Patent US4201339A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US4201339A
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Article sorting apparatus and method
Assignee: Individual
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Filing: 1973-06-27
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Granted: 1980-05-06
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Expires: 1993-06-27
Abstract
Abstract There is disclosed an article sorting apparatus and method wherein articles bearing a manually marked code in a grid or code area locatable by one or more guide elements which may be separate and distinct from the manually marked code. For postal articles, such as letters and the like, the code may be the zip code, preferably associated with a unique postage stamp, also disclosed herein, marked on a grid by dots, circles, line "X" or like optical marks. On passsing through a reading station, the articles, particularly postal articles, are turned upside down so as to minimize the amount of adjustment or orientation of the optical reader relative to the code bearing grid and also to accommodate, for example , various sized envelopes. There is also disclosed a reader for the guide elements for determining the location of the grid and orienting manually marked reading device.
Inventors
- 👤 Damon M. Gunn
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-03 07:38
CPC Classifications
G; G06; G06K; G06K7/00; G06K7/01; G06K7/015; B; B07; B07C; B07C1/00; B07C1/20; B07C3/00; B07C3/10; B07C3/14; B07C3/18
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 14
Claim 1
Independent Claim
96 words
A postage stamp comprising a laminar body member, having means for securing same to a surface of a postal article, means forming a grid on the outer surface of said laminar body member, said grid being adapted for receiving manually placed pattern of visible code markings, grid locating means on the same surface as said grid and adapted to produce guide signals for subsequent orientation of said manually placed pattern relative to a reading station, and said grid locating means comprising at least a pair of guide elements, one of which is an elongated geometrical shape.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
96 words
A postage stamp comprising a laminar body member, having means for securing same to a surface of a postal article, means forming a grid on the outer surface of said laminar body member, said grid being adapted for receiving manually placed pattern of visible code markings, grid locating means on the same surface as said grid and adapted to produce guide signals for subsequent orientation of said manually placed pattern relative to a reading station, and said grid locating means comprising at least a pair of guide elements, one of which is an elongated geometrical shape.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
22 words
The invention defined in claim 1 wherein said guide elements provide distinctly different responses, selected sensor means or reading apparatus there for.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
136 words
A code-carrying device attachable to envelopes and other articles comprising a combination of two or more marking materials, each marking material having at least one selected color, texture, chemical or electrical qualities, a first of said marking materials having magnetic, fluorescent, or other electronic qualities which are sensible differently from ordinary manually made marks, a printed template consisting of visible and mechanically printed rows and columns of characters written in a given order to suggest the location for said manually made mark for that character in the code, the characters in the template covered by the marks being of the characters of the code and at least a pair of guide elements uniquely shaped and positioned on said device as to produce guide signals for orientation of said manually placed patterns relative to a reading station.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
136 words
A code-carrying device attachable to envelopes and other articles comprising a combination of two or more marking materials, each marking material having at least one selected color, texture, chemical or electrical qualities, a first of said marking materials having magnetic, fluorescent, or other electronic qualities which are sensible differently from ordinary manually made marks, a printed template consisting of visible and mechanically printed rows and columns of characters written in a given order to suggest the location for said manually made mark for that character in the code, the characters in the template covered by the marks being of the characters of the code and at least a pair of guide elements uniquely shaped and positioned on said device as to produce guide signals for orientation of said manually placed patterns relative to a reading station.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
91 words
A stamp as a postage stamp, adapted to be affixed to objects such as letters, comprising a template printed with an ink electrically sensibly different from the mark of an ordinary pen or pencil, and in a form to provide a form for marking a code thereon with an ordinary pen or pencil in the space referred to in the electronically sensible ink, and guide means printed on the surface of said stamp and positioned thereon as to produce guide signals for orientation of said template relative to a reading station.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
91 words
A stamp as a postage stamp, adapted to be affixed to objects such as letters, comprising a template printed with an ink electrically sensibly different from the mark of an ordinary pen or pencil, and in a form to provide a form for marking a code thereon with an ordinary pen or pencil in the space referred to in the electronically sensible ink, and guide means printed on the surface of said stamp and positioned thereon as to produce guide signals for orientation of said template relative to a reading station.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
65 words
A sorting device comprising in combination a laminar body member a machine readable destination code on a surface of said body member, and machine readable lateral and angular guide means formed on said surface of said laminar body member and spaced from the edge thereof and adapted to produce guide signals for laterally and angularly orienting a machine reader of said machine readable destination code.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
65 words
A sorting device comprising in combination a laminar body member a machine readable destination code on a surface of said body member, and machine readable lateral and angular guide means formed on said surface of said laminar body member and spaced from the edge thereof and adapted to produce guide signals for laterally and angularly orienting a machine reader of said machine readable destination code.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
20 words
The invention defined in claim 5 wherein said lateral and angular guide means includes at least one elongated geometrical shape.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
32 words
The invention defined in claim 5 wherein said machine readable destination code is formed of a material which is ignored by a reader for said machine readable lateral and angular guide means.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
45 words
The invention defined in claim 5 wherein said machine readable destination code is in a selected area of said surface and is constituted by means forming a grid on the body of said laminar member and adapted to receive visible machine readable destination codes therein.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
130 words
A postage stamp adapted to be applied to a mailing piece and including a printed matrix having a number of columns corresponding to the number of digits or characters in an existing postal destination code system, each column having a plurality of cells, each cell corresponding to one of the number or characters employable for each of said digits, the matrix being encodable by the sender of the mailing piece with the postal code of the destination thereof by the application to a selected cell of each column of a marking which can be sensed optically by a reading machine, the improvement wherein machine readable markings are imprinted on said postage stamp, said machine readable markings being adapted to establish a relative orientation between the matrix and the reading machine.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
130 words
A postage stamp adapted to be applied to a mailing piece and including a printed matrix having a number of columns corresponding to the number of digits or characters in an existing postal destination code system, each column having a plurality of cells, each cell corresponding to one of the number or characters employable for each of said digits, the matrix being encodable by the sender of the mailing piece with the postal code of the destination thereof by the application to a selected cell of each column of a marking which can be sensed optically by a reading machine, the improvement wherein machine readable markings are imprinted on said postage stamp, said machine readable markings being adapted to establish a relative orientation between the matrix and the reading machine.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1983-05-06 | 1983-11-05 | 1984-05-06 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1987-05-06 | 1987-11-05 | 1988-05-06 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1991-05-06 | 1991-11-05 | 1992-05-06 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |