Abstract:
A threat detection system includes a facility including at least three separate rooms located in the facility and a positive pressure zone located external to the facility. A ventilation system is coupled to the at least three separate rooms. A first room is located in the facility, wherein the first room includes a first room pressure zone that is negative with respect to the positive pressure zone external to the facility. A second room is located in the facility and connected to the first room, wherein the second room includes a second room pressure zone that is negative with respect to the first room pressure zone. A third room is located in the facility and connected to the second room, wherein the third room includes a third room pressure zone that is negative with respect to the positive pressure zone external to the facility and positive with respect to the second room pressure zone, whereby the first room pressure zone, the second room pressure zone, and the third room pressure zone result in air within the facility or entering the facility to flow into the second room.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     The present application is a Continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 11/565,705, filed on Dec. 1, 2006, which is a Continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/981,819, filed on Nov. 5, 2004, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,170,023, which claims priority to U.S. Application Ser. No. 60/517,810 filed on Nov. 6, 2003, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     The disclosures herein relate generally to a mail processing system and more particularly to processing mail with a threat detection and response system. 
     Mail service providers, such as the United States Postal Service, may handle hundreds of billions of letters and parcels each year. Mail is received from domestic and international sources every day. The receipt and processing of mail involves considerable handling and movement of that mail in order to sort and deliver it to its intended recipient. 
     A number of machines may be used to manipulate the mail in order to move it through the processing system. Mail joggers may be used to vibrate the mail prior to opening it to get the contents to one side. Mail cutting machines may be used to slice envelopes open. Machines, such as a mail sorting machine, may be used to cut and sort the mail. Machines, such as an OPEX 150 machine, may be used to open mail containing checks and receipts, and extract the check and receipt from the envelope. Machines, such as an OPEX 50 and 51 machine, may be used to provide an assist function for hand extraction and inspection of mail. Mailroom workers may be used to open and inspect mail by hand. Packages may move along a conveying system to be inspected by machine or mailroom workers. 
     In recent years, a new issue has arisen involving the handling of mail. Mail containing agents, such as anthrax or ricin, have been sent through the postal system. However, because of the systems set up to process and deliver the mail, the letter&#39;s recipient is not the only person subject to exposure. Due to the handling and movement this mail experiences during processing, the agents in that mail may escape sometime during the process, and other pieces of mail may be contaminated. Furthermore, detection of these agents usually results from the opening of the mail containing them, subjecting workers in mail processing facilities to exposure. Once the agents escape from the contaminated mail, the contamination of neighboring areas arises, possibly through the air or from transport by a contaminated worker. 
     Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide an improved mail processing system absent the disadvantages found in the prior methods discussed above. 
     SUMMARY 
     One embodiment, accordingly, provides a threat detection system including a facility comprising at least three separate rooms located in the facility and a positive pressure zone located external to the facility, a ventilation system coupled to the at least three separate rooms, a first room located in the facility, wherein the first room comprises a first room pressure zone that is negative with respect to the positive pressure zone external to the facility, a second room located in the facility and connected to the first room, wherein the second room comprises a second room pressure zone that is negative with respect to the first room pressure zone, and a third room located in the facility and connected to the second room, wherein the third room comprises a third room pressure zone that is negative with respect to the positive pressure zone external to the facility and positive with respect to the second room pressure zone, whereby the first room pressure zone, the second room pressure zone, and the third room pressure zone result in air within the facility or entering the facility to flow into the second room. 
     A principal advantage of this embodiment is that incoming mail to a facility may be sorted and inspected while limiting the risks to the workers and the facility where the mail is processed. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic view illustrating an embodiment of a system for mail processing with threat detection and worker protection. 
         FIG. 2  is a schematic view illustrating another embodiment of a system for mail processing with threat detection and worker protection. 
         FIG. 3  is perspective view illustrating an embodiment of a mail jogger machine coupled to a local ventilation system. 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view illustrating an embodiment of a check and receipt opening machine coupled to a local ventilation system. 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view illustrating an embodiment of a mail opening machine coupled to a local ventilation system. 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective view illustrating an embodiment of a worker assist machine coupled to a local ventilation system. 
         FIG. 7  is a perspective view illustrating an embodiment of a hand inspection station coupled to a local ventilation system. 
