The result is the mail is both sorted and coded in one step. Addition 25 35 45 60 65 2 ally, the mail is sorted to the keyed data and not the coded data; failure to encode will not interfere with the sortation in process. Also, the on-line approach elimi nates mail handling necessary to and from off-line cod ing consoles. As to cost ef?ciency, the modi?cation to the console is comparatively low-cost with a very fa vorable price performance advantage over an off-line console. Moreover, it provides a capability without a requirement for additional ?oor space, and it utilizes in-place and capitalized equipment. As mentioned hereinbefore, the multiple-position letter sorting machine includes 12 operator-manned input consoles. In utilizing the invention, any desired number of the consoles may at any time be programmed to serve as automatic print stations. This arrangement permits selection of a desired number of consoles to be used for automatic print stations in combination with the remaining operator-attended‘ consoles at which no bar-coded address information is to be printed. In this manner, the letter sorting machine can be tailored to simultaneously sort both types of mail, and in any de sired proportion. Other features and advantages of the console printer system of the present invention will become apparent in the detailed description which follows. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a pictorial view of the input console of a present day letter sorting machine modi?ed to include a console printer station as contemplated by the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the principal portions of a letter sorting machine adapted in accordance with the present invention to accept address data from keyboard initiated data and convert the latter to bar code print and Expanded ZIP Retro?t data. ‘ FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the modi?cations de picted in FIG. 2, involving the console printer. FIG. 4 comprises FIGS. 4A and 4B which together in side-by-side relationship provide an expanded block diagram based upon FIG. 3, and provide more details of the “Console Code Printer Interface”. DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT I FIG. 1 illustrates the physical relationship of a code printer 10 to the existing elements of the input console 12 of the MPLSM. To implement the automated mode, conventional transport rollers (not shown), driven from existing power sources within the console, and associated spring-loaded pinch rollers (not shown) are combined with elevation adjustments in the letter trough 14 to insure that the document 16 is front face registered against the printer platen within the code printer 10, as it is transported therethrough. Brie?y, in operation, a letter 16 is delivered by transport means (not shown) to the viewing area 18 where it is momentarily at rest and may be examined by an operator, who then enters its destination into the console 12 via keyboard 20. Subse quently, a pusher ?nger 22 actuated by a second trans port means (not shown) engages and accelerates the trailing edge of the letter. In the absence of the print station 10, the last mentioned transport means would continue to move the letter along its normal convey ance path. However, with the addition of the print station, the aforementioned rollers engage the mail piece and move it at a substantially uniform velocity corresponding to that of the pusher ?nger 22. It is ap parent that the ?nger continues to move along with the letter 16 but is relieved of its document pushing func tion. As the document leaves the print station transport rollers, the conveying of the mail piece along its usual path in the console is again resumed by the pusher ?n ger 22. In FIG. 2, there is illustrated in simpli?ed form the block diagram of a letter sorting machine 24 capable of accepting both manual keyboard and code controlled data, the latter being provided by the console printer kit of the present invention. In FIG. 2, the existing MPLSM 24 and its accompa nying input consoles 12 include Expanded ZIP Retro?t (EZR) 28 comprised of a Peripheral Control 2812, Sort Processor 28a, Central Processor and Memory 28c and I/O Station 28d. The Expanded ZIP Retro?t (EZR) 28 automatically directs mail to its proper bin destination. Destination data for each mail piece is presently sup plied to the EZR 28 from the regular or auxiliary sec tions of the Console Keyboard 20. In accordance with the invention, a Bar Code Printer 10, as illustrated in FIG. 1, is added to console 12 and a Console Code Printer (CCP) Interface 30 is interposed between the console 12 and the I/O Station 28d of EZR 28. The Console Code Printer Interface 30 accepts keyed data from keyboard 20 which consists of a regular section 20a and an auxiliary section 2017, each of which contain ten keys, as seen in FIG. 1. The Mode Select unit 32 is coupled to the CCP Interface 30 which controls three modes of console printer operation: Manual Select (No Printing) Automatic Select (Machine-Paced Printing), and Automatic Select (Operator-Paced Printing). Func tionally, the present EZR 28 accepts keyed ZIP code data from keyboard 20. The Central Processor and Memory 28c translates the data into a bin designation which it supplies to the Sort Processor 28a via the I/O station 28d. The Sort Processor 28a via its Peripheral Control 28b, makes use of chain position sensors 34 in the MPLSM 24 to electronically track the mail carts used in the system, and actuate the bin trip devices 36 to release a mail piece when it arrives at the proper sort bin. With continued reference to FIG. 2, it is believed helpful to review the nature of the input data supplied to the EZR 28 from the keyboard 20. The Console Code Printer Interface 30 is described in detail hereinaf ter in connection with FIGS. 3 and 4. The CCP Inter face 30 modi?cation is designed around the present keyboard 20 to permit continued use of the keyboard in its present mode and thereby permit selection through Mode Select 32 for a printing or not printing opera tion-at the user’s option. The Main Processor and Memory 42 (FIG. 3) provides the keyboard 20 with additional ?exibility for various types of bar code print ing. There are two basic bar code printing schemes. One scheme, “Operator Paced”, accepts both 5 digit and 9 digit keyboard entries and is asynchronous to the MPLSM 24. The second scheme, “Machine Paced”, accepts various combinations of 2 to 4 digit keyboard entries and is synchronous with the MPLSM. The pres ent operation of the MPLSM allows 2 to 3 keystroke entries. The 3 keystroke maximum limit is based upon mail moving past the console operator at l letter/= second. Therefore a typical operator has time only to hit 3 keys/second. A ?ve digit ZIP code, for example, “19335” can be represented by three keystrokes. The . ?rst digits “193” of the ZIP code represent one single 20 30 35 45 55 auxiliary 20b keystroke and the regular keyboard 20a is used to input the other two digits, “35”. The “5/ 9 Oper ator Paced” bar code printing mode allows for encod ing intermixed 5 digit and 9 digit ZIP coded mail. This operation assumes six keystrokes for 5 digit and ten keystrokes for 9 digit ZIP codes-the extra keystroke in the latter being for the advance key. Operating under the “5/9 Operator Paced” mode requires the mechani cal drive train of the console 12 to be modi?ed by add ing a clutch, controlled by Main Processor 42 via line 11. The clutch allows a mail piece to remain in front of the operator until the keystrokes for 5 digit or 9 digit ZIP code have been completed. The clutch is engaged upon the actuation of the advance key. With additional reference to FIG. 3, electrical timing signals for syn chronization are provided by a cam signal, line 13 cou pled to Main Processor 42. The lockout pulse, line 15 generated by the MPLSM console 12 latches data going to EZR 28 from the Data Path Controller 44. Since the lockout pulse occurs once a second and keystroke entry for the 5/9 mode may take two to four seconds, the Main Processor 42 must stop the lockout pulses until the depression of the advance key and synchronize the lockout pulse to EZR 28. The second scheme, “Ma chine Paced”, 2 to 4 digit keying is very similar to the present mode of operation of the MPLSM in that two to three keystroke entries are used. It differs in that the POSTNET bar code is printed and keystroke data is entered slightly sooner by opening the keyboard earlier with a “Lockout 1” signal on line 17 coupled to I/O Station 28d and by using a preview station. The Postal Numeric Encoding Technique (POSTNET) was devel oped by the Postal Service to provide an optimized bar code system for encoding ZIP code information on letter mail. The technique is characterized by the ability to read and decode the printed bars by state of the art optical readers.
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