SYSTEM AND APPARATUS FOR THE ORIENTATION AND BIDIRECTIONAL FEED OF INDICIA BEARING MAIL

摘要

A mail handling system and apparatus accepts randomly arranged mail, determines the location of postage indicia on individual pieces and feeds the pieces to separate conveyors in response to the determination of indicia location to orient the same and enables combining the conveyed mail pieces so that the indicia thereon appears entirely on one edge. Feed rollers singulate and feed randomly stacked mail past indicia detectors to a positionable chute-like receptacle which is positioned in response to the detection to eject and direct mail pieces to separate conveyors depending upon whether indicia is present adjacent the right or left edge of the piece as it is presented. The conveyors unite to provide a mail output stream with all indicia either adjacent the leading or trailing edge of the moving piece. In the event that it is desired to have the indicia all adjacent either the upper or lower edge of each piece in the stream, it is possible to provide suitable detectors and a 180.degree. reversal station so that pieces having the indicia thereon in the "wrong" position may be inverted to bring all indicia into essential alignment.