Abstract: A payment system for transport vehicles includes a transmitter within each vehicle enclosure for transmitting information within the vehicle enclosure indicating a fare to be charged between successive vehicle stops as well as the location of the next vehicle stop. A ticket for each user includes a data processing unit, including a memory, and transceiver circuitry. Transceiver circuitry on the vehicle at a passenger boarding point interrogates the ticket to ensure a credit balance while also causing the ticket to store the location of the point of entry. Between successive stops, the transmitter equipment within the vehicle enclosure transmits signals indicating the fare to be charged for travel between successive stops, as well as the location of the next vehicle stop. The data processing unit on the ticket stores the location of the next vehicle stop while also decrementing the credit balance maintained in memory.

Abstract: The installation comprises a delivery conveyor (4) for delivering unit items in buckets (5). A station (3) injects unit items onto the delivery conveyor. A sorting conveyor (6) carries packs (8) corresponding to respective batches to be made up. The sorting conveyor is disposed relative to said delivery conveyor so as to establish at least one item transfer zone therebetween. A central control unit (10) ensure that desired coincidences occur between item-containing buckets (5) and packs (8) for receiving the items, with the control units controlling the transfer of items from the buckets to the packs. The invention is particularly applicable to making up batches of items in response to orders therefor.

Abstract: A method of extracting and accelerating flat objects such as postal items which are presented in the outlet position of an unstacking head for use by a machine downstream therefrom, the method making use of a clamp for grasping postal items one-by-one and of various sensors (7) such as photoelectric cells, serving to indicate the presence of a postal item in the outlet position of the unstacking head, or in the field of action of the clamp, or serving to indicate that the clamp is in a waiting position or in an end-of-stroke position, the method being characterized in that it essentially comprises the following stages:moving the clamp to a waiting position;when the presence of a postal item is expected in the outlet position from the unstacking head, driving the carriage towards the outlet position of the unstacking head;when the presence of the postal item is detected within the field of action of the clamp, the clamp is closed and the carriage is driven towards the downstream machine;as soon as the presence

Abstract: The installation comprises a delivery conveyor (4) for delivering unit items in buckets (5). A station (3) injects unit items onto the delivery conveyor. A sorting conveyor (6) carries packs (8) corresponding to respective batches to be made up. The sorting conveyor is disposed relative to the delivery conveyor so as to establish at least one item transfer zone therebetween. A central control unit (10) ensure that desired coincidences occur between item-containing buckets (5) and packs (8) for receiving the items, with the control units controlling the transfer of items form the buckets to the packs. The invention is particularly applicable to making up batches of items in response to orders therefor.

Abstract: An installation for making up batches of articles, the installation being characterized in that it comprises at least one work station for one operator, said station including a storage member (4) for storing said articles species-by-species, said articles each being provided with automatically readable identification means, said station also including a reader (19) for automatically reading the said identification means and a hatch (17) communicating with a chute (18) whose opening is controllable, said installation further including an endless chain of buckets (21) disposed in such a manner that the buckets pass beneath the chutes, and a moving belt (25) disposed beneath the buckets and receiving the boxes (26) for receiving the batches of articles via an inlet station, each bucket being provided with a controllable pivoting device in order to cause the article contained therein to fall into a box, the installation including a station (20) from which loaded boxes are removed and being controlled by a comput

Abstract: A guide unit (9) for the flat objects, the unit includes a plurality of guide paths (12,15,16) and movable along one side of a magazine for holding flexible flat objects transversely to the one side in locations spaced along the one side of the magazine, it being thus possible to place a first such guide path (12) opposite a first such location (6), the other guide paths of the guide unit, which diverge away from the first guide path being placed simultaneously opposite the locations (5,7) adjacent the first location.An ejection device (10) moves any flat objects (8) contained in the neighbouring locations (5,7) outward from the one side of the magazine into the divergent paths (15,16) of the guide unit to provide a clear opening before an object is inserted in the first location.

Abstract: A pump sealing device includes a packing box whose packing (3) is disposed around a drive shaft (2) of the pump where the shaft passes through the pump body (1). The packing is acted on by a gland (4). At least two levers (5), each of which pivots on a respective pin (6), are arranged so that one end of each lever is able to exert a predetermined pressure on said rammer as soon as the pump stops and conversely to reduce the pressure to zero or substantially zero before the pump is started. The other ends of the levers are linked to means (8) to cause the levers to rotate about the pins.The device can be used in any type of pump, and in particular in pumps for corrosive liquids.