Synchronous semi-automatic parallel sorting
First Claim
1. An apparatus for identifying and designating an article for sorting by an operator, comprising:
- a conveyor positioned to transport said article to said operator; and
an indicator programmed to move along said conveyor with said article and to relate said article to a destination location.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
The present invention reveals a sorting system for use in manual sorting, which presents a detached ephemeral display moving in a manner corresponding to the movement of the article, by which an article to be sorted can be quickly and easily identified. To accomplish its purpose, the device comprises: feed conveyors; a switching unit; optical readers positioned to capture destination indicia affixed to each article; a detached moving display which remains close to the article to be sorted and presents information representative of the article'"'"'s destination location; a destination location which signals when a related article is approaching; and a controller capable of assigning destination locations and controlling display devices.
197 Citations
35 Claims
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1. An apparatus for identifying and designating an article for sorting by an operator, comprising:
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a conveyor positioned to transport said article to said operator; and
an indicator programmed to move along said conveyor with said article and to relate said article to a destination location. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. An apparatus for identifying and designating an article for sorting by an operator, comprising:
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a conveyor positioned to transport said article to said operator;
an optical reader positioned to capture destination indicia affixed to said article;
a controller operative to receive a signal from said optical reader corresponding to said destination indicia, assign a destination location to said article based on said signal, and generate a destination signal associated with said destination location;
a switching unit configured to divert said article selectively between said conveyor and an adjacent conveyor in response to said destination signal; and
an indicator programmed to move along said conveyor with said article and to relate said article to said destination location;
said destination location being configured to transmit a perceptible signal when said associated article is substantially close to said destination location. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14)
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15. An apparatus for identifying and designating an article for sorting by an operator, comprising:
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a conveyor positioned to transport said article to said operator; and
a moving display programmed to move along said conveyor with said article and to relate said article to a destination location. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17)
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18. A method of designating and sorting an article, comprising the steps of:
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conveying said article toward a plurality of destination locations;
determining a related destination location for said article;
projecting an indicator from an adjacent location toward said article, said indicator programmed to relate said article to said destination location;
moving said indicator along a path followed by said article as said article is conveyed towards said related destination location; and
sorting said article to said related destination location. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20)
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21. An apparatus for identifying and designating an article for sorting by an operator, comprising:
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a conveyor positioned to transport said article to said operator; and
an indicator programmed to move along said conveyor with said article and to relate said article to a destination location, said indicator remaining substantially within a predetermined distance from said article as said article travels toward said operator. - View Dependent Claims (22)
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23. An apparatus for identifying and designating an article for sorting by an operator, comprising:
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a conveyor positioned to transport said article to said operator;
an optical reader positioned to capture indicia affixed to said article;
a controller operative to receive a reader signal from said optical reader corresponding to said indicia, assign a destination location to said article based on said reader signal, and generate a destination signal associated with said destination location; and
a display device positioned along a length of said conveyor and configured to present dynamically moving alpha-numeric characters under programmed control;
said display device operative to receive said destination signal from said controller and to present alpha-numeric characters corresponding to said destination signal in association with said article, said display device programmed to move said alpha-numeric characters corresponding to said destination signal with said article as said article travels toward said operator. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26, 27)
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28. An apparatus for identifying and designating an article for sorting by an operator, comprising:
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a conveyor positioned to transport said article to said operator;
an optical reader positioned to capture indicia affixed to said article;
a controller operative to receive a reader signal from said optical reader corresponding to said indicia, assign a destination location to said article based on said reader signal, and generate a destination signal associated with said destination location;
a stationary display device operative to receive said destination signal from said controller and to present said destination signal to said operator in human-perceptible form, said stationary display device positioned proximate to said destination location within said operator'"'"'s field of view; and
a projector programmed to project a beam of light moving with said article along said conveyor. - View Dependent Claims (29, 30)
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31. An apparatus for identifying and designating an article for sorting by an operator, comprising:
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a conveyor positioned to transport said article to said operator; and
a projector programmed to project a beam of light moving with said article along said conveyor and to relate said article to a destination location.
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32. A method of designating and sorting an article, comprising the steps of:
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conveying said article toward a plurality of destination locations;
determining a related destination location for said article;
displaying a set of alpha-numeric characters on a display device positioned proximate a path followed by said article as said article is conveyed towards said related destination location, said characters programmed to relate said article to said destination location;
moving said set of alpha-numeric characters across said display device in a manner programmed to correspond to the movement of said article along said path followed by said article as said article is conveyed towards said related destination location; and
sorting said article to said related destination location. - View Dependent Claims (33, 34)
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35. A method of designating and sorting an article, comprising the steps of:
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conveying said article toward a plurality of destination locations;
determining a related destination location for said article;
displaying one or more characters on a display device positioned proximate a path followed by said article as said article is conveyed towards said related destination location, said one or more characters programmed to relate said article to said destination location;
moving said one or more characters across said display device in a manner programmed to correspond to the movement of said article along said path followed by said article as said article is conveyed towards said related destination location; and
sorting said article to said related destination location.
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Specification