Abstract: An item location directory method and system involves the use of item-identifying bar codes on the items to be included in the directory, and location-identifying bar codes physically applied to the corresponding locations. These are read in a preset manner with a bar code reader and inputted into a processor for creation of item/corresponding location data for the directories.

Abstract: The present invention provides a transfer system and method for aligning articles. The transfer system comprises a transfer member adapted to transfer the articles along a designated path, an orientation-adjustment portion having an orienter that is adapted to rotate at least a first portion of the articles, and a receiving portion that is adapted to restrict movement of at least a second portion of the articles along the designated path Each of the articles has a surface configuration that allows the articles to compress along an axial direction when at least two of the surface configurations of a respective adjacent two of the articles are aligned, and the receiving portion and the orienter cooperate to align the first portion and the second portion and compress a length of the first portion and the second portion along an axial direction of the articles.

Abstract: An article transport apparatus comprises: an article transporting mobile body movable along a predetermined path extending along a storage rack having a plurality of article storage units; a loading unit disposed on the predetermined path for supporting an article to be stored; an article transfer device disposed on the mobile body for transferring the article; operation control device for controlling traveling operation of the mobile body and transfer operation of the article transfer device; and article position detection device for detecting a position, in a first direction along a traveling direction of the mobile body, of the article transferred from the loading unit to the mobile body; wherein the operation control device obtains a misalignment amount with respect to a predetermined proper position, in the first direction, of the article transferred from the loading unit to the mobile body, based on detected information from the article position detection device, and corrects a horizontal component o

Abstract: A transfer schedule SA and a transfer schedule SB for an A lot and a B lot different from each other are generated on a transfer control table, the succeeding transfer schedule SB is moved ahead in the direction of a time axis within a range over which it does not interfere with the transfer schedule SA for the preceding A lot to make the start timing for the succeeding transfer schedule SB become earlier than the end timing for the transfer schedule for the preceding A lot, so that the transfer schedule SA and the transfer schedule SB are executed in parallel, thereby improving the throughput a wafer transfer process.

Abstract: A datacenter with automated robotic maintenance comprises: a plurality of computer systems disposed at different locations therein, each system including: a cabinet rack; and a plurality of system cell units disposed therein for operation of the corresponding computer system; a robotic vehicle operative to move to each of the cabinet racks of the plurality and to perform maintenance on the system cell units thereof; and a central management station operative to communicate with the plurality of computer systems to determine an occurrence of a maintenance event for a system cell unit at one of the computer systems, and operative to direct the robotic vehicle to move to the cabinet rack of the one computer system and to perform maintenance on the system cell unit in accordance with the maintenance event.

Abstract: A production system capable of further improving production efficiency and quality. The ring management system includes size measurement unit for measuring size of the ring, first convey unit for moving the ring w whose size has been measured, a first stocker having a plurality of storage positions for storing rings conveyed by the first convey unit, a second convey unit for conveying out the rings from the first stocker means for stacking, and a control unit. The control unit includes memory means for storing the rings size measured by the size measurement means in association with the storage position in the first stocker, first selection means for selecting a ring constituting a stacked ring according to the ring size stored in the memory means, and first instruction means to instruct the second convey unit to convey out the ring selected by the first selection means from the storage position pj in the first stocker.

Abstract: A transport system. The transport system comprises a first interbay component, a second interbay component, a plurality of intrabay components, and a route controller. The first and second interbay components transport the vehicles between the tool bays. Each of the intrabay components, linked with the second interbay component, transports the vehicles within one of the tool bays. Additionally, the intrabay component does not link with the first interbay component directly. The route controller estimates a transport cost for transporting the vehicle via the second interbay device, and determines whether the vehicle is to be transported via the first or second interbay component according to the estimated transport cost.

Abstract: Three software programs are respectively run on the main processing constituent of a programmable logic controller (PLC), the network-controlling constituent of the PLC, and a human interface unit. Intelligent (e.g., switch, sensor, control, etc.) devices are distributed within a communications network associated with a vertical package conveyor (VPC). Signals are transmitted between/among the processing constituent, the controlling constituent, the interface and the devices. In an ongoing informational and regulative process, the devices provide input for the processing constituent, which in turn provides output to the devices. In furtherance of human safety, the processing constituent causes VPC operation to stop upon the occurrence of any of the following events: breached light curtain; open machinery access door; inoperable run stop button; inoperable emergency stop button; activated emergency stop button; misplaced package.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for separating the web rolls (2) of a roll set (1) traveling on a conveyor (3) from each other. The conveyor (3) comprises a conveyor belt or chain (12) adapted to run about driving and tail pulleys (7). In the method, the set (1) of web rolls is transported on the leg of the conveyor belt or chain (12). According to the method, onto the top surface of the conveyor belt or chain (12) is formed an elevation capable of separating the web rolls (2) apart from each other with the help of an elevating roll assembly (5) adapted to operate below the top surface of the conveyor belt or chain (12) and comprising at least one rotary elevating roll (6).

Abstract: A control command communicated between a print control section and a finisher control section are relayed by an inserter control section. The print control section and the finisher control section generate the control command without taking into account processing at an inserter, and the inserter control section judges the content of the control command upon receiving the control command sent from the print control section or the finisher control section, and converts the control command or adjusts output timing of the control command if the control command needs to take into account the processing at the inserter.

