Abstract: A shingling device for use in a mail document sorting apparatus includes a first conveyor belt for receiving a vertical stack of sorted documents. A guide element is oblique to the conveyor belt for shifting the moving vertical stack into a shifted oblique stack and defines a gap between the belt and the guide element to enable passage of documents from the lower portion of the stack. A rotatable roller is disposed adjacent and downstream from the guide element and has a lower surface partially obstructing the gap. The roller rotates opposite to movement of the first conveyor belt for shingling documents passing through the gap. A second conveyor belt cooperates with the first conveyor belt to confine shingled documents advancing on the first belt, and cooperates with the roller so that the second belt has a longitudinal velocity substantially equal to the tangential velocity of the roller.

Abstract: A mail document sorting device includes a document input feeder, and at least one singulation device for orienting and singulating the documents so that indicia on their faces can be disposed at a predetermined level about a data reference plane. Single documents pass to an indicia reader, which generates indicia indicating signals. An electronic/computer mechanism processes the indicating signals, and provides for sorting the read documents into bins. A plurality of the bins is located in side-by-side horizontal array, with an elongated belt disposed along the array of bins for moving documents received therefrom. The elongated belt has an inboard edge adjacent the array of bins and an outboard edge remote from the array of bins.