U.S. patent number 3,732,978 [Application Number 05/235,267] was granted by the patent office on 1973-05-15 for method and apparatus for sorting and distributing mail.
Invention is credited to Arthur J. Reader.
United States Patent |
3,732,978 |
Reader |
May 15, 1973 |
METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR SORTING AND DISTRIBUTING MAIL
Abstract
A method and apparatus for sorting and distributing mail
consisting of a multi-compartment mail bag which is collapsable
while being transported or returned from a multi-tenant building.
The bag is initally retained in a central postal sorting station
where mail for each of the tenants is inserted into each of the
individual compartments. The multi-compartment bag is then
collapsed and transported to its destination indicated on the
outside of the bag. When it is delivered to a multi-tenant
building, it is erected and supported within a gang mail box. The
gang mail box preferably includes individual mail compartments
having inwardly projecting flanges designed to project into each of
the compartments. This physically isolates each compartment from
the other in order to prevent compartment-to-compartment pilferage.
A slide fastener is also provided on the front cover of the
multi-compartment bag so that the bag can be locked while it is
transported to the addressee's building.
Inventors: |
Reader; Arthur J. (Hewlett
Harbor, NY) |
Family
ID: |
22884789 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/235,267 |
Filed: |
March 16, 1972 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
209/702; 211/187;
232/30; 209/900; 312/3 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B07C
7/02 (20130101); Y10S 209/90 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
B07C
7/00 (20060101); B07C 7/02 (20060101); B07c
007/02 () |
Field of
Search: |
;209/122,126
;150/14 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Schacher; Richard A.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A mail container for insertion into a gang mail box
comprising:
a flexible bag having at least one open side;
a cover for closing the open side of said bag;
a plurality of compartments formed within said bag and having at
least one side open to the cover of said bag, said compartments
having openings corresponding to each of the boxes of the gang mail
boxes;
means for securing the cover over the opening of said bag; and
mounting means formed on at least one surface of said bag for
securing said bag within the gang mail box.
2. The mail container as recited in claim 1, wherein said fastening
means comprises a slide fastener formed on said cover and said at
least one open side of said bag.
3. The mail container as recited in claim 1, wherein said mounting
means comprises at least one eyelet formed adjacent to the top of
said surface of said bag for permitting said bag to be mounted
within the gang box.
4. The mail container as recited in claim 1, wherein each of said
compartments further comprises a rim formed on the open side of
said compartment and extending across a portion thereof.
5. The mail container as recited in claim 4, wherein said rim
further comprises identification means for receiving an identifying
tag of the addressee of the compartment.
6. The mail container as recited in claim 1 additionally comprising
a rigid projection mounted on each box of the gang mail box and
extending partially into the open side of each compartment of the
mail bag.
7. The mail container as recited in claim 6 wherein each of said
rigid projections has an external periphery slightly smaller than
the open side of said compartment.
8. Method for sorting and distributing mail comprising the steps
of;
setting up a multi-compartment collapsible bag at a central post
office sorting station,
sorting mail and inserting the mail into selected compartments of
the bag,
closing and collapsing the bag to enclose the sorted mail,
delivering the bag to a multi-tenant building, and
expanding and mounting the bag in a gang mail box.
9. The method as recited in claim 8, wherein said step of closing
the bag further comprises the step of locking the bag before
delivery.
10. The method as recited in claim 8, wherein said step of
expanding and mounting includes securing the bag to hooks inside
the gang mail box.
11. The method as recited in claim 8, wherein following said step
of expanding and mounting, said method further comprises collapsing
said bag after the mail has been removed and returning said bag to
the central post office sorting station.
12. The method as recited in claim 8, wherein the gang mail box
includes a plurality of rigid projections, each corresponding to
the opening of each bag compartment and extending partially within
each compartment.
Description
This invention relates to an improved method and apparatus for mail
sorting and distribution.
More specifically, this invention relates to a method and apparatus
for mail distribution particularly for use with multi-tenant
buildings whereby mail is sorted and containerized prior to its
distribution and delivered in individual multi-compartment
containers which are designed to fit directly into ganged mail
boxes.
