Postal hazardous materials screening machine

Abstract

A postal hazardous materials screening machine is configured to compress mail or envelopes through compression rollers to remove the air and any potentially enclosed hazardous materials. This system may be capable of detecting a wide range of hazardous materials, abbreviated as CBRNE+D, including chemicals, biological materials, radioactive materials, nuclear materials, explosives, and drugs. Sample air, i.e., air drawn from the hazardous materials screening system, can be guided to one or more analytical instruments, and if any hazardous materials are detected, the mail processing machine can be stopped. Mail containing hazardous materials can then be located and safely inspected further. A mail feeder system may be configured to deliver mail or envelopes to the hazardous materials screening system without compression.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Cross - reference to related applications This application claims the benefit of priority based on U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 501,835, filed May 12, 2023, and U.S. Patent Application No. 18 / 608,656, filed Mar. 18, 2024, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

Background Art

[0002] The present invention generally relates to mail processing systems generally described in the prior art including U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,303,188, 7,361,861, 7,777,919, 8,162,214, 5,226,547, 5,398,922, 5,521,365, 5,544,758, 6,523,697, 6,571,958, 6,651,878, and 7,185,748. Specifically, the present invention relates to a mail processing system having a conveyor for separating or overlapping mail in a single - like manner for the purpose of processing including weighing, scanning addresses, and applying postage amounts, and a biohazard check device configured to compress mail or envelopes through a compression roller and extract air and any potential hazardous substances enclosed therein.

[0003] Mail processing generally includes at least the steps of scanning addresses, applying postage amounts, and weighing mail. The steps of scanning, applying postage amounts, and other steps can be performed at a faster rate than weighing the mail. Therefore, the step of weighing the mail becomes the rate - limiting step in the continuous process flow.

[0004] In the past, terrorists and other criminals have mixed hazardous substances such as anthrax into mail and sent them to specific individuals including senators and other high - ranking government officials. Millions of pieces of mail are processed every day, and it is not practical to check each one for the presence of hazardous substances. [Overview of the project]

[0005] An exemplary mail processing system may include a conveyor for moving mail to one or more mail processing stations, each containing an address scanner, a postage applicator, and / or a weighing scale for weighing each piece of mail. The mail weighing step requires each piece of mail to be placed on the weighing scale in an individualized state, while address scanning and postage application can be performed with the mail in an individualized state. To achieve high speed, the mail processing system may be provided with two or more weighing scales to weigh each piece of mail individually, and then the mail may be stacked in a single format for subsequent processing, including postage application and / or address scanning. The mail may be stacked before reaching the weighing scale, and a de-stacking conveyor may separate the mail before it passes over the weighing scale. After the weighing step, the mail enters a single-stacking conveyor and is stacked for high throughput. Depending on the situation, a mail processing system may use two passes for processing mail. In the first pass, the mail undergoes a slower weighing step, and in the second, faster pass, it undergoes processing steps such as address scanning and postage calculation. In this situation, to maintain a faster overall processing speed in the second pass, the mail can remain overlapping while passing through the weighing scale in the second pass. In this way, the footprint of the mail processing system can be kept small, and the overall speed can be optimized in a multi-pass mail processing manner.

[0006] In an exemplary embodiment, the mail processing system comprises a conveyor including a first belt assembly and a second belt assembly that can be driven at various speeds. A camera is configured to take images of mail as it enters or passes through the conveyor, and the belt speed can be adjusted to overlap or separate the mail. The belt speeds of the first and second belt assemblies differ from the belt speed of the other belt assembly in order to move the first mail relative to a second contiguous mail on the conveyor, so that the first mail moves faster or slower than the second mail. In this way, the first mail can be moved to overlap the second mail to create overlapping mail, or the first mail in an overlapping mail group can be moved to separate the second mail to create individual mail with distance between each individual mail. A controller can use image analysis software to determine the dimensional characteristics of the mail and use these dimensional characteristics to control the speeds of the first and / or second belts of the first and second belt assemblies, respectively. For example, an exemplary mail processing system may include a single-ring conveyor and use image analysis of images taken by a camera to determine the individualization distance, or gap distance, between two consecutive pieces of mail on the conveyor. Based on this gap distance, the controller can adjust the belt speed to move the first piece of mail so that it overlaps with the second piece of mail, thereby creating overlapping mail. In another example, an exemplary mail processing system may include a single-ring conveyor and use image analysis of images taken by a camera to determine the single-style overlap distance of two overlapping pieces of mail on the conveyor. Based on this gap distance, the controller can adjust the belt speed to move the first piece of mail away from the second piece of mail, thereby creating individual mail. It should be understood that the controller can control the speed of one or both belts of one or more conveyors to move mail away from each other or toward each other to create or increase the overlap distance.

[0007] An exemplary single ring conveyor has two belt assemblies having a mail conveyor section, where a portion of the first belt and a portion of the second belt extend parallel to each other to create a pinch for grasping mail and moving it from the entrance to the exit of the conveyor. An exemplary single ring conveyor may have one, two, three, or more belts and any number of rollers for guiding the belts. An exemplary single ring conveyor may have a drive device, such as a drive motor, for moving the belts to transport mail. The drive motor may be coupled to one of the rollers of the single ring conveyor.

