Patent ID: 8178811

Claim:
A method for sorting a quantity of flat objects, which comprises the steps of: providing each of the flat objects with an identifier of a destination point to which an object is to be transported; passing each of the flat objects at least twice through a sorting system having a number of output devices, the sorting system, in each pass of the object, determining a destination identification of the object and discharging the object depending on the destination identification determined into one of the output devices; distributing, via the sorting system, the flat objects in a first sorting pass to a number of the output devices so that the sorting system discharges each of the flat objects into a respective one of the output devices which is assigned to the destination point of the object; after a first pass, taking each of the flat objects out of the respective output device and feeding the flat objects to the sorting system again; feeding the flat objects to the sorting system such that, when they are fed, a mixture of the flat objects from different ones of the output devices is avoided and the flat objects will be fed in accordance with a predetermined feed sequence among the output devices used in the first sorting pass; performing a second sorting pass in the sorting system, with the steps of: collecting all the flat objects which are provided with the identification of the same destination point into at least one stack such that the stack includes a number of the flat objects and the flat objects of the stack at least partly overlap; and transporting the stack formed in this way to one of the output devices and discharging the stack into the output device.