Patent Document

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/322,416, filed Apr. 14, 2016, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
     
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
       [0002]    This invention relates generally to sorting products using conveyors and, in particular, to systems and methods for sorting products using conveyors having multiple inputs and multiple outputs. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    Retailers routinely transport products in packages to sorting facilities, where the packages are sorted according to various factors (e.g., destination, size of package, storage requirements, etc.) to form groups that are then delivered to their destinations. Since the packages typically come to the sorting facilities from multiple sources and are intended for multiple destinations, conventional sorting systems have multiple inputs and outputs in an attempt to expedite processing speed. Such conventional conveyor-based sorting systems typically rely on a merge and sort point. For example, in order to sort packages coming from multiple origins to multiple destinations, a merge and sort is used such that packages traveling on multiple conveyor lines would be merged to one line and are then sorted to multiple output lines. 
         [0004]    One problem with such conventional sorting systems is that a merge and sort design creates a bottleneck when multiple conveyor lines are fed into one merge point and a single line before being sorted. As such, the throughput of such systems is capped at the speed of the merge process of the multiple lines and limits the throughput capabilities of the individual input and output lines. In addition, a merge and sort conveyor system creates a single point of failure at the merge point, such that if the merge or sort point experiences downtime, for example, as a result of a malfunction or a repair, the entire system goes down. In addition, conventional merge and sort systems often have bulky footprints requiring a single line sorter and a large merge bed, taking up a large section of the warehouse footprint, resulting in sub-optimal utilization of the space available above or below the sorter. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0005]    Disclosed herein are embodiments of systems, apparatuses, and methods pertaining to systems and methods are provided for sorting products using conveyors having multiple inputs and multiple outputs. This description includes drawings, wherein: 
           [0006]      FIG. 1  is a diagram of a system of sorting products using conveyors having multiple inputs and multiple outputs in accordance with some embodiments; 
           [0007]      FIG. 2A  top view of two of the conveyors when a product traveling on a product advancement surface of a first conveyor approaches the transfer conveyor; 
           [0008]      FIG. 2B  is the same view as in  FIG. 2A , but showing the product traveling on the transfer conveyor; 
           [0009]      FIG. 2C  is the same view as in  FIG. 2B , but showing the product traveling on a product advancement surface of the second conveyor after being transferred from the first conveyor to the second conveyor via the transfer conveyor; and 
           [0010]      FIG. 3  is a functional diagram of an exemplary electronic inventory management device usable with the system of  FIG. 1  in accordance with some embodiments. 
       
    
    
       [0011]    Elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not been necessarily drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions and/or relative positioning of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of various embodiments of the present invention. Also, common but well-understood elements that are useful or necessary in a commercially feasible embodiment are often not depicted in order to facilitate a less obstructed view of these various embodiments of the present invention. Certain actions and/or steps may be described or depicted in a particular order of occurrence while those skilled in the art will understand that such specificity with respect to sequence is not actually required. The terms and expressions used herein have the ordinary technical meaning as is accorded to such terms and expressions by persons skilled in the technical field as set forth above except where different specific meanings have otherwise been set forth herein. 
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0012]    The following description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, but is made merely for the purpose of describing the general principles of exemplary embodiments. Reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” or similar language means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus, appearances of the phrases “in one embodiment,” “in an embodiment,” and similar language throughout this specification may, but do not necessarily, all refer to the same embodiment. 
         [0013]    Generally speaking, pursuant to various embodiments, systems and methods are provided for sorting products using conveyors having multiple inputs and multiple outputs. 
         [0014]    In one embodiment, a conveyor system for sorting products includes: first product conveyors vertically stacked relative to one another and each having a product advancement surface configured to move in at least a first direction; second product conveyors vertically stacked relative to one another and each having a product advancement surface configured to move in at least a second direction different from the first direction; and transfer conveyors connecting the first and second product conveyors, the transfer conveyors configured to permit transfer a product between the first product conveyors and the second product conveyors; wherein at least one of the first product conveyors is connected by a plurality of transfer conveyors to a plurality of the second product conveyors to permit transfer of the product from the product advancement surface of the at least one of the first product conveyors to the product advancement surface of any one of the plurality of the second product conveyors. 
