# US 10,870,543 B1 · Item singulation system and method > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,870,543 B1 - Document ID: US10870543B1 - Status: Granted - Kind: B1 - Application number: 16/369,431 - Filed: 2019-03-29 - Granted: 2020-12-22 - Earliest claimed: 2019-03-29 - Assignees: Amazon Technologies, Inc. - Applicants: Amazon Technologies, Inc. - Inventors: Rajeev Dwivedi; Mohit Malik; Vivek Narayanan - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10870543B1 ## CPC - B65G 47/57: for articles - B65G 15/22: comprising a series of co-operating units - B65G 47/22: Devices influencing the relative position or the attitude of articles during transit by conveyors (during feeding B65G47/14) - B65G 47/30: during transit by a series of conveyors - B65G 47/44: Arrangements or applications of hoppers or chutes - B65G 2201/02: Articles - B65G: TRANSPORT OR STORAGE DEVICES, e.g. CONVEYORS FOR LOADING OR TIPPING, SHOP CONVEYOR SYSTEMS OR PNEUMATIC TUBE CONVEYORS (packaging B65B; handling thin or filamentary materials, e.g. paper sheets or thread, B65H; cranes B66C; portable mobile or lifting or hauling appliances, e.g. hoists, B66D; devices for lifting or lowering goods for loading or unloading purposes, e.g. fork-lift trucks, B66F9/00; emptying bottles, jars, casks, barrels or similar containers, not otherwise provided for, B67C9/00; delivering or transferring liquids B67D; filling or discharging vessels for liquefied, solidified or compressed gases F17C; pipe-line systems for fluids F17D) ## Abstract A conveyor system for processing items, such as manufacturers' products or boxes, from a three-dimensional arrangement to a two-dimensional arrangement includes inclined and declined conveyors. The inclined conveyor may include vacuum through perforations in the belt. A collimating conveyor includes parallel belts that operation at different speeds to move the items laterally via shear forces. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A system for converting items in a three-dimensional arrangement to a two-dimensional arrangement, the system comprising at least a first conveyor and a second conveyor: the first conveyor being adapted for receiving items in a three-dimensional arrangement, the first conveyor being inclined, wherein at least some of the items are boxes; the second conveyor being adapted for receiving the items from the first conveyor, the second conveyor being declined; an inclined third conveyor for receiving items from the declined second conveyor; and a declined fourth conveyor for receiving items from the inclined third conveyor; whereby a change in direction as the items move from the inclined first conveyor to the declined second conveyor separates items to diminish layers of items. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1 wherein each one of the first and third conveyors is adapted for surface vacuum. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The system of claim 2 wherein each one of the first and third conveyors is a belt conveyor having apertures in the belt adapted for transmitting vacuum to the items. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The system of claim 3 wherein the items include various products. ### Claim 5 (depends on 2) The system of claim 2 wherein the second and fourth conveyors are slides. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1 further comprising a first item sensor adapted to detect items on or proximate to the second conveyor. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The system of claim 6 wherein the first conveyor includes a first conveyor drive controlled based on a signal from the first item sensor. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1 further comprising a first item sensor adapted to detect items on or proximate to the second conveyor and a second item sensor adapted to detect items on or proximate the fourth conveyor. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The system of claim 8 wherein the first conveyor includes a first conveyor drive controlled at least in part on a signal from the first item sensor, and wherein the third conveyor includes a third conveyor drive controlled at least in part on a signal from the second item sensor. ### Claim 10 A method of converting items in a three-dimensional arrangement to a two-dimensional arrangement, the system comprising the steps of: (a) conveying items in a three-dimensional arrangement uphill on an inclined first conveyor, at least some of the items being boxes; (b) transporting items from the inclined first conveyor to a declined second conveyor, such that a change in direction as the items move from the inclined first conveyor to the declined second conveyor separates items to diminish layers of items, (c) conveying items from the second conveyor uphill to an inclined third conveyor; and d) conveying items from the third conveyor downhill to a declined fourth conveyor such that a change in direction as the items move from the inclined third conveyor to the declined fourth conveyor separates items to diminish layers of items. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10 further comprising the steps of applying a vacuum force to items on the inclined first conveyor and applying a vacuum force to items on the inclined third conveyor. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10 further comprising the steps of detecting items on or proximate to the declined second conveyor and detecting items on or proximate to the declined fourth conveyor. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12 further comprising the steps of controlling a drive of the first conveyor based on a signal from the step of detecting items on or proximate to the declined second conveyor and controlling a drive of the third conveyor based on a signal from the step of detecting items on or proximate to the declined fourth conveyor. ### Claim 14 A system for converting items in a three-dimensional arrangement to a two-dimensional arrangement, the system comprising: the first conveyor being adapted for receiving items in a three-dimensional arrangement, the first conveyor being inclined; the second conveyor being adapted for receiving the items from the first conveyor, the second conveyor being declined; whereby a change in direction as the items move from the inclined first conveyor to the declined second conveyor separates items to diminish layers of items; an inclined third conveyor for receiving items from the declined second conveyor; and a declined fourth conveyor for receiving items from the inclined third conveyor. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The system of claim 14 wherein each one of the first and third conveyors is adapted for surface vacuum. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The system of claim 15 wherein the second and fourth conveyors are slides. ### Claim 17 (depends on 14) The system of claim 14 wherein the items include various products. ### Claim 18 (depends on 14) The system of claim 14 further comprising (i) a first item sensor adapted to detect items on or proximate to the second conveyor and the first conveyor includes a first conveyor drive controlled based on a signal from the first item sensor and (ii) a second item sensor adapted to detect items on or proximate the fourth conveyor and the third conveyor includes a third conveyor drive controlled at least in part on a signal from the second item sensor.