Patent ID: 9624043
Date: 2017-04-18
CPC Classifications: B07C,B65G

Claim:
1. A mixed article sortation system that is adapted to organize a bulk flow of articles into separate destinations, the mixed articles being of various sizes and shapes, said system comprising: at least two bulk flow singulators each configured to receive a bulk flow of mixed articles being of various sizes and shapes and to arrange the bulk flow of articles to respective first and second single-file flows of articles; a first article induct that arranges the first single-file flow of mixed articles from said one of said singulators to a first flow of gapped articles separated by gaps and a first article sensor that receives the first single-file flow of gapped mixed articles and senses at least the identity and weight of each article in the first single-file flow of gapped mixed articles; a second article induct that arranges the single-file flow of mixed articles from the other of said singulators to a second flow of gapped mixed articles separated by gaps and a second article sensor that receives the second single-file flow of gapped mixed articles and senses at least the identity and weight of each article in the second single-file flow of gapped mixed articles; a combiner that combines the first and second single-file flow of gapped articles from the first and second article sensors into a third single-file flow of articles; and a positive displacement sorter, said sorter receives the third single-file flow of articles from the combiner and sorts the articles to separate destinations.