Pitney Bowes Inc.

Christopher A Baker

Douglas B Quine

A sorter system includes a plurality of sortation bins with a feed path connected to the plurality of sortation bins for transporting media items to destination sortation bins. A controller is connected to control the plurality of sortation bins and is operable during a sortation process to reassign the destination sortation bin into which a media item is sorted. The system operation may employ a method for sorting media items where a plurality of media items are fed onto a transport system for sortation. Each media items is sorted into a destination sortation bin of a plurality of sortation bins connected to said transport system. Destination sortation bins for media items are dynamically reassigned based of the determined status of the media items in the sortation bins. The status of media items is sensed in each of said plurality of sortation bins may be determined based on sensors associated with the equipment or tracked by a controller or other techniques which track the mail pieces being processed. Destination sortation bins may be assigned to accommodate overflow capacity from existing bins thereby creating larger effective bins. They may also be assigned to allow the reuse of existing bins thereby creating a sortation system with a greater effective number of sortation bins.

Sorting method and system with dynamically re-allocated sortation bins

A method and system for processing of media items includes a separator system feeding a series of media items onto a transport system that is controlled such that adjacent media items destined for the same sortation bin are transported along a transport path as a group of media items to the same sortation bin and such that adjacent media items destined for different sortation bins are separated for separate transport along the transport path to the different sortation bins.

System and method for grouping mail pieces in a sorter

A method and system for reading various codes, such as codes imprinted on an item, includes a first and a second code reader that each scan the code on the item to read the code. The data obtained by the first and the second code reader is merged to reconstruct the code on said item. The position of the code readers may be adjusted such that the maximum reading efficiency of said code by each code reader occurs at different points of the scanned code. The method and system may be employed with different types of codes including various forms of bar codes.

Bar code recognition method and system for paper handling equipment

A method for processing mail pieces having information thereon includes scanning the mail piece information and storing scanned mail piece information. Stored information is accessed when a scanned mail piece information is incomplete to obtain previously stored complete mail piece information. The previously stored complete mail piece information is employed in processing the mail piece with the incomplete information. The information may be a code or text that is scanned and stored during the processing of the mail. Fragmentary information from various sources on the scanned mail piece may be combined to access a previously stored mail piece record. The accessed information may be displayed.

Method for enhancing mail piece processing system

A mailpiece sorter system including a mailpiece feeding assembly operative to selectively feed mailpieces singularly or in groupings of mailpieces consisting of more than one mailpiece and a mailpiece sortation assembly operatively coupled to the mailpiece feeding assembly. The mailpiece sortation system includes a plurality mailpiece sortation bins and a diverting assembly for directing fed mailpieces into a predetermined mailpiece sortation bins. A control system is operatively coupled to the mailpiece feeding assembly to determine which mailpieces are to be singularly fed from said feeding assembly and which mailpieces are to be fed from said feeding assembly in a predetermined grouping of mailpieces.

Growing community of inventors

New Canaan, CT, United States of America

Christopher A Baker