[0008] An exemplary single-ring conveyor includes a camera that takes images of the mail to determine dimensional characteristics, including the single-style overlap distance of two overlapping mail items, or the individualization distance between two individual mail items, i.e., the gap distance. The exemplary camera is configured to take images of the edges of the mail items in the mail conveyor section of the conveyor. A controller can then use these dimensional characteristics to control the speed of the belt to move the first mail item relative to the second mail item.

[0009] An exemplary mail processing system comprises a mail processing station that performs mail processing functions including, but not limited to, address scanning, weighing on a scale, and postage application. As described herein, all of these processes may be performed at a single mail processing station, or one or more of these processes may be performed separately. For example, individual mail items may be delivered sequentially and individually to a scale for weighing. Overlapping mail items may be transported via a mail processing station that performs address scanning and postage application. A mail processing station may or may not perform processing functions as mail items pass through the mail processing station.

[0010] An exemplary mail processing system includes a single-ring conveyor that receives overlapping mail and separates them in order to deliver individual mail to a mail processing station equipped with weighing scales for weighing each piece of mail individually. The individualized mail can then be transferred to the single-ring conveyor, where the individualized mail is stacked.

[0011] Conversely, an exemplary mail processing system includes a single-ring conveyor that stacks mail to deliver it to a mail processing station equipped with a weighing scale that does not weigh each piece of mail. In this method, when the weighing scale does not weigh the mail, stacked mail can pass through the scale faster than individual mail. The stacked mail can then be transferred to the single-ring conveyor, where the stacked mail is individualized.

[0012] An exemplary method of processing mail using the mail processing system described herein comprises at least one conveyor and a mail processing station. The exemplary method of processing mail includes the steps of un-overlapping mail, weighing them at the mail processing station, and then re-overlapping the mail on a single-ring conveyor.

[0013] Further exemplary methods for processing mail include passing individual mail items through a mail processing system in a first pass for weighing, then passing the mail items in a stacked state through the mail processing system in a second pass until they pass through a weighing scale, and then individualizing the mail items to perform other mail processing steps such as scanning addresses and / or applying postage.

[0014] The present invention is also directed toward a postal hazardous materials screening machine configured to compress mail or envelopes through compression rollers to extract air and any potentially enclosed hazardous materials. This system may be capable of detecting a wide range of hazardous materials, abbreviated as CBRNE+D, including chemicals, biological materials, radioactive materials, nuclear materials, explosives, and drugs. A sample of air, i.e., the air extracted from the hazardous materials screening system, can be directed to one or more analytical devices, and if any hazardous materials are detected, the mail processing machine can be stopped. Mail containing hazardous materials can be found and safely inspected further.

[0015] A mail biohazard screening machine may include a mail feeder system configured to deliver mail or envelopes to a hazardous materials screening system without compression. The mail processing machine may employ a feeder system such as those described in U.S. Patent No. 10,384,896 granted to James Malatesta of Tritek Technologies, Inc. on August 20, 2019, and U.S. Patent No. 10,640,316 granted to James Malatesta of Tritek Technologies, Inc. on May 5, 2020, the entirety of these patents is incorporated herein by reference. As described in these patents, the feeder system has an optical panel coupled to a spring element that is compressed by the force of the mail stacked on the feeder belt. The distance from a proximity sensor to the optical panel is detected, which indicates the force of the mail stacked on the individualization device belt. A controller monitors this distance to the optical panel and controls the speed of the feeder belt to prevent the mail from being compressed before being sent to the hazardous materials screening system.

[0016] Mail is drawn from a feeder belt by an individualization device such as an individualization belt and fed through compression rollers that compress the mail from front to back. Hazardous materials are forcibly drawn out of envelopes by vacuum through a sampling plenum, which may be configured upstream of the compression rollers to more effectively draw in the hazardous materials. The pressure generated by the vacuum device within the enclosure can be low pressures such as absolute pressures of approximately 400 mbar or more, approximately 600 mbar or more, approximately 800 mbar or more, or approximately 900 mbar or more. If there is no vacuum, it will be atmospheric pressure or an absolute pressure of approximately 1013 mbar. The sampling plenum and compression rollers may be configured within the enclosure to prevent hazardous materials from being released into the mail processing facility. An air inlet may be configured to supply replenishment air to the enclosure and may also be configured to guide air into the enclosure or into the inlet tunnel through the mail inlet.

[0017] The sampling conduit can further guide air and any hazardous substances to one or more analytical instruments. This system may have separate analytical instruments for various types of hazardous materials, abbreviated as CBRNE+D, such as chemicals, biological materials, radioactive materials, nuclear materials, explosives, and drugs. Each analytical instrument may have a vacuum device for taking a sample of the sample air from the hub, which allows each analytical instrument to have equal access to the sample air. If any hazardous material is detected, the mail processing machine can be stopped, allowing mail containing the hazardous material to be located and safely inspected using appropriate safety protocols.

[0018] The sample air, or the air drawn into the sampling plenum, can be disinfected and filtered before being released from the hazardous materials screening system or before being returned as inlet air to the system. This air can be filtered through a HEPA or ULPA filter to remove particulate matter, and infrared irradiation can be used to disinfect pathogens or viruses.

[0019] An exemplary mail hazardous materials screening machine can use an imaging device to identify mail and associate a timestamp with it. The system can then identify mail containing hazardous materials by tracking the timestamp and knowing the processing time from compression through compression rollers to analysis of the mail. The system may be able to pinpoint a specific piece of mail containing hazardous materials, which is one of several pieces of mail.

