Patent ID: 7060928
Filing Date: 2006-06-13
Classification: B07C,Y10S

Abstract:
1. A method of sorting mail items into a number of sorting compartments according to a distribution order, said sorting being performed in a number of passes which are dependent upon a number and size of said sorting compartments and a number of distribution stopping points defined by said distribution order, said method comprising the steps of: reading and recognizing address coding of said mail items; associating said mail items to said distribution order according to said address coding; determining distribution order stopping points of said distribution order; determining a statistical number of mail items for each of said order points; determining a number of virtual destination points based upon said number of said sorting compartments for passes upto but not including a last pass; subdividing said mail items substantially uniformly among a number of virtual destination points, said number of virtual destination points; distributing said mail items, in a next to last sorting pass, according to a virtual point order distribution; distributing said mail hems in a last sorting pass in adjacent sorting compartments; and wherein, if, following a first subdivision of real distribution order points into virtual distribution order points, sorting compartments are still unoccupied, said virtual distribution order points are assigned to said sorting compartments by means of a random algorithm in a further step, while preserving integrity of a sequence.