Article singulating system

Claim 1

A SYSTEM FOR SINGULATING A STREAM OF EDGE SUPPORTED FLAT ARTICLES SUCH AS LETTER MAIL, WHICH STREAMD IS CONTINUOUSLY INTRODUCED INTO THE SYSTEM AS RANDOMLY FORMED PATTERNS OF THE ARTICLES; SAID SYSTEM COMPRISING A HORIZONTAL PLANE TRANSPORT CONVEYOR FOR SUPPORTING THE RANDOM PATTERNS OF MAIL ON EDGE, A FLOW LIMITER CONVEYOR IN THE PATH OF SAID TRANSPORT CONVEYOR AND HAVING MEANS FOR CONVERTING THE RANDOM PATTERNS OF ARTICLES INTO A SUBSTANTIALLY CONTINUOUS, RELATIVELY NARROW STREAM OF ARTICLES, A PRESINGULATOR CONVEYOR HAVING MEANS FOR LONGITUDINALLY SPREADING OUT THE STREAM OF ARTICLES LEAVING SAID FLOW LIMITER CONVEYOR, A PRESINGULATOR FEED CONVEYOR BELT FOR TRANSPORTING THE STREAM OF ARTICLES FROM SAID FLOW LIMITER CONVEYOR TO SAID PRESINGULATOR CONVEYOR, A SHINGLE FORMER CONVEYOR, A FIRST ACCELERATOR CONVEYOR FOR LONGITUDINALLY SPREADING OUT THE STREAM OF ARTICLES RECEIVED FROM SAID PRESINGULATOR CONVEYOR AND DELIVERING THE ARTICLES TO SAID SHINGLE FORMER CONVEYOR, SAID SHINGLE FORMER CONVEYOR HAVING MEANS FOR SHIFTING THE TRAILING PORTIONS OF ARTICLES PASSING THRERTHROUGH LATERALLY AWAY FROM ADJACENT DOWNSTREAM ARTICLES, A BUFFER CONVEYOR, A BUFFER FEEDER CONVEYOR HAVING MEANS FOR PICKING UP ARTICLES LEAVING SAID SHINGLE FORMER CONVEYOR, ACCELERATING THE ARTICLES, AND DELIVERING THE ARTICLES TO SAID BUFFER CONVEYOR, SAID BUFFER CONVEYOR HAVING MEANS FOR PEELING OFF ARTICLES DELIVERED BY SAID BUFFER FEEDER CONVEYOR AND ADVANCING THE ARTICLES LATERALLY AS AN EDGED STACK OF ARTICLES, A FINAL SINGULATOR CONVEYOR, HAVING A STACK PEELING CONVEYOR FOR INDIVIDUALLY PICKING OFF ARTICLES AT THE LEADING END OF THE STACK OF EDGED ARTICLES DELIVERED BY SAID BUFFER CONVEYOR, A FINAL ACCELERATING CONVEYOR FOR PICKING UP ARTICLES FROM SAID FINAL SINGULATOR CONVEYOR AND ACCELERATING THE ARTICLES SO AS TO COMPLETELY SINGULATE THEM FOR PRESENTATION TO A TAKE AWAY CONVEYOR WITH GAPS BETWEEN ADJACENT ARTICLES, AND MEANS FOR DRIVING SAID CONVEYORS.

Claim 2

A SYSTEM FOR SINGULATING A STREAM OF EDGE SUPPORTED FLAT ARTICLES SUCH AS LETTER MAIL, WHICH STREAMD IS CONTINUOUSLY INTRODUCED INTO THE SYSTEM AS RANDOMLY FORMED PATTERNS OF THE ARTICLES; SAID SYSTEM COMPRISING A HORIZONTAL PLANE TRANSPORT CONVEYOR FOR SUPPORTING THE RANDOM PATTERNS OF MAIL ON EDGE, A FLOW LIMITER CONVEYOR IN THE PATH OF SAID TRANSPORT CONVEYOR AND HAVING MEANS FOR CONVERTING THE RANDOM PATTERNS OF ARTICLES INTO A SUBSTANTIALLY CONTINUOUS, RELATIVELY NARROW STREAM OF ARTICLES, A PRESINGULATOR CONVEYOR HAVING MEANS FOR LONGITUDINALLY SPREADING OUT THE STREAM OF ARTICLES LEAVING SAID FLOW LIMITER CONVEYOR, A PRESINGULATOR FEED CONVEYOR BELT FOR TRANSPORTING THE STREAM OF ARTICLES FROM SAID FLOW LIMITER CONVEYOR TO SAID PRESINGULATOR CONVEYOR, A SHINGLE FORMER CONVEYOR, A FIRST ACCELERATOR CONVEYOR FOR LONGITUDINALLY SPREADING OUT THE STREAM OF ARTICLES RECEIVED FROM SAID PRESINGULATOR CONVEYOR AND DELIVERING THE ARTICLES TO SAID SHINGLE FORMER CONVEYOR, SAID SHINGLE FORMER CONVEYOR HAVING MEANS FOR SHIFTING THE TRAILING PORTIONS OF ARTICLES PASSING THRERTHROUGH LATERALLY AWAY FROM ADJACENT DOWNSTREAM ARTICLES, A BUFFER CONVEYOR, A BUFFER FEEDER CONVEYOR HAVING MEANS FOR PICKING UP ARTICLES LEAVING SAID SHINGLE FORMER CONVEYOR, ACCELERATING THE ARTICLES, AND DELIVERING THE ARTICLES TO SAID BUFFER CONVEYOR, SAID BUFFER CONVEYOR HAVING MEANS FOR PEELING OFF ARTICLES DELIVERED BY SAID BUFFER FEEDER CONVEYOR AND ADVANCING THE ARTICLES LATERALLY AS AN EDGED STACK OF ARTICLES, A FINAL SINGULATOR CONVEYOR, HAVING A STACK PEELING CONVEYOR FOR INDIVIDUALLY PICKING OFF ARTICLES AT THE LEADING END OF THE STACK OF EDGED ARTICLES DELIVERED BY SAID BUFFER CONVEYOR, A FINAL ACCELERATING CONVEYOR FOR PICKING UP ARTICLES FROM SAID FINAL SINGULATOR CONVEYOR AND ACCELERATING THE ARTICLES SO AS TO COMPLETELY SINGULATE THEM FOR PRESENTATION TO A TAKE AWAY CONVEYOR WITH GAPS BETWEEN ADJACENT ARTICLES, AND MEANS FOR DRIVING SAID CONVEYORS.