[0020] Imaging devices such as cameras or scanners may be configured to take or scan images of mail in order to track mail as it passes through the system. A digital camera can take a digital photograph which can then be read by a computer to read the address, or a scanner can read a Quick Response (QR) code containing details of the mail, such as the recipient's or sender's address. If hazardous materials are detected, the system can use the information determined through the imaging device to assist in the retrieval of the mail containing the hazardous materials.

[0021] Hazardous materials may include, but are not limited to, chemical substances, biological materials, radioactive materials, nuclear materials, explosives, and drugs, abbreviated as CBRNE+D, including anthrax, opioids, fentanyl, cocaine, heroin, uranium, and explosives.

[0022] As used herein, mail includes postcards, letters, newspapers, magazines, and flat mail sizes, and is particularly suitable for envelopes having an internal area from which the contents can be forcibly ejected for analysis by being compressed with compression rollers.

[0023] The outline of the present invention is provided as a general introduction to some embodiments of the invention and is not intended to limit them. Further exemplary embodiments, including variations and alternative configurations of the invention, are provided herein.

[0024] The accompanying drawings are included in and form a part of this specification to provide a further understanding of the present invention, illustrate embodiments of the present invention, and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the present invention.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0025] [Figure 1] Shows a top view of a standard loading system. [Figure 2] Shows a perspective view of an exemplary mail loading system. [Figure 3] Shows a perspective view of an exemplary mail loading system having a stack of mail proceeding on a loading conveyor. [Figure 4] Shows a top view of a part of an exemplary mail processing system having a first mail conveyor that receives mail from a loading mail feeder. [Figure 5] Shows a top view of an exemplary mail singling conveyor having first and second belts and a camera for determining mail overlap. [Figure 6] Shows a top view of an exemplary mail singling conveyor having a camera installed under a platform for photographing mail through an opening of the platform to determine mail overlap. [Figure 7] Shows a side view of an exemplary singling conveyor. [Figure 8] Shows a side view of an exemplary singling conveyor. [Figure 9] Shows an exemplary image of mail captured by a camera on a conveyor. [Figure 10] Shows an exemplary image of mail captured by a camera on a conveyor. [Figure 11] Shows a top view of an exemplary mail processing system having a first mail singling conveyor, a mail processor, and a second mail singling conveyor. [Figure 12] Shows a perspective view of a mail conveyor having a conveyor belt and conveyor rollers. [Figure 13] This shows a side view of overlapping mail items. [Figure 14] A side view of an individualized piece of mail is shown. [Figure 15] A perspective view of a postal hazardous materials screening machine is shown, which has a feeder belt carrying multiple pieces of mail or envelopes, and an individualization device belt that separates the first piece of mail from the stack of mail on the feeder. [Figure 16] This shows a top view of a conventional mail individualization device that separates mail into individual mail items. [Figure 17] An exemplary postal hazardous materials screening processing machine that uses a pair of compression rollers to crush each individual piece of mail from an individualizing device and push out any hazardous materials inside the envelope is shown, along with a top view of a hazardous materials screening system including a housing, a vacuum device, and an analytical device for determining whether a piece of mail contains hazardous materials. [Figure 18] This is a perspective view of a postal hazardous materials screening machine that has a feeder belt that feeds mail or envelopes to an individualization device belt and draws the leading piece of mail into a hazardous materials screening machine. [Figure 19] A perspective view of a hazardous materials screening system is shown, which includes a housing configured around a sampling plenum that draws air from mail as it is compressed through compression rollers, and an entrance facing downwards into an entrance tunnel for receiving mail and passing it through compression rollers. [Figure 20] Figure 5 shows a perspective view of the hazardous materials screening system with its casing removed. [Figure 21] This shows a side view of a sampling plenum used to draw in air that is pushed out of an envelope as it is compressed by a compression roller. [Figure 22] This is a perspective view of a sampling plenum used to draw in air that is pushed out of an envelope as it is compressed by a compression roller. [Figure 23] A perspective view is shown of a housing configured to contain some kind of hazardous material that may be pushed out of mail by compression rollers. [Figure 24] A perspective view of the enclosure and entrance tunnel is shown. [Figure 25] This shows a rear view of the hazardous materials screening system. [Figure 26] A perspective view of the hazardous materials screening system is shown. [Figure 27] This shows a rear view of the hazardous materials screening system. [Figure 28] This shows a top view of the hazardous materials screening system. [Figure 29] A perspective view of a hazardous materials screening system is shown, which includes a sampling plenum configured below the compression roller and a clean air inlet above the compression roller. [Figure 30] A perspective view of a hazardous materials screening system is shown, which includes a sampling plenum configured below the compression roller and a clean air inlet above the compression roller. [Figure 31] This shows a top view of a hazardous materials screening system, which includes a sampling plenum configured below the compression roller and a clean air inlet above the compression roller. [Figure 32] This shows a rear view of a hazardous materials screening system, which includes a sampling plenum configured below the compression roller and a clean air inlet above the compression roller. [Figure 33] This shows a front view of a hazardous materials screening system, which includes a sampling plenum configured below the compression roller and a clean air inlet above the compression roller. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0026] Corresponding reference letters indicate corresponding parts throughout some of the drawings. The drawings illustrate some of the embodiments of the invention and should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention in any way. Furthermore, the drawings are not necessarily to scale, and some features may be exaggerated to illustrate the details of certain components. Accordingly, the specific structural and functional details disclosed herein should not be construed as limiting, but merely as representative grounds for teaching those skilled in the art how to utilize the invention in various ways.

