Patent ID: 7380651

Claim:
An order merging system, the system comprising: at least two depalletizing stations, each depalletizing station being dedicated to a different respective product unit depalletized thereon; for each depalletizing station, at least one pair of first case guides in communication therewith and having at least one pair of curved, twisted and downwardly sloping lanes for guiding at least one product case of the respective product unit for the depalletizing station therealong in each of the first case guides; for each pair of first case guides, at least one pair of lowerable guides connected downstream thereof and in respective communication therewith; at least one pair of independent mixing second case guides of a mixing conveyor for receiving mixed product cases thereon to feed the cases away from the at least two depalletizing stations and located downstream therefrom, each said lowerable guide being selectively in communication with a respective one of said second case guides, the lowerable guides being selectively lowerable to allow the product cases of the respective product unit for the depalletizing stations from each said first case guide to merge onto a respective said second case guide, each said depalletizing station being at a respective location along the mixing second case guides such that one of the at least two depalletizing stations is downstream of the other one relative to the mixing second case guides, each said lowerable guide of a downstream said depalletizing station, when in a raised position, allowing mixed product cases merged onto respective said second case guide from an upstream said depalletizing station to flow thereunder.