Patent ID: 7982156

Claim:
A method of sorting mail to a delivery point sequence depth of sort comprising: providing at least one article sorter and performing at least two sort processes with said at least one article sorter to articles supplied thereto; providing a conveyor, said conveyor including at least one continuous loop, at least one incoming conveyor leading from a discharge of said at least one article sorter to said at least one continuous loop and at least one outgoing conveyor leading from said at least one continuous loop to an input of said at least one article sorter; supplying articles to said input of said at least one article sorter; said performing at least two sort processes including performing a first sort pass of the articles at said at least one article sorter to containers of articles sorted by the first sort pass; substantially continuously conveying containers of articles sorted by the first sort pass on said conveyor including substantially continuously circulating containers around said at least one continuous loop to arrange the containers in an arranged manner; conveying the arranged containers of articles sorted by the first sort pass to said input of said at least one article sorter, unloading articles sorted by the first sort pass from the arranged containers and inducting the unloaded articles to said input of said at least one sorter; and said performing at least two sort processes further including performing a second sort pass of the articles sorted by the first sort pass at said at least one article sorter to sort the articles to a delivery point sequence depth of sort.