Abstract: A method and an apparatus handle a plurality of articles in an order, particularly flat mail items. This involves the use of an apparatus having a sorting installation, a temporary store and a handling position. Each temporary store has a feeder station and an outward transfer station. Each article passes through the sorting installation. The sorting installation measures what value a prescribed sorting feature assumes for the article. The article is fed into the temporary store. The article is either transported past the outward transfer station and remains on a conveyor track or it is transferred out of the temporary store and is transported to a handling position. The sorting installation sorts the articles and produces an order among the articles. The articles are transported to the feeder station which feeds the articles into the temporary store such that at any time all the articles are arranged in the order.

Abstract: An apparatus and a method for sorting articles, in particular flat mail items. The sorting plant has a feed transport path, a lead-away transport path, a plurality of connecting transport paths, a plurality of storage regions, and a sorting plan. Each connecting transport path branches off from the feed transport path and issues into the lead-away transport path. The feed transport path or the lead-away transport path is configured as a storage transport path which contains the storage regions, in the form of a sequence of successive storage regions. The sorting plan assigns a storage region, to each possible feature value of a sorting feature. The sorting plant selects a storage region for each article, using the sorting plan and as a function of the measured feature value.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus handle a plurality of articles in an order, particularly flat mail items. This involves the use of an apparatus having a sorting installation, a temporary store and a handling position. Each temporary store has a feeder station and an outward transfer station. Each article passes through the sorting installation. The sorting installation measures what value a prescribed sorting feature assumes for the article. The article is fed into the temporary store. The article is either transported past the outward transfer station and remains on a conveyor track or it is transferred out of the temporary store and is transported to a handling position. The sorting installation sorts the articles and produces an order among the articles. The articles are transported to the feeder station which feeds the articles into the temporary store such that at any time all the articles are arranged in the order.

Abstract: Disclosed is an installation for sorting incoming mailings which are assigned to a first plurality of first preselected directions or a second plurality of second remaining sorting directions, according to which the mailings are distributed to receptacles of a track, each mailing being deposited into one of several first receptacles for the first plurality of first preselected sorting directions or into at least one of the other receptacles for the second plurality of second remaining sorting directions. At least one external receptacle from an additional track is replaced with a receptacle from one of the preselected first sorting directions of the track via an interface at least during one passage of the track, the additional track is used as a storage device for the receptacles, and replaced receptacles can be redirected to the respective track thereof via the interface.

Abstract: An apparatus and a method for sorting articles, in particular flat mail items. The sorting plant has a feed transport path, a lead-away transport path, a plurality of connecting transport paths, a plurality of storage regions, and a sorting plan. Each connecting transport path branches off from the feed transport path and issues into the lead-away transport path. The feed transport path or the lead-away transport path is configured as a storage transport path which contains the storage regions, in the form of a sequence of successive storage regions. The sorting plan assigns a storage region, to each possible feature value of a sorting feature. The sorting plant selects a storage region for each article, using the sorting plan and as a function of the measured feature value.

Abstract: A sorting installation uses predetermined separating elements which may be differentiated from the articles. The sorting installation ejects the articles as well as the separating elements into the dispensing containers such that after ejection the articles and separating elements are arranged in each dispensing container in one respective sequence. In this connection, the sorting installation ejects each article depending on the respectively measured feature value into one of the dispensing containers. The sorting installation establishes which possible feature values the measuring device has actually measured at least once. For each such actually measured feature value, the sorting installation inscribes a separating element with an identification mark for this value.

Abstract: A sorting plant and method for sorting articles, especially flat mail consignments, include a conveying device, a transfer mechanism and at least one reception device. A conveying transport mechanism of the conveying device transports an article along a conveyor track. The reception device has a plurality of reception components for at least one respective article and a reception transport mechanism. The reception transport mechanism moves the reception components along a reception component track and simultaneously brings one respective reception component of the reception device into a transfer position. The reception component track has a reception segment proceeding vertically or obliquely from the top downward. The transfer mechanism brings an article from the conveying device into one of the reception devices when the article is located at a transfer point on the conveyor track and when this reception component is located in a transfer position with respect to the transfer point.

