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[57] ABSTRACT A printer system is con?gured as a kit for retro?tting the input consoles of existing letter sorting machines of the type used by the US. Postal Service. Such machines require that an operator, stationed at a console, enter sorting information for each mail piece, by way of a manually actuated keyboard. The present invention expands the processing capabilities of the machines by imprinting machine-readable, coded information on the respective faces of the mail pieces simultaneously with the sorting thereof. At the same time, the printing func tion does not impair or modify the usual operator-con trolled console when mail is processed which does not requlre Such °°dmg 10 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures 4,606,660 1 PRINTER KIT FOR LE'I'I‘ER SORTING MACHINES BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The U.S. Postal Service has approximately 800 multi ple-position letter sorting machines, MPLSM’s, such as the Series Nos. 120 and 140, in use in postal facilities throughout the United States. Each sorting machine includes 12 operator-manned coding consoles which serve as input devices for the delivery of mail into the MPLSM for the sortation and distribution thereof to any of 277 destination receptacles. Each letter must pass before an operator who reads the address and enters certain address information into the machine via a key board while the mail piece is automatically deposited in a letter-conveying cart compartment. The cart and the address data in memory are then instrumental in the delivery of the mail piece to its designated receptacle. 36026
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It has been observed that the ?exibility and utility of letter sorting machines might be extended if they could be provided with the ability to automatically print the address information pre-coded in machine readable form on the face of the mail piece. The consoles would serve as document handling input devices having an automatic print capability. However, this automation would only be bene?cial if it did not impair or modify existing operator-controlled console operation when the processing does not entail the bar-coding of letter mail. The present invention meets the foregoing criteria in providing for the conversion of the MPLSM’s to in crease their processing capabilities. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In accordance with the present invention, a letter sorting machine of improved utility and ?exibility is provided. Basically, this is achieved through the incor poration of a print station into the input console of the machine and the provision of an electrical interface to permit the MPLSM to accept either the manually inputted keyboard information or the‘information de rived from the printer interface. Structurally, the print station is conveniently located on the input console adjacent the normal viewing area associated with the operator keyboard entry. The mail piece is advanced past the viewing area and is conveyed through the print station. Electrically, the current letter sorting machine uti lizes a device known as an “Expanded ZIP Retro?t” to automatically direct mail to its proper bin designation. The present invention provides an electrical interface, designated hereinafter as a “Console Code Printer In terface” which accepts manual keyboard data and through the application of circuit logic provides output data in the format utilized by the manual keyboard. In this way, no modi?cation of the “Expanded ZIP Retro ?t” portion of the machine is required to shift from manual to automatic operation, or vice versa. The present invention comprises, in effect, a retro?t table console printer kit for use on the input consoles of letter sorting machines. A number of advantages accrue to the letter sorting operation through the application of the invention. For example, bar coding of the mail on line permits continued utilization of the large depth of sort inherent in the MPLSM. The bar coding can take place as part of the mail sorting process.