Systems and methods for sorting residual items

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10682672-B2
Application number	US-201816039241-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 18, 2018
Priority date	May 6, 2016
Publication date	Jun 16, 2020
Grant date	Jun 16, 2020

Abstract

Embodiments of a system and method for sorting and delivering articles in a processing facility. Delivery endpoints are divided and grouped into stop groups. A first sorter sorts items according to stop group and outputs the items to trays. The output trays from the first sorter are loaded to a second sorter. The second sorter sorts items for each stop group into trays based on carrier route segments. A manifest is created that comprises a list of the items in a tray. A mobile computing device alerts a delivery carrier when there is an item that needs to be delivered.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of sorting and delivering items comprising;
assigning, in a processor, a plurality of delivery end points to a plurality of stop groups;
sorting the plurality of items on a sorting apparatus according to the assigned stop groups;
moving the sorted items into one or more trays according to the stop groups;
storing an association between the sorted items and the tray in which the sorted items are stored;
moving the one or more trays into a storage location; and
storing a location identifier for the one or more trays corresponding to a location of the one or more trays within the storage location;
selecting one of the one or more trays according to a stop group order based on the stored association between the sorted items and the tray in which the sorted items are stored;
loading the items from the selected one or more trays into a second sorting apparatus;
sorting the items corresponding to a first one of the plurality of stop groups into a first selected bin of a plurality of bins and the items corresponding to a second one of the one or more stop groups into a second selected bin of a the plurality of bins;
storing an association between the sorted items, the bin in which the sorted items are stored, and a relative location of each of the sorted items within the bin in which the sorted items are stored;
determining a location of a mobile computing device;
determining a selected item from the sorted items needs to be delivered; and
displaying an alert on the mobile computing device that the selected item needs to be delivered, the alert comprising a notification of the relative location of the selected item within the bin in which the selected item is stored.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
delivering the selected item to a delivery end point associated with the selected item.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein displaying an alert on the mobile computing device comprises displaying information associated with the selected item.

4. A system of sorting and delivering items comprising;
means for assigning a plurality of delivery end points to a plurality of stop groups;
means for sorting the plurality of items on a sorting apparatus according to the assigned stop groups;
means for moving the sorted items into one or more trays according to the stop groups;
means for storing an association between the sorted items and the tray in which the sorted items are stored;
means for moving the one or more trays into a storage location; and
means for storing a location identifier for the one or more trays corresponding to a location of the one or more trays within the storage location selecting one of the one or more trays according to a stop group order based on the stored association between the sorted items and the tray in which the sorted items are stored;
means for loading the items from the selected one or more trays into a second sorting apparatus;
means for sorting the items corresponding to a first one of the plurality of stop groups into a first selected bin of a plurality of bins and the items corresponding to a second one of the one or more stop groups into a second selected bin of a the plurality of bins;
means for storing an association between the sorted items, the bin in which the sorted items are stored, and a relative location of each of the sorted items within the bin in which the sorted items are stored;
means for determining a location of a mobile computing device;
means for determining a selected item from the sorted items needs to be delivered; and
means for displaying an alert on the mobile computing device that the selected item needs to be delivered, the alert comprising a notification of the relative location of the selected item within the bin in which the selected item is stored.

Assignees

• United States Postal Service

Inventors

• Bombaugh Scott R
• Foti Thomas J
• Loyd David E
• Shah Sarvang D

Classifications

• B07C3/00 Primary

  Sorting according to destination {(collating the pages of a book B42C1/00)} · CPC title

• B07C3/005 Primary

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

• B07C2301/0041

  Sequencing items to a carrier walk sequence or delivery order · CPC title

• B07C3/14

  using light-responsive detecting means {(for information carriers G06K7/14)} · CPC title