Abstract: A microwave antenna element comprising a ground plane printed on an insulating substrate and an antenna plate having at least one antenna outlet. The ground plane and the antenna plate are separated by a dielectric, wherein the dielectric separating the plate from the ground plane is air. The antenna plate is constituted by a conductive plate of a shape adapted to the polarization of the transmission microwave vector. The antenna plate has at least two legs formed by stamping and folding which serve to support the plate on the substrate. Each leg passes through a respective orifice in the substrate, at least one of the legs serves not only for support purposes, but also constitutes an antenna outlet. There is a gap in the ground plane surrounding the orifice via which each leg of the antenna outlet passes through the substrate.

Abstract: The magnetic code may include a run of b spoiled bits in a position that is locatable. The system consists in adding a check structure of k bits to the m-bit message in such a manner that the resulting n-bit word n=m+k is a cyclic redundancy code word generated by a generator polynomial G(x) of degree k that divides x.sup.n -1 without remainder in modulo-2 algebra. On reading, the system locates a packet of spoilt bits by detecting magnetic spoiling of the track which should normally be in the form of magnets of length l.sub.1 =l.+-.l/2 and l.sub.2 =2l.+-.l/2, with there being no runs of an odd number of successive magnets of length l.sub.1, given the bi-phase code used. A detected error is corrected by applying the relationship G(x) to the message as read after circular permutation has been applied thereto to move the missing bits to the end of the message.

Abstract: A thickness filter device is for use in an insertion chute of a reader for tickets, cards or the like. The device includes a mobile assembly comprising a stirrup member in the form of a yoke pivoting about a fixed axis parallel to a flat support along which the ticket, card or the like passes and perpendicular to a direction of displacement of said ticket, card or the like along this plane and a roller mounted in the stirrup member. The roller has a support shaft parallel to the fixed shaft and mounted in the stirrup member with play so that, in the absence of any ticket, card or the like between the roller and the support plane, it allows the roller to be pressed onto this plane with a pressure calibrated by traction spring means. This play also allows the roller, under the effect of a force opposing the action of the spring means, to bear against a wall of the stirrup member linking two parallel flanges of said stirrup member forming a yoke.

Abstract: A method of transmitting data quickly and securely from a smart card during a remote transaction between a fixed station and a mobile item of equipment containing a smart-card reader, said card reader having a fast memory, wherein, on receiving said card, and in addition to storing the data from the card in said fast memory, said reader also stores a pair of data items in said fast memory, one of which data items identifies the number of the card, and the other data item corresponds to an access count indicating the number of accesses to the card, each access by any reader incrementing the access count in the card by unity, and wherein, during the transaction, the mobile item of equipment, which is interrogated remotely by the fixed station, compares said pair of data items stored in said fast memory of said reader with the pair of data items of the card that is currently inserted in the mobile item of equipment, and transmits the result of the comparison and the data of the card, which data is stored in the

Abstract: Double pick separator device comprising means for retaining a flat object which might otherwise be entrained by friction by another flat object being moved in a predetermined transfer direction by transfer means.The retaining means are mounted on a structure mobile in a direction substantially perpendicular to the transfer direction. The separator device further comprises means for exerting a holding force on the retaining means, said holding force being oriented in a holding direction substantially perpendicular to the transfer direction.Application to automatic mail sorting, especially to sorting mail items of varying thickness.

Abstract: A flat object transfer device for transferring flat objects, particularly flat objects of varying thickness, to a sorting device from the output of an unstacking device. The flat object transfer device includes a gripping device for gripping a flat object initially located in a transfer plane. The gripping device includes a set of pinch rollers and pulleywheels on opposite sides of each pinch roller. A set of drive belts are trained around each pinch roller and the pulleywheels on opposite sides of the pinch roller. At least one of the pinch rollers in the set of pinch rollers can move in a direction substantially perpendicular to the transfer plane. A double pick separator device is provided for retaining flat objects except for a flat object to be gripped by the gripping device. The double pick separator device is disposed between two levels of the drive belts trained around the pinch rollers and pulleywheels.

Abstract: An automatic mail sorting flat object holding device has a driven perforated belt and suction grasping heads inside the belt. The holding device has a holding side consisting of the perforated belt moving in a predetermined transfer direction and to the front of which a stack of flat objects is offered up. A double pick separator has a suction head disposed substantially facing an exit edge of the holding side. The suction holding device has at least two substantially adjacent suction heads aligned in the transfer direction, one suction head of which is at least partly overlapping the double pick separator suction head.

Abstract: An article handling system including a frame defining an upper, horizontal working surface (20). The system further includes a device (24) for supporting a receptacle (22) for final reception of articles, an elongated plate (10) mounted for pivotal movement about a pivot device (72, 74), and a device (26) for retaining the articles. The device for retaining the articles includes an elongated support (28) disposed parallel to the length of the plate in its horizontal position and fixed to remain immovable relative to the upper working surface at least in the vertical direction.

Abstract: A machine for processing mail comprises a mechanical jogging device between an unstacking head (3) and a conveyor path (1) for conveying a stack (2) of postal items. The jogging device comprises inclined rollers (8) rotated so that a postal item of the stack, on arriving vertically over the rollers, is capable of dropping edge-on, under the action of gravity, onto the rollers and of being driven towards a jogging margin (7) while simultaneously being moved towards the unstacking head by the effect of the rollers rotating so that its free face comes substantially into contact against the unstacking head.

