Abstract: Embodiments provide systems, methods and apparatus for controlling an energy delivery system including providing an energy management system (EMS) having a wind power management (WPM) system and using the WPM system for determining sensitivity values for a plurality of wind farms within the energy delivery system; maximizing wind power generation from the plurality of wind farms within a set of security limits defined based on the sensitivity values; minimizing wind power generation loss from the plurality of wind farms; determining wind farm security-priority groups; minimizing wind power generation production cost based on cost priority of the wind farms in each security-priority group; and minimizing wind power generation production cost based on energy bids for each wind farm in each security-priority group. Numerous other aspects are provided.

Abstract: Embodiments provide systems, methods and apparatus for controlling an energy delivery system including providing an energy management system (EMS) having an automatic generation control (AGC) system including a load frequency control (LFC) module; executing two or more performance standard functions implemented within the LFC module using input data regarding the energy delivery system, wherein at least one of the performance standard functions is defined to be dependent upon another of the performance standard functions; and implementing corrections to the operation of the energy delivery system based upon solution results of executing the performance standard functions. Numerous other aspects are provided.

Abstract: Embodiments provide systems, methods and apparatus for controlling an energy delivery system including providing an energy management system (EMS) having an automatic generation control (AGC) system including a load frequency control (LFC) module and an economic dispatch (ED) module; determining a regulation requirement based upon a predefined set of nested system control zones and a current area control error (ACE); determining regulation allocation based on a pre-defined set of gain factors associated with the nested system control zones; and implementing corrections to the operation of the energy delivery system based upon solution results of the determined regulation allocation. Numerous other aspects are provided.

Abstract: Embodiments provide systems, methods and apparatus for controlling an energy delivery system including providing an energy management system (EMS) having an automatic generation control (AGC) system including a load frequency control (LFC) module and an economic dispatch (ED) module; determining a regulation requirement based upon a predefined set of nested system control zones and a current area control error (ACE); determining regulation allocation based on a pre-defined set of gain factors associated with the nested system control zones; and implementing corrections to the operation of the energy delivery system based upon solution results of the determined regulation allocation. Numerous other aspects are provided.

Abstract: Embodiments provide systems, methods and apparatus for controlling an energy delivery system including providing an energy management system (EMS) having an automatic generation control (AGC) system including a load frequency control (LFC) module; executing two or more performance standard functions implemented within the LFC module using input data regarding the energy delivery system, wherein at least one of the performance standard functions is defined to be dependent upon another of the performance standard functions; and implementing corrections to the operation of the energy delivery system based upon solution results of executing the performance standard functions. Numerous other aspects are provided.

Abstract: Embodiments provide systems, methods and apparatus for controlling an energy delivery system including providing an energy management system (EMS) having a wind power management (WPM) system and using the WPM system for determining sensitivity values for a plurality of wind farms within the energy delivery system; maximizing wind power generation from the plurality of wind farms within a set of security limits defined based on the sensitivity values; minimizing wind power generation loss from the plurality of wind farms; determining wind farm security-priority groups; minimizing wind power generation production cost based on cost priority of the wind farms in each security-priority group; and minimizing wind power generation production cost based on energy bids for each wind farm in each security-priority group. Numerous other aspects are provided.

Abstract: An apparatus for the automated processing of bulk mail in a continuous and automatic procedure includes an operative combination of processing stations including an input station for receiving incoming mail in bulk fashion and for separating the pieces of mail for individual delivery to the remainder of the apparatus a station for detecting irregularities in the contents of the envelopes, such as metal items, folded contents, or oversized items; a station for outsorting envelopes rejected in accordance with determinations made at the detection station; a station for opening the envelopes, preferably along multiple edges; a station for removing the contents from the opened envelopes, for subsequent processing of the contents; and a series of stations for handling and orienting the contents for subsequent delivery to a plurality of output stackers.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for processing mail is provided. Mail is placed into an input bin having a conveyor that conveys the mail towards a feeder. The feeder serially feeds the envelopes by engaging the lead envelope in the stack of mail and displacing the lead envelope transverse the stack of mail. The mail is fed into a shuttle that vertically displaces the envelopes to position the envelopes for entering a justifier. The justifier justifies the top edge of the envelopes and conveys the envelopes to a cutter that severs the top edge of the envelopes. A transport conveys the envelopes from the top cutter to an extractor. The extractor opens the edge-severed mail and presents the contents of the envelopes to an operator who manually extracts the contents. The transport conveys the empty envelopes from the extractor to a verifier that verifies that all of the contents have been removed from the envelope before the envelope is discarded.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for processing mail is provided. Mail is placed into an input bin having a conveyor that conveys the mail towards a feeder. The feeder serially feeds the envelopes by engaging the lead envelope in the stack of mail and displacing the lead envelope transverse the stack of mail. The mail is fed into a shuttle that vertically displaces the envelopes to position the envelopes for entering a justifier. The justifier justifies the top edge of the envelopes and conveys the envelopes to a cutter that severs the top edge of the envelopes. A transport conveys the envelopes from the top cutter to an extractor. The extractor opens the edge-severed mail and presents the contents of the envelopes to an operator who manually extracts the contents. The transport conveys the empty envelopes from the extractor to a verifier that verifies that all of the contents have been removed from the envelope before the envelope is discarded.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for processing mail is provided. Mail is placed into an input bin having a conveyor that conveys the mail towards a feeder. The feeder serially feeds the envelopes by engaging the lead envelope in the stack of mail and displacing the lead envelope transverse the stack of mail. The mail is fed into a shuttle that vertically displaces the envelopes to position the envelopes for entering a justifier. The justifier justifies the top edge of the envelopes and conveys the envelopes to a cutter that severs the top edge of the envelopes. A transport conveys the envelopes from the top cutter to an extractor. The extractor opens the edge-severed mail and presents the contents of the envelopes to an operator who manually extracts the contents. The transport conveys the empty envelopes from the extractor to a verifier that verifies that all of the contents have been removed from the envelope before the envelope is discarded.

