System for sorting documents

Claim 1

A DEVICE FOR SORTING DOCUMENTS INTO A PLURALITY OF OUTLETS, SAID DEVICE COMPRISING: (A) MEANS (B) FOR FEEDING THE DOCUMENTS ONE AT A TIME INTO AND THROUGH SAID DEVICE, (B) MEANS (S) FOR SETTING UP BITS OF INFORMATION IN A SET OF TRIGGERS CORRESPONDING TO SAID OUTLETS, (C) MEANS (F) FOR DETECTING THE LEADING EDGE OF EACH DOCUMENT FED THROUGH SAID DEVICE AT SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL TIME-DISTANCE INTERVALS THROUGHOUT SAID DEVICE, (D) A MAIN (B) AND A PLURALITY OF BRANCH (G1 THROUGH G8) CHANNELS FROM SAID FEEDING MEANS FOR PASSAGE OF SAID DOCUMENTS, ALONG WHICH CHANNELS SAID DETECTING MEANS ARE RELATIVELY EVENLY DISTRIBUTED AND LOCATED, (E) A STEP REGISTER MEANS (S1A THROUGH S12A AND S1B THROUGH S7B) FOR SAID INFORMATION BITS SET UP IN SAID TRIGGERS, WHICH REGISTER MEANS IS STEPPED EACH TIME A DOCUMENT''S LEADING EDGE PASSES ONE OF SAID DETECTING MEANS IN SAID CHANNELS, (F) SWITCH MEANS (K1 THROUGH K8) FOR SAID DOCUMENTS BETWEEN SAID MAIN AND EACH SAID BRANCH CHANNELS, AND SWITCH MEANS (K1.1 THROUGH K8.8) IN SAID BRANCH CHANNELS BETWEEN EACH SAID DETECTING MEANS FOR DISCHARGING SAID DOCUMENTS INTO SAID OUTLETS, (G) SEPARATE ELECTRONIC GATE MEANS (P8, P9) CORRESPONDING TO EACH SAID SWITCH MEANS AND EACH SAID INFORMATION BITS, WHEREBY EACH DOCUMENT IS SWITCHED INTO ITS CORRESPONDING OUTLET WHEN IT REACHES ITS SAID BRANCH CHANNEL AND ITS SAID OUTLET AT ITS PASSAGE THROUGH SAID DEVICE, AND (H) TIMING MEANS (D1, D2, L1 THROUGH L8, AND L1.1 THROUGH L8.4) CONTROLLED BY SAID DETECTING MEANS AND SAID GATE MEANS FOR DETECTING IRREGULARITIES IN THE MOVEMENTS OF SAID DOCUMENTS THROUGH SAID DEVICE.

Claim 2

A DEVICE FOR SORTING DOCUMENTS INTO A PLURALITY OF OUTLETS, SAID DEVICE COMPRISING: (A) MEANS (B) FOR FEEDING THE DOCUMENTS ONE AT A TIME INTO AND THROUGH SAID DEVICE, (B) MEANS (S) FOR SETTING UP BITS OF INFORMATION IN A SET OF TRIGGERS CORRESPONDING TO SAID OUTLETS, (C) MEANS (F) FOR DETECTING THE LEADING EDGE OF EACH DOCUMENT FED THROUGH SAID DEVICE AT SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL TIME-DISTANCE INTERVALS THROUGHOUT SAID DEVICE, (D) A MAIN (B) AND A PLURALITY OF BRANCH (G1 THROUGH G8) CHANNELS FROM SAID FEEDING MEANS FOR PASSAGE OF SAID DOCUMENTS, ALONG WHICH CHANNELS SAID DETECTING MEANS ARE RELATIVELY EVENLY DISTRIBUTED AND LOCATED, (E) A STEP REGISTER MEANS (S1A THROUGH S12A AND S1B THROUGH S7B) FOR SAID INFORMATION BITS SET UP IN SAID TRIGGERS, WHICH REGISTER MEANS IS STEPPED EACH TIME A DOCUMENT''S LEADING EDGE PASSES ONE OF SAID DETECTING MEANS IN SAID CHANNELS, (F) SWITCH MEANS (K1 THROUGH K8) FOR SAID DOCUMENTS BETWEEN SAID MAIN AND EACH SAID BRANCH CHANNELS, AND SWITCH MEANS (K1.1 THROUGH K8.8) IN SAID BRANCH CHANNELS BETWEEN EACH SAID DETECTING MEANS FOR DISCHARGING SAID DOCUMENTS INTO SAID OUTLETS, (G) SEPARATE ELECTRONIC GATE MEANS (P8, P9) CORRESPONDING TO EACH SAID SWITCH MEANS AND EACH SAID INFORMATION BITS, WHEREBY EACH DOCUMENT IS SWITCHED INTO ITS CORRESPONDING OUTLET WHEN IT REACHES ITS SAID BRANCH CHANNEL AND ITS SAID OUTLET AT ITS PASSAGE THROUGH SAID DEVICE, AND (H) TIMING MEANS (D1, D2, L1 THROUGH L8, AND L1.1 THROUGH L8.4) CONTROLLED BY SAID DETECTING MEANS AND SAID GATE MEANS FOR DETECTING IRREGULARITIES IN THE MOVEMENTS OF SAID DOCUMENTS THROUGH SAID DEVICE.