Licentia Patent-Verwaltungs Gmbh

Siemens Aktiengesellschaft

Werner Frank

Armin Zimmermann

Peter Enenkel

Holger Schererz

Gisbert Burkhardt

Bernd Bulle

Gerhard Obier

Dieter Altenburg

Henning Jeschke

Boris Lohmann

Otmar Kechel

Device and process for intermediate stacking of items

Device for radially deflecting consignments in transport plants

A device for separating flat parcels from a stack of parcels includes a drawing element that travels in a conveying direction and acts by friction on a parcel to be drawn off from the stack of parcels. A guide wall for the stacked parcels forms a gap with the drawing element for a drawn off parcel to pass through. A support surface supports the stack of parcels and generates a stack pressure in a direction of the drawing element. At least one first nozzle disposed in the region of the support surface, and/or the region of the guide wall, blows compressed air between the parcels in the stack. At least one second nozzle, disposed in the region of the gap, between the stack of parcels and the guide wall, blows compressed air having a predetermined inclination counter to the conveying direction of the parcels to be drawn off.

Separating device

An apparatus for reversing an orientation of flat items includes a first conveyor driven with a first speed; a second conveyor adjoining the first conveyor such that items discharged by the first conveyor are introduced into the second conveyor; a third conveyor driven with a second speed and adjoining the second conveyor such that items discharged by the second conveyor are introduced into the third conveyor; a sensor for determining a moment when a trailing edge of an item leaves the first conveyor; and a control arrangement connected to the sensor and the second conveyor for driving the second conveyor with the first speed as an item enters the second conveyor from the first conveyor, for decelerating the second conveyor when the sensor determines the moment when a trailing item edge passes by, for reversing a direction of motion of the second conveyor after deceleration and for accelerating the second conveyor to the second speed as an item enters the third conveyor from the second conveyor.

Apparatus for reversing the direction of flat items

A letter sorting system includes a row of juxtaposed stack compartments; a material intake device arranged along and spaced from the compartments; a carriage arranged for travel along the compartments; and a transfer bridge mounted on the carriage to be displaced thereby along the compartments. The transfer bridge includes an exterior frame pivotally attached to the carriage for pivotal motions into first and second positions; an interior frame pivotally attached to the exterior frame for pivotal motions into first and second positions; and a slide having a first part attached to the interior frame and a second part attached to the exterior frame. Dependent upon simultaneous positions of the exterior and interior frames, the transfer bridge may assume first, second and third operating positions. In the first operating position sliding surfaces of the first and second parts of the slide form a continuous, upwardly facing surface for guiding material thereon between a selected compartment and the material intake device. In the second operating position a part of the interior frame is oriented upwardly and is adapted to accommodate a container thereon; and in the third operating position the first and second parts of the slide are substantially in a vertical orientation.

Transfer bridge for letter sorting systems

A singling apparatus for letters, vouchers, receipts, checks, punched cards, or other main items of all kinds up to a given size and thickness, singles out the items arriving in any irregular sequence one below the other, unarranged and oriented on a longitudinal or transverse edge. To obtain a high singling output and draw-off quality, the items are transported in vertical position through a transport mechanism and, by using a restricting guiding unit, into the draw-off region of a draw-off belt revolving about deflection bodies tangentially toward the draw-off belt surface. In the contact zone of draw-off belt and one deflection body the inflowing mail items are pressed against the draw-off belt and only the items coming into contact with the draw-off belt directly are drawn off by friction, by deflection of these items around the deflection body.

Separating apparatus for flat objects

Distribution line for flat objects and particularly for letters

Friction separation device

In apparatus for the separate discharge of flat items from a stack of such items, which apparatus includes a movable support for supporting the stack of items, a withdrawal mechanism mounted to engage the foremost item in the stack and withdraw that item from the stack, a supporting wall manually movable into an initial position for supporting the trailing end of the stack, and a drive system connected to drive the supporting wall toward the withdrawal mechanism under control of the state of a switch actuated in dependence upon the force being exerted by the stack on the withdrawal mechanism, resilient force equalizing elements are provided between the drive system and the supporting wall in drive transmitting relation therebetween, and are constructed and mounted for permitting advancing movement of the supporting wall to lag behind that corresponding to the sum of the drive movements produced by the drive system whenever the pressing force between the supporting wall and the stack exceeds a given value.

Apparatus for separating a letter stack

In apparatus for the successive discharge and conveyance, along a conveying path, of items of mail from a stack by a continuously driven conveying device and an externally controllable removal member arranged to transport successive items from the stack to the region of action of the conveying device, the desired spacing between successive items is established by the provision of a first sensing unit disposed between the stack and the conveying device to define a first measuring path extending along the conveying path and to provide an output signal indicative of the length of the portion of the first measuring path traversed by the leading edge of an item presently being conveyed by the removal device, a second sensing unit disposed downstream of the first sensing unit, along the conveying path, to define a second measuring path offset from the first measuring path, along the conveying path, by a distance corresponding to the desired spacing between successive items, and to provide an output signal indicative of the length of the portion of the second measuring path traversed by the leading edge or trailing edge of an item being conveyed by the conveying device, and a control member connected to place the removal device into operation upon production of output signals indicating that the length of the portion of the second measuring path traversed by the leading or trailing edge of an item is equal to the length of the portion of the first measuring path traversed by the leading edge of the immediately following item.

Growing community of inventors

Reichenau, Germany

Werner Frank