Patents Examined by Thomas Randazzo
  • Patent number: 12145759
    Abstract: A pharmaceutical order processing system for processing a plurality of pharmaceutical containers includes a container repository, a container selector, an order consolidator transporter and an order consolidator. The container repository supports the pharmaceutical containers. The container selector has a picker to pick the pharmaceutical containers from the pharmaceutical container repository. The container selector includes a carriage supporting the picker and movable relative to the container repository to move the picker around the container repository. The order consolidator receives the pharmaceutical containers and places the pharmaceutical containers in a shipping package. The order consolidator transporter receives the pharmaceutical containers after they have been picked by the picker and transports the pharmaceutical containers toward the order consolidator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2023
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2024
    Assignee: Express Scripts Strategic Development, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert E. Hoffman, Robert E. Kennedy
  • Patent number: 12145257
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for dispensing and retrieving products is provided. A system may include: a grasping head; first and second grasping members, each grasping member comprising: a top member; a post member; and first and second grasping fingers, where the first and second grasping fingers extend from the post member and are spaced apart from the top member by a predetermined distance, where the first and second grasping members are connected to the grasping head, where at least one of the first and second grasping members is movably connected to the grasping head, where the at least one of the first and second grasping members is movable relative to the other of the first and second grasping members.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2023
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2024
    Assignee: McKesson Corporation
    Inventor: Rich Herrschaft
  • Patent number: 12141650
    Abstract: A method of processing objects using a programmable motion device is disclosed. The method includes the steps of perceiving identifying indicia representative of an identity of a plurality of objects and directing the plurality of objects toward an input area from at least one input conveyance system, acquiring an object from the plurality of objects at the input area using an end effector of the programmable motion device, and moving the acquired object toward an identified processing location using the programmable motion device, said identified processing location being associated with the identifying indicia and said identified processing location being provided as one of a plurality of processing locations that are radially spaced from the programmable motion device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 2023
    Date of Patent: November 12, 2024
    Assignee: Berkshire Grey Operating Company, Inc.
    Inventors: Thomas Wagner, Kevin Ahearn, John Richard Amend, Jr., Benjamin Cohen, Michael Dawson-Haggerty, William Hartman Fort, Christopher Geyer, Jennifer Eileen King, Thomas Koletschka, Michael Cap Koval, Kyle Maroney, Matthew T. Mason, William Chu-Hyon McMahan, Gene Temple Price, Joseph Romano, Daniel Smith, Siddhartha Srinivasa, Prasanna Velagapudi, Thomas Allen
  • Patent number: 12134517
    Abstract: A storage, retrieval and processing system is disclosed for processing objects. The system includes a plurality of bins including objects to be distributed by the processing system, said plurality of bins being provided in at least a partially generally circular arrangement, a programmable motion device that includes an end effector for grasping and moving any of the objects, said programmable motion device being capable of reaching any of the objects within the plurality of bins, and a plurality of destination containers for receiving any of the objects from the plurality of bins, said plurality of destination containers being provided in a region that is generally within the at least partially generally circular arrangement of the plurality of bins.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2022
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2024
    Assignee: Berkshire Grey Operating Company, Inc.
    Inventors: Thomas Wagner, Kevin Ahearn, John Richard Amend, Jr., Benjamin Cohen, Michael Dawson-Haggerty, William Hartman Fort, Christopher Geyer, Jennifer Eileen King, Thomas Koletschka, Michael Cap Koval, Kyle Maroney, Matthew T. Mason, William Chu-Hyon McMahan, Gene Temple Price, Joseph Romano, Daniel Smith, Siddhartha Srinivasa, Prasanna Velagapudi, Thomas Allen
  • Patent number: 12129115
    Abstract: A transport vehicle includes at least one rack, a top plate, an arm attached to the top plate and extendable and retractable in a horizontal direction, a rotation mechanism that changes an extension direction of the arm by rotating the top plate with a vertical direction as a rotation axis, and a control unit that controls operation of the rotation mechanism and the arm. The control unit extends and retracts the arm to pull out an object from the at least one rack or a rack installed outside, rotates the top plate on which the pulled-out object is placed, and extends the arm to store the object in the rack when the object has been pulled out from the at least one rack, and extends the arm to store the object in the at least one rack when the object has been pulled out from the rack.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2024
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kunihiro Iwamoto, Yutaro Takagi, Yuta Itozawa, Hirotaka Komura
  • Patent number: 12128557
    Abstract: A processing system for processing objects using a programmable motion device is disclosed. The processing system includes a plurality of supply bins providing supply of a plurality of objects, with the plurality of supply bins being provided with a bin conveyance system, a programmable motion device in communication with the bin conveyance system, where the programmable motion device includes an end effector for grasping and moving a selected object out of a selected supply bin, and a movable carriage for receiving the selected object from the end effector of the programmable motion device, and for carrying the selected object to one of a plurality of destination containers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2024
    Assignee: Berkshire Grey Operating Company, Inc.