         [0015]    In another embodiment, a method of sorting products includes: providing first product conveyors vertically stacked relative to one another and each having a product advancement surface configured to move in at least a first direction; providing a second product conveyors vertically stacked relative to one another and each having a product advancement surface configured to move in at least a second direction different from the first direction; providing transfer conveyors connecting the first and second product conveyors, the transfer conveyors configured to permit transfer a product between the first product conveyors and the second product conveyors; and connecting at least one of the first product conveyors by a plurality of transfer conveyors to a plurality of the second product conveyors to permit transfer of the product from the product advancement surface of the at least one of the first product conveyors to the product advancement surface of any one of the plurality of the second product conveyors. 
         [0016]      FIG. 1  shows an embodiment of a conveyor system  100  for sorting products  190   a - 190   f.  The exemplary system  100  shown in  FIG. 1  includes six conveyors  110   a - 110   f  having six products  190   a - 190   f  thereon, respectively, but it will be appreciated that the system  100  may include less conveyors (e.g., 4 or 2), or significantly more conveyors (e.g., 12, 24, 50, 100, or more) depending on the size of the sorting facility where the conveyor system  100  is installed, and depending on the number of products passing through the system  100 . By the same token, while each conveyor  110   a - 110   f  is illustrated in  FIG. 1  as having one product  190   a - 190   f  thereon, it will be appreciated that each of the conveyors  110   a - 110   f  may concurrently transport more than one product  190   a - 190   f  (e.g., dozens and/or hundreds of products, depending on the length of the conveyor). In addition, while this application refers to products  190   a - 190   f  and the sorting of products  190   a - 190   f,  it will be appreciated that the conveyor system  100  may be used to transport products that are retained in packages, boxes, and/or totes, and/or loose products that are not packaged. Further, the size of the products  190   a - 190   f  in  FIG. 1  has been shown by way of example only, and it will be appreciated that the conveyors may transport many different products  190   a - 190   f  having many different sizes and shapes. 
         [0017]    In the exemplary system  100  of  FIG. 1 , the conveyors  110   a - 110   c  are vertically stacked relative to one another. In other words, the product advancement surface  120   c  of the conveyor  110   c  is located above (and directly overlays) the product advancement surface  120   b  of the conveyor  110   b,  which is in turn located above (and directly overlays) the product advancement surface  120   a  of the conveyor  110   a,  while the product advancement surface  120   f  of the conveyor  110   f  is located above (and directly overlays) the product advancement surface  120   e  of the conveyor  110   e,  which is in turn located above (and directly overlays) the product advancement surface  120   d  of the conveyor  110   d.    
         [0018]    In the exemplary system  100  of  FIG. 1 , the conveyors  110   a - 110   c  (referred to herein as “the first product conveyors”) each have a product advancement surface  120   a - 120   c  configured to move one or more products  190   a - 190   c  in one or more directions indicated by the arrows. Similarly, the conveyors  110   d - 110   f  (referred to herein as “the second product conveyors”) each have a product advancement surface  120   d - 120   f  configured to move one or more products  190   d - 190   f  in one or more direction indicated by the arrows. As can be seen in  FIG. 1 , each product advancement surface  120   a - 120   f  includes one or more portions that are parallel to one or more portions of one or more of the other product advancement surfaces  120   a - 120   f.  In other words, the product advancement surface  120   a  includes several upwardly-sloping portions that are parallel to several upwardly-sloping portions of the product advancement surfaces  120   b  and  120   c.  While the system  100  in  FIG. 1  includes half of the conveyors (i.e.,  110   a - 110   c ) having product advancement surfaces (i.e.,  120   a - 120   c ) moving some of products (i.e.,  190   a - 190   c ) in one direction (i.e., upward), while half of the conveyors (i.e.,  110   d - 110   f ) have product advancement surfaces (i.e.,  120   d - 120   f ) moving some of the products (i.e.,  190   d - 190   f ) in an opposite direction (i.e., downward), it will be appreciated that all of the conveyors  110   a - 110   f  of the system  100  may have product advancement surfaces  120   a - 120   f  that move all of the products  190   a - 190   f  in one direction (i.e., all upward or all downward). 