In the conventional delivery of mail, a letter carrier is provided
with a supply of mail at a particular building site and must sort
the mail before distributing it to each of the individual tenants.
This is often a slow and laborious job and greatly reduces the
efficiency of mail handling within a particular building. Moreover,
this type of delivery increases the probability of the loss of
pieces of mail since the mail sorting operation does not take place
under any close supervision. Moreover, magazines and other
commercial mail are often dumped rather than being delivered while
they are transported by letter carriers to their destination.
Another method for the conventional sorting and distribution of
mail requires that postal personnel sort mail into permanent
compartments at a central post office. The mail is then bundled and
given to letter carries for delivery. In copending application Ser.
No. 191,702, filed Oct. 22, 1971, removable containers or modules
were provided for receiving sorted mail, so that the modules could
be transported by a cart to a multi-tenant building. Collection and
delivery carts suitable for these modules were disclosed in
copending application Ser. No. 209,206, filed on Dec. 17, 1971.
Accordingly, the present invention utilizes mail bags designed with
individual compartments assigned to each business or tenant in a
particular building. Mail, which would include envelopes,
containers, packages and the like, can be sorted at a central post
office sorting station and placed into the individual compartments
of the bag before it is delivered to a building.
When the mail bag is receiving mail during the sorting phase at a
central postal station, it is supported in its expanded form with
all of its compartments open, so that permanent or fixed
compartments are no longer required. The mail bag therefore
eliminates the need for both bundling the sorted mail, and removing
the bundled parcels from fixed containers for separate delivery by
letter carriers. The bag after delivery can either be inserted into
specially designed gang mail boxes adapted to receive the bags, or
conventional gang mail boxes. Each of the multi-compartment bags
includes an address plate indicating its destination or
multi-tenant building. In buildings where there are more than one
station of gang mail boxes, the destination tag can also include a
further code or number indicating the particular gang mail box
where it is to be inserted.
The multi-compartment mail bag is collapsable so that it takes up
very little storage space both during delivery and return from a
multi-tenant building. The method and apparatus of the present
invention eliminates the need for letter carriers to be assigned to
a particular route since the multi-compartment bags can be
delivered by truck to a particular address, and quickly located in
the addressee's mailboxes. Thus, the letter carrier can be taken
off the streets and relocated at a central sorting building. The
letter carrier can then sort the mail into the individual
compartments of the multi-compartment mail bag before it is
transported to the addressee's office building.
In another embodiment of the invention, gang mail boxes are
provided having internally projecting rectangular flanges which are
insertable into each of the compartments of a multi-compartment bag
in order to physically isolate each of the compartments of the bag
and prevent pilferage by persons from adjacent mail
compartments.
The present invention, thus, will cut down on accidental loss of
mail, mass dumpings of commercial mail and magazines, and also
prevent theft of mail from letter carrier's shoulder pouches and
carts during delivery.
The individual mail pouches are preferably constructed from
heavy-weight canvas and are internally partitioned by canvas walls
to form a plurality of vertically and horizontally expanding
compartments. Stiffening elements are also provided within the bag
terminating in eyelets which are adapted to receive hooks inside
each of the gang mail boxes. Thus, the individual pouches are thus
designed to be maintained in their expanded form while they are
located in each of the individual gang mail boxes.
It is therefore an object according to the present invention to
provide a method and apparatus for distributing mail by means of
multi-compartment pouches from a central sorting location to the
addressee's building for insertion into the addressee's gang mail
boxes.
It is another object according to the present invention to provide
a mail distribution system which overcomes the inefficiency and
distribution problems of conventional mail distribution
systems.
It is still a further object according to the present invention to
provide a method and apparatus for mail distribution which is
simple in design, efficient in operation, and inexpensive in
cost.
Other objects and features of the present invention will become
apparent from the following detailed description considered in
connection with the accompanying drawings which disclose the
embodiments of the invention. It is to be understood, however, that
the drawings are designed for the purpose of illustration only and
not as a definition of the limits of the invention.
