Process and machine for merging ordered batches of objects, in particular batches of mail items

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The invention pertains to a process for merging in particular batches of mail items such as letters, each previously ordered according to the order of distribution of the mail items in the mailman's round, so as to constitute a single batch of mail items which is also ordered according to the order of distribution of the mail items in the mailman's round.

In mail distribution offices, it is usual practice to merge or bundle together batches of mail items which originate from various sorting offices so as to constitute a single batch of mail items which is prepared for the mailman's round. Hitherto, the merging of these batches of mail items has been carried out manually and therefore requires a great deal of time. EP-834354 discloses a process according to the preamble of claim

1

wherein the destacking-units, disposed in succession along the conveyor path, deliver the objects directly to the conveyor in a time sequence determined by their transport along the conveyor path. U.S. Pat. No. 4,244,672 discloses a process for merging batches of objects wherein the destacking units deliver the objects to the conveyor through a recalculation buffer.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The purpose of the invention is to propose a process for automatically merging several batches of mail items with short transit time loops associated to the destacking units.

To this end, the subject of the invention is a process for merging in particular batches of mail items as defined in claim

1

.

With the process according to the invention, several batches of mail items can be automatically merged in a single pass. The postal address recovered by the reading device can be a bar code which is now widely used in postal sorting offices.

It has been observed that it is preferable to use several storage loops of low storage capacity associated with a destacking unit rather than a single storage loop of larger storage capacity so as to transfer the mail items more speedily to the conveyor. The number of storage loops associated with a destacking unit and the storage capacity of each loop is a compromise between the speed of merging of the batches of mail items and the interclassification window required between batches of mail items.

An exemplary implementation of the process according to the invention is described hereinafter in detail and illustrated in the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1

shows very diagrammatically a machine for merging batches of mail items according to the process of the invention.

FIG. 2

is a flowchart illustrating the manner of operation of the machine shown in FIG.

1

.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

In

FIG. 1

, the machine for merging batches of mail items according to the process of the invention comprises several destacking units, here two destacking units D

1

and D

2

, each able to serialize mail items of a batch of mail items which is preordered for the mailman's round, here the batches L

1

and L

2

which are loaded respectively into the destacking units D

1

and D

2

.

The exit of each destacking unit is linked to one or more dynamic-storage magazines which is or which are associated with the relevant destacking unit. In each dynamic-storage magazine, the mail items indicated by A are moved continuously in series around a storage loop.

In the example of

FIG. 1

, the exit of the destacking unit D

1

is linked to two storage loops M

11

and M

12

by way of a series conveyor C

1

, the entrances E of the two storage loops M

11

and M

12

being linked in parallel to the conveyor C

1

.

The destacking unit D

2

is linked to two other storage loops M

21

and M

22

by way of another series conveyor C

2

. The entrances E of the two storage loops M

21

and M

22

are linked in parallel to the conveyor C

2

.

Each storage loop M

11

to M

22

comprises an entrance E and an exit S disposed at two points of the loop and is able to store a certain number of mail items, in the present case three mail Items. Each storage magazine M

11

to M

22

comprises a routing flap (not represented) disposed at the entrance point E of the storage loop and a routing flap (not represented) disposed at the exit point S of the storage loop allowing the introduction or the extraction of a mail item in the storage loop.

A first reading device DL

1

is disposed along the conveyor C

1

between the exit of the destacking unit D

1

and the entrance E of the storage loop M

11

furthest upstream on the conveyor C

1

so as to read the postal address of each mail item extracted from the destacking unit D

1

which we be transferred to the storage loops M

11

or M

12

.

A second reading device DL

2

is disposed along the conveyor C

2

between the exit of the destacking unit D

2

and the entrance E of the storage loop M

21

furthest upstream on the conveyor C

2

so as to read the postal address of each mail item extracted from the destacking unit D

2

which will be transferred to the storage loops M

21

or M

22

.

The reading devices DL

1

and DL

2

can be devices for reading matrix codes, for example bar codes.

The exits S of the storage loops M

11

to M

22

are linked in parallel to an exit conveyor CS in which the mail items are conveyed in series.

The conveyors C

1

, C

2

and CS can be belt-type conveyors known per se. The dynamic-storage magazines M

11

to M

22

can also be embodied in the form of belt-type conveyors.

A control/command unit U synchronizes the transferring of the mail items from the destacking units D

1

and D

2

to the dynamic-storage magazines M

11

to M

22

, receivers the postal addresses read (or the bar codes) by the reading devices DL

1

and DL

2

and synchronizes the transfer of the mail items from the dynamic-storage magazines M

11

to M

22

to the exit conveyor CS so that the mail items A exit the conveyor CS according to their order of distribution in the mailman's round.

Each link between the exit S of a storage loop and the exit conveyor CS can include a delay line R mounted in parallel with the link and which serves to compensate for the differences in path length of the mail items between the exits S of the storage loops M

11

to M

22

and the exit of the conveyor CS so as to maintain a constant spacing between the mail items moved in series in the conveyor CS.