         [0019]    Each of the conveyors  110   a - 110   f  of the exemplary system  100  of  FIG. 1  includes an input  130   a - 130   f,  where respective ones of the products  190   a - 190   f  may be loaded after arriving at a sorting facility where the system  100  is implemented. In addition, each of the conveyors  110   a - 110   f  of the system  100  of  FIG. 1  includes an output  140   a - 140   f,  where respective ones of the products  190   a - 190   f  may be unloaded (e.g., to go onto a truck for delivery to the next destination). Since the conveyors  110   a - 110   f  are vertically stacked, as shown in  FIG. 1 , the input  130   c  is located above and directly overlays the input  130   b,  which is in turn located above and directly overlays the input  130   a,  while the input  130   f  is located above and directly overlays the input  130   e,  which is in turn located above and directly overlays the input  130   d.  Similarly, as shown in  FIG. 1 , the output  140   c  is located above and directly overlays the output  130   b,  which is in turn located above and directly overlays the output  140   a,  while the output  140   f  is located above and directly overlays the output  140   e,  which is in turn located above and directly overlays the output  140   d.  In the exemplary system  100  illustrated in  FIG. 1 , as each conveyor  110   a - 110   f  extends from its respective input  130   a - 130   f  to its respective output  140   a - 140   f,  the product advancement surface  120   a - 120   f  of each conveyor  110   a - 110   f  includes at least one direction deviation from a horizontal surface to a sloped (i.e., upward- or downward-sloping) surface. 
         [0020]    The product advancement surface  120   a - 120   f  of the conveyors  110   a - 110   f  may be comprised of a single conveyor belt surface, or may be instead comprised of a series of two or more independently movable conveyor belt surfaces. For example, in the exemplary system  100  shown in  FIG. 1 , the conveyor  110   a  may include seven independently movable conveyor belt surfaces (4 horizontal ones and 3 inclined ones), with each new conveyor belt surface beginning at the point of angular deviation of the product advancement surface  120   a  (i.e., from horizontal to inclined and from inclined to horizontal). In some embodiments, the inclined conveyor belt surfaces of the product advancement surface  120   a - 120   e  are inclined from about 15 to about 20 degrees, and in some aspects, from about 16 to about 18 degrees relative to the horizontal conveyor belt surfaces. The speed of the product advancement surface  120   a - 120   f  of the conveyors  110   a - 110   f  can be determined and set (e.g., 500 products per hour, 900 products per hour, 1000 products per hour, 1100 products (e.g., totes) per hour, etc.) depending on the size and throughput requirements of the sorting facility where the conveyor system  100  is installed. For example, the speed of the product advancement surface  120   a - 120   f  of the conveyors  110   a - 110   f  is from about 0.1 meters per second to about 2 meters per second in some aspects, from about 0.5 meters per second to about 1.5 meters per second in other aspects, and about 1 meter per second in other aspects. In some embodiments, one or more of such independently movable conveyor surfaces of the product advancement surface  120   a  may be configured to stop while one or more of the other independently movable conveyor sections of the product advancement surface  120   a  are permitted to move. The conveyors  110   a - 110   f  may be belt conveyors, chain conveyors, or the like and may have a continuous, uninterrupted product advancement surface  120   a - 120   f,  or may have a product advancement surface  120   a - 120   f  that includes one or more interruptions at the transitions between the distinct conveyor surfaces. 