Abstract: Disclosed is an installation for sorting incoming mailings which are assigned to a first plurality of first preselected directions or a second plurality of second remaining sorting directions, according to which the mailings are distributed to receptacles of a track, each mailing being deposited into one of several first receptacles for the first plurality of first preselected sorting directions or into at least one of the other receptacles for the second plurality of second remaining sorting directions. At least one external receptacle from an additional track is replaced with a receptacle from one of the preselected first sorting directions of the track via an interface at least during one passage of the track, the additional track is used as a storage device for the receptacles, and replaced receptacles can be redirected to the respective track thereof via the interface.

Abstract: A sorting installation uses predetermined separating elements which may be differentiated from the articles. The sorting installation ejects the articles as well as the separating elements into the dispensing containers such that after ejection the articles and separating elements are arranged in each dispensing container in one respective sequence. In this connection, the sorting installation ejects each article depending on the respectively measured feature value into one of the dispensing containers. The sorting installation establishes which possible feature values the measuring device has actually measured at least once. For each such actually measured feature value, the sorting installation inscribes a separating element with an identification mark for this value.

Abstract: A method of sorting and bundling mail for delivery to a plurality of delivery points includes sorting the mail pieces in one or more passes through an automated sorting machine using destination codes associated with the mail pieces that are scanned and stored by a computer so that the mail pieces are ordered such that a final sort to a plurality of locations using at least part of the destination codes will place the mail pieces in delivery order and transferring and feeding the mail pieces to a plurality of bundling machines as a singulated stream and sorting the mail pieces to the bundling machines so that mail pieces having the same destination code are sorted to the same machine where the mail pieces are bundled by destination code for delivery.

Abstract: The invention relates to a process for sorting distribution sequences on a despatch sorting machine, in which each despatch is arranged in a distribution sequence according to its read and recognized address code, where sorting takes place in several cycles in accordance with the number and size of the available sorting compartments and the sequence requirements. According to the invention, in order to avoid being faced with full compartments, after the recognition of all the despatches' address codes, with one or more full compartments, one or more compartment combinations for one distribution stop are found by iterative search steps taking account of all the compartments available for sorting and all possible distribution stops, while retaining the predetermined despatch sequence, where said combinations are formed by characteristic numbers of the compartments during the passages and which are capable of accepting despatches for distribution at the distribution stop concerned.

Abstract: A process of the type disclosed according to DE 196 50 875 for sorting mailings having different properties by using sorting machines not suitable for all properties of the mailings. The unsuitable mailings receive an identification (ID) marking and their sensed distribution information is stored under this ID marking. As representing each non-processible mailing, a processible substitute is added to the stack of substitutes being assigned one of the non-processible mailings, in each case by means of an ID marking. Then, the processible mailings and the substitutes are sorted according to the associated distribution information. After sorting, the non-processible mailings are brought into a sequence appropriate for sorting on the basis of the ID markings located on them and the associated substitutes.

Abstract: A method for distributing letter-post items, for which the letter-post items are separated and the address information affixed to the items is read, provides that for letter-post items belonging to a predetermined sorting class an identification mechanism is assigned to each letter-post item during the reading of the address information in order to mark the position of the assigned letter-post item in a letter-post item stack and that each identification mechanism is assigned to an element for a predetermined sequence of distribution positions and that the assignment of the identification mechanism to the elements of the sequence for the distribution position is displayed.

Abstract: In the method of the invention for sequencing parcels in mail-sorting facilities having rows of stacking compartments, a sorting plan is used for sorting the parcels in which an overfilling of the individual stacking compartments is avoided so that, during one sorting procedure, the stacking compartments are not emptied, and that, after a sorting procedure has ended, an in-sequence transfer of the parcels is effected from the stacking compartments into a conveying device disposed opposite the stacking compartments or into containers.