Material handling system with dynamic source tagging

• US 20050098620A1
• Filed: 11/12/2004
• Published: 05/12/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Monument Peak Ventures, LLC (Dominion Harbor Enterprises, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Siemens Energy & Automation Incorporated (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: Dunlap, Joe D. Jr.
• Granted Patent: US 7,341,199 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/375
• CPC Class Codes: B65C 2009/0003 Use of RFID labels
• CPC Class Codes: B65C 9/40 Controls; Safety devices
• CPC Class Codes: F21K 9/00 Light sources using semiconductor devices as light-generating elements, e.g. using light-emitting diodes [LED] or lasers
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0068 Arrangements of plural sources, e.g. multi-colour light sources
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/45124 Aluminium (Al) as principal constituent
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/48137 the bodies being arranged next to each other, e.g. on a common substrate
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/73265 Layer and wire connectors
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 25/0753 the devices being arranged next to each other
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00 Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/10158 at the passive surface

Abstract

A method and apparatus of selectively applying a particular label from a plurality of different types of labels includes providing a label application apparatus that is adapted to selectively apply at least one of a plurality of different types of labels to an article. An article is identified. The label application apparatus is controlled to selectively apply at least one of a plurality of different labels to the article as a function of the identity of that article.

Claims

1. A labeling system, comprising:

a control, said control identifying an article;

a label application apparatus, said label application apparatus adapted to selectively apply at least one label chosen from a plurality of different types of labels to an article; and

said control controlling said label application apparatus to selectively apply at least one label to an article as a function of the identity of that article.

2. The labeling system of claim 1 wherein said label application apparatus selectively dispenses at least one type of barcode label and at least one type of radio frequency identification tag.

3. The labeling system of claim 2 wherein said label application apparatus selectively dispenses a plurality of different types of radio frequency identification tags.

4. The labeling system of claim 2 including a printer for printing indicia to the label being dispensed.

5. The labeling system of claim 2 including an electrical writer for writing electrical code to a radio frequency identification tag being dispensed.

6. The labeling system of claim 1 wherein said label application apparatus includes at least one dispenser, said at least one dispenser adapted to dispense multiple different types of labels and a transporter, said transporter receives a label from said dispenser and applies that label to an article.

7. The labeling system of claim 6 wherein said transporter is operational in at least one direction.

8. The labeling system of claim 6 wherein said transporter is operational in a plurality of different directions.

9. The labeling system of claim 6 wherein said at least one dispenser comprises a plurality of dispensers, each capable of dispensing a different type of label.

10. The labeling system of claim 9 wherein said transporter is operational in a plurality of different directions, one of said directions to receive a label from one of said plurality of dispensers and another of said directions to apply that label to an article.

11. The labeling system of claim 10 wherein said one of said directions is laterally with respect to said conveying surface and said another of said directions is vertically toward said conveying surface.

12. The labeling system of claim 10 wherein said one of said directions is longitudinally with respect to said conveying surface and said another of said directions is vertically toward said conveying surface.

13. The labeling system of claim 1 including a conveyor having a conveying surface for longitudinally conveying articles past said label application apparatus.

14. The labeling system of claim 9 wherein said label application apparatus is operational to apply a label to an article irrespective of the lateral position of the article on said conveying surface.

17. The labeling system of claim 1 wherein said control includes a database, said database relating article identifications with a particular type of label.

18. The labeling system of claim 17 wherein said database relates an article identification with a location on that article for placement of a label.

19. The labeling system of claim 1 including a printer for printing indicia to the label being dispensed.

15. A labeling system, comprising:

a scanner, said scanner scanning an article and identifying that article;

a label application apparatus, said label application apparatus adapted to selectively apply at least one label chosen from a plurality of different types of labels to an article;

a control, said control responding to said scanner and controlling said label application apparatus to selectively apply at least one label to an article as a function of the identity of that article.

16. The labeling system of claim 15 wherein said scanner comprises a code reader for reading a label on an article.

20. A method of selectively applying a particular label from a plurality of different types of labels to an article, comprising:

providing a label application apparatus that is adapted to selectively apply at least one of a plurality of different types to an article;

identifying an article; and

controlling said label application apparatus to selectively apply at least one of a plurality of different types of labels to an article as a function of the identity of that article.

21. A method of applying radio frequency identification (RFID) tags to an article, comprising:

providing a conveyor having a conveying surface for conveying articles;

providing a plurality of different types of RFID tags, at least some of said RFID tags having different radio frequency signal emitting capabilities than other of said RFID tags;

determining a characteristic of an article on said conveying surface that may affect a radio frequency signal emitted by an RFID tag;

selecting at least one of said plurality of different types of RFID tags as a function of the characteristic of the article; and

applying the selected RFID tag to the article on said conveying surface.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein said determining a characteristic of an article comprises providing a database of article identifiers and information pertaining to the characteristic of that article that may affect radio frequency signals emitted by an RFID tag.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein said determining a characteristic of an article further comprises determining the article identifier for that article and applying that article identifier to the database.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein said article identifier comprises a product barcode.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein said determining a characteristic of an article further comprises reading the product barcode as the article is being conveyed by said conveying surface.

26. The method of claim 21 further including applying the selected RFID tag to a particular location on the article as a function of the characteristic of the article.

27. A labeling system for applying radio frequency identification (RFID) tags to an article, comprising:

a conveyor having a conveying surface for conveying articles;

a label application apparatus adapted to selectively applying to an article at least one chosen among a plurality of different types of RFID tags, at least some of said RFID tags having different radio frequency signal emitting capabilities than other of said RFID tags;

a control, said control determining a characteristic of an article on said conveying surface that may affect a radio frequency signal emitted by an RFID tag;

said control selecting at least one of said plurality of different types of RFID tags as a function of the characteristic of the article, and controlling said label application apparatus to apply the selected RFID tag to the article on said conveying surface.

28. The system of claim 27 wherein said control includes a database of article identifiers and information pertaining to the characteristic of that article that may affect radio frequency signals emitted by an RFID tag.

29. The system of claim 28 wherein said control determines the article identifier for that article and applying that article identifier to the database.

30. The system of claim 29 wherein said article identifier comprises a product barcode.

31. The system of claim 30 including a scanner, said control determining a characteristic of an article by reading the product barcode with said scanner as the article is being conveyed by said conveying surface.

32. The system of claim 28 wherein said control controls said label application apparatus to apply the selected RFID tag to a particular location on the article as a function of the characteristic of the article.