Article sorting mechanism particularly for thin articles such as letters

Claim 1

A MACHINE FOR SORTING THIN ARTICLES COMPRISING A SUBSTANTIALLY CIRCULAR CARRIER, MEANS MOUNTING SAID CARRIER FOR ROTATION ABOUT A VERTICAL AXIS, MEANS TO ROTATE THE CARRIER IN ONE DIRECTION, SAID CARRIER INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF VERTICALLY SPACED ANNULAR RINGS ADJACENT THE PERIPHERY THEREOF, A STATIONARY FRAMEWORK SURROUNDING THE CARRIER AND INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF VERTICALLY SPACED ANNULAR RING MEMBERS AT LEVELS SPACED APART SUBSTANTIALLY THE SAME DISTANCES AS THE RINGS OF SAID CARRIER, HOLDING MEANS FOR TRAYS AT STATIONS SPACED AROUND EACH OF SAID RING MEMBERS AND CARRIED THEREBY, AT LEAST ONE STATION CONSTITUTING AN INDUCTION STATION, AT LEAST ONE STATION A RESIDUE STATION, AND AT LEAST ONE STATION A CODE READING STATION, AND A MAJORITY OF THE STATIONS CONSTITUTING RECEIVING STATIONS, TRAYS HELD BY THE HOLDING MEANS IN THE INDUCTION, RESIDUE AND RECEIVING STATIONS, THE STATION IMMEDIATELY PRECEDING THE INDUCTION STATION IN THE DIRECTION OF ROTATION OF THE CARRIER BEING A RESIDUE STATION AND THE STATION IMMEDIATELY SUCCEEDING THE INDUCTION STATION BEING A CODE READING STATION, MEANS TO TRANSFER PRE-CODED ARTICLES FROM A TRAY AT THE INDUCTION STATION TO A TRAY AT A RECEIVING STATION SELECTED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CODE ON THE ARTICLE COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF SUCTION MECHANISMS ANGULARLY SPACED AROUND SAID AXIS AND EACH INCLUDING A PIPE SECTION MOUNTED ON ONE OF THE ANNULAR RINGS FOR MOVEMENT BETWEEN RADIALLY SPACED INNER AND OUTER POSITIONS, MEANS RESILIENTLY URGING SAID PIPE SECTION TOWARDS THE INNER OF SAID POSITIONS, A SUCTION HEAD CARRIED AT THE OUTER END OF EACH PIPE SECTION, SAID SUCTION HEAD HAVING AN OPEN FRONT END WHICH, IN THE OUTER POSITION OF THE PIPE SECTION, LIES CLOSELY ADJACENT THE INNERMOST OF A GROUP OF ARTICLES CARRIED IN THE INDUCTION TRAY, FIXED CAM MEANS CARRIED BY SAID FRAMEWORK ADJACENT THE INDUCTION STATION ENGAGEABLE WITH A SUCTION MECHANISM PASSING THE INDUCTION STATION TO DRAW THE PIPE SECTION AND SUCTION HEAD TO THEIR OUTER POSITION, SAID SUCTION HEAD HAVING AT LEAST ONE OPENING TO ATMOSPHERE, VALVE MEANS OPERATIVELY ASSOCIATED WITH SAID SUCTION HEAD MOVABLE BETWEEN TWO POSITIONS IN A FIRST OF WHICH IT CLOSES THE OPENING TO ATMOSPHERE AND ESTABLISHES COMMUNICATION BETWEEN SAID PIPE SECTION AND THE INTERIOR OF THE HEAD AND IN THE SECOND OF WHICH IT OPENS THE OPENING TO ATMOSPHERE AND CLOSES OFF THE PIPE SECTION, FIXED CAM MECHANISM CARRIED BY SAID FRAMEWORK ADJACENT THE INDUCTION STATION ENGAGEABLE WITH SAID VALVE MEANS TO MOVE THE VALVE MEANS FROM THE SECOND POSITION TO THE FIRST WHEREBY TO ENGAGE SUCTIONALLY AN ARTICLE HELD IN THE INDUCTION TRAY, A MECHANICAL MEMORY MEANS CARRIED BY THE CARRIER ADJACENT EACH SUCTION MECHANISM, MEANS AT THE CODE READING STATION CARRIED BY THE FRAMEWORK TO READ THE CODE ON THE ARTICLE AND OPERATIVELY ENGAGEABLE WITH THE MECHANICAL MEMORY MEANS TO SET THE SAME IN ACCORDANCE WITH SUCH CODE, CAM MEANS CARRIED BY THE FRAMEWORK AT EACH RECEIVING STATION MOVABLE BETWEEN AN OPERATIVE POSITION IN WHICH IT ENGAGES A SUCTION MECHANISM TO MOVE IT OUTWARDLY AND AN INOPERATIVE POSITION, MEANS ADJACENT EACH RECEIVING STATION CARRIED BY THE FRAMEWORK INCLUDING SWITCH MEANS OPERAATIVELY CONNECTED WITH THE CAM MEANS AT SUCH STATION FOR MOVING IT TO OPERATIVE POSITION, CAM MECHANISM AT EACH RECEIVING STATION OPERATIVELY ENGAGEABLE WITH THE VALVE MEANS OF A SUCTION HEAD WHICH OCCUPIES A RADIALLY OUTWARD POSITION TO MOVE THE VALVE MEANS FROM THE FIRST TO THE SECOND POSITION, WHEREBY TO RELEASE THE SUCTION ON AN ARTICLE CARRIED BY THE SUCTION MECHANISM, THE TRAY AT EACH RECEIVING STATION HAVING AN OPENING THEREINTO TO RECEIVE ARTICLES FROM A SUCTION MECHANISM WHICH IS IN ITS RADIALLY OUTWARD POSITION, MEANS CARRIED BY THE SUCTION MECHANISM IN ADVANCE OF THE SUCTION HEAD ENGAGEABLE WITH ARTICLES PREVIOUSLY DEPOSITED IN THE RECEIVING TRAY TO PUSH SUCH ARTICLES RADIALLY OUTWARDLY TO PROVIDE SPACE FOR THE INCOMING ARTICLE, FIXED CAM MEANS CARRIED BY THE FRAMEWORK ADJACENT THE RESIDUE STATION ENGAGEABLE WITH EACH SUCTION MECHANISM TO MOVE THE SAME TO ITS OUTER POSITION, CAM MECHANISM ADJACENT THE RESIDUE STATION OPERATIVELY ENGAGEABLE WITH SAID VALVE MEANS WHEN IN ITS FIRST POSITION TO MOVE THE SAME FROM THE FIRST TO THE SECOND POSITION, WHEREBY ALL UNDISTRIBUTED ARTICLES REMOVED FROM THE INDUCTION TRAY ARE DEPOSITED IN THE RESIDUE TRAY, AND A SOURCE OF SUCTION MOUNTED ON THE CARRIER AND ROTATABLE THEREWITH CONNECTED TO SAID PIPE SECTIONS.