    Inventors: Thomas Wagner, Kevin Ahearn, John Richard Amend, Jr., Benjamin Cohen, Michael Dawson-Haggerty, William Hartman Fort, Christopher Geyer, Victoria Hinchey, Jennifer Eileen King, Thomas Koletschka, Michael Cap Koval, Kyle Maroney, Matthew T. Mason, William Chu-Hyon McMahan, Gene Temple Price, Joseph Romano, Daniel Smith, Siddhartha Srinivasa, Prasanna Velagapudi, Thomas Allen
  • Patent number: 12129125
    Abstract: A storage, retrieval and processing system for processing objects is disclosed that includes a plurality of bins including objects to be distributed by the storage, retrieval and processing system, the plurality of bins being provided on an input conveyance system, a programmable motion device that includes an end effector for grasping and moving any of the objects, a perception system for providing perception data regarding a selected object that is presented to the perception system by the programmable motion device, and a routing conveyance system for receiving the selected object, and for moving the selected object in each of horizontal and vertical directions toward a destination container responsive to the perception data, the destination container being provided among a plurality of destination containers in a row that are provided as a set on a destination conveyance system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2024
    Assignee: Berkshire Grey Operating Company, Inc.
    Inventors: Prasanna Velagapudi, Joseph Romano, Christopher Geyer, Guoming Alex Long, Thomas Allen, Christopher Buck
  • Patent number: 12129120
    Abstract: There are disclosed method and system (10) for picking of articles (12), in particular flat-pack articles (12), in accordance with picking orders, wherein the system (10) comprises: a rack (24) extending substantially along longitudinal and height directions (X, Y) of the system (10) and comprising a plurality of storage locations (30) configured to store source pallets (30); a gantry robot (36) including a manipulation unit (37) configured to transfer the articles (16); a packing position (62) configured to buffer a target pallet (34); a plurality of conveyors (38); and a control (74), which is preferably configured to determine, for each of the orders, an order-specific packing pattern for automatically packing, by the gantry robot (36), several of the articles (12) in accordance with the respective order from one or more of the source pallets (30) on a target pallet (34) in the packing position (62); wherein each of the conveyors (38) comprises a receiving position (66), which is positioned within the rack
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2024
    Assignee: SSI Schäfer Automation GmbH (DE)
    Inventor: Tim Langenbach
  • Patent number: 12116212
    Abstract: Conveyor system, for instance for conveying goods, packages and the like including at least two wired motor-roller controllers, wherein each wired motor-roller controller has at least one motor-roller control port and at least one wired signal bus port, at least two wireless motor-roller controllers, wherein each wireless motor-roller controller has at least on motor-roller control port and a wireless port, and wherein the two wired motor-roller controllers are connected in series along the signal bus via the signal bus port, wherein at each wired motor-roller controller senses a signal strength of wireless signals of the wireless motor-roller controllers, and the wired motor-roller controllers exchange information about the sensed signal strengths.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 2023
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2024
    Assignees: KYOWA EUROPE GMBH, INDUSTRIAL SOFTWARE
    Inventors: Dimitar Ivanov Petrov, Nikola Aleksandrov Yankov, Dimitar Hristov Suvandzhiev, Ivan Dimitrov Petrov, Kazuya Ichieda, Randy Combs, Georg Malina
  • Patent number: 12111636
    Abstract: In a case where the target article is transported between areas, a management control unit executes path setting control, a first area control unit executes first area transport control, a connection control unit executes connecting transport control, and a second area control unit executes second area transport control. With the path setting control, an overall path from a departure point to a destination point is set on the basis of transportation status information of a first area transport facility, a second area transport facility, and a plurality of connecting transport facilities. With the second area transport control, a partial path from a second transfer position of a target connecting transport facility to the destination point is set on the basis of transportation status information of the second area transport facility.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2024
    Assignee: Daifuku Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Koichi Hagiwara, Makoto Kono
  • Patent number: 12109708
