Automated packing system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11897701-B2
Application number	US-202217810269-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 30, 2022
Priority date	May 2, 2022
Publication date	Feb 13, 2024
Grant date	Feb 13, 2024

Abstract

An automated packing system, which may include a transfer station is described. In an example implementation, system may include an item-consolidation area that receives items, a carton receiving area that receives a carton, and a structure that holds the item-consolidation area vertically higher than the carton-receiving area. The system may also include a passage between the item-consolidation area and the carton-receiving area. The passage that may allow the items to pass from the item-consolidation area and the carton in the carton-receiving area. The system may include an actuation mechanism that controls movement of the items between the item-consolidation area and the carton-receiving area.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system, comprising:
an item-consolidation area that receives one or more items;
a carton-receiving area that receives a carton;
a structure that holds the item-consolidation area vertically higher than the carton-receiving area;
a passage between the item-consolidation area and the carton-receiving area, the passage allowing the one or more items to pass from the item-consolidation area to the carton in the carton-receiving area, the system including one or more door members pivoting to close the passage and pivoting to open the passage; and
an actuation mechanism that controls movement of the one or more items between the item-consolidation area and the carton-receiving area, the actuation mechanism including a support member that provides vertical support to the one or more door members via one or more contact points coupled with the support member when the one or more door members are in a closed position, the support member translating horizontally, the one or more contact points contacting varying points of the one or more door members at varying angles of the one or more door members as the support member translates horizontally.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein:
the item-consolidation area includes one or more walls that prevent the one or more items from falling horizontally out of the item-consolidation area;
the passage is located at a bottom of the item-consolidation area; and
the structure includes a frame that holds the item-consolidation area vertically above the carton-receiving area so that gravity causes the one or more items to fall through the passage and into the carton in the carton-receiving area.

3. The system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a chute including one or more sloped surfaces that guide the one or more items toward the passage in the item-consolidation area.

4. The system of claim 3 , wherein:
the passage is offset from a center of the item-consolidation area toward a corner of the item-consolidation area; and
the carton-receiving area includes a guide positioning the carton at a location of the carton-receiving area that is offset from a center of the carton-receiving area toward a corner of the carton-receiving area, the corner of the carton-receiving area corresponding to the corner of the item-consolidation area.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein:
the passage includes an aperture in a floor item-consolidation area, the aperture providing an opening between the item-consolidation area and the carton-receiving area.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the actuation mechanism includes:
two or more door members closing the passage when in the closed position and opening the passage when in an open position.

7. The system of claim 6 , wherein:
the two or more door members pivot downward toward the carton-receiving area when in the open position, the two or more door members pivoting away from each other when in the open position.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein each of the two or more door members include:
a side wall adapted to guide the one or more items into the carton in the carton-receiving area when the two or more door members are in the open position and the one or more items are moving between the item-consolidation area and the carton in the carton-receiving area.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the actuation mechanism includes:
a motor connected to the one or more door members to open or close the one or more door members responsive to a signal from a processor.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the support member-includes:
one or more bars that provide the vertical support to the one or more door members when in the closed position, the one or more bars moving to remove the vertical support from the one or more door members when in an open position.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein:
the one or more bars extend beyond two or more sides of the one or more door members when the one or more door members are in the closed position, the one or more bars translating in a direction perpendicular to a length of the one or more bars when transitioning between the open position and the closed position.

12. The system of claim 10 , wherein:
the one or more door members include a first door member and a second door member;
the one or more bars include a first bar and a second bar, the first bar providing support to the first door member when in the closed position, the second bar providing support to the second door member when in the closed position; and
one or more cables linking movement of the first bar with movement of the second bar.

13. The system of claim 12 , wherein the actuation mechanism includes:
one or more pullies coupled with the one or more cables and configured to move the second bar away from the first bar when the motor moves the first bar into the open position.

14. The system of claim 10 , wherein:
the one or more bars are coupled with one or more cams to provide the vertical support to the one or more door members when in the closed position, the one or more contact points being disposed along a surface of the one or more cams, the one or more cams contacting the one or more door members at varying points of the one or more cams when the one or more cams move between the closed position and the open position, the support member including the one or more bars, the one or more cams sliding horizontally with the support member.

15. The system of claim 1 , wherein the actuation mechanism includes:
the one or more door members closing the passage when in the closed position and opening the passage when in an open position, the one or more door members pivoting downward toward the carton-receiving area when opening to the open position; and
a cam including a contoured side that contacts the one or more door members at varying points as the one or more door members pivot between the open position and the closed position, the cam providing support to keep the one or more door members in the closed position, the cam being coupled to a top surface of the support member and moving horizontally with the support member.

16. The system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a first conveyor belt positioned adjacent to the item-consolidation area, the first conveyor belt transporting the one or more items to the item-consolidation area; and
a second conveyor belt positioned adjacent to the carton-receiving area, the carton-receiving area transporting the carton to the carton-receiving area.

17. A computer-implemented method comprising:
transferring one or more items into an item-consolidation area of a transfer station;
transmitting, by one or more processors, a first actuation signal to an actuation mechanism of the transfer station to actuate into an open position, the actuation mechanism controlling movement of the one or more items from the item-consolidation area to a carton-receiving area of the transfer station including pivoting one or more doors at a passage between the item-consolidation area and the carton-receiving area to the open position, the carton-receiving area holding a carton, the open position allowing the one or more items to move from the item-consolidation area to the carton-receiving area, pivoting the one or more doors to the open position including translating a support member horizontally, the support member providing vertical support to the one or more doors via one or more contact points coupled with the support member when the one or more doors are in a closed position, the one or more contact points contacting varying points of th

Assignees

• Staples Inc

Inventors

• Harris Calem
• Mora Sebastian
• Tucker Grant
• Jagannathan Arun Kumar Ranganathan
• Skantze Carl
• Tsoka Arnold
• Faulkner Mario

Classifications

• B65G47/46 Primary

  and distributing, e.g. automatically, to desired points (in tube mail systems B65G51/36) · CPC title

• B65B5/06

  Packaging groups of articles, the groups being treated as single articles · CPC title

• B65B35/24

  by endless belts or chains {(B65B35/205 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• B65B65/003

  Packaging lines, e.g. general layout · CPC title

• B65G47/44 Primary

  Arrangements or applications of hoppers or chutes · CPC title