Moreover, another dynamic-storage magazine M

3

having a storage loop which is mounted in parallel with the conveyor CS downstream of the point of confluence with the dynamic-storage magazine M

22

in such a way as to make it possible to recover certain defects of classification of the mail items in the batches L

1

and L

2

to be merged. It is of course understood that the delay lines R and the dynamic-storage magazine M

3

are under the control of the control/command unit U.

The exit of the conveyor CS can feed the entrance to a device for stacking mail items so as to produce a stack of mail items which is ready for the mailman's round.

FIG. 2

illustrates the manner of operation of the machine shown in FIG.

1

.

The batch L

1

of mail items is therefore loaded into the destacking unit D

1

and the batch L

2

of mail items is loaded into the destacking unit D

2

. These two batches have previously been ordered according to the order of distribution of the mail items in the mailman's round.

If N

1

/

2

corresponds to the storage capacity in terms of number of mail items of a storage loop such as M

11

(in the case of the example in

FIG. 1

, N

1

/

2

is equal to 3), the control/command unit U acts on the units D

1

and D

2

so as to serialize on exit from D

1

, N

1

mail items, this being symbolized by the block

10

, and on exit from D

2

, N

1

mail items, this being symbolized by the block

20

.

The postal addresses (or corresponding bar codes) of the N

1

mail items serialized on exit D

1

and traveling past the reading device DL

1

are recovered by the control/command unit U, this being symbolized by the block

11

.

The postal addresses (or corresponding bar codes) of the N

1

mail items serialized on exit from D

2

and traveling past the reading device D

2

are also recovered by the control/command unit U, this being symbolized by the block

21

.

In tandem with their destacking from D

1

, N

1

/

2

first mail items A are initially transferred into the storage loop M

11

, this being represented by the block

12

and the following N

1

/

2

mail items A destacked from D

1

are transferred into the storage loop M

12

, this being symbolized by the block

13

.

At the same time, in tandem with their destacking from D

2

, N

1

/

2

first mail items A are initially transferred into the storage loop M

21

, this being represented by the block

22

and the following N

1

/

2

mail items A destacked from D

2

are transferred into the storage loop M

22

, this being symbolized by the block

23

.

The control/command unit U keeps in memory a logical representation of the mailman's round in respect of the mail items A loaded into D

1

and D

2

, analyzes the postal addresses recovered by the reading devices DL

1

and DL

2

so as to reorder them according to the mailman's round held in logic form in memory, this being symbolized by the block

30

, and command accordingly, on the basis of these exit postal addresses in conjunction with the location of the mall items in the storage loops, the extraction according to the appropriate sequence of the mail items from the loops M

11

to M

22

and their transfer to the conveyor CS so that these mail items exit the conveyor CS according to their order of distribution in the mailman's round.

Since the batches L

1

and L

2

are already preordered, the storage loop M

11

is normally emptied before the storage loop M

12

and the storage loop M

21

is normally emptied before the storage loop M

22

, so that the storage loops M

11

and M

12

or M

21

and M

22

can operate alternately.

Thus, when the storage loop M

11

is completely emptied, this being symbolized by the block

31

, the control/command unit U acts on the unit D

1

so as to serialize on exit from D

1

, N

1

/

2

mail items, this being symbolized by the block

14

, which are transferred into the storage loop M

11

, this being symbolized by the block

16

, after being made to travel past DL

1

for the reading of the postal addresses, this being symbolized by the block

15

. Likewise, when the storage loop M

21

is completely emptied, the control/command unit U acts on the unit D

2

so as to serialize on exit from D

2

, N

1

/

2

mail items, this being symboled by the block

24

, which are transferred into the storage loop M

21

, this being symbolized by the block

26

, after being made to travel past DL

2

for the reading of the postal addresses, this being symbolized by the block

25

.

The block

32

symbolizes the analysis in the control/command unit U of the new postal addresses recovered by DL

1

and DL

2

for the corresponding transferring in sequence of the mail items to the conveyor CS.

Now, when the storage loop M

12

is completely emptied, this being symbolized by the block

33

, the control/command unit U acts on the unit D

1

so as to serialize on exit from D

1

, N

1

/

2

mail items, this being symbolized by the block

17

, which are transferred into the storage loop M

11

, this being symbolized by the block

19

, after being made to travel past DL

1

for the reading of the postal addresses, this being symbolized by the block

18

. Likewise, when the dynamic storage loop M

22

is completely emptied, the control/command unit U acts on the unit D

2

so as to serialize on exit from D

2

, N

1

/

2

mail items, this being symbolized by the block

24

, which are transferred into the storage loop M

21

, this being symbolized by the block

26

, after being made to travel past DL

2

for the reading of the postal addresses, this being symbolized by the block

25

. The block

34

symbolizes the analysis in the control/command unit U of the postal addresses recovered by DL

1

and DL

2

for the corresponding transferring in sequence of the mail items to the conveyor CS.

