GB1012881A - Improvements in or relating to segregating apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

1,012,881. Sorting letters. POSTMASTER GENERAL. June 20, 1962 [June 20, 1961], No. 22284/61. Heading B2H. Apparatus for segregating from a quantity of letters or similar flat articles those letters of less than a predetermined thickness and having at least one linear dimension less than a predetermined dimension, comprises a drumshaped receptacle for containing the letters which is supported for rotation about its axis, and means for rotating the drum, the drum having a peripheral wall formed by a plurality of elongated panels 4 extending lengthwise of the drum and overlapping each other along their longitudinal edges, each panel being formed with V-shaped corrugations 5 extending across each panel at an angle to the longitudinal axis of the panel and having side walls of a width corresponding to the predetermined linear dimension, and mating with corrugations of adjacent panels to form a substantially continuous helical V-shaped groove extending lengthwise of the peripheral wall, at least one side wall of each V-shaped corrugation being spaced from the coresponding side wall of the mating corrugation of the adjacent panel 4 to form a slot 17 having a width equal to the predetermined thickness and a length equal to the width the side wall and corresponding to the predetermined linear dimension whereby only those letters having a thickness less than the width of a slot and at least one linear dimension less than the length of the slot are discharged through the slots 17. The panels 4 are mounted between end plates 1, 2 spaced by the rods 3, each end plate resting on rollers 14 one of which is driven by an electric motor 15 to rotate the drum. An angle iron member 6 extends lengthwise across the tops of the corrugations of each panel 4 and is welded thereto, the member 6 being pivotally mounted on pins 8 secured to the end plates 1, 2. The members 6 are offset from the longitudinal centre line of each panel so that when a panel is at its lowest possible position it tends to rotate in a clockwise direction and when the panel is in its highest possible position it tends to rotate in an anticlockwise direction. The members 6 carry brackets 7 at their ends and these engage with stop pins 12, 13 on the end plates 1, 2 which limit the rotation of the panels 4. A spring 9 is fitted to each panel 4 and is arranged so that when the panel is in its highest possible position the panel can pivot to the position 4d, Fig. 2, to release any letters jammed in the slots between the panels. In operation letters are fed into the drum through an aperture in the plate 1 and are moved along inside the drum as it rotates by the helical groove. The letters lie on the side walls of the grooves and will slide through the slots between the panels if they are small enough as the drum rotates. The letters not passing through the slots are removed through an aperture in the plate 2. The pitch of the helical groove may be constant, and the side walls of the groove may be progressively widened to give progressively larger slots 17, so that letters may be graded. Alternatively the pitch of the groove may be increased along the length of the drum. A number of drums with different size slots may be operated in tandem or a composite drum may be used having a first portion with panels arranged according to the invention and a second portion having flat uncorrugated panels defining slots for the discharge of large letters. The pitch or angle of the helical groove may be varied and the groove may be single or multiple start. Specification 824,565 is referred to.