         FIG. 8  is a perspective view illustrating an embodiment of a package inspection station coupled to a local ventilation system. 
         FIG. 9  is a schematic view illustrating an embodiment of a local ventilation system coupled to a response system and a plurality of devices for processing and sorting the mail. 
         FIG. 10  is a front view illustrating an embodiment of a threat detection station. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     In one embodiment, a system and method for mail processing includes an environmentally isolated mail processing facility  100 ,  FIG. 1 . Facility  100  achieves environmental isolation through a variety of means, discussed below, that result in the air circulating through the facility  100  being contained to the facility  100  and not escaping to neighboring facilities (not shown). Facility  100  includes a plurality of facility access doors  102  and  104  which may provide a connection to other facilities (not shown) adjacent to the facility  100 , or may provide an exit from the facility  100  to the outdoors. A global ventilation system  106  is used to ventilate areas within facility  100 . Global ventilation system  106  helps to achieve environmental isolation of facility  100  by being dedicated to facility  100  and not connected to other facilities. Thus, air existing in facility  100  may circulate through the facility or exit to the outdoors, but is limited from entering neighboring facilities through the global ventilation system  106 . Global ventilation system  106  may include a high efficiency particulate arresting (HEPA) filter to sanitize air recirculated through the facility  100 . A plurality of areas exist within the facility  100 , including in-bound mail area  108 , mail sorting area  110 , and clean mail area  112 , with each area  108 - 112  coupled to the global ventilation system  106 . In-bound mail area  108  includes facilities for receiving mail from outside sources and preparing the mail to be sorted. Mail sorting area  110  includes a plurality of devices for processing and sorting the mail, each of which may be coupled to a local ventilation system  114 . Local ventilation system  114  is provided for circulating air through the devices and detecting mails threats in mail processed and sorted by the devices and is discussed in more detail below. Clean mail area  112  includes facilities for storing and moving mail that has been processed and sorted in the mail sorting area  110  in preparation for delivering the mail to its recipient. 
     A system and method for mail processing may process mail in batches. For example, all mail entering in-bound mail area  108  together will be grouped into batches and processed together through the other areas  110  and  112  of facility  100 . A given batch must exit together, so no mail will leave the mail sorting area  110  until all the mail in the batch it entered with is processed and ready to leave. Batch processing provides that if a mail threat is detected, it will be limited to the area the batch is being processed in, and not spread throughout the facility or other facilities due to a cross contaminated piece of mail leaving the area ahead of the batch it entered with. 
     Environmentally isolated mail processing facility  100  is surrounded by an area A which is at a positive pressure. A plurality of areas B, C, and D exist within the facility  100  which are all kept at a negative pressure with respect to area A. Area B may exist within the inbound mail area  108 . Area C may exist within the clean mail area  112 . Area D may exist within the mail sorting area  110 . In one embodiment, areas B, C, and D may all be of the same pressure. The pressure differential between area A and areas B, C, and D help to environmentally isolate facility  100  by providing that air circulating within facility  100  will not escape facility  100 . When an area in the facility  100  is opened to area A, air will flow from the region of positive pressure to regions of negative pressure, providing that air circulating within the facility  100  will stay within the facility  100 , and mail threats discovered within the facility  100  which may have become airborne will be limited from escaping from the facility. In another embodiment, area D may be of a negative pressure with respect to areas B and C, both of which are of a negative pressure with respect to area A, resulting in airflow through the facility being directed toward area D. Area D may then be situated in an area where the highest number of mail threats are expected to be discovered, such as the mail sorting area  110 , to provide that air from the mail sorting area  110  is limited from escaping to other areas of the facility  100 . 
     Areas  108 - 112  within facility  100  may exist in the same room, or may be coupled to each other through access areas such as access areas  116  and  118 . Access area  116  may include interlocking doors  120  and  122  which operate together such that only one may be opened at a time. For example, in order to move from in-bound mail area  108  to mail sorting area  110 , interlocking door  120  must be opened. However, interlocking door  120  cannot be opened unless interlocking door  122  is closed. Once interlocking door  120  is opened, it must be closed in order to open interlocking door  122  and enter mail sorting area  110 . Interlocking doors, such as interlocking doors  120  and  122 , may also exist in access area  11 B, and in facility access areas  124  and  126 . 