Abstract: A method of reversing direction of an article is disclosed by engaging an article with a first belt to move the article in a first direction; disengaging the article from the first belt; and then engaging the article with a second belt to move the article in a second direction. An apparatus to reverse direction of an article is also disclosed by a first belt rotating in a first direction; a second belt rotating in a second direction; the first belt engaging an article at a first time while the second belt is disengaged with the article, the first belt disengaging the article at a second time, and the second belt engaging the article at a third time while the first belt is disengaged with the article.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for processing mail is provided. Mail is placed into an input bin having a conveyor that conveys the mail towards a feeder. The feeder serially feeds the envelopes by engaging the lead envelope in the stack of mail and displacing the lead envelope transverse the stack of mail. The mail is then cut on a side edge and the top edge to cut open each envelope. A transport conveys the cut envelopes to an extractor. The extractor opens the edge-severed mail and presents the contents of the envelopes to an operator who manually extracts the contents. The operator drops the extracted contents onto a conveyor that conveys the contents to an imaging station. The contents are automatically separated and imaged to obtain image data for the contents. The contents are then sorted into a plurality of output bins.

Abstract: A production system capable of further improving production efficiency and quality. The ring management system includes size measurement unit for measuring size of the ring, first convey unit for moving the ring w whose size has been measured, a first stocker having a plurality of storage positions for storing rings conveyed by the first convey unit, a second convey unit for conveying out the rings from the first stocker means for stacking, and a control unit. The control unit includes memory means for storing the rings size measured by the size measurement means in association with the storage position in the first stocker, first selection means for selecting a ring constituting a stacked ring according to the ring size stored in the memory means, and first instruction means to instruct the second convey unit to convey out the ring selected by the first selection means from the storage position pj in the first stocker.

Abstract: An article transporting apparatus, according to one preferred embodiment, includes: a plurality of movable bodies for transporting articles, the movable bodies being movable between a plurality of article transfer locations; and an operation controlling section for controlling the plurality of movable bodies so that the movable bodies effect article transporting operations in accordance with an article transport request information; wherein the operation controlling section selects a movable body from the group of movable bodies for an article transporting operation, based on an operation condition configured to cause each of the movable bodies to have a different past operation history such that a timing for replacing a replaceable part for one movable body is different from replacement timings for other movable bodies.

Abstract: A method comprising providing printed products to form a first mail stream on a printing line, providing printed products to form a second mail stream on a printing line, and placing printed product from the second mail stream onto a printed product of the first mail stream to create the combined mail stream in the sequence of a master mailing list.

Abstract: A recording material stacking apparatus equipped with a plurality of discharge ports and a plurality of stacking trays can be set to normal mode and large capacity stacking mode each having a different maximum loading capacity. A stacking tray on the upper side has a plurality of lower limit positions and uses a lower limit position located on the upper side when normal mode is selected. On the other hand, it uses a lower limit position located on the lower side when the large capacity stacking mode is selected. The lower limit position located below a stacking tray on the upper side when this large capacity stacking mode is selected exists at a position in which it blocks a lower discharge port of sheets. Selection of the large capacity stacking mode and normal mode is executed according to a result of computation from data input through an input portion.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method for creating a set of wafer transfer instructions configured to transfer a wafer between an origination wafer-holding location and a destination wafer-holding location in a plasma cluster tool, which has a plurality of wafer-holding locations. The method includes receiving a first user-provided location indicator and a second user-provided location indicator, which graphically identify the origination wafer-holding location and the destination wafer-holding location respectively on the on-screen graphical representation of the plasma cluster tool. The method further includes ascertaining data pertaining to a path between the first user-provided location indicator and the second user-provided location indicator. The method further includes forming the set of wafer transfer instructions responsive to the data pertaining to the path. The set of wafer transfer instructions is configured to transfer the wafer along a set of wafer-holding locations associated with the path.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method for balancing data tape cartridge utilization in an automated tape library system identifies a current number of data tape cartridge mounts per library string and identifies a target number mounts per the library string to identify a difference between the target number and the current number as a delta number of data tape cartridges to move. The number of data tape cartridge mounts per data tape cartridge per library string is identified and a data tape cartridge to move is selected by identifying a unique identifier of the data tape cartridge with the highest number of mounts, and having a lowest number of moves, to form a selected data tape cartridge, and creates a move request for the selected data tape cartridge. The move request is sent to the automated tape library for execution, and a move counter for each data tape cartridge moved is incremented.

Abstract: A method is provided for sorting incoming products (e.g., chicken butterflies) to be portioned into two or more types of end products (e.g., sandwich portions, strips, nuggets, etc.) to meet production goals. The method includes generally four steps. First, information on incoming products is received. Second, for each incoming product, a parameter value (e.g., the weight of an end product to be produced from the incoming product) is calculated for each of the two or more types of end products that may be produced from the incoming product. Third, the calculated parameter values for the incoming products for the two or more types of end products, respectively, are normalized so as to meet the production goals while at the same time achieving optimum parameter values. Fourth, for each incoming product, the end product with the best (e.g., largest) normalized parameter value is selected as the end product to be produced from the incoming product.

Abstract: Computer assisted systems, methods and mediums for filling one or more orders. One embodiment of the present invention is a system that includes an order consolidation station configured to receive at least one bottle containing pills individually counted and/or at least one package containing pharmaceutical products without having been designated for any of the orders when the package was created and/or at least one literature pack optionally including patient specific information. The order consolidation station is further configured to combine automatically the received bottle and/or package and/or literature pack into a container to be sent to a recipient including, for example, mail order pharmacies, wholesalers and/or central fill dealers for subsequent distribution or sale including retailer distribution or sale. The bottle is specifically designated for the order, and the order generally includes at least one prescription for the package.