[0027] The terms “equipped,” “included,” “contained,” “possessed,” “having,” and “possessing,” as used herein, or any other variations thereof, are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a process, method, article, or apparatus that includes a list of elements is not necessarily limited to those elements alone and may include other elements not expressly enumerated or specific to such process, method, article, or apparatus. Furthermore, the use of the article “one” or “one” is employed to describe elements and components described herein. This is done solely for convenience to indicate the general meaning of the scope of the invention. This description should be read as including one or at least one, and unless it becomes clear that there is another meaning, the singular also includes the plural.

[0028] In the event that this Specified Version and any documents incorporated by reference contain any conflicting and / or inconsistent disclosures, this Specified Version shall prevail.

[0029] Specific exemplary embodiments of the present invention are described herein and shown in the accompanying drawings. The embodiments described are merely illustrative of the present invention and should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention. Other embodiments of the present invention, and specific modifications, combinations, and improvements of the embodiments described, will be obvious to those skilled in the art, and all such alternative embodiments, combinations, modifications, and improvements fall within the scope of the present invention.

[0030] As shown in Figure 1, a conventional mail loading system 10 has a loading conveyor 20 that moves a mail stack 21 containing multiple pieces of mail 22 toward a mail feeder 30. The mail 26 in front is pulled by the mail feeder 30, bringing forth a flow of individual pieces of mail 22'. Occasionally, high pressure on the mail feeder and / or friction between the mail pieces may cause the mail feeder to pull two pieces of mail at once, resulting in "overlapping" mail 24, in which case there is an overlap between the two individual pieces of mail 22'' and 22''''. In general, such double feeding of mail is undesirable if unintentional. However, sometimes intentionally, multiple consecutive pieces of mail may "overlap" as much as a single row on a roof.

[0031] Referring to Figures 2 and 3, a conventional mail loading system 10 has a loading conveyor 20 that advances mail toward a mail feeder 30. Mail ahead is fed to the mail feeder 30. The mail feeder advances the mail substantially perpendicular to the direction of the loading conveyor, as shown by the thick arrows in Figure 3. The mail stack presses against the mail feeder, and one or more pieces of mail advance toward the mail processing system. A controller 60 can control the speed of the conveyor and the speed of the mail feeder.

[0032] As shown in Figure 4, part of the exemplary mail processing system 100 has a single ring conveyor 110, which is a conveyor 101 that receives mail from a mail feeder 30. The single ring conveyor has a first belt assembly 111 and a second belt assembly 115, with an entrance 112 formed between the first belt 116 and the second belt 118. A camera 50 is configured below the platform 152 to take images of the mail as it passes through the single ring conveyor in order to determine the overlap distance 170 of the overlapping mail 24. The image shows the overlapping mail 24 being transported through the single ring conveyor. The speeds of the belts of the continuous conveyor and / or single ring conveyor may differ in order to separate the mail or to advance at least one of the overlapping mail at a faster speed to create a gap between the mail, i.e., individual mail.

[0033] As shown in Figure 5, an exemplary mail conveyor, the single ring conveyor 110, has a first belt assembly 111 with a first belt 116 and a second belt assembly 115 with a second belt 118, forming a mail transport section 113 extending from an inlet 112 to an outlet 114. A camera 150 is configured to take images of mail within the mail transport section in order to determine the overlap of overlapping mail 24 as they pass through the single ring conveyor. The camera is installed below the platform 152 and photographs the mail through an opening 154 in the platform. Overlapping mail enters the inlet 112 of the single ring conveyor 110, exits the outlet 114 of the single ring conveyor, and is transferred to a second single ring conveyor operating at a higher belt speed to separate the overlapping mail. The single ring conveyor has a number of rollers 122 for guiding the belt. The single ring conveyor 110 is a type of conveyor 101 that can operate at different speeds to control the amount of overlap of mail.

[0034] As shown in Figure 6, an exemplary mail conveyor, a mail single-ring conveyor 130, has a first belt assembly 131 with a first belt 136 and a second belt assembly 135 with a second belt 138, forming a mail transport section 133 extending from an inlet 132 to an outlet 134. A camera 150 is configured to determine the individualization distance 178 between a series of individual mails 22, 22' between the belts of the single-ring conveyor. The camera is mounted below a platform 152 and photographs the mail through an opening 154 in the platform. Individualized mails 22 enter the single-ring conveyor inlet 112 and exit the single-ring conveyor outlet 114, where they are transferred to a second single-ring conveyor operating at a slower speed to overlap the individualized mails. The single-ring conveyor has a plurality of rollers 122 for guiding the belts. The single ring conveyor 130 is a type of conveyor 101 that can operate at different speeds to control the amount of overlap of mail.

[0035] Referring to Figures 7 and 8, an exemplary mail conveyor 101, such as a single ring conveyor 110, has a camera 150 mounted beneath a platform 152 to take images of the mail as it moves through the single ring conveyor 110. Mail items 22, 22' are overlapping mail items 24 with an overlap distance. As shown in Figure 7, a mail individualization distance 178 can also be formed between two individual mail items 22, 22'.

