Multiple pass document sorting machine utilizing automatic sweeping

Abstract

A method and apparatus for increasing the throughput of a multiple pass document sorting device that sorts documents into a plurality of output holders by automatically displacing the sorted documents within the receiving areas of each output holder into a transitional area to make the receiving areas available. In this manner a next sorting pass may be initiated, using documents from the transitional area from the output holders, without the need to empty all of the output holders before a sorting pass can be initiated.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is related to copending application Ser. No. 500,152, filed Mar. 27, 1990 and copending application Ser. No. 502,009, filed Mar. 30, 1990.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to document sorting devices and more specifically to multiple pass document sorting devices.

Document sorting devices are beneficial to any business in which a large number of documents must be sorted and processed. Documents are deposited upon an input holder and sorted to a plurality of output holders. Since a large number of documents are involved, for a complete sort it would be necessary to provide one output holder for each document or one output holder for each group of documents.

Space and cost limitations dictate a relatively small number of output holders regardless of the number of documents to be sorted. Because of this, in order to achieve proper sorting of a large number of documents when a relatively small number of output holders exist, it is necessary to execute multiple sorting passes. In this manner, after a specified number of sorting passes, documents will be deposited within the output holders in the desired sequence.

A mail-sorting machine capable of multiple pass document sorting is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,275,875 entitled "Mail Sorting Machine" by Roy Akers and is incorporate herein by reference for the purpose of illustrating the state of the prior art. After a single sorting pass, the documents deposited within the output holders must be removed and deposited into the input holder. This must be done before subsequent sorting passes may be initiated since output holders must be empty to receive the next pass of newly sorted documents. Furthermore, documents are physically carried from the output holders to the input holder.

It is an object of this invention to provide a multiple pass document sorting device in which the sorting throughput may be maximized by permitting a sort to be initiated without the need to transfer every document cluster to the input holder before a next sorting pass may be initiated.

It is another object of this invention to eliminate the need for manually carrying document clusters from the output holders to the input holder.

It is furthermore an object of this invention to automate the process of transferring document clusters from the output holders to the input holder.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In a method for sorting documents through multiple pass sorting including the steps of providing stacked documents to an input holder for a first pass sort, drawing off single documents from the stacked documents, sorting and distributing each document to a receiving area on one of a plurality of output holders to form a series of document clusters, sequentially transferring all of the document clusters to the input holder and then initiating the next sort sequence, the improvement comprising the steps of displacing, immediately after a single sort, each document cluster away from the respective receiving area and into a transitional area associated with each output holder, transferring at least one document cluster to the input holder, initiating the next sorting pass and sequentially transferring the remaining document clusters to the input holder, thereby maximizing sorter throughput by eliminating the need to unload the document clusters from every output holder before next sorting pass can be initiated. An apparatus or accomplishing the same is also part of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1-3 are prior art and show a schematic plan view of a multiple pass document sorting device ready to initiate a sorting pass, a schematic plan view after a sorting pass has been initiated and a schematic plan view after a sorting pass has been completed, respectively.

FIGS. 4 through 7 are schematic plan views of a sorting device showing the sorting process in which document clusters are isolated to permit a subsequent sorting pass to be initiated before all document clusters from the output holders are transferred to the induction subsystem.

FIGS. 8 through 13 show a schematic isometric illustrating the method and apparatus by which the document clusters are moved away from the receiving area of an output holder.

FIGS. 14 and 15 illustrate a schematic plan view of a multiple pass document sorting device utilizing a recirculation cart to transfer documents from the output holders to the induction subsystem of the sorting device.

FIGS. 16 through 22 are schematic isometrics illustrating the method and apparatus utilized to transfer a document cluster away from the receiving area of an output holder and onto a recirculation holder which is then utilized to feed the document cluster to the induction subsystem.

FIG. 23 illustrates a schematic isometric showing an alternate arrangement of the sweeper partition and the recirculation holder gate.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

A typical document sorting device shown in FIG. 1 is generally comprised of four parts: an induction subsystem 10, a reader subsystem 15, a stacker subsystem 20, and a recirculation subsystem(not shown). Typically a plurality of stacked documents 30, which for the purpose of this discussion and for convenience will be envelopes, are introduced into the induction subsystem 10. The induction subsystem 10 is generally comprised of a vibrating table 35, a conveyor 40 and a feeder 45. The documents are placed upon the vibrating table 35 which acts to align the documents along a common edge and then, via the conveyor 40, transported to the feeder 45. The feeder 45 proceeds to move the leading document of the stacked documents 30 to the reader subsystem 15. Generally stacked documents are introduced to the induction subsystem at an input holder 47. In FIG. 1 this is the same as the vibrating table 35 but may be at a point before the vibrating table 35.

The reader subsystem 15 is generally comprised of the leveling section 55 and the document reader 60. Singular documents from the feeder 45 proceed along a transport guideway 50 encountering the leveling section 55 and the document reader 60. The document reader may be an optical scanner or any other such device capable of scanning and interpreting data contained on each document. One such example of data would be a barcode scheme imprinted upon an envelope such as a piece of mail indicating a specific zip code.