         [0021]    In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 1 , the system  100  further includes transfer conveyors  150   a - 150   g  connecting the first and second product conveyors  110   a - 110   f  and permitting for multiple transfer points where the products  190   a - 190   f  may be transferred between the first conveyors  110   a - 110   c  and second conveyors  110   d - 110   f.  Similarly to the product advancement surfaces  120   a - 120   f  of the conveyors  110   a - 110   f,  the transfer conveyors  150   a - 150   g  may be independently movable relative to one another. As such, one or more of the transfer conveyors  150   a - 150   g  may be stopped while another one or more of the transfer conveyors  150   a - 150   g  are permitted to move. It will be appreciated that each of the transfer conveyors  150   a - 150   g  may be movable in one direction only (e.g., to permit for product transfer from conveyor  110   a  to conveyor  110   b  but not vice versa), or may be movable in two directions (e.g., to permit for product transfer from conveyor  110   a  to conveyor  110   b  and from conveyor  110   b  to conveyor  110   a ). 
         [0022]    In the exemplary system  100  of  FIG. 1 , the transfer conveyors  150   a - 150   g  are oriented in a direction perpendicular to the respective product advancement surfaces  120   a - 120   f  of the respective conveyors  110   a - 110   f  that the transfer conveyors  150   a - 150   g  interconnect. However, it will be appreciated that the transfer conveyors  150   a - 150   g  may be oriented in a direction that is not perpendicular (e.g., at a 30 degree, 60 degree, 120 degree, or 150 degree angle) relative to their respective product advancement surfaces  120   a - 120   f.    
         [0023]    As shown in  FIG. 1 , each of the first conveyors  110   a - 110   c  may be connected by one or more transfer conveyors  150   a - 150   g  to one or more second product conveyors  110   d - 110   f  to permit transfer of one or more of the products  190   a - 190   f  from one or more of the product advancement surfaces  120   a - 120   c  of one or more of the first conveyors  110   a - 110   c  to one or more of the product advancement surfaces  120   d - 120   f  of one or more of the second product conveyors  110   d - 110   f.  For example, in the exemplary system  100  of  FIG. 1 : the transfer conveyor  150   a  interconnects the first conveyor  110   a  with the second conveyor  110   d;  the transfer conveyor  150   b  interconnects the first conveyor  110   b  with the second conveyor  110   d;  the transfer conveyor  150   c  interconnects the first conveyor  110   a  with the second conveyor  110   e;  the transfer conveyor  150   d  interconnects the first conveyor  110   b  with the second conveyor  110   e;  the transfer conveyor  150   e  interconnects the first conveyor  110   c  with the second conveyor  110   e;  the transfer conveyor  150   f  interconnects the first conveyor  110   b  with the second conveyor  110   f;  and the transfer conveyor  150   g  interconnects the first conveyor  110   c  with the second conveyor  110   f.  It will be appreciated that the locations of the transfer conveyors  150   a - 150   f  in  FIG. 1  are shown by way of example only, and that each of the conveyors  110   a - 110   f  may include more than one or two (e.g., 5, 10, 25, 50, 100, or more) transfer conveyors  150   a - 150   g  coupled thereto, depending on the length of the conveyors  110   a - 110   f,  and the throughput needs of a sorting facility where system  100  is implemented and the size of the system  100 . 
         [0024]    In the exemplary embodiment shown in  FIG. 1 , the transfer conveyors  150   a - 150   g  of the system  100  are positioned to connect the first conveyors  110   a - 110   c  with the second conveyors  110   d - 110   f  at the horizontal portions of the respective product advancement surfaces  120   a - 120   f  of each of the first conveyors  110   a - 110   c  and second conveyors  110   d - 110   f.  However, it will be appreciated that one or more of the transfer conveyors  150   a - 150   f  may be located at the inclined (upwardly or downwardly) portions of the product advancement surfaces  120   a - 120   f.    
