Patent ID: 7503204

Claim:
A method for collecting residues from mail pieces within a mail facility comprising: providing a plurality of mail pieces to a mail facility in a batch; separating said mail pieces in said batch into two groups, the first of said groups comprising thicks and the second of said groups comprising letters and flats; mechanically arranging said mail pieces in said second group in a manner so as to place said mail pieces in said second group in a generally singular layer; using gravity to provide at least a portion of said mail pieces in said second group to a chamber, said chamber including an outer shell defining an internal volume, said outer shell having an entrance port for allowing said portion to enter said internal volume and an exit port for allowing said portion to exit said internal volume, but otherwise substantially sealing said volume, said chamber further including an intake within said outer shell; within said chamber, compressing said portion so as to aerosolize a residue present in at least one of said mail pieces in said portion; within said chamber, flowing air into said intake, said flow into said intake being sufficient to maintain said internal volume at a negative pressure; and transporting said air and said aerosolized residue to a detector capable of detecting the presence of said residue.