Abstract: An apparatus for the automated processing of bulk mail in a continuous and automatic procedure includes an operative combination of processing stations including an input station for receiving incoming mail in bulk fashion and for separating the pieces of mail for individual delivery to the remainder of the apparatus; a station for detecting irregularities in the contents of the envelopes, such as metal items, folded contents, or oversized items; a station for out-sorting envelopes rejected in accordance with determinations made at the detection station; a station for opening the envelopes, preferably along multiple edges; a station for removing the contents from the opened envelopes, for subsequent processing of the contents; and a series of stations for handling and orienting the contents for subsequent delivery to a plurality of output stackers.

Abstract: An apparatus is provided for processing a batch of remittance transactions in the form of an invoice and an accompanying check. A feeder receives a stacked batch of transactional pairs of documents and serially feeds the documents along a selected path of movement. Scanning cameras scan the front and back of each document to provide front and back images of the documents. A magnetic imager is employed for reading the magnetic markings of each check to detect the orientation of each check. From the magnetic imager, the documents are fed to a document-reordering device that functions to selectively change the sequential order of selected pairs of documents along the path of movement. A document orientor is also provided for selectively changing the orientation of any selected document along the path of movement. The document orientor includes a document reverser for reversing the orientation of selected documents from back to front along the path of movement.

Abstract: In a method for the automated processing of bulk mail, envelopes are transferred to a receiving apparatus in bulk fashion (from incoming mail trays or the like) for the extraction of documents contained by the envelopes, and the extracted documents are delivered to a remittance processing device, preferably both automatically and without the need for human intervention. Subsequent processing of the extracted documents within the remittance processing device then proceeds in usual fashion, completing the acquisition of information which is necessary to ready such documents for deposit into the banking system. Also disclosed are various presorting functions so that only envelopes containing documents of a specified type will be fully processed, other sorting functions such as the identification of specific types of documents (invoices or checks) for separate processing, and the use of a single extraction device to deliver extracted documents to either one, or a series of remittance processing devices.

Abstract: An apparatus for the automated processing of bulk mail which incorporates a number of operating stations that serve to accomplish the various aspects of mail extraction, as well as the subsequent processing of extracted documents, and which are operatively associated with one another to serially process envelopes and extracted documents in continuous fashion and substantially independent of their characteristic features. To this end, the operating stations of the apparatus are configured to be as independent as possible of the characteristics of the envelopes and their contents so that envelopes and contents of varied characteristics can be effectively handled by the apparatus without requiring any significant adjustments.

Abstract: In a method for the automated processing of bulk mail, envelopes are transferred to a receiving apparatus in bulk fashion (from incoming mail trays or the like) for the extraction of documents contained by the envelopes, and the extracted documents are delivered to a remittance processing device, preferably both automatically and without the need for human intervention. Subsequent processing of the extracted documents within the remittance processing device then proceeds in usual fashion, completing the acquisition of information which is necessary to ready such documents for deposit into the banking system. Also disclosed are various presorting functions so that only envelopes containing documents of a specified type will be fully processed, other sorting functions such as the identification of specific types of documents (invoices or checks) for separate processing, and the use of a single extraction device to deliver extracted documents to either one, or a series of remittance processing devices.

Abstract: An apparatus for the automated processing of bulk mail which incorporates a number of operating stations that serve to accomplish the various aspects of mail extraction, as well as the subsequent processing of extracted documents, and which are operatively associated with one another to serially process envelopes and extracted documents in continuous fashion and substantially independent of their characteristic features. To this end, the operating stations of the apparatus are configured to be as independent as possible of the characteristics of the envelopes and their contents so that envelopes and contents of varied characteristics can be effectively handled by the apparatus without requiring any significant adjustments.

Abstract: An extraction apparatus for the automated processing of bulk mail includes a first pair of rollers forming a nip for receiving each of a plurality of envelopes, with their contents. The envelopes, which have been opened along plural contiguous edges, are then passed to a second pair of rollers following the first pair of rollers, for receiving the opened envelopes (with the contents) from the first pair of rollers. The second pair of rollers are spaced from one another and each include a suction cup for engaging faces of the opened envelope responsive to an applied vacuum, and for spreading the faces of the envelope apart. A third pair of rollers following the second pair of rollers forms a nip for receiving the contents from between the second pair of rollers, thereby removing the contents from the envelope.

Abstract: An apparatus for the automated processing of bulk mail, wherein envelopes are transferred to the apparatus in bulk fashion (from incoming mail trays or the like) for the extraction of documents contained by the envelopes, communicates with a remittance processing device, preferably both automatically and without the need for human intervention. Subsequent processing of the extracted documents within the remittance processing device then proceeds in usual fashion, completing the acquisition of information which is necessary to ready such documents for deposit into the banking system.

Abstract: Apparatus for presenting a desired one of a stack of N information disks with a selected one of its two information surfaces in a desired orientation to an information utilization device. The apparatus includes a mechanism for rotating the disks as a stack to put the selected surface in the desired orientation, for translating the disks as a stack to position the desired disk opposite the utilization device and for translating the desired disk into the utilization device.

Abstract: Operations associated with the reciprocating suction arms of a mail extraction device are modified to prevent bleed through from occurring as the opposing faces of an envelope are spread open by the reciprocating arms by drawing an air flow through the suction arms which is sufficient to draw the envelope faces to the suction arms without necessitating their contact with the envelope, and each other. This may be achieved using a vacuum pump of increased output, or by developing a burst in air flow drawn by the suction arms, at an appropriate point just prior to their closure.