         [0025]    In order to effectuate the transfers of the products  190   a - 190   f  between the conveyors  110   a - 110   f,  the exemplary system  100  illustrated in  FIG. 1  includes a product transfer unit  160   a - 160   g  located at each respective transfer conveyor  150   a - 150   g.  For example, the product transfer unit  160   a  is located and configured to transfer the product  190   a  from the conveyor  110   a  to the conveyor  110   d  when the product  190   a  is located on or near the transfer conveyor  150   a.  In some embodiments, each of the product transfer units  160   a  may include a movable (e.g., reciprocating) arm configured to push the product  190   a,  a movable picker arm configured to lift, move, and set down the product  190   a,  a lift gate configured to obstruct and/or unobstruct a traveling path of the product  190   a,  and/or any other movable or stationary device that may obstruct, and/or contact, and/or otherwise affect the traveling path of the product  190   a  at a suitable time to divert the traveling path of the product  190   a  from the product advancement surface  120   a  of the conveyor  110   a  onto the surface of the transfer conveyor  150   a,  which in turn transfers the product  190   a  to the product advancement surface  120   d  of the conveyor  110   d.    
         [0026]    It will be appreciated that the product advancement surfaces  120   a - 120   f  of the conveyors  110   a - 110   f  and their respective transfer conveyors  150   a - 150   g  may be configured and oriented such that no physical manipulation of a product  190   a - 190   f  by the product transfer unit  160   a - 160   f  is required. For example, in some embodiments, the transfer conveyor  150   a  (and/or any other one of the conveyors  150   b - 150   g ) may have a movable conveyor surface which may be wirelessly or electrically activated by a control switch that is incorporated into, or in communication with the product transfer unit  160   a,  such that the activation of movement of the conveyor surface of the transfer conveyor  150   a  by the product transfer unit  160   a  (or by another electronic device of system  100 ) causes the product  190   a  to be transferred from conveyor  110   a  to conveyor  110   d  without the product transfer unit  160   a  directly contacting the product  190   a.    
         [0027]    In the exemplary system  100  shown in  FIG. 1 , the system  100  includes a product detection unit  170   a - 170   g  associated with, and in communication with each of the product transfer units  160   a - 160   g  and configured to detect the presence of and/or to identify a product  190   a - 190   f  as the product  190   a - 190   f  moves on the product advancement surface  120   a - 120   f  of a respective conveyor  110   a - 110   f.  The product detection unit  170   a - 170   g  of the exemplary system  100  may include one or more of a motion-detecting sensor, physical contact sensor, barcode-scanning sensor, photo sensor, video camera sensor, and/or a weight sensor, or the like. In some embodiments, each product detection unit  170   a - 170   g  may include a product scanning sensor configured to scan identifying indicia located on the products  190   a - 190   f  or on the packaging containing the products  190   a - 190   f.  The identifying indicia on the products  190   a - 190   f  that may be scanned by the product scanning sensor of a product detection unit  170   a - 170   g  may include, but is not limited to: two dimensional barcode, RFID, near field communication (NFC) identifiers, ultra-wideband (UWB) identifiers, Bluetooth identifiers, images, or other such optically readable, radio frequency detectable or other such code, or combination of such codes. 
         [0028]    While in the exemplary system  100  shown in  FIG. 1 , the product transfer units  160   a - 160   g  and the product transfer units  160   a - 160   g  are illustrated as separate physical units, it will be appreciated that the product transfer units  160   a - 160   g  and the product detection units  170   a - 170   f  may be merged into one physical unit that performs both the function of detecting and/or identifying the products  190   a - 190   f  and the function of effectuating the transfer of the products  190   a - 190   f  from one of the conveyors  110   a - 110   f  to another. 
