Apparatus for sorting products

• US 20010052485A1
• Filed: 03/01/2001
• Published: 12/20/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Buhrs Holding BV (Hittech Group BV)
• Original Assignee: Buhrs Holding BV (Hittech Group BV)
• Inventors: Brandsaeter, Tore
• Granted Patent: US 6,515,246 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 209/702
• CPC Class Codes: B07C 3/00 Sorting according to destination collating the pages of a book B42C1/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 209/90 Sorting flat-type mail
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 209/917 Endless belt pusher feeding item
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 209/933 Accumulation receiving separated items

Abstract

An apparatus for sorting products, such as magazines, newspapers and books, CDs and/or diskettes, the apparatus comprising a separation station arranged for making single items of the products supplied in stacks, a conveyor arranged for conveying one by one the products coming from the separation station, and a number of sorting stations arranged adjacent the conveyor, the sorting stations being connected to the conveyor such that a product located on the conveyor can be supplied from the conveyor to a desired sorting station for forming a sorted collection of products in the respective sorting station, the apparatus further comprising a control, the control being arranged for controlling at least the conveyor and the sorting stations, such that at least two sorting functions can be performed, a first sorting function involving sorting an unordered collection of products according to type of product, which collection comes from a customer, such as a shopkeeper or a kiosk-keeper, whereby in a respective sorting station products of the same type are collected, and a second sorting function involving assembling a number of customer orders.

Claims

1. An apparatus for sorting products (P), such as magazines, newspapers and books, CDs and/or diskettes, the apparatus comprising a separation station (1) arranged for making single items of products supplied in stacks, a conveyor (2) arranged for conveying one by one the products (P) coming from the separation station (1), and a number of sorting stations (3) arranged adjacent the conveyor (2), the sorting stations (3) being connected to the conveyor (2) such that a product (P) located on the conveyor (2) can be supplied from the conveyor (2) to a desired sorting station (3) for forming a sorted collection of products (P) in the respective sorting station (3), the apparatus further comprising a control (4), characterized in that the control (4) is arranged for controlling at least the conveyor (2) and the sorting stations (3), such that at least two sorting functions can be performed.

2. An apparatus according to

claim 1

, wherein the first sorting function involves sorting an unordered collection of products according to type of product (P), which collection comes from a customer, such as a shopkeeper or a kiosk-keeper, whereby in a respective sorting station (3) products (P) of the same type are collected.

3. An apparatus according to

claim 1

or

2

, wherein the second sorting function involves assembling a number of customer orders.

4. An apparatus according to at least

claim 2

, wherein the separation station (1) comprises detection means (5) arranged for making known to the control (4) of what type each product (P) supplied is, the control (4) being arranged for subsequently causing the conveyor (2) and/or the sorting station (3) intended to collect that type of product (P), to be controlled such that the respective product (P) is delivered to the desired sorting station (3).

5. An apparatus according to

claim 4

, wherein, in respect of each unordered collection of products (P), it is determined, and stored in the control (4), how many copies of each type of product (P) the unordered collection contains.

6. An apparatus according to at least

claim 3

, wherein in the control (4) at least one sorting station (3) is assigned to each customer, such as, for instance, a shopkeeper or kiosk-keeper, while collections of products (P) of the same type which are successively supplied to the separation station (1) are distributed over the different sorting stations (3), such that each customer receives the number of copies of each type of product (P) desired by him.

7. An apparatus according to at least

claim 3

, wherein in the control (4) a memory is present which is loaded with a list which, for each customer, contains data about the number of copies of each type of product the respective customer wishes to receive, the control of the sorting stations (3) and/or the conveyor (2) being controlled by the control (4) depending on said list.

8. An apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the separation station (1) comprises means for converting a stack of products (P) into single items, such that the products end up one by one on the conveyor (2).

9. An apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the separation station (1) comprises a terminal (6) for the benefit of a loader (B), who loads the separation station manually with collections of products (P), the terminal (6) comprising an input facility by means of which the loader (B) can input the type of product (P) so as to make this known to the control (4).

10. An apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein each sorting station (3) comprises a display (7) on which, if the first sorting function is performed, it is indicated, for instance, what type of product (P) is collected in the respective sorting station (3), and on which, if the second sorting function is performed, it is indicated, for instance, which customer has been assigned to the respective sorting station (3).