Rigid tray container and method of use

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10518934-B2
Application number	US-201715608646-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 30, 2017
Priority date	Mar 8, 2013
Publication date	Dec 31, 2019
Grant date	Dec 31, 2019

Abstract

Embodiments of this disclosure include a rigid tray container and methods and equipment for using the rigid tray container in batched process operations. In one embodiment, a mass container is sized and dimensioned to receive one or several rigid tray containers. In other embodiments, equipment is configured to lid/unlid, secure, stack, load/unload, and buffer rigid tray containers. In other embodiments, equipment is configured to stack and stage mass containers. In some embodiments, methods are provided for batch processing items.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A mass container loading machine comprising:
a conveyor configured to receive a tray and move the tray in a first direction;
a tray label reader disposed proximate a first end of the conveyor, wherein the tray label reader is configured to read a computer readable label on the tray to determine the orientation of the tray;
a tray rotator disposed proximate the tray label reader and in electronic communication with the tray label reader, the tray rotator comprising a rotation member configured to contact the tray and rotate the tray to change the orientation of the tray in response to the orientation determined by the tray label reader;
a tray alignment device disposed proximate the conveyor at a point downstream from the tray rotator along the first direction;
a shuttle device configured to receive the tray from the tray alignment device and load the tray into a mass container; and
a mass container manipulator configured to manipulate the orientation and position of the mass container.

2. The mass container loading machine of claim 1 , further comprising a staging area downstream of the tray alignment device, the staging area comprising a surface on which a plurality of trays can be stored prior to loading into the mass container via the shuttle device.

3. The mass container loading machine of claim 1 , wherein the tray alignment device is disposed proximate the conveyor at a point downstream from the tray rotator along the first direction, the tray alignment device comprising an elongate member extending generally parallel to a surface of conveyor, the elongate member having a surface to contact the tray as the tray moves along the conveyor.

4. The mass container loading machine of claim 1 , wherein the label comprises a computer readable code, and the tray label reader scans the label on the tray to obtain tray identification information.

5. The mass container loading machine of claim 1 , wherein the tray label reader is configured to determine the tray orientation based on positively identifying the label on the scanned end of the tray.

6. The mass container loading machine of claim 1 , wherein the tray label reader is configured to determine the tray orientation based on the absence of the label on the scanned end of the tray.

7. The mass container loading machine of claim 1 , wherein the mass container is sized to receive a plurality of trays from the shuttle device.

8. The mass container loading machine of claim 1 , further configured to add an identification feature to the mass container.

9. The mass container loading-unloading machine of claim 8 , wherein the identification feature is an electronic identification device.

10. A method of loading a mass container comprising:
receiving a tray on a conveyor, wherein the tray has a label thereon;
moving the tray in a first direction;
scanning said end of the tray to determine the orientation of the tray;
rotating the tray in response to the orientation identified by the scan;
guiding an end of the tray with a tray alignment device as the tray moves in the first direction;
loading the tray into a mass container with a shuttle device that receives the tray from the tray alignment device; and
manipulating the orientation and position of the mass container with a mass container manipulator.

11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising storing a plurality of trays in a staging area and loading the trays into the mass container from the staging area.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein guiding an end of the tray with a tray alignment device comprises:
contacting the tray with the tray alignment device wherein the tray alignment device has an elongate member extending generally parallel to a surface of the conveyor.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the label comprises a computer readable code, and scanning the label on the tray provides identification information.

14. The method of claim 11 , wherein scanning an end of the tray detects the orientation of the tray by positively identifying the label on the scanned end of the tray.

15. The method of claim 11 , wherein scanning an end of the tray detects the orientation of the tray based on the absence of the label on the scanned end of the tray.

16. The method of claim 11 , wherein the method further comprises attaching an identification feature to the mass container.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the identification feature is an electronic identification device.

Assignees

• United States Postal Service

Inventors

• Close Donald R

Classifications

• B65D21/045 Primary

  about 180° only · CPC title

• B07C3/005

  the transport holders of objects being provided with means for storing the destination signals (sorting devices for transport holders B07C3/082) · CPC title

• B65D2203/02

  Labels · CPC title

• B65D19/385

  Frames, corner posts or pallet converters, e.g. for facilitating stacking of charged pallets · CPC title

• B65D21/064

  the movable parts being an attached or integral cover made of one or two pieces · CPC title