorting means for sorting the mail by a post office box. 2. A reading unit for reading an address written on a mail piece, a recognizing unit for recognizing the address read by the reading unit, and the mail item when the address of a large name is recognized by the recognizing unit. And a sorting means for sorting the mail by the post office box when the address is recognized by the recognizing means by the recognizing means.