     Environmentally isolated mail processing facility  100  will also include a mail threat response system which will be able to seal the access doors  102  and  104  of facility  100  if they provide access to other facilities (not shown). Facility access doors that provide access to the outdoors will not be sealed. Sealing the facility  100  in this manner provides that a discovered mail threat will be limited from spreading to attached facilities, but will still allow mail workers to leave the facility when a mail threat is detected limiting the risk of contaminating others. 
     In one embodiment, a system and method for mail processing includes an environmentally isolated mail processing facility  200 ,  FIG. 2 . Facility  200  achieves environmental isolation through a variety of means, discussed below, that provide for the air circulating through the facility  200  being contained to the facility  200  and limited from escaping to neighboring facilities (not shown). Facility  200  includes a plurality of facility access doors  202  and  204  which may provide a connection to other facilities (not shown) adjacent to the facility  200 , or may provide an exit from the facility  200  to the outdoors. A global ventilation system  206  is used to ventilate areas within facility  200 . Global ventilation system  206  helps to provide for environmental isolation of facility  200  by being limited to facility  200  and not connected to other facilities. Thus, air existing in facility  200  may circulate through the facility or exit to the outdoors, but is limited from entering neighboring facilities through the global ventilation system  206 . Global ventilation system  206  may include a HEPA filter to sanitize air recirculated through the facility  200 . A plurality of areas exist within the facility  200 , including in-bound mail area  208 , sanitation and detection area  210 , mail sorting area  212 , clean mail area  214 , worker decontamination area  216 , and laboratory  218 , with each area  208 - 218  coupled to the global ventilation system  206 . In-bound mail area  208  includes facilities for receiving mail from outside sources and preparing the mail to be sorted. In bound mail area  208  may also include a detector for detecting ionizing radiation in inbound mail. Sanitation and detection area  210  includes systems for sanitizing mail that may contain a threat, such as electron beam systems provided to neutralize biological agents, and systems for detecting threats within the maU, such as imaging systems provided to detect radioactive material, explosives, and other devices. Mail sorting area  212  includes a plurality of devices for processing and sorting the mail, each of which may be coupled to a local ventilation system  214 . Local ventilation system  214  is dedicated to ventilating air circulated through the devices and detecting mail threats in mail processed and sorted by the devices and is discussed in more detail below. Clean mail area  214  includes facilities for storing and moving mail that has been processed and sorted in the mail sorting area  212  in preparation for delivering the mail to its recipient. Worker decontamination area  216  includes decontamination equipment such as showers and eyewashes for workers who may have been exposed to a mail threat. Worker decontamination area may be situated next to a facility access door that exits to the outdoors so that workers who have been decontaminated may exit facility  200  without having to encounter an area that has been potentially contaminated. Laboratory  218  includes equipment for analyzing a detected mail threat to determine various information such as what type of threat has been detected. 
     Areas  208 - 218  within facility  200  may exist in the same room, or may be coupled to each other through access areas such as access areas  220 ,  222 ,  224 , and  226 . Access area  222  may include interlocking doors  228  and  230  which operate together such that only one may be opened at a time. For example, in order to move from in-bound mail area sanitation and detection area  210  to mail sorting area  212 , interlocking door  228  must be opened. However, interlocking door  228  cannot be opened unless interlocking door  230  is closed. Once interlocking door  228  is opened, it must be closed in order to open interlocking door  230  and enter mail sorting area  212 . Interlocking doors, such as interlocking doors  228  and  230 , may exist in access area  220 ,  224 , and  226 , laboratory access area  232 , and facility access areas  234  and  236 . 
     Environmentally isolated mail processing facility  200  will also include a mail threat response system which will be able to seal the access doors  202  and  204  of facility  200  if they provide access to other facilities (not shown). Facility access doors that provide access to the outdoors will not be sealed. Sealing the facility  200  in this manner provides that a discovered mail threat is limited from spreading to attached facilities, but will still allow mail workers to leave the facility when a mail threat is detected and limiting risk of contaminating others. Facility  200  may also include an elevator  238 . Elevator  238  may be a single elevator or a plurality of elevators, and the mail threat response system will be able to deactivate the elevator  238  in the event a mail threat is detected in order to prevent access to facility  200 . 
