AUTOMATED SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR CONSTRUCTING CARD MULTIPACKS

• US 20120234909A1
• Filed: 03/16/2012
• Published: 09/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/16/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Harvard Label LLC
• Original Assignee: Harvard Label (Harvard International plc)
• Inventors: TANG, Michael
• Granted Patent: US 9,327,853 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/375
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 11/50 Enclosing articles, or quantities of material, by disposing contents between two sheets, e.g. pocketed sheets, and securing their opposed free margins apparatus or devices for forming pockets in or from sheets, blanks or webs B65B47/00

Abstract

Automated systems and methods for constructing card multipacks. An automated system for constructing card multipacks includes: a movable conveyor; a first carrier placing station configured to place a first carrier portion of a carrier on the conveyor; at least one card placing station configured to place a plurality of stored value cards on the first carrier portion; a data capture station configured to read a card bar code of each of the plurality of stored value cards in-line in the automated system; and a software system adapted to create a data file including the card bar codes.

Claims

1. An automated system for constructing card multipacks, the automated system comprising:

a movable conveyor;

a first carrier placing station configured to place a first carrier portion of a carrier on the conveyor;

at least one card placing station configured to place a plurality of stored value cards on the first carrier portion;

a data capture station configured to read a card bar code of each of the plurality of stored value cards in-line in the automated system; and

a software system adapted to create a data file including the card bar codes.

2. The automated system of claim 1, wherein the data capture station comprises a camera configured to create an image of the plurality of card bar codes, and the software system is adapted to create the data file using the image.

3. The automated system of claim 1,

wherein the data capture station is further configured to read a carrier bar code of the carrier, and

wherein the software system is further adapted to create in the data file an association between the card bar code of each of the plurality of stored value cards and the carrier bar code for subsequent activation of each of the plurality of stored value cards using the carrier bar code.

4. The automated system of claim 3, wherein the data capture station comprises a camera configured to create an image of the plurality of card bar codes and the carrier bar code, and the software system is adapted to create the data file using the image.

5. The automated system of claim 3, wherein the first carrier portion comprises the carrier bar code.

6. The automated system of claim 3,

wherein the data capture station comprises a first camera configured to create a first image of the plurality of card bar codes, and a second camera configured to create a second image of the carrier bar code, and

wherein the software system is adapted to create the data file using the first and second images.

7. The automated system of claim 6, wherein the software system is adapted to create the data file using a composite image made up of the first and second images.

8. The automated system of claim 6, further comprising a second carrier placing station between the first camera and the second camera and configured to place a second carrier portion of the carrier on the stored value cards subsequent to the first camera creating the first image, wherein the second carrier portion comprises the carrier bar code.

9. The automated system of claim 3, wherein the software system is further adapted to create in the data file an association between at least two different card bar codes of at least two stored value cards of the plurality of stored value cards and the carrier bar code for subsequent activation of the at least two stored value cards using the carrier bar code, the automated system being configured to package the at least two stored value cards together with the carrier including the carrier bar code.

10. The automated system of claim 3, further comprising a sealing station configured to seal the carrier, wherein the data capture station is configured to read the plurality of card bar codes and the carrier bar code between the at least one card placing station and the sealing station.

11. The automated system of claim 1, wherein the software system is further adapted to create in the data file an association between the card bar code of a parent card of the plurality of stored value cards and the card bar code of each of at least one child card of the plurality of stored value cards.

12. The automated system of claim 1, wherein the at least one card placing station comprises a plurality of card placing stations configured to sequentially place the plurality of stored value cards on the carrier.

13. The automated system of claim 1, wherein the data capture station is configured to read the plurality of card bar codes and the software system is configured to create the data file in-line in the automated system without human interaction.

14. The automated system of claim 1, wherein the card multipacks are gift card multipacks.

15. An automated system for constructing card multipacks, the automated system comprising:

a movable conveyor;

a carrier placing station configured to place a carrier portion of a carrier on the conveyor;

at least one card placing station configured to place at least one stored value card on the carrier portion;

a data capture station configured to read at least one card bar code of the at least one stored value card and a carrier bar code of the carrier in-line in the automated system; and

a software system adapted to create a data file associating the at least one card bar code with the carrier bar code.

16. A software system for use with an automated system for constructing card multipacks, the software system being adapted to read and store a plurality of card bar codes of a plurality of stored value cards in-line in the automated system and to create a data file including the card bar codes.

17. The software system of claim 16, wherein the software system is further adapted to create in the data file an association between the card bar code of a parent card of the plurality of stored value cards and the card bar code of each of at least one child card of the plurality of stored value cards.

18. The software system of claim 16, wherein the software system further adapted to read a plurality of carrier bar codes in-line in the automated system and to create in the data file an association between the card bar codes and corresponding ones of the carrier bar codes for subsequent activation of the stored value cards using the corresponding carrier bar codes.

19. The software system of claim 18, wherein the software system is further adapted to create in the data file an association between at least two different card bar codes of at least two stored value cards of the plurality of stored value cards and a corresponding one carrier bar code of the plurality of carrier bar codes for subsequent activation of the at least two stored value cards using the corresponding one carrier bar code, the automated system being configured to package the at least two stored value cards together with a carrier including the corresponding one carrier bar code.

20. A method of constructing a card multipack using an automated system, the method comprising:

placing a first carrier portion of a carrier on a conveyor of the automated system using a first carrier placing station of the automated system;

placing a plurality of stored value cards on the first carrier portion using at least one card placing station of the automated system;

reading a plurality of card bar codes of the plurality of stored value cards in-line using a data capture station of the automated system; and

creating a data file including the card bar codes using a software system of the automated system.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising reading a carrier bar code of the carrier in-line using the data capture station, wherein creating the data file comprises creating an association between the card bar code of each of the plurality of stored value cards and the carrier bar code for subsequent activation of each of the plurality of stored value cards using the carrier bar code.

22. The method of claim 21,

wherein reading the card bar codes and reading the carrier bar code are performed subsequent to placing the stored value cards on the first carrier portion, and

wherein the method further comprises sealing the card multipack subsequent to reading the card bar codes and reading the carrier bar code.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein reading the card bar codes comprises creating an image of the card bar codes using a first camera, and reading the carrier bar code comprises creating an image of the carrier bar code using a second camera.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising placing a second carrier portion including the carrier bar code on the stored value cards using a second carrier placing station of the automated system subsequent to reading the card bar codes and prior to reading the carrier bar code.

25. The method of claim 20, wherein creating the data file comprises creating an association between the card bar code of a parent card of the plurality of stored value cards and the card bar code of each of at least one child card of the plurality of stored value cards.

26. The method of claim 20, further comprising sealing the card multipack in-line using the automated system.