Once a document is read, the information provided is utilized in the execution of a document sort algorithm to determine where the document should be directed, along the transport guideway 50, within the stacker subsystem 20. The stacker subsystem 20 is comprised of a plurality of output holders 65 each having a first end 66 and a second end 68 and each having a document diverter 70 capable of diverting a document from the transport guideway 50 into the appropriate receiving area 75 of an output holder 65 as directed by the document sorting algorithm. The receiving area 75 is located at the first end 66 of the output holder 65. As single documents are directed to each output holder 65, document clusters (not shown) begin to form within the receiving area 75 of each output holder 65. Referring to FIG. 2, as document clusters 80 accumulate in the output holders 65, output holder dividers 85 which are movable along the length of the output holders 65 and are biased to resist movement away from the first ends 66 of the output holders 65, are displaced and act to compress each document cluster 80 during the sorting operation. Each document cluster 80 has a front face 81 and a back face 83. When a document cluster 80 is removed from the output holder, the associated output holder divider 85 returns to its original position within the receiving area 66 of the output holder 65 as shown in FIG. 1. While the device shown in FIG. 1 has only six output holders, a typical multiple pass document sorting device may have at least ten output holders. Generally for the purpose of this discussion only a single document cluster and output holder will be discussed. It should be noted that a plurality of document clusters and document holders exist and that the same discussion will apply to each.

As shown in FIG. 3 after all of the documents of the stacked documents are introduced into the induction subsystem 10 and sorted within the appropriate output holder 65, thereby forming document clusters 80 within the output holders, then a single sorting pass has been completed. In order to initiate a next sorting pass in the multiple pass document sorting device, it is necessary to sequentially transfer each document cluster 80 (FIG. 3) from the output holders 65 to the input holder 47 of the induction subsystem 10. It is only after all of the document clusters 80 are removed from their respective output holders 65 and transferred to the induction subsystem 10 that a next sort may be initiated.

Since each document cluster may have a large volume of documents and there may exist a plurality of output holders 65 greater than the number shown in FIGS. 1 through 3, it can be seen that transferring document clusters from the output holders 65 to the induction subsystem 10 may be fairly time-consuming. During this time the entire multiple pass document sorting device is inactive.

Furthermore, the process of transferring document clusters 80 from the receiving area 75 of the output holders 65 to the input holder 47 of the induction subsystem 10 is currently performed manually. An operator lifts a document cluster 80 from an output holder 65 and carries the cluster 80 over to the input holder 47. This creates a vulnerable link in the sorting process since it is possible for the operator to drop a document cluster 80, thereby requiring re-execution of the entire multiple pass sorting process. Furthermore the process of transferring document clusters 80 from the output holders 65 to the induction subsystem 10 is a fairly monotonous task and one that lends itself to automation.

While the configuration shown in FIG. 3 illustrates document clusters 80 in the respective receiving areas 75 of the output holders 65, before a next sorting pass may be initiated, these document clusters 80 must be moved onto the input holder 47 of the induction subsystem 10. Rather than suspending all sorting activity while each individual document cluster is transferred to the input holder 47 of the induction subsystem 10, it is possible to displace each document cluster 80 away from the receiving area 75 to a transitional area 87 of the output holders 65 and to transfer at least one document cluster 80 to the induction subsystem 10 and initiate a next sorting pass.

Because the sorting process is not instantaneous, once an initial document cluster 80 is introduced to the induction subsystem 10, while the documents of that cluster are being sorted subsequent document clusters may be removed from the output holders 65 and introduced into the induction subsystem 10. While these subsequent document clusters are being transferred the sorting process may be executed, thereby resulting in suspension of the sorting process only for the amount of time required to transfer the first document cluster to the induction subsystem 10.

FIG. 4 shows all of the document clusters 80 moved away from the receiving area 75 and into a transitional area 87 of the output holders 65. Considering that typically a sorting device may have many more output holders than shown in FIG. 4, it is clear the time saved for multiple sorting passes in initiating a sorting pass as soon as at least one document cluster is transferred, as opposed to transferring all document clusters to the induction system before initiating a sort, is substantial.

The output holder dividers 85, shown in FIGS. 1-3, are capable only of movement along the length of an output holder 65 and in order to move document clusters 80 away from the receiving area 75 of an output holder 65 these are not adequate. It is necessary to modify the process and parts associated with an output holder to move the document clusters 80. Given document clusters 80 similar to those found in FIG. 3, a means for moving each document cluster 80 away from the receiving area 75 of the output holder 65 is necessary.

In lieu of the output holder divider 85, an output holder partition 100, an output holder gate 105, and a sweeper partition 110 will be added as shown in FIG. 4. A sweeper partition 110 is placed against the front face 81 of a document cluster 80 and the sweeper partition 110 is advanced from the receiving area 75 into the transitional area 87. In doing so, the document cluster is compressed against the output holder partition 100 as the document cluster 80 travels along the length of the output holder 65. This is done for each output holder 65 so that each document cluster 80 is removed from the receiving area 75 into the transitional area 87 as shown in FIG. 4.

