Apparatus for sorting products

• US 6,515,246 B2
• Filed: 03/01/2001
• Issued: 02/04/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Buhrs Holding BV (Hittech Group BV)
• Original Assignee: Buhrs Holding BV (Hittech Group BV)
• Inventors: Brandsaeter, Tore
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Tuan N.
• Application Number:
  US09/795,360
• Publication Number:
  US 20010052485A1
• Time in Patent Office: 705 Days
• Field of Search: 209/552, 209/559, 209/563, 209/564, 209/583, 209/629, 209/630, 209/900, 209/916, 209/918, 209/933, 209/937, 209/917
• US Class Current: 209/583
• CPC Class Codes: B07C 3/00 Sorting according to destination collating the pages of a book B42C1/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 209/90 Sorting flat-type mail
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 209/917 Endless belt pusher feeding item
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 209/933 Accumulation receiving separated items

Abstract

An apparatus for sorting products, such as magazines, newspapers and books, CDs and/or diskettes, includes a separation station arranged for making single items of the products supplied in stacks, a conveyor arranged for conveying one by one the products coming from the separation station, and a number of sorting stations arranged adjacent the conveyor. The sorting stations are connected to the conveyor such that a product located on the conveyor can be supplied from the conveyor to a desired sorting station for forming a sorted collection of products in the respective sorting station. The apparatus further includes a control. The control is arranged for controlling at least the conveyor and the sorting stations, such that at least two sorting functions can be performed. A first sorting function involves sorting an unordered collection of products according to type of product, which collection comes from a customer, such as a shopkeeper or a kiosk-keeper, whereby in a respective sorting station products of the same type are collected. A second sorting function involves assembling a number of customer orders.

Claims

1. An apparatus for sorting products, the apparatus comprising:

a separation station, said separation station being arranged for separating products supplied in stacks into single products;

a conveyor, said conveyor being arranged for conveying the products from the separation station one by one; and

a plurality of sorting stations, said plurality of sorting stations being arranged adjacent the conveyor and connected to the conveyor such that a product located on the conveyor can be supplied from the conveyor to a respective of said plurality of sorting stations for forming a sorted collection of products in the respective sorting station; and

a control, said control being arranged for controlling at least the conveyor and the plurality of sorting stations, such that at least two sorting functions can be performed,

wherein the first sorting function involves sorting an unordered collection of products according to a type of product, which comes from a customer, whereby products of the same type are collected in a respective sorting station, and the second sorting function involves assembling a number of customer orders,

wherein the separation station comprises detection means arranged for informing the control of the type of each product being supplied, the control being arranged for subsequently causing the conveyor and/or the sorting station intended to collect the type of product to be controlled such that the respective product is delivered to the desired sorting station,

wherein with regard to each unordered collection of products, the number of copies of each type of product in the unordered collection is determined and stored in the control, and

wherein with regard to the second sorting function, the control assigns at least one sorting station to each customer, collections of products of the same type successively supplied to the separation station are distributed over the plurality of sorting stations, such that each customer receives the number of copies of each type of product desired by the customer.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a memory is present in the control, said memory being loaded with a list, said list containing data for each customer regarding the number of copies of each type of product the respective customer wishes to receive, the control of the sorting stations and/or the conveyor being controlled by the control depending on said list.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the separation station comprises means for converting a stack of products into single items such that the products end up on the conveyor one by one.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the separation station comprises a terminal for the benefit of a loader who loads the separation station manually with collections of products, the terminal comprising an input facility by means of which the loader can input the type of product to inform the control.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of said plurality of sorting stations comprises a display on which, if the first sorting function is performed, it is indicated what type of product is collected in the respective sorting station, and on which, if the second sorting function is performed, it is indicated which customer has been assigned to the respective sorting station.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the products are magazines, newspapers and books, CDs and/or diskettes.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the customer is a shopkeeper or a kiosk.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the same plurality of sorting stations are used to perform said at least two sorting functions.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the same conveyor is used to perform said at least two sorting functions.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said conveyor and each of said plurality of sorting stations are used to perform said at least two sorting functions.