Patents Examined by Thomas Randazzo
  • Patent number: 11911796
    Abstract: A package sort cell includes a robot with an end of arm tool for transporting packages from an in-feed conveyor to a selected one of a plurality of out-feed conveyors or bins, the robot receiving instruction from the package reader as to which of the plurality of conveyors or bins to hand-off the package. An end of arm tool may be in the configuration of a conveyor which may be aligned with the out-feed conveyor on a bottom up movement. The end of arm tool may also be in the configuration of a hanging carriage frame suspending a conveyor in a top down movement. A worker platform may be provided which may be movable between in-use and out-of-use positions whereby upon robot downtime, the platform may move into the in-use position for a worker to temporarily takeover the transfer functions of the robot. A plurality of sort cells may be arranged in side by side relation adjacent a like plurality of package delivery points (e.g.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2024
    Assignee: InTunes Products, LLC
    Inventors: Michael Marseglia, Michael Fisher, Scott Baube, Christopher Angevine, Greggory Bartoo, Dennis O'Neill, Austin Smith
  • Patent number: 11912511
    Abstract: A gripper for a transport system of a picking device having horizontal storage surfaces for storing and dispensing small piece goods of different shapes and/or surface properties is provided. The gripper comprises a drop table extending in first and a second horizontal directions and having a storage and dispensing end face. Two elongated gripping jaws are arranged above the drop table extending in the first horizontal direction, and are fastened to a gripping jaw guide arrangement. At least one of the gripping jaws is movable in the second horizontal direction and at least one of the gripping jaws has a gripper coupler in its end portion facing away from the gripping jaw guide arrangement, and at least one transport attachment with an attachment coupler. The gripper and attachment couplers interact so that a transport attachment is releasably fixed at an end portion of a gripping jaw.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2024
    Assignee: BECTON DICKINSON ROWA GERMANY GMBH
    Inventors: Dietmar Gross, Stephan Brokonier, Heinrich Paul Martini
  • Patent number: 11912509
    Abstract: The present invention relates to systems and methods for sorting a wide variety of packages, including, but not limited to, parcels, mail pieces, bundles, and other similar items. Embodiments of the invention specifically relate to interchangeable sorting modules with sort stations that may be used to quickly and accurately sort packages of varying shapes and sizes. Additional embodiments of the invention relate to a control architecture for operating the aforementioned interchangeable sorting modules. Such control architecture may comprise a programmable logic controller (PLC) for controlling each of the interchangeable sorting modules.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2024
    Assignee: Advanced Technology & Research Corp.
    Inventors: Robert Lundahl, Robert Cutlip, Mark Bankard, Dwight Koogle, Crystal Yannuzzi, Matthew Fontaine
  • Patent number: 11912497
    Abstract: A customisable, modular storage system is described where goods are stored in containers and the containers are stored in stacks. The stacks are contained within towers formed of stacks of bin receiving units. A grid network of tracks is provided on the top of the bin receiving units upon which load handling devices run. The load handling 30 devices take containers from the stacks and deposit them at alternative locations in the stacks or deposit then at stations where goods may be picked out.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2024
    Assignee: OCADO INNOVATION LIMITED
    Inventors: Lars Sverker Ture Lindbo, Paul Clarke, Andrew John Ingram-Tedd
  • Patent number: 11908122
    Abstract: In an illustrative embodiment, a system for identifying products on a production line includes image capturing devices that acquire images of containers moving along a production line at an inspection location. The system also includes a rejection device and a controller that configures the image capturing devices for image acquisition based on properties of the containers, identifies a product associated with each of the containers based on a portion of a product identification code and a portion of additional features detected in the images, and determines whether the identified product matches predetermined properties or characteristics, resulting in a pass result, otherwise a non-pass result occurs. When a non-pass result occurs, the controller outputs a signal to actuate the rejection device that removes the container from the production line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2024
    Assignee: Sensors Incorporated
    Inventor: David J. Kotula
  • Patent number: 11905058
    Abstract: A system and method are disclosed for supplying one or more goods to a physical store location. The goods may be received at a distribution center (DC). At the DC, the goods may be decanted from their shipping containers into one or more sub-totes, which are contained within one or more product totes. The sub-totes may be transferred from the one or more product totes to one or more order totes based on a velocity of movement of the plurality of goods at the physical store location.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2024
    Assignee: WALMART APOLLO, LLC
    Inventors: John G. Lert, Jr., William J. Fosnight
  • Patent number: 11904700
