The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
May. 08, 2001
Filed:
Mar. 24, 1999
Keith Malcolm Jones, Chippenham, GB;
Gregory Charles Hopkins, Swindon, GB;
the Post Office, Croydon, GB;
Abstract
A sorting system is disclosed, for example for mail items. In the disclosed system, a circulating storage system can receive items from an inlet, and deposit them in an appropriate output receptacle which has been allocated to items in a particular group. For example, the items can be sorted by destination, and each output receptacle can be allocated to a particular destination. In the event that the destination of an item has not output receptacle allocated thereto, the system controller can determine whether to allocate a receptacle, or whether to recirculate the item within the circulating storage system. This possibility allows items to be grouped together within the system, until there are sufficient items for a particular destination to allow them to be handled efficiently, and in particular allows the allocation of output receptacles to destinations to be controlled efficiently.