Patent ID: 8138438

Claim:
A sorting system for sorting a group of mail pieces and at least one exceptional mail piece into a desired sequence, comprising: a plurality of holders, each holder dimensioned for receipt and holding of a mail piece from the group of mail pieces and the exceptional mail piece, the holders moving downstream in the sorting system; a first loading station where the group of mail pieces is received into the sorting system; a singulator for singulating the group of mail pieces at the first loading station; a second loading station, where the exceptional mail piece is received into the sorting system; second reader means for collecting data about the exceptional mail piece; second loading means at the second loading station for loading the exceptional mail piece from the second loading station into a first one of the holders so as to occupy said first one of the holders; first reader means for collecting data about each mail piece in the group of mail pieces; first loading means at the first loading station for loading each mail piece in the group of mail pieces from the first loading station into empty holders which were not previously filled by the exceptional mail piece; a controller for determining which holders have been loaded with the exceptional mail piece and advancing the holders so that an empty holder for the each mail piece being fed by the first loading means at the first loading station can be loaded with a mail piece in the group of mail pieces; means for associating the data about the exceptional mail piece with said first one of the holders, and for associating the data about each mail piece in the group of mail pieces with the unoccupied one of the holders into which said each mail piece was loaded; and a sorter for unloading each of the holders based upon the data associated with each of the holders, so that the mail pieces and the exceptional mail piece are sorted according to said desired sequence.