In order to initiate a next sorting pass, it is necessary to return each output holder partition 100 as shown in FIG. 5 to the respective receiving area 75 so that newly sorted documents, which are not yet shown in place, upon entering the appropriate output holder 65 will be maintained in a compressed stack. As shown in FIG. 5 this is done by moving the output holder partition 100 away from the document cluster 80 and returning the output holder partition 100 to its original position within the region of the receiving area 75 of the output holder 65. In doing so, the document cluster now rests against the output holder gate 105 of each output holder 65.

With the output holder partitions 100 in place, at least one document cluster 80' may be removed from an output holder and introduced to the input holder 47 of the induction subsystem 10 as a group of stacked documents 30. Depending on the number of documents within the first document cluster 80' to be transferred from an output holder 65 to the input holder 47 of the induction subsystem 10, it may be necessary to transfer a second or third document cluster to the induction subsystem 10. This is determined by the rate at which the sorting device can accept and process documents for distribution within the output holders 65.

It is significant that only one document cluster or a small number of document clusters need be transferred to the induction subsystem 10 before the next sorting pass may be initiated. This permits a sorting pass to be initiated before all of the document clusters 80 are transferred to the induction subsystem 10, thereby maximizing the sorting throughput by minimizing the amount of time the sorting device is not operating.

FIG. 6 illustrates the sorting device with a sort initiated after only one document cluster (80' in FIG. 5) has been transferred to the induction subsystem 10. Note that document clusters have begun to form within the receiving area 75 of each output holder 65. In this manner, a machine operator, after transferring a first document cluster (80' in FIG. 5), can initiate a sorting pass (FIG. 6) and subsequently transfer the remaining document clusters to the input holder 47 of the induction subsystem 10, as shown in FIG. 7, thereby maximizing document throughput for sorting.

While a cursory overview was provided with FIGS. 4 through 7 on the operation of the method and apparatus utilized to transfer document clusters away from the receiving area and into a transitional area of an output holder, FIGS. 8 through 13 provide details. FIG. 7 shows an encircled area 115 which will be shown in detail using FIGS. 8 through 13. The purpose of the mechanism shown in FIGS. 8 through 13 is to displace the document cluster away from the receiving area 75 and into the transitional area 87 of an output holder 65.

FIG. 8 shows an isometric schematic of an output holder 65 having a first end 66 and a second end 68. Document cluster 80 similar to those seen in FIG. 3 are accumulated within the output holder 65 after a complete single sorting pass as illustrated by the single document cluster 80 in FIG. 8. A document cluster 80 with a front face 81 and a back face 83 in the output holder 65 is compressed by an output holder partition 100. The cluster 80 front side 81 is held in place by an auger (not shown) or similar mechanism which may be located at the level of the output holder 65 so that the cluster 80 is between the auger and the output holder partition 100. The output holder partition 100, shown in FIGS. 4 through 7 and in detail in FIG. 8, not only moves along the length of the output holder 65 and is biased toward the first end 66 of the output holder 65 similar to the output holder 85 shown in FIGS. 1 through 3, but has additional features.

The output holder partition 100 is movable between the first end 66 and beyond the second end 68 of the output holder 65. The partition 100 may be situated such that in an extended orientation, as shown in FIG. 8, the partition 100 contacts the back face 83 of the document cluster 80. The partition may also be situated in a retracted orientation, such as that shown by item 110, in which the partition 100 does not contact the document cluster 80. While the movement and orientation of the partition 100 may be accomplished in any number of ways, FIG. 8 illustrates an output holder partition 100 which travels along a square shaft 120 and is capable of being situated in a retracted orientation by rotating the square shaft 120 Furthermore, the output holder partition 100 is biased toward the output holder first end 66. The output holder partition 100 may be resiliently biased using means such as a spring 124. The output holder partition 100 may be moved along the shaft 120 using a wire 122 to pull the partition 100 to the desired location.

A sweeper partition 110, in a similar manner to that of the output holder partition 100, is capable of movement along the length of the output holder 65 through movement on a sweeper partition shaft 125. In the same manner as output holder partition 100, the sweeper partition 110 is movable between the first end 66 and at least the second end 68 of the output holder 65. However the sweeper partition 110 is not resiliently biased toward the first end 66 of the output holder 65. The sweeper partition 110 may be situated such that in an extended orientation, similar to that shown by item 110 in FIG. 9, the partition 110 contacts the front face 81 of the document cluster 80. The partition 110 may also be situated in a retracted orientation, such as that shown by item 110 in FIG. 8, in which the partition 110 does not contact the document cluster 80. The sweeper partition 110 may be moved along the shaft 125 using wires 126 and 127 on each side of the partition 110.

While the movement and orientation of the partition 110 may be accomplished in any number of ways, FIG. 8 illustrates a sweeper partition 110 which travels along a square shaft 125 and is capable of being situated in a retracted orientation by rotating the square shaft 125.

