Patent ID: 7568572

Claim:
A method of controlling a conveyor sortation system comprising: providing a sortation bed having a conveying surface movable in a direction of conveyance; providing an induct conveyor adapted to induct articles for delivery to said sortation bed; providing a merge conveyor for merging a plurality of conveying lines; providing a merge and induct manager adapted to control a speed of said induct conveyor and said merge conveyor; providing a first controller adapted to control said merge and induct manager; providing a second controller adapted to determine an article's position on said conveying surface, said second controller responsive to said first controller; providing a plurality of third controllers and a plurality of associated divert switches, each said third controller adapted to control an associated divert switch for selectively diverting articles off of said sortation bed; sending an article's intended destination from said first controller to said second controller; selecting one of said plurality of third controllers based on the article's intended destination; and sending an article's location on the conveying surface from said second controller to said selected third controller and instructing said selected third controller to divert said article when said location reaches the associated divert switch.