Abstract: A barrier device for controlling a passage for pedestrians, the device being of the three-legged turnstile type comprising a rotary hub whose axis is inclined at about 45.degree. relative to the vertical, and which has three legs fixed thereto that successively take up position across said passage on each rotation through one-third of a turn each time a pedestrian passes through, the bottom edge of a leg in its passage-barring position substantially constituting a horizontal straight line, wherein each leg, when seen in its passage-barring position, occupies a substantially vertical plane over a height that lies in the range 150 mm to 300 mm, at least towards the middle of the leg.

Abstract: An unstacking apparatus including a first suction nozzle (7) and a second suction nozzle (8) that are disposed on one side of an alignment plate (3), a perforated endless belt (6) continuously advancing past the suction nozzles and the free face of the first item in a stack of items, a passage forming an outlet between the alignment plate and the belt, at least one sensor (17, 18, 19) disposed on the other side of the alignment plate, and a microcomputer (10) for actuating one of the nozzles in an unstacking cycle. A microcomputer is organized so as to detect that a first item in the stack is backwardly misaligned by monitoring the operation of one of the suction nozzles during the unstacking cycle, and so as to trigger a realignment cycle in response to such detection, during which realignment cycle the nozzles are actuated alternately.

Abstract: The present invention concerns a method of sorting objects in N passes into R receptacles.

Abstract: The present invents relates to a sorting installation for articles having different destinations, especially letters. The installation comprises n sorting machines connected to a common conveyor. Each machine comprises pigeonholes associated with p.sub.i of the N possible destinations. The articles introduced at the input of the machine and not corresponding to one of the p.sub.i destinations are directed towards the storage regions, each region corresponding to the destinations associated with the other n-1 sorting machines to which the articles are periodically transferred.

Abstract: The present invention concerns a device for feeding a stack of flat articles on edge, especially mail items, to a de-stacker head provided with a support surface, the device comprising a main feed magazine in which the stack is disposed and a plate pushing the rear of the stack. A secondary feed magazine is introduced between the main magazine and the support surface of the de-stacker head, the secondary magazine having an upwardly inclined transfer surface, its edge adjacent to the support surface of the de-stacker head being higher than the latter.

Abstract: A device for discharging flat objects into a receptacle, especially pieces of mail or letters at the output of a sorting machine in which the letters are routed vertically disposed in pockets and are released above the said device, wherein the device comprises:a flat main guide surface inclined at an angle relative to the vertical plane and down which the flat object at the output of the pocket falls under gravity,a deflecting and retaining plate downstream of the main surface, anda receptacle inclined at an angle relative to the horizontal plane,the plate being movable from an initial position in which its lower edge is parallel to and close to the base of the lowermost wall of the receptacle, to an end position in which it is near to the uppermost wall of the receptacle.

Abstract: A device for feeding flat pieces of mail from a stack of mail pieces in edgewise abutment with a registration wall has a feeder for feeding pieces of mail off the stack which is located in front of the first mail piece on the stack. The feeding feeder effects translation of the pieces of mail at a speed V.sub.1 perpendicular to the stack 1. A transfer feeder transfers the piece of mail fed off the stack at a speed V.sub.2. An anti double feed device is disposed between the two feeders. The anti double feed device is a retention device acting on a face of the piece of mail as soon as such piece of mail is taken hold of by the transfer feeder and having a retentive force which is lower than the translation force of the transfer feeder. The speed V.sub.1 of the translation first feeder is lower than the speed V.sub.2 of the transfer feeder.

Abstract: In a method for recording a new coded message in place of an old coded message recorded on a magnetic stripe carried by a support document by manual displacement of said document, the message being divided into a first part and a second part separated by a gap, the clock signal used to write the first part of the new message is a clock signal obtained by reading the second part of the old message. The clock signal used to write the second part of the new message is a clock signal obtained by reading the first part of the new message, newly written. The system for implementing this method comprises a write head between two synchronization heads and an electronic circuit which produces from the signals from the two synchronization heads a clock signal slaved to the speed of displacement of the support document. This clock signal is sent to a write signal generator connected to the write head. The write signal generator also receives the data to be recorded.

Abstract: The device essentially comprises a conveyor, on which bins for storing articles stacked flat are loaded, and a coupling deck between the conveyor and the magazine, the coupling deck being hinged about its end adjoining the magazine and having firstly a tipping trough for tipping over the bin coming off the conveyor about the leading bottom edge of the bin, and secondly lateral retaining fins for retaining the bin tipped over onto the deck while the deck is being tilted. The invention is applicable to installations for unstacking postal articles.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a device for inclining and stacking flat in a box flat objects, especially letters exiting particularly from a sorting machine, in which the letters are fed vertically orientated and are released above the device. It comprises a chute with a concave main slide and deviating surface and an associated convex secondary surface, the latter being continued by a flap hinged about a transverse horizontal axis and with its lower edge in contact with the letters stacked in the box.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a feed device for feeding a sorting machine for sorting flat objects and comprising at least one input feeder for the objects and pockets to which the objects are fed vertically for transport, the feed device allowing the objects to be fed one by one from the input feeder towards a vertical pocket. A conveyor module comprises at least two stop gates spaced by a distance greater than the maximum length of the objects. An accelerator module is located between the conveyor module and a vertical transfer device and comprises a downstream stop gate. The vertical ejection device is formed by an injecting module. These modules are provided with continuously operating positive entrainment devices and the stop gates control the movements of the objects in response to detectors located in the path of the objects.