     Environmentally isolated mail processing facility  200  also includes the pressure differentials inside and outside the facility  200  similar to those described for facility  100  of  FIG. 1  such that when a facility access door  202  or  204  is opened, air will flow from outside the facility  200  to within the facility, provided to keep the facility  200  environmentally isolated from neighboring facilities (not shown). Areas  208 ,  210 ,  212 ,  214 , and  216  may also vary in pressure such that air flows within the facility to the area most likely to discover a mail threat, such as mail sorting area  212 , provided to keep mail threats which are discovered limited to that area. Batch processing of mail, described above, may also be used within facility  200 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 3-9 , the mail processing area and local ventilation system such as those described in  FIGS. 1 and 2  will now be described in more detail. The plurality of devices for processing and sorting the mail in the mail processing area includes a mail jogger machine  300 ,  FIG. 3 . Mail jogger  300  is used to vibrate the mail prior to machine manipulation and opening to get the contents of the mail to one side. This process has the potential to release any particulate matter included with the mail. A jogger hood  302  is employed to contain particulate matter that might be released during operation of the jogger  300 . Jogger hood  300  may be made of a clear material to the viewing of mail in the jogger machine while being physically separated from the mail. Local ventilation connectors  304  couple the jogger  300  to the local ventilation system (not shown). Jogger hood  302  includes an opening  306  to allow access to the mail in the jogger  300 . Local ventilation system draws air through the opening  306  at a rate sufficient to substantially provide that particulate matter released from the mail will flow into the local ventilation connectors  304  and through local ventilation system and not out through opening  306 . 
     The plurality of devices for processing and sorting the mail in the mail processing area also includes an check and receipt opening machine  400 ,  FIG. 4 , such as an OPEX 150 machine. Machine  400  opens mail containing checks and receipts, and during the process, the check and/or receipt are extracted from the mail. This process has the potential to release any particulate matter included with the mail. The machine  400  is enclosed within a machine cover  402  to contain any particulate matter that might be released during operation of machine  400 . Machine cover  400  may be made of a clear material to allow the viewing of mail in machine  400  while being physically separated from the mail. Local ventilation connectors  404   a ,  404   b , and  404   c  couple the machine  400  to the local ventilation system (not shown). Machine cover  402  includes a plurality of doors  406 ,  408 ,  410 , and  412  for allowing access to mail in machine  400 . Local ventilation system draws air through machine  400  at a rate sufficient to substantially provide that particulate matter released from the mail will flow into the local ventilation connectors  404  and through local ventilation system. 
     The plurality of devices for processing and sorting the mail in the mail processing area also includes an mail opening machine  500 ,  FIG. 5 . Machine  500  slices open envelopes, and this process has the potential to release any particulate matter included with the mail. Machine  500  includes a hood  502  provided to capture particulate matter that might be released during operation of machine  500 . Hood  502  may be made of a clear material to allow the viewing of mail in machine  500  while being physically separated from the mail. Local ventilation connector  504  couples machine  500  to local ventilation system (not shown). Local ventilation system draws air through machine  500  at a rate sufficient to substantially provide that particulate matter released from the mail will flow into the local ventilation connectors  304  and through local ventilation system. 
     The plurality of devices for processing and sorting the mail in the mail processing area also includes an worker assist machine  600 ,  FIG. 6 , such as an OPEX 50 or OPEX 51. Machine  600  provides a machine assist function for hand extraction and inspection of mail by mail workers. Machine  600  includes a hood  602  to capture particulate matter that might be released during operation of the machine  600  or hand extraction and inspection by the mail worker. Hood  602  may be made of a clear material to allow the viewing of mail in and from machine  600  while being physically separated from the mail. Local ventilation connectors  604  couple machine  600  to the local ventilation system (not shown). An opening  606  is provided to allow the mail worker to inspect mail that has been opened by the machine. Local ventilation system draws air through opening  608  at a rate sufficient to substantially provide particulate matter released from the mail to flow into the local ventilation connectors  604  and through local ventilation system. 
