Pre-angling of articles for sortation

• US 9,457,961 B2
• Filed: 04/15/2015
• Issued: 10/04/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dematic Corporation
• Original Assignee: Dematic Corporation
• Inventors: Green, Thomas H. III
• Primary Examiner(s): HESS, DOUGLAS A
• Application Number:
  US14/687,072
• Publication Number:
  US 20150298917A1
• Time in Patent Office: 538 Days
• Field of Search: 198/370.01, 198/370.02, 198/370.07, 198/374, 198/452
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 2207/36 Pushing shoes on conveyors
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 47/244 by turning them about an axis substantially perpendicular to the conveying plane
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 47/844 the article-engaging elements being pushers transversally movable on the supporting surface, e.g. pusher-shoes

Abstract

A method of sorting articles using a positive displacement sorter having a plurality of slats arranged in parallel to define a conveying surface moving in a longitudinal direction, a plurality of pusher shoes, each of said shoes travelling laterally along at least one of said slat and a diverting station comprising at least one diverting rail arranged diagonally under said conveying surface and at least one diverting switch for selectively diverting at least two pusher shoes to the diverting rail whereby the pusher shoes travel laterally across said conveying surface in a diagonal path in order to divert an article to a take-away lane includes pre-orienting articles prior to the diverting station wherein a side of each article is oriented at approximately a same orientation as the diagonal path and operating the at least one diverting switch and diverting at least one article that is pre-oriented.

Claims

1. A method of sorting articles using a positive displacement sorter having a plurality of slats arranged in parallel to define a conveying surface moving in a longitudinal direction, a plurality of pusher shoes, each of said shoes travelling laterally along at least one of said slat, at least one diverting rail arranged diagonally under said conveying surface and at least one diverting station upstream of the diverting rail for selectively diverting at least two pusher shoes to said at least one diverting rail, whereby said at least two pusher shoes travel laterally across said conveying surface in a diagonal path when diverted to said at least one diverting rail by said at least one diverting station in order to divert an article to a take-away lane, said method comprising:

pre-orienting articles prior to the articles arriving at said diverting station wherein a side of each pre-oriented article is oriented at an orientation that is at an angle to said longitudinal direction when the articles reach the diverting station; and

operating said at least one diverting station causing said pusher shoes to engage the side of a pre-oriented article and diverting the pre-oriented article without substantial further rotation of that article.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said pre-orienting comprises changing orientation of articles from an initial orientation wherein said at least one side of each article is oriented in said longitudinal direction to the different orientation.

3. The method as claimed in claim 2 wherein said conveying surface includes a conveyor supplying articles to said sorter and where said pre-orienting is carried out prior to articles arriving on said sorter.

4. The method as claimed in claim 3 wherein said pre-orienting includes orienting said at least one side of each article at an angle to the longitudinal direction that is approximately a same angle as said diagonal path.

5. The method as claimed in claim 2 wherein said pre-orienting includes orienting said at least one side of each article at an angle to the longitudinal direction that is approximately a same angle as said diagonal path.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said conveying surface includes a conveyor supplying articles to said sorter and where said pre-orienting is carried out prior to articles arriving on said sorter.

7. The method as claimed in claim 6 wherein said pre-orienting includes orienting said at least one side of each article at an angle to the longitudinal direction that is approximately a same angle as said diagonal path.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said pre-orienting includes orienting said at least one side of each article at an angle to the longitudinal direction that is approximately a same angle as said diagonal path.

9. A method of sorting articles using a positive displacement sorter having a plurality of slats arranged in parallel to define a conveying surface moving in a longitudinal direction, a plurality of pusher shoes, each of said shoes travelling laterally along at least one of said slat and a diverting station, at least one diverting rail arranged diagonally under said conveying surface and at least one diverting station upstream of the diverting rail for selectively diverting at least two pusher shoes to said at least one diverting rail, whereby said at least two pusher shoes travel laterally across said conveying surface in a diagonal path when diverted to said at least one diverting rail by said at least one diverting station in order to divert an article to a take-away lane, said method comprising:

pre-orienting articles prior to the articles arriving at said diverting station wherein a side of each pre-oriented article is oriented at approximately a same orientation as said diagonal path; and

operating said at least one diverting station and diverting the pre-oriented article without substantial further rotation of that article.

10. The method as claimed in claim 9 wherein said pre-orienting comprises changing orientation of articles from an initial orientation wherein said at least one side of each article is oriented in said longitudinal direction to the different orientation.

11. The method as claimed in claim 10 wherein said conveying surface includes a conveyor supplying articles to said sorter and where said pre-orienting is carried out prior to articles arriving on said sorter.

12. The method as claimed in claim 11 wherein said pre-orienting includes orienting said at least one side of each article at an angle to the longitudinal direction that is approximately a same angle as said diagonal path.

13. The method as claimed in claim 11 wherein said pre-orienting includes orienting said at least one side of each article at an angle to the longitudinal direction that is approximately a same angle as said diagonal path.

14. The method as claimed in claim 9 wherein said conveying surface includes a conveyor supplying articles to said sorter and where said pre-orienting is carried out prior to articles arriving on said sorter.

15. The method as claimed in claim 14 wherein said pre-orienting includes orienting said at least one side of each article at an angle to the longitudinal direction that is approximately a same angle as said diagonal path.

16. The method as claimed in claim 9 wherein said pre-orienting includes orienting said at least one side of each article at an angle to the longitudinal direction that is approximately a same angle as said diagonal path.