Claims
- 1. A method for sorting delivery-information-bearing sortation items, using a continuous sorting conveyor, according to a specifiable destination route, with a number of destination route sections each subdivided into a number of destination sub-sections, the destination sub-sections having a number of consecutive destination positions, comprising the steps of:
feeding the sortation items, in a first pass, to the continuous sorting conveyor using at least two feeding stations, said at least two feeding stations corresponding to no more than a number of destination route sections and having a number of sorting compartments disposed between two feeding stations; conveying, in a first sorting cycle, said sortation items according to their relevant destination position to a corresponding sorting compartment, the number of consecutive sorting compartments corresponding to the largest number of destination positions located within one of the destination sub-sections; and feeding said sortation items conveyed to said sorting compartments back to said sorting conveyor by said feeding stations, said feeding said sortation items being performed in a sequence of said destination positions and said sortation items conveyed according to their relevant destination sub-section to a sorting compartment corresponding to said destination sub-section as well as a number of sorting compartments corresponding to a number of destination sub-sections.
- 2. The m thod according to claim 1, wherein, prior to said first pass, said sortation items are pre-sorted according to destination route sections and fed by said feeding stations in a preceding one of said sorting compartments associated said destination route sections.
- 3. The method according to claim 2, wherein said number of sorting compartments required for sorting for a destination route section is disposed between two feeding stations.
- 4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the destination route sections are dimensioned such that an approximately even number of sortation items is sorted to each destination route section.
- 5. The method according to claim 2, wherein the destination route sections are dimensioned such that an approximately even number of sortation items is sorted to each destination route section.
- 6. The method according to claim 3, wherein the destination route sections are dimensioned such that an approximately even number of sortation items is sorted to each destination route section.
- 7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the number of destination positions and destination sub-sections within the destination route sections are approximately the same.
- 8. The method according to claim 2, wherein the number of destination positions and destination sub-sections within the destination route sections are approximately the same.
- 9. The method according to claim 3, wherein the number of destination positions and destination sub-sections within the destination route sections are approximately the same.
- 10. The method according to claim 4, wherein the number of destination positions and destination sub-sections within the destination route sections are approximately the same.
- 11. The method according to claim 5, wherein the number of destination positions and destination sub-sections within the destination route sections are approximately the same.
- 12. The method according to claim 6, wherein the number of destination positions and destination sub-sections within the destination route sections are approximately the same.
- 13. The method according to claim 1, wherein between two feeding stations there are disposed at least two sorting compartments corresponding to destination route sections and a number of feeding conveyors corresponding to said destination route sections, of which there are at least two, are disposed in the upstream feeding station.
- 14. The method according to claim 2, wherein between two feeding stations there are disposed at least two sorting compartments corresponding to destination route sections and a number of feeding conveyors corresponding to said destination route sections, of which there are at least two, are disposed in the upstream feeding station.
- 15. The method according to claim 3, wherein between two feeding stations there are disposed at least two sorting compartments corresponding to destination route sections and a number of feeding conveyors corresponding to said destination route sections, of which there are at least two, are disposed in the upstream feeding station.
- 16. The method according to claim 4, wherein between two feeding stations there are disposed at least two sorting compartments corresponding to destination route sections and a number of feeding conveyors corresponding to said destination route sections, of which there are at least two, are disposed in the upstream feeding station.
- 17. The method according to claim 7, wherein between two feeding stations there are disposed at least two sorting compartments corresponding to destination route sections and a number of feeding conveyors corresponding to said destination route sections, of which there are at least two, are disposed in the upstream feeding station.
- 18. The method according to claim 13, wherein only sortation items are pre-sorted for one of the route sections and fed to each feeding conveyor.
- 19. The method according to claim 14, wherein only sortation items are pre-sorted for one of the route sections and fed to each feeding conveyor.
- 20. The method according to claim 15, wherein only sortation items are pre-sorted for one of the route sections and fed to each feeding conveyor.
- 21. The method according to claim 16, wherein only sortation items are pre-sorted for one of the route sections and fed to each feeding conveyor.
- 22. The method according to claim 17, wherein only sortation items are pre-sorted for one of the route sections and fed to each feeding conveyor.
Priority Claims (1)
Number |
Date |
Country |
Kind |
01 112 228.0 |
May 2001 |
EP |
|
CONTINUATION DATA
[0001] The present invention is a continuation of international application number PCT/EP02/02932, filed on Mar. 16, 2002 and which designated the United States, and further claims priority to priority document EP01112228.0, filed on May 18, 2001, the both of which are herein incorporated by reference.
Continuations (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
PCT/EP02/02932 |
Mar 2002 |
US |
Child |
10713202 |
Nov 2003 |
US |