[0036] As shown in Figures 9 and 10, an image 170, such as a digital image 171 taken by a camera, provides dimensional characteristics related to the mail. The images are of the edges 36, 36' of the first and second mail items 22, 22', respectively. Image analysis software 64 is used to determine the dimensional characteristics of the mail, including the single-style overlap distance 172, forward offset distance 172, backward offset distance 176, and individualization distance 178 shown in Figure 7. One or more of these distances determined through image analysis of image 170 are used by a controller 60, which may include a microprocessor 62 and / or a computer 65, to control the speed of the single-ring conveyor to un-overlap or overlap the mail. The image analysis software 64, or computer program, is executed by a computing device such as a computer 65. If the computer 65 determines that the mail is overlapping where it should not, the computer 65 can cause the mail processing system to stop processing the mail or guide the overlapping mail to a rejection box. This prevents mail items from sticking together in the mail processing section where they should be individualized. Furthermore, the computer 65 can determine whether the mail items are of non-uniform size through image analysis of image 170, and the controller 60 can use the information regarding the non-uniformity of size to adjust the speed of the single-ring conveyor in real time.

[0037] As shown in Figure 11, an exemplary mail processing system 100 has a first mail single ring conveyor 110, a mail processor 160, and a second mail single ring conveyor 130 configured in series, where individualized mail is received from the first single ring conveyor by the mail processor and received from the mail processor by the second single ring conveyor. In this mail processing system 110, overlapping mail is separated by the first single ring conveyor 110, and individualized mail, i.e., a series of mail items spaced apart, is supplied to the mail processor. Alternatively, if the first single ring conveyor 110 receives individualized mail, the first single ring conveyor maintains the mail in an individualized state and transports it to the mail processor. The mail processor may include an address scanner 162 for determining the delivery address, a weighing scale 164 for determining the weight of each piece of mail, and / or a postage applicator 166 for stamping or marking the appropriate postage amount on the mail. A weighing scale display 165 shows the weight of the mail 22 in the mail processor 160. The mail processor may also include any other desired devices for performing mail processing functions. For example, the mail processor may include a biohazard check device 168, which consists of a roller for compressing the mail to remove air from it and a vacuum sensor device configured to check the air for hazardous materials.

[0038] As described herein, mail weighing can be a slower step than other process steps in a mail processing system because it requires individualizing the mail and processes it at a slower throughput rate than other parts of the system. Therefore, when using weighers 164 to weigh mail, the exemplary mail processing system 100 uses a first mail single-ring conveyor 110 to ensure that the mail is individualized before being weighed by weighers 164. When weighers 164 are not used to weigh mail, for example, when weight is not required for the processing to be performed, the exemplary mail processing system 100 uses the first mail single-ring conveyor 110 to ensure that the mail is stacked before passing through weighers 164. In this way, more mail can pass through weighers 164 in a given time, despite the relatively slow transfer speed of mail in weighers 164. The second mail singleing conveyor 130 individualizes the mail after it has passed weighing unit 164 for processing by a subsequent conveyor that operates at a higher speed and by other mail processors that do not limit the speed as much as weighing unit 164. Some commercially available weighing units include a belt that is part of the weighing unit. The weighing belt may also be a loading belt that places the mail on top of the belt rather than sandwiching it between two belts. Weighing belts often operate only at certain relatively slow belt speeds. Therefore, the weighing belt can also be used as a singleing conveyor if it operates at a belt speed that is slower or faster than the belt speed of the preceding conveyor.

[0039] As shown in Figure 12, an exemplary single-ring conveyor, 101, has conveyor belts 116, 118 and a plurality of rollers 122 for supporting and guiding the belts. It is understood that any number of belts can be configured in the first belt assembly 111 or the second belt assembly 115. One or more belts of the first belt assembly 111 have a portion or extension that runs substantially parallel to a portion of the second belt assembly 115, and a mail transport section 113 is formed between the two belt assemblies. As shown in Figure 12, the first belt assembly has three belts, and the second belt assembly has three belts that run parallel to the belts from the first belt assembly in the mail transport section 113. Mail is sandwiched between the two belts 116, 118 and moved from the entrance 112 to the exit 114 of the conveyor 101.

[0040] The two mail items 22 and 22' shown in Figure 13 are overlapping mail items 24, where the first mail item 22 overlaps the second mail item 22' by a single-style overlap distance 172. The first mail item 22 has a forward offset distance 174, and the second mail item has a backward offset distance 176. These dimensional characteristics of the mail items can be determined through image analysis of images captured by a camera as the mail items move along the conveyor belt. Overlapping mail items may include two, three, or more mail items, each overlapping with a preceding and succeeding mail item. The camera can take images of the edges 36 of the mail items. By scanning the addresses, the addresses 28 on the surface 38 of the mail items can be identified, and the overlap distance 172 can be small enough to scan the addresses of the overlapping mail items. The application of postage 29 to the mail items is shown.

[0041] The two mail items 22 and 22' shown in Figure 14 are individualized mail items, there is no overlap between the two mail items, and there is an individualization distance of 178, or gap distance, between the two mail items.

[0042] As described above, one exemplary embodiment of the present invention enables multiple paths for mail through a mail processing system, including a first path in which a weighing scale 164 weighs individual mail items, and a second path in which overlapping mail items pass through the weighing scale 164 but the weighing scale 164 does not weigh the mail items, and the mail is then individualized for further processing.

