Patent ID: 7752086
Filing Date: 2010-07-06
Classification: G06Q

Abstract:
1. A method of distributing products (P1, P2, P3, . . . , Py, y being a whole number not equal to zero) enabling, by manipulation and displacement of the products, rapid collection of the products, each product having an identifier prior to shipment such that each final product collection corresponds to a list of products itself corresponding to a physical order (C1, C2, C3, . . . , Cx, x being a whole number not equal to zero), the products originating from multiple suppliers (F1, F2, F3, . . . ) or multiple stocks (S 1), the method comprising: a step of computer processing content of the orders (C1, C2, C3, . . . , Cx) comprising determining a regrouping of each of the orders into a multiplicity of groups of orders (GC 10, GC20, GC30, . . . ) according to at least one selected condition, and determining an ungrouping of the content of each order group into a multiplicity of order subgroups (SGC 10, SGC20, SGC30); m step(s) of regrouping of the products (P1, P2, P3, . . . , Py), m being a whole number greater than or equal to 1, comprising performing a manual or automated collection of each of the products, reading the identifier of each collected product and provisionally arranging each collected product in a compartment associated with a group of products (GP10, GP20, GP30, . . . ) to obtain an exact concordance between the product groups and the order groups, wherein the products (P1, P2, P3, . . . , Py) are mixed from said multiple suppliers or stocks to form the groups of products and the orders, each group of products fulfilling a group of an order, and each order comprised of products (P1, P2, P3, . . . , Py) from said multiple supplier or stocks; and n steps of ungrouping the products (P1, P2, P3, . . . , Py), n being a whole number greater than 1, from each of the groups of products, the n steps of ungrouping comprising (i) at least one intermediate step of ungrouping comprising for each product group performing a manual or automated collection of each of the products, reading the identifier of each collected product and provisionally arranging each collected product in a compartment associated with a product subgroup (SGP10, SGP20, SGP30, . . . ) to obtain an exact concordance between the product subgroups and the order subgroups, and (ii) a last step of ungrouping comprising a step of final separation comprising for each product subgroup performing a manual or automated collection of each of the products, reading the identifier of each collected product and provisionally arranging each collected product in a compartment associated with a physical order; wherein the steps of regrouping, ungrouping, final separation, and identification are performed in a single workroom by an identical device for each step comprising at least one sorting station equipped with an identification reader connected to a computer-based system to identify each product by reading an identifier and an equipment unit having a multiplicity of compartments for arranging the products in the compartments according to instructions issued by the computer-based system, each of the compartments having its position referenced by a signalizer controlled by the computer-based system.