    Abstract: A processing system is disclosed for providing processing of objects that include a programmable motion device including an end effector, a perception system for recognizing any of the identity, location, and orientation of an object presented in a plurality of objects at an input location, a grasp acquisition system for acquiring the object using the end effector to permit the object to be moved from the plurality of objects to one of a plurality of destination bins, and a motion planning system for determining a changing portion of a trajectory path of the end effector from the object to a base location proximate to the input location, and determining an unchanging portion of a trajectory path of the end effector from the base location to a destination bin location proximate to a destination bin.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2023
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2024
    Assignee: Berkshire Grey Operating Company, Inc.
    Inventors: Thomas Wagner, Kevin Ahearn, Benjamin Cohen, Michael Dawson-Haggerty, Christopher Geyer, Thomas Koletschka, Kyle Maroney, Matthew T. Mason, Gene Temple Price, Joseph Romano, Daniel Carlton Smith, Siddhartha Srinivasa, Prasanna Velagapudi, Thomas Allen
  • Patent number: 12103776
    Abstract: A robotic picking device for picking items from a containerised storage system wherein items are stored in storage bins in stacks within a framework having a grid system disposed above the stacks of bins. Robotic picking devices are disposed on the grid, the devices acting to pick containers from the stacks of bins. The storage system is provided with at least one picking device for picking items from bins and depositing them directly in delivery containers DT.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 2023
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2024
    Assignee: OCADO INNOVATION LIMITED
    Inventors: Lars Sverker Ture Lindbo, Andrew John Ingram-Tedd, Alexander James Badenoch Harvey
  • Patent number: 12098029
    Abstract: The invention concerns an access station (3) for picking storage containers (106), comprising: •—a picking zone (4), •—at least one conveyor (8,9,21,22) arranged to transport storage containers (106) from an entry position (6) through said picking zone (4) and to an exit position (7), wherein the access station (3) comprises: •—at least one tilting device (13) arranged to tilt a storage container (106) at least in the picking zone (4). The invention further relates to a method for operating such an access station and an automated storage and retrieval system comprising such an access station.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2024
    Assignee: AutoStore Technology AS
    Inventor: Trond Austrheim
  • Patent number: 12098034
    Abstract: A conveyor system including a fixed, non-powered rail defining a conveyor path, and a plurality of automated conveyor carriers supported on the rail. Each carrier includes an on-board motor, at least one wheel forming an interface with the rail, and an on-board power source selectively powering the on-board motor to drive the ACC along the rail. Each of the plurality of carriers operates to power the on-board motor from the on-board power source under the direction of instructions programmed to a local controller. Each of the local controllers is programmed with an algorithm for independent wear monitoring of the at least one wheel and further programmed to take at least one responsive action based on an identification of the at least one wheel being worn.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 2023
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2024
    Assignee: SST Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Chad Martin Andreae, Bradley M. Andreae, Stephen C. Mann, Anthony C. Scoville
  • Patent number: 12093876
    Abstract: Various embodiments provide systems, methods, and computer program products for providing dynamic real-time verification and validation of data associated with the receiving, loading, and positioning of a plurality of containers upon a transport vehicle. One or more computer processors are configured to: receive actual load data associated with at least one container; retrieve at least a portion of expected load data associated with the container for which actual load data has been received; verify the actual weight of the one of the plurality of packages and in response to a successful verification identifying no load weight discrepancies, validate the actual load position of the one of the plurality of packages. In response to a successful validation, at least one communication configured to facilitate at least one of further loading of the plurality of packages may be generated. If validation is unsuccessful, further loading may be prevented.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 2023
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2024
    Assignee: United Parcel Service of America, Inc.