The sweeper partition 110 is originally positioned at the first end 66 of the output holder 65 in a retracted orientation as shown in FIG. 8. As shown in FIG. 9 after a document cluster has accumulated in a receiving area 75 of an output holder 65, the sweeper partition 110 is situated such that the sweeper partition 110 contacts the front face 81 of a document cluster 80 while the output holder partition 100 contacts the back face 83 of the document cluster 80.

Note that while both the output holder partition 100 and the sweeper partition 110 have been described as movable along rotatable square shafts 120 and 125, respectively, other motions or designs are possible to accomplish the task of moving each partition such that it is capable of contacting or not contacting the face of a document cluster. As one example the shafts 120 and 125 may not rotate and each partition may have a pivotal connection such as a hinge upon a shaft and a means of rotating the partition on the pivotal connection. Furthermore, each partition could be vertically or horizontally displaced to contact or avoid contact with a document cluster.

As shown in FIG. 9, with the sweeper partition 110 contacting the document cluster front face 81, the sweeper partition 110 is advanced thereby advancing the document cluster 80 toward the second end 68 of the output holder 65.

Note the configuration of the output holder gate 105 located at the second end 68 of the output holder 65, and the output holder partition 100. The output holder gate 105 and the output holder partition 100 are designed such that the output holder partition 100 as it progresses along the output holder 65 may pass the output holder gate 105 in an unobstructed path. FIG. 9 presents a design using matably configured interdigitated fingers 130 and 135 on the output holder partition 100 and the output holder gate 105, respectively, by which the output holder partition 100 may move past the output holder gate 105 without interference, thereby transferring contact of the document cluster 80 to the output holder gate 105. Throughout this application, it should be appreciated that the sweeper partition and the output holder partition may be situated in retracted orientations to slide away from contact with a document cluster or, when design permits, may move in an extended orientation past a matably configured set of interdigitated fingers and in this manner move away from contact with a document cluster.

As shown in FIG. 10, the sweeper partition 110 continues to advance along the length of the output holder 65. In this manner the output holder partition 100, which is also being advanced with the sweeper partition 110 and the document cluster 80, may advance past the output holder gate 105. The sweeper partition 110 continues to advance until the back end 83 of the document cluster 80 contacts the output holder gate 105 located at the second end 68 of the output holder 65. At the point the document cluster back side 83 contacts the output holder gate 105, the document cluster 80 is then captured between the sweeper partition 110 and the output holder gate 105. At this point the output holder partition 100 continues to move via wire 122 beyond the output holder gate 105 such that the output holder partition 100 is no longer in contact with the document cluster 80. The output holder partition 100, once moved past the output holder gate 105, as illustrated in FIG. 10, is then free to return to its original position at the first end 66 of the output holder 65 in a retracted orientation and once at the first end 66, assume an extended orientation.

It is possible to avoid the necessity of the interdigitated fingers 130 and 135 if a design is utilized in which the output holder partition 100 is not required to move past the output holder gate 105. In this manner the output holder partition 100 would move with the document cluster 80 until the output holder partition 100 contacted the output holder gate 105. At this point the output holder partition 100 would be moved away from the document cluster 80 by sliding the partition 100 from between the cluster 80 and the output holder gate 105 and situating the partition 100 in a retracted orientation.

Once the output holder partition 100 is past the output holder gate 105, or away from the document cluster 80 as a result of sliding from the cluster 80, the partition 100 is returned to the original position as shown in FIG. 11. FIG. 11 also shows the output holder 65 with the document cluster 80 at the second end 68 of the output holder 65 captured by the sweeper partition 110 and the output holder gate 105 with the output holder partition 100 in a retracted orientation at the partition 100 initial position at the output holder first end 66. At this time the output holder partition 100 may be situated to the extended orientation such that it is in position at the output holder first end 66, as shown in FIG. 12, to receive documents from a next sorting pass. This configuration is similar to that shown with document cluster 80' in FIG. 5. At this point the document cluster 80 is removed from the transitional area 87 of the output holder 65 and transferred to the input holder 47 of the induction subsystem 10 similar to document cluster 80' shown in FIG. 5.

With the document cluster 80 moved away from the receiving area 75 to the transitional area 87 at the second end 68 of the output holder 65 and the output holder partition 100 at the initial position in an extended orientation as shown in FIG. 12, the document cluster 80 may now be removed from the output holder 65 and transferred to the input holder of the induction subsystem. During this time another document cluster may begin to form at the output holder 65 receiving area 75. With the original document cluster removed, as shown in FIG. 13, the sweeper partition 110 may be situated to a retracted orientation at the first end 66 of the output holder 65. Once a new document cluster 140 has been formed, which occurs after the completion of a next sorting pass, then the sweeper partition 110 may be situated in the extended orientation and the steps illustrated in FIGS. 8-12 repeated. Note that FIG. 13 resembles the configuration in FIG. 8.

While what has just been described is a sequence for displacing document clusters away from the receiving area and into the transitional area of an output holder with no indication of how documents are transferred from the output holder to the input holder of the induction subsystem.

