Patent ID: 7758292

Claim:
An automated system for unstrapping and unsleeving a tray, comprising: a tray transport, which transports a tray in the system; a sleeve-sensing portion that receives the tray being transported by the tray transport and detects whether the tray includes a sleeve, the sleeve-sensing portion comprising: a first sensor positioned at an angle to the received tray to sense mail pieces and to generate an indication, when mail pieces are sensed, that the tray does not include a sleeve, and a second sensor positioned above the received tray to sense a surface of the tray and a height of the tray and to generate an indication, when the surface is sensed as smooth and when the height of the tray is sensed as taller than the height of an unsleeved tray, that the tray includes a sleeve; a size-sensing portion that receives the tray being transported by the tray transport, the size-sensing portion comprising a length sensor and a height sensor and determining a tray type from a sensed length and a sensed height; a strap cutter, which receives the tray from the size-sensing portion and cuts a strap on the tray; a strap-removal portion, which removes the strap cut by the strap cutter; and an unsleeving station, which removes a sleeve from the tray when the tray is detected to include a sleeve; wherein the unsleeving station removes the sleeve from the tray after the strap-removal portion removes the cut strap, and wherein if the sleeve sensing portion does not detect that the tray includes a sleeve, the system transports the tray through the strap cutter, the strap-removal portion, and the unsleeving station without processing.