     The plurality of devices for processing and sorting the mail in the mail processing area also includes a plurality of hand inspection stations such as stations  700 ,  702 , and  704 ,  FIG. 7 . Hand inspection stations  700 - 704  are areas where mail workers open and inspect entering mail by hand. Each station includes a hood  706  to capture particulate matter that might be released during opening and inspection of the mail. Hood  706  may be made of a clear material to allow the viewing of mail through hood  706  at hand inspection station  700 - 704 . Local ventilation connector  708  couples hand inspection station to the local ventilation system (not shown). An opening  710  allows the mail worker to open and inspect the mail while keeping the mail within the hood  706 . Local ventilation system draws air through opening  710  at a rate sufficient to substantially provide particulate matter released from the mail to flow into the local ventilation connector  708  and through local ventilation system. 
     The plurality of devices for processing and sorting the mail in the mail processing area also includes a package inspection station  800 ,  FIG. 8 . Package inspection station  800  is for inspecting oversized mail and includes a conveying surface  802  for moving packages through the inspection station. A hood  804  is provided adjacent to the conveyor surface  802  and includes a plurality of vents  806 ,  808 , and  810  for drawing air from packages on the conveyor surface into a local ventilation connector  812  Local ventilation system draws air through vents  806 - 810  at a rate sufficient to substantially provide particulate matter released from the mail to flow into the local ventilation connector  708  and through local ventilation system. 
     Local ventilation system  900 ,  FIG. 9 , may be used as the local ventilation system  114  of  FIG. 1  and the local ventilation system  214  of  FIG. 2 . Local ventilation system  900  is coupled to mail jogger machine  300 , check and receipt opening machine  400 , mail opening machine  500 , worker assist machine  600 , hand inspection stations  700 , and package inspection station  800  by local ventilator connectors  304 ,  404 ,  504 ,  604 ,  708 , and  812  respectively. Local ventilation system  900  draws air at a rate through local ventilator connectors  304 ,  404 ,  504 ,  604 ,  708 , and  812  sufficient to substantially provide particulate matter released from mail being processed through mail processing equipment to enter the local ventilation system  900 , and to provide that ducts leading to a detection system  902  remain clear. Ventilator connectors  304 ,  404 ,  504 ,  604 ,  708 , and  812  are all coupled to detection system  902  that may be within the local ventilation system  900  or coupled to the local ventilation system  900 . Detection system  802  monitors the air circulating through the local ventilation system  900  to detect mail threats existing in the mail being processed through machines  300 ,  400 ,  500  and  600  and stations  700  and  800 . Detection system  902  may be a single system coupled to the sorting and processing equipment  300 ,  400 ,  500 ,  600 ,  700 , and  800 , or a plurality of detection systems, each coupled to a given piece of the equipment. Using a plurality of systems each connected to a piece of equipment enables fast location of a detected mail threat. Detection system  902  may include a laser particle counter, such as a MetOne Model 2400 Airborne Particle Counter, which detects an increase in particles in the air, or a device that can recognize biological or chemical agents which are circulating through the system. In the event the detection system  902  detects a mail threat in the local ventilation system  900 , a response system  904  may be triggered. 
     Response system  904  may operate to seal off exits and entrances to other inhabited facilities, and deactivate elevators that might allow access to the contaminated area. Response system  904  may further sound alarms and provide instructions to mail workers on how to proceed in the event of detecting a mail threat. Response system  904  may initiate a worker decontamination procedure for workers in the event a mail threat is detected. The worker decontamination procedure may include locking down the facility, a contaminated mail hand-off procedure that documents who handled contaminated mail and where that mail has been in the facility, worker decontamination, contaminated mail analysis, and emergency response entry to decontaminate the facility. Response system  904  may also be triggered through a threat detection station  906  such as a pull station  1000 ,  FIG. 10 . Pull station  1000  may be one of a plurality of threat detection stations placed throughout environmentally isolated mail processing facility  100  or  200 ,  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2 , and may be activated by a mail worker in the event a mail threat is detected other than from the detection system through the local ventilation system. 
     Although illustrative embodiments have been shown and described, a wide range of modification, change and substitution is contemplated in the foregoing disclosure and in some instances, some features of the embodiments may be employed without a corresponding use of other features. Accordingly, it is appropriate that the appended claims be construed broadly and in a manner consistent with the scope of the embodiments disclosed herein.