FIG. 14 shows a sorting device with a recirculation holder 150 having a first end 155 and a second end 160. However in order to accommodate the use of a recirculation holder 150, it is necessary to reconfigure the sorting device. The induction subsystem 175 of the sorting device, which is comprised of a vibrating table 176 and a feeder 178, must be oriented such that it is capable of receiving documents from a document cluster 180 on the recirculation holder 150. To this end the induction subsystem 175 has been positioned differently from that of the induction subsystem 10 shown in FIGS. 1 through 6. Just as before, generally stacked documents are introduced to the induction subsystem at an input holder 179. In FIG. 14 this may be the same as the vibrating table 176 but also may be at a point before the vibrating table 176.

The recirculation holder 150 is movable along the entire length of the sorting device via rails 170 or another guiding means. The recirculation holder 150 is capable of being aligned with each output holder 172 and with the input holder 179 of the induction subsystem 175. Each output holder 172 is typical and has a first end 173 and a second end 174. Note the recirculation holder 150 and rails 170 may also be reconfigured to accommodate the input holder 47 of the induction subsystem 10 shown in FIG. 1. Once a document cluster 180 has been transferred to the recirculation holder 150 as shown in FIG. 14, the entire recirculation holder 150 is moved to a position as shown in FIG. 15 such that the recirculation holder 150 is aligned so that the document cluster 180 may be introduced to the input holder 179 of the induction subsystem 175.

The document cluster 180 is then introduced to the input holder 179 of the induction subsystem 175 and a sorting pass is initiated. At this point the recirculation holder 150 is moved such that it is aligned with the another document cluster in another output holder. This document cluster should then be transferred to the recirculation holder 150 and the holder 150 again moved along rails 170 such that the document cluster 180 once again aligns with the input holder 179 of the induction subsystem 175. The documents may then be input to the input holder 179 of the induction subsystem 175 for further sorting. This iterative process should be repeated until all of the document clusters have been removed from each output holder 172 and introduced into the induction subsystem 175.

The recirculation holder 150 may be manually moved back and forth between output holders 172 and the induction subsystem 175 or this process may be automated such that once each document cluster has been transferred from an output holder 172 to the recirculation holder 150, the recirculation holder 150 may be automatically moved to align with the induction subsystem 175. After the document cluster is transferred to the induction subsystem 175, the recirculation holder 150 may then automatically shuttled to each of the remaining output holders, at which time each document cluster within those output holders 172 may be transferred to the recirculation holder 150 and then introduced to the input holder 179 of the induction subsystem 175 for a sorting pass.

While FIGS. 14 and 15 provide a schematic for the movement of the recirculation holder 150, FIGS. 16 through 22 provide details on the apparatus and method for automatically transferring document clusters from a output holder 172 to the recirculation holder 150.

The apparatus and method used to move document clusters from the first area of the output holder toward the second end are similar to that described in FIGS. 8 through 13 with two variations. While the output holder partition 200 (FIG. 16) is of a similar design and operation to that of the output holder partition 100 in FIGS. 8 through 13, the output holder gate 205 and the sweeper partition 210 are modified from the output holder gate 105 in FIGS. 8 through 13 and the sweeper partition 110 in FIGS. 8 through 13.

Unlike FIGS. 8 through 13, for the configuration shown in FIGS. 14 and 15 the document cluster must move beyond the output holder 172 and onto the recirculation holder 150. The travel of the sweeper partition 210 must then be beyond the output holder 172 and onto the recirculation holder 150. For this arrangement the shaft 212 for the sweeper partition 210 must extend beyond the output holder 172 such that a document cluster 180 may be advanced to the recirculation holder 150. Furthermore, output holder gate 205 must be capable of being moved away from the path of the document cluster 180 as it is advanced by the sweeper partition 210 onto the recirculation holder 150. This is possible by designing the output holder gate 205 such that it may be situated in an extended orientation capable of contacting the document cluster 180 and such that it may also be situated in a retracted orientation in which it is not capable of contacting the document cluster 180. This may be accomplished in a number of ways known in the art including sliding the output holder gate 205 to a level below the output holder 172 or by rotating the output holder gate 205 away from the path of the document cluster 180. For purposes of this discussion the output holder gate 205 will be displaced to a level below the output holder 172. Slide mechanisms known in the art may be used for this.

FIG. 16 shows an arrangement similar to that shown in FIG. 11, and the sequence of document cluster progression described in FIGS. 8 through 11 is identical to that shown for the output holder 172 in FIG. 16. An empty recirculation holder 150 is situated such that the first end 155 of the recirculation holder 150 is aligned with the second end 174 of the output holder 172 with the ends nearly flush such that a document cluster 180 may be moved to the recirculation holder 150. Item 150' shows the actual location of the recirculation holder 150, which for clarity is shown displaced. The recirculation holder 150 has vertically oriented at its first end 155 a recirculation holder gate 220 which, just as output holder gate 205, may be situated in an extended or retracted orientation. In the retracted orientation the path of an advancing document cluster 180 onto the recirculation holder 150 is unobstructed (as shown in FIG. 18).