    Abstract: Method for adjusting a transport vehicle for a container handling system, where the transport vehicle comprises two oppositely disposed secondary parts which can be driven electromagnetically as an armature by way of a linear motor system of the container handling system, wherein in a device for adjusting, a first magnetic force of the first secondary part is determined with a sensor, in that a second magnetic force of the second secondary part is determined with the sensor; and in that the first magnetic force and the second magnetic force are compared with one another and/or with at least one reference force, and the two secondary parts are adjusted based thereon at the transport vehicle in such a way that the first magnetic force and the second magnetic force are of the same magnitude.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 17, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2024
    Assignee: KRONES AG
    Inventors: Stefan Elsperger, Hartmut Davidson
  • Patent number: 11893530
    Abstract: Systems, method and computer readable medium are provided for automated storage and retrieval. User authentication information is received via a user interface for a dynamic storage and retrieval device. The user identity is verified based upon the authentication information and previously stored authentication data. Order information is retrieved for an order associated with the user following the verifying of user identity, the order information indicating one or more locations for items associated with the order. Instructions are transmitted to initiate a physical opening of at least one of the dynamic storage and retrieval device and at least one static storage location to enable the user to retrieve at least one item of the order, the static storage location including a controller controlling a locking mechanism and communicatively coupled to the dynamic storage and retrieval device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2024
    Assignee: Walmart Apollo, LLC
    Inventors: Paul Edward Durkee, Stuart William Clark, Colin Holmes, Jason Shaffer, Mark Ibbotson, John Suarez
  • Patent number: 11891247
    Abstract: A control device is provided to more quickly and efficiently verify which item has been grasped by a robot system whilst also providing a solution which is scalable. Verification of the item which has been grasped is achieved by measuring a dynamics property of the item. A control unit for operation with a robot system a sensor unit, the robot system arranged to grasp an item from a container. The control unit includes a verification unit arranged to receive identifying information of an item expected to be in the container, receive information from the sensor unit indicative of a dynamics property of the item grasped by the robot system and verify that the item grasped by the robot system matches the item expected to be in the container based on the received identifying information and the received dynamics property information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2024
    Assignee: OCADO INNOVATION LIMITED
    Inventors: Graham Deacon, Osemwaro Jeremiah Pedro, Christos Makris
  • Patent number: 11890441
    Abstract: An automatic tattoo apparatus can be used to robotically apply tattoos. A customer can shop on an online tattoo marketplace to select designs created by various artists located anywhere. The online tattoo marketplace can process and manage payments, artist and/or customer profiles, bookings, tattoo design uploads, browsing and design selection, design changes, and/or perform other actions. The automatic tattoo device can apply tattoos precisely, quickly, and may with reduced pain. The tattoo apparatus can apply a wide range of different types of tattoos, including but not limited to micro tattoos, dotwork, blackwork tattoos, realism tattoos, fine-line tattoos, etc.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2024
    Assignee: Blackdot, Inc.
    Inventors: Yan Azdoud, Joel Richard Pennington, Eric Nelson Watts, Deniz Ozturk, Anna Ailene Scott, Christopher Daniel Kelley
  • Patent number: 11890650
    Abstract: An automatic baggage-packing device for urban terminals based on artificial intelligence is provided. The automatic baggage-packing device includes a baggage transfer rack, baggage transfer rack forms a baggage transfer channel through a transfer stick, baggage transfer rack is equipped with several selectors located above the baggage transfer channel, the selectors are arranged in turn in the extension direction of the baggage transfer channel. The automatic baggage-packing device also includes an automatic loading device set outside of the baggage transfer rack to cooperate with the selectors to load the selected baggage. The invention has the effect of making baggage freight more convenient and quicker in use.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2023
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2024
    Assignees: Beijing Urban Construction Design & Development Group Co., Limited, Heptagon 5A Design (Beijing) Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Jinyan Shao, Yuan Lu, Yingjie Li, Hewu Lu
  • Patent number: 11892825
    Abstract: A system includes an article supply location, wherein the article supply location includes a plurality of articles to be sorted, first and second transport vehicles, each having a first position in which an article is stowed about the vehicle and a second position in which the article is deposited into a proximal container. And a control system. The control system is configured to receive an order for a plurality of disparate articles, determine one destination container of a plurality of destination containers to direct the transport vehicle to deposit a selected article, direct the first transport vehicle to transport a selected article to the destination container and deposit the article by manipulation of the first transport vehicle from the first position to the second position for deposit of the selected article in the destination container.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2023
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2024
    Assignees: Tompkins Robotics, Inc., Zhejiang Libiao Robot Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Jianqiang Zhu, Juejing Xu, John C. Spain, Michael C. Futch, James M. Serstad, Richard C. Kaminska, III, Selden W. McKnight, Jr.
