Sorting method made flexible by preparing a distribution of articles to be sorted in anticipation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11192143-B2
Application number	US-202016804438-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 28, 2020
Priority date	Feb 28, 2019
Publication date	Dec 7, 2021
Grant date	Dec 7, 2021

Abstract

A method of sorting articles by means of a sorting system comprising N sorting machines (M1, MN) operating in parallel, in which method the articles are divided into N groups (G1, GN) of articles to be processed in parallel on the N sorting machines, at least one of the N groups of articles is subdivided into sub-groups of articles (G1.1, G1.N-1), and, if it is detected that one of the N machines is being rested, then the method comprises the steps of: feeding the N−1 other sorting machines with the sub-groups of articles from said subdivided group of articles and sorting these sub-groups of articles in parallel on the N−1 other sorting machines; and feeding the N−1 other sorting machines with the N−1 other groups of articles and sorting these N−1 groups of articles in parallel on said N−1 other sorting machines.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of sorting articles by a sorting system comprising N sorting machines operating in parallel and having sorting outlets, wherein the articles are divided into N groups of articles to be processed in parallel on the N sorting machines, at least one of the N groups of articles is subdivided into sub-groups of articles, and, if it is detected that one of the N machines is being rested, then the method comprises the steps of:
feeding the N−1 other sorting machines with the sub-groups of articles from said subdivided group of articles and sorting these sub-groups of articles in parallel on the N−1 other sorting machines; and
feeding the N−1 other sorting machines with the N−1 other groups of articles and sorting these N−1 groups of articles in parallel on the N−1 other sorting machines.

2. The method of sorting articles according to claim 1 , wherein at least two of the N groups of articles are subdivided into sub-groups of articles, and if it is detected that two of the N machines are being rested, then the method comprises the steps of:
feeding the N−2 other sorting machines with the sub-groups of articles from one of said subdivided groups of articles and sorting these sub-groups of articles in parallel on the N−2 other sorting machines;
feeding the N−2 other sorting machines with the sub-groups of articles from the other of said subdivided groups of articles and sorting these sub-groups of articles in parallel on the N−2 other sorting machines; and
feeding the N−2 other sorting machines with the N−2 other groups of articles and sorting these N−2 groups of articles in parallel on the N−2 other sorting machines.

3. The method of sorting articles according to claim 2 , wherein the articles are postal articles.

4. The method of sorting articles according to claim 1 , wherein the articles are postal articles.

Assignees

• Solystic

Inventors

• Tresse Didier
• Madar François
• Latombe Bertrand

Classifications

• B07C3/02 Primary

  Apparatus characterised by the means used for distribution · CPC title

• B07C1/02 Primary

  Forming articles into a stream; Arranging articles in a stream, e.g. spacing, orientating {(transport of sheets B65H)} · CPC title

• B07C3/00

  Sorting according to destination {(collating the pages of a book B42C1/00)} · CPC title