The movement and orientation range of output holder partition 200 along shaft 202 is similar to that of output holder partition 100 along shaft 120 described in FIG. 8. The movement and orientation range of the sweeper partition 210 along shaft 212 is similar to that of the sweeper partition 110 along shaft 125 in FIG. 8 except now the sweeper partition 210 must be capable of displacing the document cluster 180 completely on to the recirculation holder 150. For this reason the shaft 212 must extend far enough beyond the output holder second end 174 to accomplish this.

Note that with the recirculation holder 150 nearly flush with the output holder 172 then the output holder partition 200 could contact the recirculation holder gate 220 as it passes the output holder gate 205. The output holder partition 200 shown in phantom in FIG. 16 illustrates this. Since the recirculation holder gate 220 is movable, then the output holder partition 200 would merely displace the gate 220 and then, once past the output holder gate 205, assume the retracted orientation. Furthermore, while ideally the recirculation holder 150 should abut against the output holder 172 to provide a continuous path for the document cluster 180 as it moves onto the recirculation holder 150, it is possible to provide a lip (not shown) extending from the output holder second end 174 or the recirculation holder first end 155 to provide a continuous path.

FIG. 17 shows the output holder gate 205 in a retracted orientation with the recirculation holder 150 aligned with the output holder 172. In order to move the document cluster 180 onto the recirculation holder 150, it is also necessary to situate the gate 220 on the recirculation holder 150 in a retracted orientation. The output holder partition 200 and the sweeper partition 210 are movable along their respective shafts, 202 and 212, and capable of being oriented in an extended or retracted orientation in the same manner as those partitions 100 and 110 described in FIGS. 3-8.

After the recirculation holder 150 is aligned with the output holder 172, then output holder gate 205 and recirculation holder gate 215 may each be situated in retracted orientation away from the path of the document cluster 180. As shown in FIG. 18, the gate 205 and the recirculation holder gate 220 are situated in a retracted orientation. Just as with the output holder gate 205 the recirculation holder partition gate 220 may be dropped below the level of the document cluster 180 path which may be done through the use of a slide mechanism known in the art. While FIGS. 17-18 show the output holder gate 205 and the recirculation holder gate 220 retracted in separate steps, this may be done simultaneously.

At this point the sweeper partition 210 may be advanced such that the document cluster 180 is transferred from the output holder 172 to the recirculation holder 150 as shown in FIG. 19. For clarity in FIG. 19 the output holder gate is not shown but note that it may be returned to an extended position at this time or anytime before a next cluster is moved on the output holder 172.

A recirculation holder partition 225 (FIG. 19) is movable along the length of the recirculation holder 150 and biased to resist movement away from the recirculation holder first end 155. The recirculation holder partition 225 may also be resiliently biased with the introduction of a spring similar to that of output holder partition 100 in FIG. 8. In this manner, as the sweeper partition 210 advances, the document cluster 180 is compressed against the recirculation holder partition 225 as shown in FIG. 19. Once the sweeper partition 210 is advanced past the position of the recirculation holder gate 220, the gate 220 is returned to its extended orientation as shown in FIG. 20. Simultaneously, the output holder gate 205 may be returned to its extended orientation. At this point the sweeper partition 210 is compressed between the recirculation holder gate 220 and the document cluster 180.

The sweeper partition 210 must now be moved such that it no longer contacts the document cluster 180. This is possible by situating the sweeper partition 210 in a retracted orientation as shown in FIG. 21. At this point the document cluster 180 is captured within the recirculation holder 150 and the sweeper partition 210 may be returned to its original position as indicated in FIG. 22. The output holder partition 200 is now situated in an extended orientation such that it is positioned to receive documents from a next sorting pass.

The recirculation holder 150 with its document cluster 180 may now be moved such that it is aligned with the induction subsystem 175 as shown in FIG. 15 and the document cluster 180 transferred to the input holder 179 of the induction subsystem 175. Through the repetition of the steps described in FIGS. 16 through 22, it can be seen that by automatically shuttling the recirculation cart 150 between output holders 172 containing document clusters 180 and the induction system 175, the entire collection of document clusters may be removed from the output holders and introduced into the induction subsystem 175 for subsequent sorting passes. This sequence may be repeated for as many sorting passes as necessary to achieve the desired level of sorting.

Note that in FIGS. 20-21 the sweeper partition 210 in moving from the retracted to the extended orientation is forced to move against the document cluster 180 front face 181. This may be avoided by modifying the design of the sweeper partition 210 and the recirculation holder gate 220 such that the sweeper partition 210 may pass the gate 220 in an unobstructed manner In this way, as shown in FIG. 23, with the output holder gate 205 situated in an extended orientation, the sweeper partition 210, in an extended orientation may be moved toward the first end 173 of the output holder 172 and past the recirculation holder gate 220, thereby transferring contact of the document cluster (not shown) to the gate 220 and releasing the sweeper partition 210 to return to the initial position along the output holder first end 173. Since the output holder gate 205 will act as an obstruction to the sweeper partition 210 motion, then the sweeper partition 210 should be situated in a retracted orientation after the sweeper partition 210 passes the recirculation holder gate 220 but before contact can be made with the output holder gate 205. However, if the output gate holder 205 is situated in a retracted orientation, then the sweeper partition 210 may be moved past the gate 205 in an extended orientation and then to its original retracted orientation at the output holder first end 173.

