Abstract: A hold-and-release singulator includes a conveyor having a transport mechanism for carrying a group of items such as parcels, packages, containers or the like from an entry end towards an exit end of the singulator, a hold and release system that can hold items that have entered the singulator on the conveyor so that such items are not transported by the conveyor while causing one item to be transported by the conveyor, and a control system that controls operation of the conveyor and the hold-and-release system in a manner effective to remove the group of items from the exit end of the conveyor one at a time according to a removal scheme, preferably with a predetermined minimum spacing.

Abstract: Piece goods are sorted with tilting tray sorters by recognizing when a large good needs two consecutive empty tilting trays in order to be inwardly transferred; locating a first, empty tilting tray; emptying a second tilting tray occupied by a good adjacent to the first empty tilting tray prior to the inward transfer of the large good, thereby resulting in two adjacent empty tilting trays; inwardly transferring the large good requiring two tilting trays to the two adjacent empty tilting trays; and transferring the outwardly removed good inward to a third empty tilting tray.

Abstract: The invention relates to an array for individualizing articles from a group of articles. The array has several rows of lifting mechanisms (2) arranged one after the other in the direction of conveyance, narrow endless conveyor belts (1) disposed between the lifting mechanisms. Detecting means (5) for detecting when the group reaches the end of the array. Detecting means (3,4) for detecting the position and contours of the articles in the group. A control (6) receives signals from the three detecting means to control the operation of the belts and lifting mechanisms to individualize the articles.