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. 分拣机的打印机系统英文文献和中文翻译(2):http://www.751com.cn/fanyi/lunwen_34316.html