Although this invention has been described with reference to a specific embodiment thereof, numerous modifications are possible without departing from the invention, and it is desirable to cover all modifications falling within the spirit and the scope of this invention.

Claims

1. In a method for sorting documents through multiple pass sorting including the steps of providing stacked documents to an input holder for a first pass sort, drawing off single documents from the stacked documents, sorting and distributing each document to a receiving area on one of a plurality of output holders to form a series of document clusters, the improvement comprising the steps of:

a) displacing, after a single sort, each document cluster away from the respective receiving area and into a transitional area associated with each output holder;

b) transferring at least one document cluster to the input holder;

c) initiating the next sorting pass;

d) sequentially transferring the remaining document clusters to the input holder, thereby maximizing sorter throughput by eliminating the need to unload the document clusters from every output holder before a next sorting pass can be initiated, wherein the step of displacing each document cluster from the receiving area into the associated transitional area comprises:

e) securing each document cluster in the associated receiving area;

f) moving each document cluster from the receiving area to the associated transitional area;

g) securing each document cluster in the transitional area, wherein each output holder has first and second ends and each document cluster has a front and a back side;

h) the step of securing each document cluster in the associated receiving area comprises advancing a movable sweeper partition initially positioned at the first end of the output holder against the front side of the cluster and compressing the document cluster back face against a movable output holder partition initially positioned at and biased toward the first end of the output holder;

i) the step of moving each document cluster to the associated transitional area comprises advancing the sweeper partition from the first end of the output holder toward the second end of the output holder until the document cluster back side contacts an output holder gate at the second end of the output holder; and

j) the step of securing each document cluster in the associated transitional area comprises advancing the sweeper partition to compress the cluster against the output holder gate, advancing the output holder partition beyond the output holder gate to eliminate contact between the output holder partition and the cluster, and returning the output holder partition to its initial position.

2. The method as described in claim 1 further comprising the step of returning the sweeper partition to its initial position at the output holder first end with the sweeper partition oriented away from the document cluster while the document cluster is being formed and situating the sweeper partition to contact the formed document cluster front end to initiate the displacing step for a next sorting pass.

3. The method described in claim 1 wherein the step of transferring at least one document cluster to the input holder comprises:

a) aligning a first end of a recirculation holder with the second end of the output holder;

b) shifting a document cluster from one of the output holders to the recirculation holder;

c) moving the recirculation holder to the input holder; and

d) shifting the document cluster onto the input holder.

4. The method as described in claim 3 wherein the recirculation holder has a gate at the first end and a recirculation holder partition biased toward the recirculation holder first end and movable between the first and second end of the recirculation holder and the step of shifting the document cluster from the output holder to the recirculation holder comprises displacing the output holder gate and the recirculation holder gate away from the document cluster, pushing the document cluster from the output holder to the recirculation holder against the recirculation holder partition, returning the recirculation holder gate to the original position situated to contact the document cluster thereby leaving the document cluster within the recirculation holder and returning the output gate holder to the original position capable of contact a document cluster.

5. The method as described in claim 4 wherein the step of moving the recirculation holder to the input holder comprises guiding the recirculation holder along a predetermined path that aligns the recirculation holder with the input holder.

6. The method as described in claim 5 further comprising the step of returning the sweeper partition to its initial position at the output holder first end situated away from the document cluster while the document cluster is being formed and situating the sweeper partition to contact a formed document cluster to initiate the displacing step for a next sorting pass.

7. The method as described in claim 3 wherein the recirculation holder has a gate at the first end and a recirculation holder partition biased toward the recirculation holder first end and movable between the first and second end of the recirculation holder and the step of shifting the document cluster from the output holder to the recirculation holder comprises displacing the output holder gate and the recirculation holder gate away from the document cluster, advancing the sweeper partition to move the document cluster from the output holder to the recirculation holder against the recirculation holder partition, returning the recirculation holder gate to the original position situated to contact the document cluster, displacing the sweeper partition away from the cluster thereby leaving the document cluster within the recirculation holder and returning the output holder gate to the original position capable of contacting a document cluster.

8. The method as described in claim 7 wherein the step of moving the recirculation holder to the input holder comprises guiding the recirculation holder along a predetermined path that aligns the recirculation holder with the input holder.

9. The method as described in claim 8 further comprising the step of returning the sweeper partition to its initial position at the output holder first end situated away from the document cluster while the document cluster is being formed and situating the sweeper partition to contact a formed document cluster to initiate the displacing step for a next sorting pass.

