System for sorting commercial articles and method therefor

• US 20030106771A1
• Filed: 01/09/2003
• Published: 06/12/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Chiyuki Takizawa
• Original Assignee: At
• Inventors: Takizawa, Chiyuki
• Application Number:
  US10/339,020
• Publication Number:
  US 20030106771A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 198/436
• CPC Class Codes: B07C 7/005 Computer assisted manual sorting, e.g. for mail
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 1/137 with arrangements or automatic control means for selecting which articles are to be removed
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 1/1375 the orders being assembled on a commissioning stacker-crane or truck
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 1/1378 the orders being assembled on fixed commissioning areas remote from the storage areas
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 2209/04 Indication location means
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 47/5104 for articles
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 209/933 Accumulation receiving separated items

Abstract

A direction indicator placed on one site of a sorting block indicates, for a given good, the direction towards a nominated slot through which the good is to be placed in the block. This arrangement makes it possible for the hauler to immediately put a good into a nominated slot without looking around at sorting blocks at large, which will lead to the improvement of work efficiency. Moreover, because this will moderate the burden imposed on the hauler, the number of wrongly hauled goods would be greatly reduced.

If a good is passed through a wrong slot, it is recognized by a sensor and then an alarming means is activated to generate a buzzing sound or a blinking light to alarm. This arrangement will make it possible to greatly reduce the number of wrongly hauled goods.

In association with the entry of every good, the name of the provider, as well as the name of the manufacturer of the good, the property of the good and the number of its scheduled input, is given because the provider can feed his name through an input feeding means.

This arrangement will make it possible to efficiently manage inflow goods according to the name of providers, simply dependent on identification codes generally attached to goods such as a JAN code or ITF code.

Claims

1. An inflow article management system comprising:

a plurality of inflow conveyors on which vendors put their articles;

a routing conveyor to which articles on the inflow conveyors are guided and from which articles are sent to a next step;

a monitoring means to monitor the number of articles on each inflow conveyor; and

a guide control means to guide articles to the routing conveyor from an inflow conveyor to another in the order of the number of articles on the conveyor, based on the output from the monitoring means.

2. A movable loader in an article shipping system whose carrier platform is movably placed between a storage rack to store articles and a delivery conveyor placed in parallel with the rack so that the carrier platform through which articles can be transferred from the rack to the conveyor may move along the delivery conveyor.

3. A movable loader in an article shipping system as described in claim 2 wherein a rotational body is mounted on the upper surface of the carrier platform in such a way as to protrude its upper portion from the upper surface.

4. A movable loader in an article shipping system as described in claim 2 or 3 wherein the carrier platform has a display device of a computer terminal.

5. A movable loader in an article shipping system as described in claim 4 wherein the carrier platform is provided with a detector to detect the presence of an article.

6. A movable loader in an article shipping system as described in claim 2 wherein the carrier platform has a wheeled support to run on a rail.

7. A movable loader in an article shipping system as described in claim 6 wherein the support allows its vertical length to be extended or contracted.

8. A movable loader in an article shipping system as described in claim 7 wherein an extendable or contractible ladder is provided to the carrier platform or the support.

9. A movable loader in an article shipping system as described in claim 6 wherein a fall prevention mechanism is attached to the carrier platform or to the support to engage with a horizontal guide rail provided to the storage rack so that the mechanism may freely move along the rail.