[0043] The weighing scales used in mail processing systems must be authorized by the relevant postal service in the geographical area where the mail processing system is used. For example, in the United States, if a mail processing system is used to process outgoing mail that requires weighing and postage, the mail processing system must have weighing scales authorized and registered by the United States Postal Service. Such authorized weighing scales generally have a major drawback: they operate at relatively slow speeds. Authorized weighing scales typically operate at approximately 80 inches per second, meaning that they can only accurately weigh mail moving on the scale at a rate of up to 80 inches in length per second. 80 inches per second is equivalent to approximately 10,000 pieces of mail per hour on average. In contrast, advances in digital cameras, computer processors, and feeding and sorting mechanisms have enabled mail processing systems to operate at speeds of up to 30,000 pieces of mail per hour, or even higher. Therefore, weighing scales are a limiting factor in the speed of most mail processing systems. This speed limitation is complicated by the fact that mail is often sorted through multiple paths in a mail processing system, but only needs to be weighed by a weighing scale in one of those paths. Such weighing scales generally cannot be adjusted to operate at different speeds, meaning that mail passes through the scale at a set inch / second speed, regardless of whether the scale actually weighs the mail. Therefore, the mere presence of an authorized weighing scale in a mail processing system can significantly slow down the processing speed of mail, even when weighing is not required for a particular process performed in a given path. These slower speeds can result in considerable delays and costs.

[0044] In this exemplary embodiment, mail is processed in two passes through the mail processing system. In the first pass, the mail is weighed by the weighing scale 164. In the second pass, the mail is not weighed by the weighing scale 164, and it is desirable that the processing in the second pass is not limited by the speed of the weighing scale.

[0045] In the first pass, mail is fed to the mail processing system. The first and second mail single ring conveyors shown in Figure 11 are adaptable to rotate at various belt speeds depending on the purpose of the current pass in which the mail is being processed. The mail proceeds to the mail processing system in an overlapping state. Before the line of overlapping mail reaches weighing machine 164, the overlapping mail reaches the first mail single ring conveyor 110, which rotates at a higher speed than the conveyor ahead. When the leading edge of the mail reaches the first mail single ring conveyor 110, it is "pulled" forward by the higher relative speed and separated from the other mail that was overlapping with it. In this way, the mail is individualized before reaching weighing machine 164 and is therefore weighed one by one by weighing machine 164. The mail then proceeds to the second mail single ring conveyor 130 and passes through the rest of the mail processing system. The speed of the first pass is limited by the maximum speed at which the weighing device 164 can weigh mail, i.e., approximately 10,000 pieces per hour.

[0046] In the second path, the mail travels through the mail processing system along the same route as in the first path. In the second path, the first mail singleing conveyor 110 rotates at the same speed as the previous conveyor. Therefore, overlapping mail remains overlapping as it passes through the first mail singleing conveyor 110 and weighing scale 164. In this path, the second mail singleing conveyor 130 rotates at a higher speed than the first mail singleing conveyor 110 and weighing scale 164. When the leading edge of the mail reaches the second mail singleing conveyor 130, the mail is pulled forward by the higher relative speed and separated from the other mail that was overlapping with it. In this way, the mail is individualized after passing through weighing scale 164 and can then be processed in various ways other than weighing, such as sorting, barcode reading, barcode printing, and optical character scanning. When mail overlaps, it is separated by an individualization distance of 178, allowing more mail to pass through weighing scale 164 in a given time (approximately 20,000 pieces / hour) than if it passed through weighing scale 164 in the same time (approximately 10,000 pieces / hour).

[0047] Therefore, the mail processing system can be adapted to operate so that mail passes through the weighing scale 164 either individually or in an overlapping state, depending on whether weighing is required in a particular path of mail processing. Mail passes through the weighing scale 164 individually in paths where weighing is required. Optimally, mail passes through the weighing scale 164 at its maximum speed (approximately 80 inches / second). In paths where weighing is not required, mail passes through the weighing scale 164 in an overlapping state, and because overlapping allows more mail to pass through a given number of inches, it can pass through the weighing scale 164 at a higher speed (approximately 20,000 pieces / hour) than in paths where weighing is required (approximately 10,000 pieces / hour).

[0048] In a second exemplary embodiment, mail is processed in a single path through the mail processing system, and a mail processing system with a larger footprint may be used. In this embodiment, mail enters the mail processing system in an overlapping state. The mail processing system uses first and second mail single-ring conveyors 110, 130 to separate the overlapping mail and guide the mail alternately to the first weighing scale 164 and the second weighing scale 164'. By using two or more separate weighing scales 164, 164' in parallel, this mail processing system can maintain a higher overall throughput speed despite the need to separate the mail for weighing.

[0049] Referring to Figures 15 and 17, the mail hazardous materials screening machine 210 includes a loading conveyor 20, such as a feeder belt carrying multiple mail items 250 or envelopes 254, and an individualization device 230, such as an individualization device belt 231, which separates the leading mail item from the stack of mail on the feeder. The optical panel 222 may be deflected by the mail piled on the feeder belt 20, and a proximity sensor (not shown) can detect this deflection and relay this position of the optical panel to a controller configured to control the speed of the feeder belt, thereby preventing jamming of mail on the individualization device belt 231. The controller 260 can control the feeder belt speed to prevent the multiple mail items 250 and the individual envelopes 254 within them from being compressed.

[0050] As shown in Figure 17, the feeder system has an optical panel coupled to a spring element 224 that is compressed by the force of the mail piled up on the feeder belt. The distance from the proximity sensor 226 to the optical panel is detected, which indicates the force of the mail piled up on the individualization device belt. The controller monitors this distance to the optical panel and controls the speed of the feeder belt to prevent the mail from being compressed before it is sent to the hazardous materials screening system.