  • Patent number: 11883957
    Abstract: The invention relates to a vehicle chassis (6) for checking and/or counting stock (4) in a warehouse (3) and configured for attaching to an autonomous indoor vehicle (9), with an extendable mast (11) comprising a first end (12) mounted onto the chassis (6) and an opposite second end (13) arrangeable at different distances above the chassis (6), and at least one scanner (2) arranged at the second end (13) and configured for checking and/or counting stock (4) in a shelve (5) of the warehouse (3) lateral to the vehicle (1). The invention further relates to an autonomous robot vehicle (1) comprising the vehicle chassis (6) and the autonomous indoor vehicle (9), whereby the chassis (6) is mounted onto the autonomous indoor vehicle (9) such that the autonomous indoor vehicle (9) and the chassis (6) are configured for autonomously moving the vehicle (1) in the warehouse (3).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2024
    Assignee: Deutsche Post AG
    Inventors: Kent Rogers, Karl Brooks
  • Patent number: 11873090
    Abstract: Provided is a method for delivering goods through an unmanned aerial vehicle group including a plurality of aircraft respectively connected to delivery target goods. The method comprises identifying, by a master aircraft of the unmanned aerial vehicle group, an actual load applied to each of the aircraft by the goods while the unmanned aerial vehicle group is flying to deliver the goods, and controlling the unmanned aerial vehicle group by the master aircraft to adjust the actual load applied to each of the aircraft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 4, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2024
    Assignees: PABLO AIR Co., Ltd., PABLO AIR International, INC.
    Inventors: Seung Han Lim, Youngjoon Kim, Dong Jin Lee
  • Patent number: 11865718
    Abstract: A working device includes a link actuation device and a control device for the link actuation device. The control device includes: a storage unit configured to store a plurality of the target positions; a calculation unit configured to sequentially read out the respective target positions stored to calculate movement amounts and movement speeds of the respective actuators between the target positions; and a control unit configured to operate the respective actuators by the movement amounts and at the movement speeds of the respective actuators calculated by the calculation unit. The control unit is capable of changing acceleration and deceleration times of the actuators for each of the target positions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2024
    Assignee: NTN CORPORATION
    Inventors: Naoki Marui, Hiroshi Isobe
  • Patent number: 11858743
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for order picking of items at a picking station, wherein the source containers (5) are transported to a retrieval position (33) in an arbitrary sequence, and the target containers (27) are provided in a sorting buffer (36) with buffer positions (39) ahead of a single loading position (35). A first target container is transported back into the sorting buffer for processing of different order lines after placement of an item for a first order line, and is temporarily buffered at a sorting position (42) until a source container with an item for a second order line is conveyed onward into a buffer track section (23) provided upstream of the retrieval position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignee: TGW Logistics Group GmbH
    Inventors: Alexander Bauman, Timothy Lindley, Harald Johannes Schroepf, Matthias Stoetzner
  • Patent number: 11850760
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to verifying an initial object estimation of an object. A two-dimensional (2D) image representative of an environment including one or more objects may be obtained. The 2D image may be inspected to detect edges of an object. The edges may be processed to verify or update an initial object estimation to increase the accuracy of an object detection result.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2023
    Assignee: MUJIN, Inc.
    Inventors: Jinze Yu, Jose Jeronimo Moreira Rodrigues
  • Patent number: 11851276
    Abstract: Systems, methods, and machine-executable coded instruction sets are disclosed for fully- and/or partly automated handling of goods. The disclosure provides improvements in the storage and retrieval of storage and delivery containers in order processing systems.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 5, 2023
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2023
    Assignee: OCADO INNOVATION LIMITED
    Inventors: Lars Sverker Ture Lindbo, Andrew John Ingram-Tedd, Stuart Richard North, Robert Rolf Stadie
  • Patent number: 11850633
    Abstract: A robotic system includes a robot having a picking arm to grasp an inventory item and a shuttle. The shuttle includes a platform adapted to receive the inventory item from the picking arm of the robot. The platform is moveable between a pick-up location located substantially adjacent to the robot and an end location spaced a distance apart from the pick-up location. The system improves efficiency as transportation of the item from the pick-up location to the end location is divided between the robot and the shuttle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2023
    Assignee: Nimble Robotics, Inc.
    Inventors: Simon Kalouche, Kevin Kruempelstaedter
  • Patent number: 11845616
    Abstract: A device for manipulating items for facility operations is described. The device includes a first arm assembly that includes a first arm, a second arm parallel to the first arm, a first shaft disposed between the first arm and the second arm at a first location along the first arm and the second arm, and a first head attachment disposed between the first arm and the second arm at a second location along the first arm and the second arm. The device also includes a first driver coupled to the first shaft and configured to control movement of the first arm assembly about a first axis extending along a length of the first shaft. The device further includes a second driver coupled to first head attachment and configured to control movement of the first head attachment about a second axis extending along a length of the first head attachment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2023
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Jose Luis De La Rosa, Larry Joe Robb, Justin Stone, Emily R Parrish, Joshua Martin Middleton, Maxim P Hoffman, Roland J Menassa