         [0029]    In order to enable the product detection units  170   a - 170   g  and/or the product transfer units  160   a - 160   g  to determine which products  190   a - 190   f  to transfer from one conveyor  110   a - 110   f  to another, the exemplary system  100  of  FIG. 1  includes an electronic inventory management device  180  configured to communicate with the product transfer units  160   a - 160   g  and/or the product detection units  170   a - 170   g  via a network  195 . The electronic inventory management device  180  may be a stationary or portable electronic device, for example, a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a tablet, a mobile phone, or any other electronic device including a processor-based control circuit (i.e., control unit). In the embodiment of  FIG. 1 , the electronic inventory management device  180  is configured for data entry and processing as well as for communication with other devices of system  100  via the network  195  which may be a wide-area network (WAN), a local area network (LAN), a personal area network (PAN), a wireless local area network (WLAN), or any other internet or intranet network, or combinations of such networks. The electronic inventory management device  180  may be located at the same physical location as the conveyors  110   a - 110   f,  or may be located at a remote physical location relative to the conveyors  110   a - 110   f.    
         [0030]    With reference to  FIG. 3 , the electronic inventory management device  180  configured for use with exemplary systems and methods described herein may include a control circuit or control unit  210  including a processor (e.g., a microprocessor or a microcontroller) electrically coupled via a connection  215  to a memory  220  and via a connection  225  to a power supply  230 . The control unit  210  can comprise a fixed-purpose hard-wired platform or can comprise a partially or wholly programmable platform, such as a microcontroller, an application specification integrated circuit, a field programmable gate array, and so on. These architectural options are well known and understood in the art and require no further description here. 
         [0031]    This control unit  210  can be configured (for example, by using corresponding programming stored in the memory  220  as will be well understood by those skilled in the art) to carry out one or more of the steps, actions, and/or functions described herein. In some embodiments, the memory  220  may be integral to the processor-based control unit  210  or can be physically discrete (in whole or in part) from the control unit  210  and is configured non-transitorily store the computer instructions that, when executed by the control unit  210 , cause the control unit  210  to behave as described herein. (As used herein, this reference to “non-transitorily” will be understood to refer to a non-ephemeral state for the stored contents (and hence excludes when the stored contents merely constitute signals or waves) rather than volatility of the storage media itself and hence includes both non-volatile memory (such as read-only memory (ROM)) as well as volatile memory (such as an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM))). Accordingly, the memory and/or the control unit may be referred to as a non-transitory medium or non-transitory computer readable medium. 
         [0032]    The control unit  210  of the electronic inventory management device  180  is also electrically coupled via a connection  235  to an input/output  240  that can receive signals from, for example, from an order processing server and/or from a product transfer unit  160   a - 160   g  and/or from a product detection unit  170   a - 170   g  (e.g., a signal indicating which product  190   a - 190   f  has been transferred from which conveyor  110   a - 110   f  and to which conveyor  110   a - 110   f ), and/or from another electronic device over the network  195 . The input/output  240  of the electronic inventory management device  180  can also send signals to the product transfer units  160   a - 160   g  and/or the product detection units  170   a - 170   g  indicating which product  190   a - 190   f  to transfer from which conveyor  110   a - 110   f  and to which conveyor  110   a - 110   f.    
         [0033]    In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 3 , the processor-based control unit  210  of the electronic inventory management device  180  is electrically coupled via a connection  245  to a user interface  250 , which may include a visual display or display screen  260  (e.g., LED screen) and/or button input  270  that provide the user interface  250  with the ability to permit an operator (e.g., worker at a product sorting facility where the system  100  is implemented) of the electronic inventory management device  180  to manually control the electronic inventory management device  180  by inputting commands via touch-screen and/or button operation and/or voice commands to, for example, to set one or more outputs  140   a - 140   f  where a product  190   a  should come off the conveyors  110   a - 110   f,  or to set one or more transfer conveyors  150   a - 150   g  where the product  190   a  should be transferred between the conveyors  110   a - 110   f.  For example, such manual control by an operator may be via the user interface  250  of the electronic inventory management device  180 , via another electronic device of the operator, or via another user interface and/or switch, and may include an option to override the routing for the products  190   a - 190   f  on the conveyors  110   a - 110   f  preset by the electronic inventory management device  180  and to set new routing for the products  190   a - 190   f  on the conveyors  110   a - 110   f.  It will be appreciated that the performance of such functions by the processor-based control unit  210  of the electronic inventory management device  180  is not dependent on a human operator, and that the control unit  210  may be programmed to perform such functions without a human operator. 
