초록 ▼

A mail sorter has a sort code reader which sequentially reads the sort codes on each piece of mail, a processor for determining the order in which the mail is to be sorted, primary sort storages, and secondary sort storages. After the sort codes are read and processed, the mail is first sorted into

A mail sorter has a sort code reader which sequentially reads the sort codes on each piece of mail, a processor for determining the order in which the mail is to be sorted, primary sort storages, and secondary sort storages. After the sort codes are read and processed, the mail is first sorted into the primary sort storages forming groups of mail sorted according to the determined order of sorting, although the mail in each group is unsorted. Thereafter, the mail in each primary sort storage is sorted into the secondary sort storages according to the determined order of sorting and the mail is subsequently extracted from the secondary sort storages and stored.

대표청구항 ▼

A flat-article sorting apparatus for rearranging an order of flat articles, each of the flat articles being provided with a sort code thereon, the sort codes corresponding to the order in which the flat articles are to be rearranged, comprising: means for advancing the flat articles sequentially one

A flat-article sorting apparatus for rearranging an order of flat articles, each of the flat articles being provided with a sort code thereon, the sort codes corresponding to the order in which the flat articles are to be rearranged, comprising: means for advancing the flat articles sequentially one by one; means for scanning the flat articles to read the sort codes thereon as the flat articles are sequentially advanced; means responsive to the scanned sort codes for determining the order in which the flat articles are to be rearranged; a plurality of primary sort storages ranked in a first priority to which said flat articles are advanced; means responsive to said determining means for assigning said flat articles so that a substantially equal number of said flat articles are assigned to each primary sort storage; means responsive to said assigning means for sorting the flat articles into the respective primary sort storages in such a manner that numbers of the flat articles stored in the respective primary sort storages are substantially equal; a plurality of secondary sort storages ranked in a second priority; means for advancing said flat articles from said primary sort storages to said plurality of secondary sort storages; second means for sorting the flat articles from the primary sort storages into the secondary sort storages according to the order determined by the determining means; and means for extracting the flat articles from the secondary sort storages and accumulating the flat articles in the order determined by the determining means.