Inventory Also In Memory Patents (Class 198/349.7)
  • Patent number: 11338329
    Abstract: Embodiments of a system and method for sorting and delivering articles in a processing facility. Delivery endpoints are divided and grouped into stop groups. A first sorter sorts items according to stop group and outputs the items to trays. The output trays from the first sorter are loaded to a second sorter. The second sorter sorts items for each stop group into trays based on carrier route segments. A manifest is created that comprises a list of the items in a tray. A mobile computing device alerts a delivery carrier when there is an item that needs to be delivered.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2022
    Assignee: United States Postal Service
    Inventors: Scott R. Bombaugh, Thomas J. Foti, David E. Loyd, Sarvang D. Shah
  • Patent number: 10722920
    Abstract: A delivery point sorting device with two feeders for receiving and forwarding mail in streams, where a diverging apparatus divert module is configured to process the mail from the two feeders and a merge module converges the streams of mail from the two feeders and distributes the mail to respective endpoints. Sorting endpoints are used for loading the mail received from this converging apparatus. A method where items of mail are sorted through sorting passes including a first, second, and third sorting pass. Sorting passes are; processing mail through two feeders by receiving the mail by the feeders and forwarding the mail articles in streams of mail, converging the streams of mail from the feeders to a conveyor apparatus, loading the mail at sorting endpoints by the conveyor apparatus, and sequentially passing the mail through the first, second, and third sorting pass.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 28, 2020
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventor: Peter Berdelle-Hilge
  • Patent number: 9849487
    Abstract: Embodiments of a system and method for sorting and sequencing articles in a processing facility are disclosed. Delivery endpoints are divided and grouped into stop groups. A first sorter sorts items according to stop group and outputs the items to trays. The output trays from the first sorter are loaded to a second sorter in stop group order. The second sorter sorts items for each stop group into separate lanes. Each lane can then be sorted into output bins in delivery sequence order.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2017
    Assignee: United States Postal Service
    Inventor: Scott R. Bombaugh
  • Patent number: 9314822
    Abstract: Objects are sorted according to a predetermined sorting feature. A first storage area and a second storage area each have a plurality of storage devices. A storage device of the first storage area has a storage device output and an emptying transport path, which leads to a storage device of the second storage area. The value that the sorting feature takes on for each object to be sorted is measured for that object. A storage device is selected on the basis of the sorting feature value. In an emptying-optimized mode, only storage devices of the first storage area are selected, and in a sorting destination-optimized mode, storage devices of the second storage area are also selected. A storage device with a store output is emptied in an emptying-optimized mode by transporting objects in this storage device to a storage device of the second storage area via the emptying transport path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2016
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventor: Peter Berdelle-Hilge
  • Patent number: 7735624
    Abstract: An article transporting facility includes: a single predetermined path disposed along a plurality of article transfer locations and having a first end and a second end; a predetermined number of article transporting carriages traveling on the predetermined path; controlling means for controlling traveling of the predetermined number of article transporting carriages; wherein based on article transport request information for transporting an article from an original article transfer location to a destination article transfer location among the plurality of article transfer locations, the controlling means controls the traveling of the transporting carriages such that the controlling means selects an article transporting carriage from the plurality of article transporting carriages for causing the selected carriage to transfer the article from the original article transfer location to the destination article transfer location; and when a multiple request condition exists wherein a plurality of transport re
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 15, 2010
    Assignee: Daifuku Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Koide, Hiroyuki Kozawa
  • Patent number: 7133742
    Abstract: A device for processing slaughter animals or parts thereof, for example poultry, comprises a transport system with an endless track and a chain of chain elements which can be moved along the track, wherein a plurality of chain elements are set up as carriers to carry one or more slaughter animals and/or parts thereof. The device furthermore has a delivery station for delivering slaughter animals or parts thereof to the carriers of the transport system, one or more stations being set up along the track of the transport system to perform actions relating to the slaughter animals or parts thereof. The device furthermore has location means for determining the position of the chain in relation to the track, wherein the location means comprise an identifiable chain element which has an associated identification mark, and also an identification sensor set up along the track to detect each identifiable chain element, wherein the remaining chain elements in the chain are designed as unidentifiable chain elements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2006
    Assignee: Stork PMT B.V.
    Inventors: Petrus Wilhelmus Hendrikus Cruysen, Jan Willem Beeftink, Adrianus Josephes van den Nieuwelaar
  • Publication number: 20030077152
    Abstract: The invention concerns one or two belts-staircases that link several storage levels. Each level has linear storage belts accessed through a belt that connect the level to the intake. The outlet from the storage belts ends in another belt connecting them to the outlet and again to the storage belts. At the intake to levels and storage belts there are divertors to divert merchandises into them. To control the flow, there are photoelectric cells and tag readers at the intakes and outlets of the various devices.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 14, 2002
    Publication date: April 24, 2003
    Inventor: Gines Sanchez Gomez
  • Patent number: 6378687
    Abstract: Featured is a sorting/diverting apparatus that diverts articles from a plurality of moving belts, the sorting/diverting apparatus including a plurality of rollers that are rotatably mounted to a support frame and a moving mechanism that moves the support frame back and forth between two positions. The controller controls the moving of the support frame and the operation of the drive motor so as to divert/sort the articles. Each controller includes bi-directional communications ports, a processor that processes information and provides outputs, and an applications program for execution within the processor that includes instructions and criteria for processing the information and providing the processor outputs to control the apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2000
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2002
    Assignee: Quantum Conveyor Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Hans J. Lem, Richard J. Bowman, Robert J. Koehler, William E. Koehler, Gerald R. Grispart, Michel L. Plasse
  • Patent number: 6308109
    Abstract: An apparatus and control method for feeding medications in which processing units, which can prepare drugs, non-drug articles and drug-related articles, are provided along a carrier feed line, and in which carriers for respective patients are fed on the feed line in the order in which preparations for carriers, preparations for medications, and preparation for receiving carriers are all finished so that a large amount of medications can be collected and delivered by carts to a plurality of wards in a hospital with high efficiency. When patient data is entered in a host computer, at least one of the processing units corresponding to this data is activated to prepare medications. When preparations in all of the processing units, tray feed units, and tray receiving unit have been made, a corresponding tray is fed on the conveyor to collect medications and is then loaded into a predetermined one of a plurality of carts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 1999
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2001
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Yuyama Seisakusho
    Inventors: Shoji Yuyama, Hiroshi Nose, Takuo Morimoto