         [0034]    In some embodiments, the display screen  260  of the electronic inventory management device  180  is configured to display various graphical interface-based menus, options, and/or alerts that may be transmitted from and/or to the electronic inventory management device  180  in connection with various aspects of the sorting of the products  190   a - 190   f  on the conveyors  110   a - 110   f.  The inputs  270  of the electronic inventory management device  180  may be configured to permit an operator to navigate through the on-screen menus on the electronic inventory management device  180  and make changes and/or updates to the destinations and/or transfers of products  190   a - 190   f  between the conveyors  110   a - 110   f.  It will be appreciated that the display screen  260  may be configured as both a display screen and an input  270  (e.g., a touch-screen that permits an operator to press on the display screen  260  to enter text and/or execute commands.) 
         [0035]    In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 1 , the electronic inventory management device  180  is coupled to an electronic (inventory management) database  185 . The electronic inventory management device  180  and the electronic database  185  may be implemented as a single device in the same physical location as the conveyors  110   a - 110   f  of system  100  as shown in  FIG. 1 . It will be appreciated, however, that the electronic inventory management device  180  and the electronic database  185  may be separate physical devices, and may be located at different locations. In some embodiments, the electronic database  185  may be stored, for example, on non-volatile storage media (e.g., a hard drive, flash drive, or removable optical disk) internal or external to the electronic inventory management device  180 , or internal or external to computing devices distinct from the electronic inventory management device  180 . In some embodiments, the electronic database  185  may be cloud-based. 
         [0036]    The exemplary electronic database  185  of  FIG. 1  is configured to store electronic data associated with the products  190   a - 190   f  moving on the conveyors  110   a - 110   f.  Some exemplary electronic data that may be stored in the electronic database  185  includes but is not limited to: identification of the products  190   a - 190   f  (e.g., barcode and/or other identifying indicia); date of purchase of the products  190   a - 190   f;  price of purchase of the products  190   a - 190   f;  number of units of the products  190   a - 190   f  to be transported via the conveyors  110   a - 110   f  and/or packaged together for delivery; delivery destination pertaining to the products  190   a - 190   f;  delivery vehicle loading location and delivery vehicle scheduling information; and consumer information (e.g., name, address, payment information, etc.). 
         [0037]    The exemplary electronic inventory management device  180  of the system  100  in  FIG. 1  is configured to process relevant information in the electronic database  185  and to transmit a signal via a network  195  to one or more of the product detection units  170   a - 170   g  and/or to one or more of the product transfer units  160   a - 160   g  to enable the product detection units  170   a - 170   g  and/or the product transfer units  160   a - 160   g  to determine which of the products  190   a - 190   f  traveling on the product advancement surfaces  120   a - 120   f  of the conveyors  110   a - 110   f  are to be transferred from one of the conveyors  110   a - 110   f  to other conveyors  110   a - 110   f.    
         [0038]    In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 1 , as the products  190   a - 190   f  move on the product advancement surfaces  120   a - 120   f  of the conveyors  110   a - 110   f,  the spacing of the products  190   a - 190   d  is such that each product detection unit  170   a - 170   g  is permitted to detect and/or identify a first one of products  190   a - 190   f  moving on one of the conveyors  110   a - 110   f  and, if this first product  190   a - 190   f  is determined by the product detection unit  170   a - 170   g  to be marked for transfer to another conveyor  110   a - 110   f,  to cause the product to be transferred to another one of the conveyors  110   a - 110   f  via a respective one of the transfer conveyors  150   a - 150   g  in time to detect and/or identify a second one of products  190   a - 190   f  moving on that conveyor  110   a - 110 - f.  In other words, each product  190   a - 190   f  traveling on a product advancement surface  120   a - 120   f  and approaching a transfer conveyor  150   a - 150   f  is detected and/or scanned by a respective one of the product detection units  170   a - 170   g  to determine if the product  190   a - 190   f  is to be transferred to a product advancement surface  120   a - 120   f  of another conveyor  110   a - 110   f.    
