Sheet material transposition for sorting apparatus

Abstract

A displacement system and sorting apparatus for transposing the orientation of mailpiece from a first position to a second position such that the mailpiece may occupy a reduced space envelope within sortation bins/trays of a mailpiece sorter. The displacement system comprises first and second pairs of cooperating elements each defining a nip for accepting first and second portions, respectively, of the mailpiece therebetween. Further, the system includes a means for driving the first and second pairs of cooperating elements such that the first and second portions of mailpiece are each conveyed along a feed path at different velocities thereby transposing the mailpiece about an axis and changing the orientation of the mailpiece from the first to the second positions. The cooperating elements may include rolling elements such as nip rollers, spherical elements or belt pairs. The sortation bins/trays are adapted to support the short edge while guiding the long edge of the mailpiece. That is, the base of the bins/trays supports the on-edge width dimension of the mailpiece and sidewalls substantially normal to the base support the length dimension of the mailpiece.

1 . A system for transposing the angular orientation of mailpiece from a first orientation to a desired second orientation, comprising:
 a first pair of cooperating elements defining a nip for accepting a first portion of the mailpiece therebetween,   a second pair of cooperating elements defining a nip for accepting a second portion of the mailpiece therebetween;   a means for driving the first and second pairs of cooperating elements such that the first and second portions of mailpiece are each conveyed along a feed path at different speeds, thereby transposing the mailpiece about an axis and changing the angular orientation of the mailpiece.   
   
   
       2 . The system according to  claim 1  wherein the nips are aligned in a vertical plane to transpose the sheet material from a first on-edge orientation to a second on-edge orientation. 
   
   
       3 . The system according to  claim 2  wherein the cooperating elements include a first and second pair of rolling elements. 
   
   
       4 . The system according to  claim 2  wherein the cooperating elements include a first pair of rolling elements and a second pair of compliant belts. 
   
   
       5 . The system according to  claim 1  wherein the nips are co-planar and wherein the first and second pairs of rolling elements define a coupled pair, the system further comprising a plurality of coupled pairs sequentially arranged to receive, transpose and convey the sheet material along the feed path. 
   
   
       6 . The system according to  claim 5  wherein the coupled pairs are operative to incrementally transpose the sheet material such that the sheet material assumes at least one intermediate position as the sheet material is conveyed along the feed path from an upstream position to a downstream position along the feed path; and further comprises:
 a sensing means for sensing at least one of intermediate position of the sheet material between the upstream and downstream coupled pairs and issuing an orientation signal indicative thereof; and   a processor for storing prescribed position data indicative of a desired intermediate sheet material position between the upstream and downstream coupled pairs, the processor, furthermore, responsive to the orientation signal, for comparing the sensed intermediate position to the prescribed position data, for calculating a difference value therebetween, and for issuing an error correction signal, based upon the difference value, to the drive means for transposing the sheet material to the desired final orientation.   
   
   
       7 . The system according to  claim 5  wherein the drive means varies the speed of rolling element pairs according to a speed profile, the speed profile of the rolling element pairs being characterized by the rolling element pairs being driven at a matched speed, during a first segment of the velocity profile, to translate each portion of the sheet material linearly, and being driven at a relative speed, during a second segment of the speed profile, to rotate and transpose the sheet material. 
   
   
       8 . The system according to  claim 6  wherein the drive means varies the speed of rolling element pairs according to a speed profile, the speed profile of the rolling element pairs being characterized by the rolling element pairs being driven at a matched speed, during a first segment of the velocity profile, to translate each portion of the sheet material linearly, and being driven at a relative speed, during a second segment of the speed profile, to rotate and transpose the sheet material. 
   
   
       9 . The system according to  claim 3  wherein the first and second pair of rolling elements define a separation distance therebetween, and wherein the separation distance increases from an upstream to a downstream pair. 
   
   
       10 . A mailpiece sorter, comprising:
 a feeder module for feeding and singulating mailpieces from a stack of mailpieces, each mailpiece being fed along a feed path in a first on-edge orientation;   a sortation bin module for accepting and diverting the mailpieces into one of a plurality of sortation bins, each sortation bin having a base for supporting a second on-edge orientation of each mailpiece; and   a means for displacing each mailpiece traveling along the feed path from the feeder module to the sortation bin module and transposing each mailpiece about an axis to change the angular orientation thereof from the first to the second on-edge orientation.   
   
   
       11 . The mailpiece sorter according to  claim 10  wherein the displacement means includes:
 a first pair of cooperating elements defining a nip for accepting a first portion of each mailpiece therebetween,   a second pair of cooperating elements defining a nip for accepting a second portion of each mailpiece therebetween;   a means for driving the first and second pairs of cooperating elements such that the first and second portions of each mailpiece are each conveyed along a feed path at different speeds.   
   
   
       12 . The mailpiece sorter according to  claim 11  wherein the nips are aligned in a vertical plane. 
   
   
       13 . The mailpiece sorter according to  claim 11  wherein the cooperating elements include a first and second pair of rolling elements. 
   
   
       14 . The mailpiece sorter according to  claim 11  wherein the cooperating elements include a first pair of rolling elements and a second pair of compliant belts. 
   
   
       15 . The mailpiece sorter according to  claim 10  wherein the nips are co-planar and wherein the first and second pairs of rolling elements define a coupled pair, the system further comprising a plurality of coupled pairs sequentially arranged to receive, transpose and convey the mailpiece along the feed path. 
   
   
       16 . The mailpiece sorter according to  claim 15  wherein the coupled pairs are operative to incrementally transpose the mailpiece such that the mailpiece assumes at least one intermediate position as the mailpiece is conveyed along the feed path from an upstream position to a downstream position along the feed path; and further comprises:
 a sensing means for sensing at least one of intermediate position of the mailpiece between the upstream and downstream coupled pairs and issuing an orientation signal indicative thereof; and   a processor for storing prescribed position data indicative of a desired intermediate mailpiece position between the upstream and downstream coupled pairs, the processor, furthermore, responsive to the orientation signal, for comparing the sensed intermediate position to the prescribed position data, for calculating a difference value therebetween, and for issuing an error correction signal, based upon the difference value, to the drive means for transposing the mailpiece to the desired final orientation.   
   
   
       17 . The mailpiece sorter according to  claim 15  wherein the drive means varies the speed of rolling element pairs according to a speed profile, the speed profile of the rolling element pairs being characterized by the rolling element pairs being driven at a matched speed, during a first segment of the velocity profile, to translate each portion of the mailpiece linearly, and being driven at a relative speed, during a second segment of the speed profile, to rotate and transpose the mailpiece. 
   
   
       18 . The mailpiece sorter according to  claim 16  wherein the drive means varies the speed of rolling element pairs according to a speed profile, the speed profile of the rolling element pairs being characterized by the rolling element pairs being driven at a matched speed, during a first segment of the velocity profile, to translate each portion of the mailpiece linearly, and being driven at a relative speed, during a second segment of the speed profile, to rotate and transpose the mailpiece. 
   
   
       19 . The mailpiece sorter according to  claim 13  wherein the first and second pair of rolling elements define a separation distance therebetween, and wherein the separation distance increases from an upstream to a downstream pair.