In the drawings wherein similar reference characters denote similar
elements throughout the several views:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the
multi-compartment mail bag according to the present invention:
FIG. 2 is a detailed plan view of the front of the embodiment of
FIG. 1 showing a locked position;
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along section 3--3 of FIG.
1;
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the embodiment of FIG. 1 in its
folded condition;
FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the mounting of the embodiment
of FIG. 1 in a gang mail box;
FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along section 6--6 of FIG.
5;
FIG. 7 is a detailed view of a gang mail box used for receiving the
invention of FIG. 1; and
FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along section 8--8 of FIG.
7, showing a further embodiment of the invention.
Referring to FIGS. 1-4, there is shown a multi-compartment mail bag
10 having a front flap 18 which is fastened on three sides to the
front edge of the bag by means of slide fastener 11. Slide fastener
11 includes one or more slide fastener actuators or handles 12
which are designed to converge and completely secure front cover 18
to bag 10 so that a lock 15 can seal the contents of the bag
against pilferage, as shown in detail in FIG. 2.
A plurality of eyelets 14 are formed on the top and bottom of bag
10 so that the bag can be supported from corresponding hooks inside
of a gang mail box.
In the embodiment of FIG. 3, eyelets 14 are shown formed at the end
of stiffening rods 26 which extend vertically through the entire
length of bag 10. Rods 26 are preferably formed of steel in order
to add rigidity to the side walls of the bag. The bag may be
collapsed as shown in detail in FIG. 4 when there is little or no
mail stored stored within so that there is a considerable savings
in space when bag 10 is either being transported to the
multi-tenant building, or returned to a central postal sorting
station. A carrying handle 13 is secured near the top of the bag,
and an address plate 16 is mounted adjacent to the handle to
identify the destination of the bag.
Referring to FIGS. 5-8 there is shown bag 10 inserted into a gang
mail box 20. Bag 10 preferably includes individual compartments 17
formed of canvas partitions and walls 19 which may be stitched or
bonded within bag 10. Each of the compartments preferably includes
a rim 24 which is bent upward from the floor of the compartment and
may further include an addressee's name plate 23 secured to the
front thereof. In the embodiment of FIG. 5, front cover 18 has been
coiled up at the top of the bag in front of hooks 25. Hooks 25,
shown in detail in FIG. 6, support eyelets 14 so that the bag can
be maintained in its expanded form while it is in gang box 20.
Hooks 25 may also be mounted at the bottom of gang box 20 and
engaged to corresponding eyelets 14 at the bottom of bag 10. Behind
each of gang doors 21 is mounted a rectangular projecting flange 22
having rectangular dimensions slightly smaller than the opening of
each of compartments 17. Flanges 22 are designed to extend or
project into compartments 17 in order to isolate the individual
compartments frim one another. On the front of each of gang box
systems 20 are included a directory of the tenants 27 who are
receiving mail in this particular gang box system.
The multi-compartment mail bag or sack is preferably constructed of
a heavy canvas material but may also be constructed of any woven or
non-woven material such as leather, nylon, dacron, imitation
leather, plastic or any flexible material which is durable and can
be collapsed and expanded without undue wear. The compartments may
be formed of the same material as the sack, or of different
material depending upon the requirements. The compartments may be
stitched or bonded to the bag.
Flanges 22 formed on the inside of gang box 20 may be constructed
of any rigid material such as metal, wood or plastic and can be
added to conventional mail boxes by bonding or festeners.
The multi-compartment bag of the present invention greatly reduces
the amount of space required for transporting already sorted mail
and is sufficiently flexible so that it adjusts its volume in
accordance with the amount of mail placed within the bag. This
represents a substantial savings in space and volume over rigid
containers used for transporting and distributing already sorted
mail.
While only a few embodiments of the present invention have been
shown and described, other changes and modifications may be made
thereunto without departing from the spirit and scope of the
invention.
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