Sorting and storage system for pieces of goods such as flight luggage

• US 5,301,790 A
• Filed: 06/17/1992
• Issued: 04/12/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 06/18/1991
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Crisplant a/s (BEUMER Group GmbH & Co. KG)
• Original Assignee: Kosan Crisplant A/S (Al Ayuni Investment & Contracting Co.)
• Inventors: Lykkegaard, Uffe, Prydtz, Ole, Kofoed, Ralph
• Primary Examiner(s): Valenza, Joseph E.
• Application Number:
  US07/899,878
• Time in Patent Office: 664 Days
• Field of Search: 198/365, 198/349, 198/465.1, 198/465.2, 198/803.01, 209/698
• US Class Current: 198/349
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 2201/0258 Trays, totes or bins
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 2207/46 Tray unloading features
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 47/962 tilting about an axis substantially parallel to the conveying direction

Abstract

In a sorting system for flight luggage it it well known to put individual pieces of luggage in totes (4) which are entered onto a conveyor with sideways tiltable carrying platforms (2), whereby the pieces of luggage may be selectively unloaded from the totes at their destinations (D1,D2) or at a storage unit (W) where the totes are released and stored with their content for later re-introduciton into the sorting system. This known art has required a particular construction of the sorting conveyor with a large-angle tilt and a complex mechanism for releasibly holding the totes. According to the invention the totes have upper surfaces (8) which are of a concave shape in order that the pieces of goods may be slid off the totes while secured, at the same moderate angle required for the sliding-off at the storage unit. Hence the conveyor itself may be quite conventional, at the same time as the holding mechanism may be limited to mere retractable flanges (14) on the sides of the carrying platform.

Claims

1. A process for sorting an interim storage of pieces of goods in dependance upon a precoded destination of the respective pieces of goods, the process comprising the steps:

individually placing respective pieces of goods on coded totes respectively releasably mounted on individual platforms of an endless conveyor at individual check-in stations;

moving the pieces of goods from the check-in stations to one of designated unloading bay or a storage unit adapted to receive the totes accommodating the individual pieces of goods;

selectively tilting the respective platforms at the designated unloading bay based upon the precoded destination for the respective pieces of goods for discharging the pieces of goods from the respective totes;

selectively releasing the respective totes with the respective pieces of goods therein at a storage unit;

removing the totes with the pieces of goods thereon from the storage unit and transferring the removed totes to platforms of the endless conveyor in dependance upon a timing of reception of the pieces of goods and a prescheduled forwarding of the pieces of goods to a designated unloading bay;

releasing respective empty totes from the respective platforms at a collecting station prior to a transport to the respective check-in stations, and

wherein the step of releasing includes removing an interlock between the individual carrying platforms and associated totes.

3. A system for sorting an interim storage of pieces of goods in dependance upon precoded destinations of the respective pieces of goods, the system comprising:

an endless conveyor including a plurality of carrying platforms;

totes for receiving individual pieces of goods, said totes being releasably mounted on the respective carrying platforms;

means for preventing a transverse sliding of the totes with respect to respective carrying platforms;

at least one check-in station for supplying the individual pieces of goods to the respective totes;

at least two unloading stations for receiving the respective pieces of goods in dependance upon the precoded destinations;

means for discharging the pieces of goods from the respective totes at the designated unloading stations;

at least one storage unit for receiving totes accommodating pieces of goods in dependance upon a timing of reception of the pieces of goods and a prescheduled forwarding of the pieces of goods to a designated unloading station;

at least one collection station for receiving empty totes prior to a transport of the received empty totes to the at least one check-in station, wherein said means for preventing includes an interlock provided on the respective carrying platforms, said interlock being releasable at said collecting station,

wherein said totes are generally box shaped and have boundaries along a direction of travel of the carrying platforms, and inside bottom of each of said totes has a shallow concave shape as viewed in a direction perpendicular to the direction of travel of the carrying platforms, and

wherein said means for preventing include elements for restricting transverse sliding movement without influencing a relationship between the respective carrying platforms and associated tote.

2. A process according to claim 6, wherein the releasing of the interlock is achieved by lifting and retracting moveable flanges mounted on said carrying platform.

4. A system for sorting and storage according to claim 3, wherein said means for preventing includes retractable vertical side flanges for releasing the respective totes at the at least one collection station.

5. A tote for use in a system for sorting and storage according to claim 3, wherein at least a top surface of the bottom of the respective totes is fashioned a material of a low coefficient of friction.

6. A system for sorting and storage according to claim 3, wherein means are provided for tiling the carrying platform at the designated station for enabling discharging of the piece of goods on the associated tote at the designated station.

7. A system for storing and storage according to claim 6, wherein the pieces of goods include flight luggage and cargo.