System for collecting and automatically checking ordered articles

• US 7,837,106 B2
• Filed: 12/11/2003
• Issued: 11/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Neopost Technologies S.A. (Quadient SA)
• Original Assignee: Neopost Technologies S.A. (Quadient SA)
• Inventors: Fabre, Bruno, Venture, Guy
• Primary Examiner(s): FRANKLIN, JAMARA ALZAIDA
• Application Number:
  US10/733,417
• Publication Number:
  US 20040144843A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,539 Days
• Field of Search: 235/375, 235/385, 209/569
• US Class Current: 235/385
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 1/1376 the orders being assembled on a commissioning conveyor
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 2201/0229 Clothes, clothes hangers
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 2203/042 Sensors
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 2203/046 RFID
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 95/00 Laundry systems or arrangements of apparatus or machines; Mobile laundries D06F31/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders

Abstract

This invention relates to a mobile device for collecting and validating collected articles, each equipped with a transponder and including rollers for moving along a runway in a predetermined path, a horizontal beam for receiving the articles collected during this displacement one by one, a radio-frequency interrogator for obtaining identifying information on each of the articles collected by the device and a comparator for comparing the identifying information obtained with references relative to a determined order for articles and thus for validating the collected articles as they are collected along the runway.

Claims

1. A mobile device for collecting and validating collected articles, each article equipped with a transponder, the mobile device comprising:

means for moving along a runway in a predetermined path;

a receiving means for receiving and supporting the collected articles while moving along the runway in the predetermined path;

a radio-frequency (RF) interrogation means for obtaining identifying information on each of the articles collected by the device; and

comparison means for comparing the identifying information obtained with references relative to a determined order for articles and thus for validating the collected articles as the articles are collected along the runway.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein said RF interrogation means comprise an RF antenna coupled to an electronic module for processing the identifying information issuing from transponders.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein said RF antenna and said means for receiving the collected articles form a single integrated module.

4. The device of claim 2, wherein said electronic module comprises memory means for storing said references relative to a determined order for the articles and said comparison means for comparing said references relative to the determined order with the identifying information issuing from the transponders.

5. The device of claim 4, wherein the mobile device further comprises a detachable electronic module comprising short range emission/reception means for receiving said references relative to the determined order for the articles from a remote data-processing assembly.

6. The device of claim 2, wherein said electronic module further comprises short range emission/reception means for receiving from a remote data-processing assembly said references relative to the determined order for the articles.

7. The device of claim 6, wherein said short range emission/reception means are of radio, Bluetooth or WiFi type.

8. The device of claim 2, wherein the mobile device further comprise a detachable electronic module comprising memory means for storing said references relative to the determined order for the articles, said comparison means for comparing said references relative to the determined order for the articles with the identifying information issuing from the transponders, and short range emission/reception means for receiving said references relative to the determined order for the articles from a remote data-processing assembly.

9. The device of claim 8, wherein said short range emission/reception means are of infrared type.

10. The device of claim 1, wherein the mobile device further comprise means for electrical connection with an immediately adjacent device.

11. System for collecting and checking orders for articles comprising a data-processing assembly for managing orders for articles and a plurality of devices for collecting and validating collected articles, according to claim 1.

12. A mobile device for collecting and validating collected articles, each article equipped with a transponder, the mobile device comprising:

a guide portion for moving the mobile device along a runway in a predetermined path;

a receiving portion configured to receive and support the collected articles while moving along the runway in the predetermined path;

a radio-frequency (RF) interrogation device that obtains identifying information on each of the articles collected by the mobile device; and

a comparison unit that compares the identifying information obtained from the transponder with a predetermined order for articles.

13. The device of claim 12, wherein said RF interrogation device comprises an RF antenna coupled to an electronic module for processing the identifying information issuing from transponders.

14. The device of claim 13, wherein said RF antenna and said receiving portion form a single integrated module.

15. The device of claim 13, wherein said electronic module comprises a memory that stores said references relative to the predetermined order for the articles and said comparison unit that compares the identifying information obtained with a predetermined order for articles.

16. The device of claim 15, wherein the mobile device further comprises a detachable electronic module comprising a short range emission/reception device that receives said references relative to the predetermined order for the articles from a remote data-processing assembly.

17. The device of claim 13, wherein said electronic module further comprises a short range emission/reception device that receives from a remote data-processing assembly said references relative to the predetermined order for the articles.

18. The device of claim 17, wherein said short range emission/reception device is of a radio, Bluetooth or WiFi device.

19. The device of claim 13, wherein the mobile device further comprise a detachable electronic module comprising a memory that stores said references relative to the predetermined order for the articles, said a comparison unit that compares the identifying information obtained from the transponder with a predetermined order for articles, and a short range emission/reception device that receives said references relative to the predetermined order for the articles from a remote data-processing assembly.

20. The device of claim 19, wherein said short range emission/reception device is an infrared device.