10. In a method for sorting documents through multiple pass sorting including the steps of providing stacked documents to an input holder for a first pass sort, drawing off single documents from the stacked documents, sorting and distributing each document to a receiving area on one of a plurality of output holders to form a series of document clusters, the improvement comprising the steps of:

a) displacing, after a single sort, each document cluster away from the respective receiving area and into a transitional area associated with each output holder, wherein displacing each document cluster comprises:

i) securing each document cluster in the associated receiving area wherein a movable sweeper partition is initially positioned at a first end of the output holder against a front side of the cluster and advanced to compress a document cluster back face against a movable output holder partition initially positioned at and biased toward the first end of the output holder;

ii) moving each document cluster from the receiving area to the transitional area wherein the sweeper partition is advanced from the first end of the output holder toward a second end of the output holder until the document cluster back side contacts an output holder gate at the second end of the output holder; and

iii) securing each document cluster in the transitional area wherein the sweeper partition is advanced to compress the cluster against the output holder gate, advancing the output holder partition beyond the output holder gate to eliminate contact between the output holder partition and the cluster, and returning the output holder partition to its initial position;

b) transferring at least one document cluster to the input holder comprising

i) aligning a first end of a recirculation holder with the second end of the output holder;

ii) shifting a document cluster from the output holder to the recirculation holder wherein the recirculation holder has a gate at the first end and a recirculation holder partition biased toward the recirculation holder first end and movable between the first and second end of the recirculation holder and the output holder gate and the recirculation holder gate are displaced away from the document cluster, advancing the sweeper partition to move the document cluster from the output holder to the recirculation holder against the recirculation holder partition, returning the recirculation holder gate to the original position situated to contact the document cluster, displacing the sweeper partition away from the cluster thereby leaving the document cluster within the recirculation holder and returning the output holder gate to the original position capable of contacting a document cluster;

iii) moving the recirculation holder to the input holder wherein the recirculation holder is guided along a predetermined path that aligns the recirculation holder with the input holder;

iv) shifting the document cluster onto the input holder;

c) initiating the next sorting pass; and

d) sequentially transferring the remaining document clusters to the input holder, thereby maximizing sorter throughput by eliminating the need to unload the document clusters from every output holder before a next sorting pass can be initiated.

11. In a multiple pass document sorting device having an input holder for receiving stacked documents, a feeder for drawing off single documents from the stacked documents, a plurality of output holders each with a receiving area, a single pass sorting and distribution means for receiving documents from the feeder and directing each document to a receiving area of one of the plurality of output holders to form a series of document clusters and a means for sequentially transferring all of the document clusters to the input holder so that a subsequent sorting pass may then be initiated, the improvement comprising;

a) displacing means, activated immediately after a single sorting pass, for displacing each document cluster from the respective receiving area into a transitional area associated with each output holder thereby making available the respective receiving area for documents from a next sorting pass and

b) transferring means for sequentially transferring each document cluster from the respective transitional area to the input holder to supply documents for a next sorting pass;

c) wherein each output holder is an output holder having first and second ends, each document cluster has a front and a back side and the displacing means for each document cluster comprises:

d) a sweeper partition having an extended orientation in which the sweeper partition is capable of contacting a document cluster front face and a retracted position in which the sweeper partition does not contact the document cluster, the sweeper partition initially positioned in a retracted orientation at the first end of the output holder while a document cluster forms, the sweeper partition movable in an extended orientation to displace the formed document cluster toward the second end of the output holder, and the sweeper partition further movable in a retracted orientation to the initial first end position;

e) an output holder gate located at the output holder second end; and

f) an output holder partition biased toward the first end of the output holder and movable between the first end of the output holder and a point just beyond the output holder gate, the output holder partition having an extended orientation in which the output holder partition is capable of contacting a document cluster back face and a retracted orientation in which the output holder partition does not contact the document cluster and the output holder partition initially positioned in an extended orientation at the first end of the output holder to compress and secure a document cluster displaced by the sweeper partition, such that the sweeper partition in an extended orientation at the initial position may drive a document cluster and the output holder partition until the document cluster contacts the output holder gate located at the output holder second end at which time the output holder partition is moved past the output holder gate, placed in the retracted orientation for return to the output holder first end and returned to the initial extended orientation to receive a next document cluster.

12. The multiple pass document sorting device as described in claim 11 wherein the transferring means for sequentially transferring each document cluster comprises:

a) a recirculation holder having a gate at a first end and a partition, the gate having an extended orientation in which the gate is capable of contacting a document cluster and having a retracted orientation in which the gate does not contact the document cluster;

b) means for aligning the recirculation holder first end with the second end of an output holder having a document cluster;

c) means for displacing the document cluster from the output holder to the recirculation holder; and

d) means for aligning the recirculation holder containing a document cluster with the input holder, whereby each document cluster may be transferred to the input holder for a next sorting pass.

13. The multiple pass document sorting device as described in claim 12 wherein means for displacing the document cluster from the output holder to the recirculation holder comprises the sweeper partition being movable beyond the output holder second end and the output holder gate having an extended orientation in which it is capable of contacting a document cluster and having a retracted orientation in which the gate does not contact a document cluster, such that with the recirculation holder aligned with a respective output holder and the output holder gate and recirculation holder gate in retracted orientations, the sweeper partition may be driven in an extended orientation to advance a document cluster past the second end of the output holder onto the recirculation holder at which time the recirculation holder gate will be shifted into the extended orientation and the sweeper partition shifted to a retracted orientation thereby capturing the document cluster within the recirculation holder between the recirculation holder gate and the recirculation holder partition.