Abstract: The method of detecting plastics material, in particular for a postal sorting installation through which articles pass, is intended to distinguish automatically between articles having an outside surface made of plastics material and articles having an outside surface made of paper. The method consists in moving each article past an electrostatic generator, and then past a member for evaluating electrostatic charge so as to compare the charge on the article with a reference value in order to detect whether the article is a plastics article or a paper article. The method increases the reliability of detection.

Abstract: In this postal sorting process, ordered lists (C11-C23) of the sort codes affixed to the mail items are compiled in the handling sorting offices (CTA1, CTA2), these lists being representative of the order of the rail items in the batches of mail items compiled during the handling sorting phase. These lists of codes are transferred from the handling sorting offices to the distribution sorting offices and during the processing of the batches of mail items in a distribution sorting office, the code read by machine on the mail items are compared with the codes extracted from said lists f codes with a view to recovering errors in reading said codes by machine.

Abstract: In a machine for processing mail articles, the method of distinguishing between mail articles (P1, P2, P3) contained in envelopes made out of paper and mail articles contained in envelopes made out of plastics material, consists in displacing each mail article in front of a pressure member (5) so as to produce an acoustic signal that results from a suction effect of the pressure member on one face of said article while it moves in front of said pressure member, and in comparing said acoustic signal with a reference signal in order to detect whether the envelope of said article is made out of paper or out of plastics material.

Abstract: The machine for merging batches of objects, in particular batches (L1, L2) of mail items (A) previously ordered according to their order of distribution in the mailman's round, so as to constitute a single batch of mail items which is ordered according to the mailman's round comprises: a) destacking units (D1, D2), b) linked to the exit of each destacking unit, one or more dynamic-storage magazines (M11-M22) in each of which the items are moved in series around a storage loop, and interposed between each destacking unit and a dynamic-storage magazine, a device (DL1, DL2) for reading a classifying cue on each destacked object; c) a conveyor (CS) in which the mail items are moved in series and to which the dynamic-storage magazines are linked in parallel, d) a control/command unit (U) for the destacking units and for the dynamic-storage magazines which, on the basis of the classifying cues read by the reading devices, controls the transferring of the mail items from the destacking units to the dynamic

Abstract: The article conveyor module has a drive system comprising a support plate on which there are mounted a synchronization pulley and a drive belt engaging said synchronization pulley. The synchronization pulley is for coupling to the drive belt of another conveyor module for the purpose of synchronizing the two conveyor modules. In this conveyor module drive system, the synchronization pulley is mounted outside the drive belt. The drive belt of the other conveyor module can also engage the synchronization pulley while remaining on the outside thereof. With this configuration, synchronizing two conveyor modules does not require an intermediate synchronization belt to be installed.

Abstract: A device for conveying flat objects in series and edge-on, in which the flat objects (12) are moved in a conveying direction (D), while at the same time being separated each from the next by a spacing which is normally constant, has a synchronization system (2) capable of compensating for any variations in spacing between two consecutive objects. The system includes two parallel rows (3, 4) of driven wheels (3A-4C) made of elastically deformable elastomer and between which each object is gripped and moved in the conveying direction. Each wheel has a rotation spindle (6), the position of which is fixed, and the wheels are rotated by a motorization system which is controlled to accelerate and/or retard the movement of each object between the two rows of wheels on the basis of a detection whether the front edge of the object has been early or late in passing a determined position upstream of the two rows of wheels compared with a time reference indicating the spacing between objects.

Abstract: The transfer device for a linear conveyor comprises a fixed framework (5) placed on one side of the linear conveyor (2) and means for moving objects towards the framework in a transfer direction that is different from the conveying direction of said conveyor. These means comprise an object transporter structure (6) mounted in said framework (5) to move in a substantially vertical direction in order to occupy a transfer position in which the transporter structure is disposed above the linear conveyor (2) or a retracted position in which the transporter structure is disposed below the linear conveyor (2). The transporter structure (6) extends across the linear conveyor (2) and extends in the transfer direction on one side of the conveyor. The transfer device can be used in a postal sorting machine for handling mail bins.

Abstract: A device (1) for removing flat objects from a stack includes a magazine (2), in which flat objects are stacked on edge to be serialized, and a vertical destacking plate (6) disposed directly in front of the magazine (2) and against which the first object (O1) of the stack is pressed. The first object (O1) of the stack is ejected in a direction (E) perpendicular to the direction of advance (D) of the stack of flat objects in the magazine (2). The device (1) also includes means (14,15) for measuring the thickness of each flat object pressed against the destacking plate (6). This thickness measurement serves as a feedback control for the movement of the stack of flat objects in the magazine (2). The device (1) may be used in a postal sorting machine.

Abstract: The device for individually transferring flat objects from an entry conveyor (2) on which the objects travel in series edge-on in a first direction (A), into buckets (6) of an exit conveyor (5), comprises an intermediate conveyor (7) arranged in the continuation of the entry conveyor above the exit conveyor and equipped with receptacles (9) which, over at least part of their path, can move in a second direction (B) perpendicular to said first direction, each flat object leaving the entry conveyor being injected edge-on into a receptacle of the intermediate conveyor which comes up to face the exit of the entry conveyor so as to be transferred edge-on into a bucket of the exit conveyor. It further comprises an injection system (14) comprising elastically deformable wheels (15) at the exit end of the entry conveyor and designed to accelerate and then retard the movement of each flat object in said first direction before injecting it into a receptacle of the intermediate conveyor.

Abstract: The device for sorting flat objects comprises at least one first conveyor consisting of buckets moving along a closed loop first path and a second conveyor, mechanically independent of the first conveyor, also consisting of buckets moving in a closed loop path and vertically superposed over the first path. Movement of both conveyors are synchronized by an electric shaft. Flat objects are transferred between conveyors by gravity.

Abstract: The device for the high-speed conveying of post envelopes (2A, 2B) comprises a fixed sole plate (11) extending along the path which the conveyed envelopes follow and along which the envelopes, standing on edge and arranged in series, glide, a motorized endless reference belt (12) stretched along one side of the sole plate, a motorized endless press belt (14) stretched along the other side of the sole plate, and a series of elastically deformable elastomer wheels (16) for elastically pressing against the reference belt in such a way as to grip the envelopes arranged on the sole plate between the reference belt and the press belt. The wheels (16) each have a hub mounted to rotate on a stationary spindle, and an annular tread strip in contact with the press belt, the hub and the annular tread strip of each wheel being connected by elastically deformable circular-arc-shaped fins.

Abstract: The deice for conveying flat objects edge-on in series at high speed between an entry (A) and an exit (B) of a conveying path comprises a routing system for diverting some of these flat objects towards another exit (B′) between the entry and the exit of the conveying path. This system comprises two mobile flaps (3, 4) kept mutually parallel and arranged between the entry and the exit of the conveying path, and two motorized endless belts (1, 2) moving between these two flaps and between which the flat objects conveyed are gripped, these two flaps being mounted so that they can pivot so as to route the flat objects either towards the exit (B) of the conveying path or towards the other exit (B′). A stationary post (6) is located at the point where the flat objects are routed downstream of the mobile flaps between the entry and the exit of the conveying path.