[0051] As shown in Figure 16, conventional mail individualization devices individualize mail into separated individual mail items 252, 252', and 252'', but may lack an optical panel system to prevent the mail from being compressed before hazardous materials screening. Therefore, conventional individualization device systems may hinder effective hazardous materials screening of mail.

[0052] As shown in Figure 17, an exemplary mail hazardous materials screening machine 10 uses a pair of compression rollers 40, 42 to crush each individual mail item 252 from the individualization device 30 to push out any hazardous materials 18 contained within the envelopes 254. The individual mail items 252 are fed from the individualization device belt 31 through the pair of compression rollers, and then the mail items, i.e., the envelopes 254, pass through the processing belt 35. The hazardous materials 86 are drawn out through the sampling plenum 78 by a vacuum device 74. One or more analyzers 80, 80' may be configured to take a sample of sample air from the sampling airflow 75, each using its own dedicated vacuum device 84, 84'. The sampling airflow 75 can flow to a sampling hub 83 to bring equal air pressure to each analyzer 80.

[0053] The sampling airflow 75 can be filtered through one or more filters 95 and then flowed into a safety housing 90 for use with a disinfection device 96, such as an ultraviolet light emitter 97. Furthermore, the safety housing 90 may be coupled to the housing 70 to receive air for further filtering and disinfection. The safety chamber may have a safety chamber outlet 92 configured with a closure 93 that can be closed if hazardous materials are detected.

[0054] The enclosure 70 can be maintained under negative pressure to prevent the extruded hazardous material from being released into the mail processing facility. A vacuum device 74 can remove air from the enclosure, and an analyzer 80 can sample air from the enclosure 70 and use the vacuum device 84 for the analyzer. The air from the enclosure can be passed through a disinfection device 76, such as through a filter 75 and an ultraviolet (UV) light emitter 77. Furthermore, a safety enclosure 90 may be coupled to the enclosure 70 to receive air for further filtering and disinfection. The safety chamber may have a safety chamber outlet 92 configured with a closure 93 that can be closed if hazardous material is detected.

[0055] The hazardous materials screening system 17 includes a housing 70, a vacuum device 74, and an analyzer 80 for determining whether a mail item contains hazardous materials. If hazardous materials are detected, the controller 60 can shut down the mail processing system, safely remove any contaminated mail, and allow for further inspection. The mail inlet to the housing for sampling hazardous materials can form an inlet tunnel 265, which is a tunnel, and the air inlet 63 to the housing 70 can be configured to allow clean air to flow into this inlet tunnel.

[0056] An imaging device 19, such as a camera 219 or a scanner, is configured to take or scan images of mail in order to track mail passing through the system. A digital camera can take a digital photograph that can be read by a computer to read the address, or a scanner can read a quick response (QR) code containing details of the mail, such as the address or sender. If hazardous materials are detected, the system can use the information determined through the imaging device to assist in the retrieval of mail containing the hazardous materials.

[0057] Figure 18 shows an exemplary postal hazardous materials screening machine 10 having a hazardous materials screening system 17 coupled with an individualization device 30 and an analytical device 80 for detecting hazardous materials.

[0058] Figure 19 shows a portion of a postal hazardous materials screening machine 10 having a hazardous materials screening system 17. An individualization device belt 30 can feed mail from an inlet tunnel 265 into a housing 70. Compression rollers 40, 42 compress the mail, and a drawn sampling plenum 78 draws a flow of sampling air into this system. A clean air inlet 63 can guide a flow of clean air into the inlet tunnel. The sampling air then flows through a sampling conduit 72.

[0059] Figure 20 shows a perspective view of the hazardous materials screening system 17 shown in Figure 5, with the housing 70 removed from the hazardous materials screening system. The housing has an opening for an entrance tunnel for receiving mail. As shown in Figure 6, an alarm 15 is configured to warn people that hazardous materials have been detected. The mail processing machine 14 can be shut down when hazardous materials are detected in order to retrieve mail containing hazardous materials.

[0060] Referring to Figures 21 and 22, the sampling plenum 78 is configured to extend along the compression roller and has an opening for drawing in the sampling airflow from the input side of the roller. The sampling plenum has an elongated opening, the width of which is less than half its height.

[0061] Referring to Figures 23 and 24, the exemplary housing 70 has a removable lid, a housing sampling opening 79, and an inlet 73. As shown in Figure 10, an inlet tunnel 265 is configured above the inlet 73. A clean air inlet 63 is coupled to the inlet tunnel to supply a clean airflow to the housing.

[0062] Referring here to Figures 25 to 28, the hazardous materials screening system 17 includes compression rollers 40 and 42 configured within the housing 70, and a sampling plenum 78 configured on the inlet side of the compression rollers to draw in a sampling airflow from the housing for analysis. A sampling conduit 72 is connected to the sampling plenum 78. A clean air inlet 63 is connected to the inlet tunnel 265.

[0063] Referring here to Figures 29-33, the exemplary mail hazardous materials screening machine 10 consists of a hazardous materials screening system 17 having a sampling plenum 78 configured below compression rollers 40, 42 and a clean air inlet 63 above the compression rollers. An individualization device belt 31 extends between the compression rollers. The clean air inlet 63 is coupled to the top of the housing 70 and flows clean air into the housing above the compression rollers. The sampling plenum 78 is configured below the compression rollers and draws the sampling air and any hazardous materials pushed out from the mail into a sampling conduit for analysis.

