Hide sorting systems and methods
AssigneeNational Beef Packing Company, LLC
InventorsRobert Horst Hein, Kenneth Graham Press
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Methods and systems for sorting hides are provided. In particular, one or more embodiments comprise a tanning control system that enhances the traceability of hides by capturing and utilizing data related to the unloading, tanning, sorting, and packaging of hides. Furthermore, one or more embodiments enable the tanning control system to improve efficiency by sorting hides based, at least in part, on data generated during prior tanning processes. Additionally, one or more embodiments facilitate the tanning control system in customizing the sorting and packaging of hides based, at least in part, on one or more hide characteristics and/or customer specifications.
Claims18
A method of hide sorting comprising:
- accessing a tanning system database to identify a batch identifier associated with a batch;
- identifying the batch identifier based on the batch identifier being associated with the batch unloaded from a chroming drum as indicated by the tanning system database, wherein the batch includes a plurality of hides;
- determining, using the tanning system database, a batch characteristic associated with the plurality of hides;
- determining, using a classifying device, a grade of a hide of the plurality of hides;
- and
- sorting the hide based on the batch characteristic and the grade.
A method of hide sorting comprising:
- accessing a tanning system database to identify a batch identifier associated with a batch;
- identifying the batch identifier based on the batch identifier being associated with the batch unloaded from a chroming drum as indicated by the tanning system database, wherein the batch includes a plurality of hides;
- determining, using the tanning system database, a batch characteristic associated with the plurality of hides;
- determining, using a classifying device, a grade of a hide of the plurality of hides;
- moving the hide from a first device to a second device;
- moving the hide from the second device to a stacking site selected from a plurality of stacking sites based on the batch characteristic and the grade.
A hide sorting system comprising:
- one or more computing devices;
- and
- a non-transitory storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed by the one or more computing devices, cause the system to:
- access a tanning system database to identify a batch identifier associated with a batch;
- identify the batch identifier based on the batch identifier being associated with the batch unloaded from a chroming drum as indicated by the tanning system database, wherein the batch includes a plurality of hides;
- determine, using the tanning system database, a batch characteristic associated with the plurality of hides;
- determine, using a classifying device, a grade of a hide of the plurality of hides;
- and
- sort the hide based on the batch characteristic and the grade.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.