Patent ID: 7416183

Claim:
A mailpiece handling device, comprising: a substantially horizontal deck for receiving a mailpiece; a substantially vertical registration wall extending upwardly from an edge of said deck; a disk mounted for rotation in a circular opening in said deck adjacent said registration wall, said disk having a substantially horizontal surface; a first sensor mounted in said deck adjacent a first end of said registration wall; a second sensor mounted in said deck adjacent a second end of said registration wall, said second end opposite said first end; an arm mounted parallel to and above said disk, said arm having a fixed location and a free end, said free end being pivotable in a horizontal direction around said fixed location; a steering member mounted at said free end of said arm, said steering member forming a nip with said disk, said nip being repositionable to a plurality of different locations on said disk by pivoting of said arm, said nip for applying downward pressure to a mailpiece such that said mail piece is in contact with said disk, and a control device for controlling location of said nip, a first nip location causing said mailpiece to move along said deck in a first mailpiece direction substantially toward said registration wall when said disk is rotated in a first rotation direction until said mailpiece is detected by said first sensor, said control unit in response to said mailpiece being detected by said first sensor moving said nip to a second nip location to cause said mailpiece to move along said deck in a second mailpiece direction substantially parallel with said registration wall when said disk is rotated in said first rotation direction until said mailpiece is detected by said second sensor, said control unit in response to said mailpiece being detected by said second sensor moving said nip to a third nip location to cause said mailpiece to move along said deck in a third mailpiece direction substantially parallel with said registration wall when said disk is rotated in a second rotation direction opposite said first rotation direction, said third mail piece direction being substantially opposite said second mail piece direction.