[0064] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications, combinations, and variations of the present invention are possible without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. The specific embodiments, features, and elements described herein can be modified and / or combined in any suitable manner. Accordingly, the present invention is intended to encompass modifications, combinations, and variations of the invention insofar as they remain within the scope of the supplementary claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. It is a mail hazardous materials screening machine, i) A mail processing system equipped with a mail individualization device that individualizes mail into individual mail items, ii) A pair of compression rollers, iii) A housing configured around the compression roller, iv) A vacuum device coupled to the housing and configured to maintain negative pressure inside the housing by removing housing air from the housing, v) An analytical device configured to analyze the air in the enclosure and detect hazardous materials, It is a postal hazardous materials screening machine equipped with, The compression roller compresses the individual mail items in order to push out the hazardous materials from them. The vacuum device is a postal hazardous materials screening machine that extracts air from the housing and delivers the housing air to the analysis device in order to detect the hazardous materials.

2. The postal hazardous materials screening machine according to claim 1, further comprising a sampling plenum configured near the pair of compression rollers for drawing housing air from the housing.

3. The postal hazardous materials screening machine according to claim 2, wherein the sampling plenum is configured upstream of the pair of compression rollers.

4. The postal hazardous materials screening machine according to claim 3, wherein the sampling plenum is configured within the housing.

5. The postal hazardous materials screening machine according to claim 1, wherein the housing further comprises an entrance tunnel configured above the entrance to the housing for receiving mail.

6. The postal hazardous materials screening machine according to claim 4, wherein the housing further comprises a clean air inlet, which is coupled to the entrance tunnel and configured to guide a flow of clean air into the entrance tunnel.

7. The individualization device of the aforementioned mail hazardous materials screening machine includes a feed belt, The mail hazardous materials screening machine according to claim 1, wherein the individualization device further comprises an optical panel configured to be deflected by mail on the feed belt, and the controller changes the speed of the feed belt as a function of the position of the optical panel.

8. The aforementioned mail processing system is a) The first conveyor and the second conveyor, iii) Entrance and, iv) Exit and, A first conveyor and a second conveyor, each equipped with the following: b) A camera configured to capture an image of the mail item, c) Controller and d) Image analysis software configured to determine the dimensional characteristics of a series of first and second mail items, e) A mail processing station configured between the first conveyor and the second conveyor, which receives mail from the exit of the first conveyor, wherein the mail processing station is equipped with at least one of a weighing device for measuring the weight of the mail and an address scanner for determining the delivery address of the mail, Furthermore, The second conveyor is configured to receive mail from the mail processing station, The controller controls the speed of each conveyor in order to move the first mail item relative to the second mail item in order to achieve a desired distance or degree of overlap between the first mail item and the second mail item. In the first path, the first mail item and the second mail item are separated at the mail processing station and separated on the second conveyor. As a result, the first and second mail items will exit the second conveyor as individualized mail items. In the second path, the first mail item and the second mail item are overlapped at the mail processing station, and the first mail item and the second mail item are separated on the second conveyor from their overlapped state at the mail processing station. As a result, the first and second mail items exit the second conveyor as individual mail items, according to claim 1, the postal hazardous materials screening machine.

9. The postal hazardous materials screening machine according to claim 8, wherein the camera determines the overlap distance of single-type mail and detects whether the mail is individualized.

10. The postal hazardous materials screening machine according to claim 9, wherein the camera and the image analysis software determine the individualization distance or overlapping distance and reject overlapping mail.

11. The first conveyor and the second conveyor are each, i) A first belt assembly, The first belt and, First drive unit, A first belt assembly comprising, ii) The second belt assembly, The second belt, The second drive unit, A second belt assembly comprising, Equipped with, The first and second belts of both the first and second conveyors extend substantially parallel to each other to transport mail from the entrance to the exit. The postal hazardous materials screening machine according to claim 8, wherein the first belt of the second conveyor is driven at a faster belt speed than the second belt of the second conveyor in order to separate the first and second mail items.

12. A method for screening mail for dangerous goods, a) Providing the postal hazardous materials screening machine described in claim 1, b) Feeding multiple mail items to a mail individualization device, c) Individualizing the aforementioned multiple mail items into individual mail items, d) Feeding the individual mail items through a pair of compression rollers to compress each individual mail item in order to expel hazardous materials into the enclosure, e) Removing the air from the housing by vacuum, f) Analyzing the air in the enclosure with an analytical device in order to detect hazardous materials, Methods that include...

13. The method according to claim 12, further comprising stopping the postal hazardous materials screening machine when a hazardous material is detected by the analytical device.

14. The method according to claim 12, wherein the hazardous material is a biohazard.

15. The method according to claim 12, wherein the hazardous material is a chemical hazardous material.

16. The method according to claim 12, wherein the hazardous material is a radioactive hazardous material.

17. The method according to claim 12, wherein the hazardous material is a nuclear hazardous material.

18. The method according to claim 12, wherein the hazardous material is a drug.

19. The method according to claim 12, wherein the housing is removablely mounted on the compression roller.

20. The method according to claim 12, wherein the postal hazardous materials screening machine further comprises a sampling plenum configured near the pair of compression rollers for drawing housing air from the housing.

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