The procedure loops back around the block

31

until D

1

and D

2

are completely emptied.

With the procedure indicated above, the interclassification window of the two batches of mail items corresponds to the storage capacity of two storage loops (6 mail items in the exemplary case of FIG.

1

).

Certain defects of classification in the batches of mail items L

1

or L

2

may be recovered by the control/command unit U by using the storage loop M

3

whose capacity may be greater than that of one of the storage loops M

11

to M

22

, the storage capacity of the loop M

3

corresponding to the shifting of a mail item which it is possible to recover.

The process according to the invention can ideally be applied in respect of the merging of previously ordered batches of objects other than batches of mail items, for example, baggage items or the like, provided that each object bears a cue allowing its classification according to a certain sequence.

Claims

1. Process for merging batches of objects (L1, L2), each previously ordered according to a certain classification of the objects (A), so as to constitute a single batch of objects ordered according to said classification, in which process said batches are loaded in destacking units (D1, D2) which deliver said objects in series and in which each object destacked from a destacking unit travels past a device (DL1, DL2) for reading a classification cue of said object to be transferred to a conveyor (CS) linked to said destacking units in a such a way that the objects exit the conveyor in series according to the order corresponding to said classification, wherein said objects destacked from a destacking unit (D1, D2) are transferred to said conveyor (CS) through at least a first (M11, M21) and a second (M12, M22) dynamic-storage magazine linked and associated to said destacking unit, said destacked objects moving in series into each dynamic-storage magazine around a storage loop, in that a control/command unit (U) controls each destacking unit (D1, D2) and the first and second dynamic-storage magazine (M11, M12; M21, M22) associated to said destacking unit for loading said first dynamic-storage magazine (M11, M21) with a certain number of first ordered objects destacked from said destacking unit and for loading said second dynamic-storage magazine (M12, M22) with a certain amount of following ordered objects destacked from said destacking unit, and in that said control/command unit (U) analyses the classifying cues for the objects pending in the dynamic-storage magazines to cause said first dynamic-storage magazine (M11, M21) associated to a destacking unit to be emptied to said conveyor before said second dynamic-storage magazine (M12, M22) associated to said destacking unit to be emptied to said conveyor, the loading and the emptying of said dynamic-storage magazines being repeated until said destacking units are completely emptied.
2. Process according to claim 1, in which said first (M11, M21) and second (M12, M22) dynamic-storage magazine linked and associated to a destacking unit (D1, D2) operate alternatively to be loaded with destacked objects and emptied to said conveyor.
3. Process according to any one of claims 1 to 2, in which said objects are mail items and in that said classification is an order of distribution of mail items in the mailman's round.
4. Machine for carrying out the process according to claim 1, in which said first (M11, M21) and second (M12, M22) dynamic-storage magazine linked and associated to a destacking unit (D1, D2) have corresponding entrances (E) linked in parallel to said destacking unit and corresponding exits (S) linked in parallel to said conveyor (CS), and in which a device (DL1, DL2) for reading a classification cue is disposed between each destacking unit (D1, D2) and its first and second associated dynamic-storage magazine (M11, M12; M21, M22).
5. Machine according to claim 4, in which a delay line (R) is mounted between the exit (S) of each dynamic-storage magazine (M11, M12, M21, M22) and said conveyor (CS).
6. Machine according to claim 4, in which a further dynamic-storage magazine (M3) is mounted in parallel with said conveyor (CS) downstream said dynamic-storage magazines (M11, M12, M21, M22).
7. Machine according to claim 6, in which said further dynamic-storage magazine (M3) comprises a storage loop.
8. Machine according to claim 4, in which said first and second dynamic-storage magazine (M11, M12; M21, M22) linked and associated to a destacking unit (D1, D2) have the same storage capacity.

Priority Claims (1)

Number	Date	Country	Kind
99 13362	Oct 1999	FR

PCT Information

Filing Document	Filing Date	Country	Kind
PCT/EP00/10502		WO	00

Publishing Document	Publishing Date	Country	Kind
WO01/30514	5/3/2001	WO	A

US Referenced Citations (7)

Number	Name	Date	Kind
3125230	Edmunds et al.	Mar 1964	A
4244672	Lund	Jan 1981	A
4629172	Kameyama et al.	Dec 1986	A
5125783	Kawasoe et al.	Jun 1992	A
5349968	Rizzoli et al.	Sep 1994	A
5755316	Reist	May 1998	A
5860504	Lazzarotti	Jan 1999	A

Foreign Referenced Citations (1)

Number	Date	Country
834354	Sep 1997	EP

Process and machine for merging ordered batches of objects, in particular batches of mail items

Information

Patent Number

Date Filed

Date Issued

Inventors

Original Assignees

Examiners

Agents

CPC

US Classifications

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US

International Classifications