    Inventors: Shikha Arora, Todd Guilford, Wai Lam, Cindy Peck
  • Patent number: 12091254
    Abstract: Apparatus and methods for fulfilling orders by a picker utilizing multiple different levels of container-storage devices (tote-storage devices in some embodiments), all interconnected by at least one different type of conveyance device. The use of more than one level of tote-storage device is referred to as multi-level tote storage. The storage is utilized to hold containers and to sequence the containers in a preferred order that enhances the pick rate/performance. The performance and location of the container storage on the conveyance device(s) relative to the picker is determined by the required pick rate/performance of the system. The conveyance devices recirculate the containers between different levels of container storage at specific times based on a multi-level tote storage simulation control algorithm that provides the optimum pick rate/performance until such time the picker completes all the pick requests assigned to the picker.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2024
    Inventor: Robert D. Ahmann
  • Patent number: 12090521
    Abstract: In some embodiments, the present invention provides an exemplary system that includes a mechanism configured to create by a digital mailing services provider, DMSP, a recipient-specific handling information indicia and provide said recipient-specific handling information indicia to a recipient; a mechanism configured to allow the recipient to provide said handling information indicia in delivery address C/O line, on a mail item, thereby indicating to said service provider their desired handling route for the mail item so that a paper mail recipient to receive improved transmission of correspondence from said service provider via both paper and electronic channels solely via including said handling information indicia contained in the delivery address C/O line of the recipient's delivery address on the mail item.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2023
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2024
    Assignee: Broadridge Output Solutions, Inc.
    Inventors: Frank W. Delfer, Navdeep S. Dhillon
  • Patent number: 12091246
    Abstract: A storage device (1?) for storing transport units (3?) includes a number of transport units (3?), a number of storage lines (12a?-12g?) which are configured to store transport units (3?), a feeding line (11?) which is connected by a respective first switch point (111?) to the storage lines (12a?-12g?), a measuring device (15?) which is arranged on the feeding line (11?) and which is configured to determine a respective extent of a transport unit (3?), and a controller (16?) which is connected to the measuring device (15?) and to the first switch pointes (111?) and which is configured to select a storage line (12a?-12g?) for storing the transport unit (3?) on the basis of the extent of the transport unit (3?) determined by the measuring device (15?).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2024
    Assignee: FERAG AG
    Inventor: Heinz Altwegg
  • Patent number: 12084291
    Abstract: A high-speed and high-precision Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) detection tunnel machine includes: an RFID reader-writer and an RFID antenna; a first conveying line, which conveys a carrier, and the carrier includes at least one RFID tag; a tunnel machine body, which is configured for the first conveying line to pass through, and covers the reading range; and a second conveying line, which conveys the carrier and ensures that the first conveying line only has one carrier. In the application, the second conveying line is disposed, and its relevant parameters may be adjusted according to parameters of the first conveying line and position of the carrier on the first conveying line, so as to realize continuous operation of the tunnel machine and ensure timely supplement of the carrier on the first conveying line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 2024
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2024
    Assignee: WUXI HYESOFT SOFTWARE TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Liqun Yu
  • Patent number: 12084299
    Abstract: A robotic system for arranging packages at a destination in a specified arrangement. The robotic system processes incoming packages, stores the packages in a temporary storage area, executes a simulate function to generate or update a simulated stacking plan, determines the occurrence of a palletizing trigger, and places the packages on the pallet according to the simulated stacking plan upon determining the occurrence of the palletizing trigger. The palletizing trigger can be one of a time limit trigger, a uniform layer trigger, a storage capacity trigger, or receiving a placement initiation command.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 2022
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2024
    Assignee: MUJIN, Inc.
    Inventors: Rosen Nikolaev Diankov, Denys Kanunikov