         [0039]      FIGS. 2A-2C  show a top view of the portions of the conveyors  110   c  and  110   f  of interconnected by the transfer conveyor  150   g  according to some embodiments in operation. With reference to  FIG. 2A , as a product  190   c  traveling on the product advancement surface  120   c  of the first conveyor  110   c  in the direction indicated by the directional arrows approaches the transfer conveyor  150   g,  the product detection unit  170   g  detects the presence of the product  190   c  (e.g., via a motion sensor or other means described above) and scans the identifying indicia (e.g., barcode or other indicia described above) of the product  190   c  to identify the product  190   c.    
         [0040]    After the product  190   c  is identified, the product detection unit  170   g  may send a signal via the network  195  to the electronic inventory management device  180  indicating the presence of an identified product  190   c  at the product transfer conveyor  150   g,  after which the electronic inventory management device  180  may send a return signal to the product detection unit  170   g  and/or to the product transfer unit  160   g  indicating whether the product  190   c  is to be transferred from the conveyor  110   c  to the conveyor  110   f.  If the return signal sent by the electronic inventory management device  180  to the product detection unit  170   g  indicates that the product  190   c  is to be transferred, the product detection unit  170   g  may then send a signal to the product transfer unit  160   g  indicating that the product  190   c  is to be transferred, and the product transfer unit  160   g  either physically pushes, places, or redirects the product  190   c  onto the transfer conveyor  150   g,  or activates movement of the product advancement surface of the transfer conveyor  150   g  such that the product  190   c  is transferred from the conveyor  110   c  to the conveyor  150   g  without the product transfer unit  160   g  coming into contact with the product  190   c.  It will be appreciated that the return signal sent by the electronic inventory management device  180  indicating that the product  190   c  is to be transferred from the conveyor  110   c  to the conveyor  110   f  may be sent to directly the product transfer unit  160   g  instead of to the product detection unit  170   g,  which in turn sends a signal to the product transfer unit  160   g.    
         [0041]    After being diverted from the first conveyor  110   c  onto the transfer conveyor  150   g,  the product  190   c  travels on the surface of the transfer conveyor  150   g  toward the second conveyor  110   f  in the direction indicated by the arrow in  FIG. 2B . When the product  190   c  reaches the product advancement surface  120   f  of the second conveyor  110   f  via the transfer conveyor  150   g,  the transfer of the product  190   c  from conveyor  110   c  to conveyor  110   f  is complete, and the product advancement surface  120   f  of the second conveyor  110   f  carries the product  190   c  in a direction indicated by the arrows in  FIG. 2C , which is opposite to the direction the product  190   c  was traveling on the conveyor  110   c.  As discussed above, while  FIG. 2A  show and describe movement of the transfer conveyor  150   g  in one direction (i.e., from conveyor  110   c  to conveyor  110   f ), it will be appreciated that the transfer conveyor may be bidirectional, such that the product transfer unit  160   g  (or a separate additional product transfer unit) may cause a product traveling on the second conveyor  110   f  to be transferred to the first conveyor  110   c.    
         [0042]    The systems and methods described herein advantageously include multiple conveyors and as such have numerous inputs and outputs, but provide for multiple transfer points between the product advancement surfaces of the conveyors, such that numerous products may be moved along the product advancement surfaces of the conveyors without being limited by a bottleneck effect associated with conventional merge and sort systems, thereby providing a highly efficient and higher throughput system as compared to conventional systems and resulting in significant time and cost savings for sorting facility operators. 
         [0043]    Those skilled in the art will recognize that a wide variety of other modifications, alterations, and combinations can also be made with respect to the above described embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention, and that such modifications, alterations, and combinations are to be viewed as being within the ambit of the inventive concept.

Technology Category: 7