Patent ID: 7006665

Claim:
A mail article transportation and stabilization system, for use in conjunction with a camera-based scanning system whereby clear, accurate, and complete scanning, imaging, and reading of address information, contained upon a plurality of mail articles, can be achieved, comprising: a housing comprising a front surface; a camera fixedly disposed within said housing and comprising a camera view port defined within said front surface of said housing and across which a plurality of mail articles are to be serially conveyed; a conveyor belt having a conveying surface for serially conveying the plurality of mail articles across said camera view port of said camera in a longitudinal direction such that information contained upon the plurality of mail articles can be scanned, imaged, and read by said camera; and air plenum means defined within said housing for generating air streams outwardly from said housing and toward said conveying surface of said conveyor belt, upon which the plurality of mail articles are being conveyed, so as to force the plurality of mail articles onto said conveying surface of said conveyor belt, and to define an air bearing layer upon which said conveyor belt, and the plurality of mail articles being conveyed by said conveyor belt, can be conveyed in a substantially smooth, frictionless, and jitter-free manner across said camera view port of said camera such that said camera can scan, image, and read the information contained upon the plurality of mail articles in an accurate, clear, and complete manner.