Patent ID: 6386537
Filing Date: 2002-05-14
Classification: B65H

Abstract:
A system for accumulating sheets as part of the operation of a mailing system and for conveying the sheets along a normal feed path, the system comprising:a) a sheet feeder for feeding sheets seriatim; b) a bar code reader, responsive to bar code indicia on the sheets, for providing a bar code scanned signal; c) a receiving bin for receiving and stacking the sheets in a bin receptacle, said receiving bin including a free running idler roller mounted on a low-angle ramp that rises toward a continuously running belt, the free running idler roller mounted at an end of the low-angle ramp closest to the continuously running belt to form a nip with the continuously running belt and provide sheets to the receiving bin in a substantially planar feed path; d) a registration and jogging module for stopping the sheets over the receiving bin so that they fall properly into the bin receptacle, and further for edge-aligning the sheets in the bin receptacle, and still further for ejecting sheets out of the receiving bin along the normal feed path; e) a mis-scan controller, responsive to the bar code scanned signal, for providing mis-scan diverter commands for sheets that have been mis-scanned; f) a mis-scan diverter, coupled to the receiving bin, responsive to the mis-scan diverter commands, for diverting those sheets that have been mis-scanned from the normal feed path to a first alternate path; g) a selective controller, responsive to the bar code scanned signal, for providing selective diverter commands for diverting sheets selectively; and h) a selective diverter, coupled to the receiving bin, responsive to the selective diverter commands, for diverting selective document sets from the normal feed path to a second alternate path.