Patent ID: 7925376

Claim:
A dumping station for use in a stock order filling system, the dumping station comprising: a collection area including a conveyor; a bin disposed adjacent the conveyor, the bin having a receiving end including an open top, a discharge end including an open front, the open top in the receiving end adapted to receive articles, the bin having a dump mode, in which articles in the bin are discharged from the open front in the discharge end and onto the collection area, and a pick mode, in which the articles are retained in the receiving end of the bin, the bin being biased under force of gravity toward the dump mode, the bin being rotatable about an axis, the bin having a center of gravity laterally offset from the axis toward the discharge end; an electronically controllable releasable latch selectively engageable with the bin, the latch selectively securing the bin in the pick mode against the force of gravity, the latch being responsive to a release signal to release the bin; and a controller operably coupled to the latch and having a processor programmed to generate the release signal to release the latch, wherein upon the latch releasing the bin, the bin automatically switches from the pick mode to the dump mode under the force of gravity by rotating about the axis thereby to discharge the articles in the bin directly onto the conveyor; wherein the processor is programmed to generate the release signal as a selected area of the conveyor passes the dumping station.