Patent ID: 8217294

Claim:
A device for sorting flat mail items, the device comprising: a sorting device; at least first and second segments, each of said first and second segments having at least N storage modules, each storage module configured to have an insertion mode where flat mail items are inserted into the storage module, and a withdrawal mode where flat mail items are withdrawn from the storage module; a circulating conveyor for conveying mail items from said first segment to said second segment and from said second segment to said first segment; and a process device configured to control: a first sorting pass in said first segment and a subsequent second sorting pass in said second segment; a depositing of overflow mail items assigned to one of said storage modules that has been closed because it is full into another one of said storage modules in the first sorting pass, where the said another one of said storage modules is operated in the insertion mode; a subsequent emptying of said another one of said storage modules with the overflow mail items, where said another one of said storage modules is operated in the withdrawal mode; and a subsequent inclusion of the overflow mail items in the sorting process of the second sorting pass.