Conveying systems and methods of associating data with an item transported by a conveying system
AssigneeMatthews International Corporation
InventorDarin Danelski
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Systems and methods of associating data to an item being transported by a conveying system are disclosed. The item and data associated with the item are received at a first zone of the conveying system. The data is stored in a first computer-readable storage medium associated with the first zone. The item is transported to a second zone of the conveying system, and the data stored in the first computer-readable storage medium is transferred to a second computer-readable storage medium associated with the second zone.
Claims8
A method of associating data with an item being transported by a conveying system, the method comprising:
- receiving the item at a first zone of the conveying system, wherein the item comprises an associated data tag, wherein the first zone comprises a first local controller;
- receiving, by the first local controller, data associated with the item, wherein the data comprises an expected value for a property of the item;
- sensing a value for the property of the item;
- comparing, by the first local controller, the expected value for the property with the sensed value for the property;
- in response to the comparing satisfying a threshold condition:
- transporting the item to a second zone of the conveying system, wherein the second zone comprises a second local controller, and
- transferring the data from the second local controller to the third local controller;
- and
- in response to the comparing not satisfying the threshold condition, transporting the item to a third zone of the conveying system.
A conveying system comprising:
- a first zone comprising:
- a first conveyor section configured to transport an item, and
- a first local controller;
- a second zone comprising:
- a second conveyor section configured to transport an item, and
- a second local controller;
- wherein the first zone is configured to receive the item, wherein the item comprises an associated data tag;
- wherein the first local controller is configured to:
- receive data associated with the item, wherein the data comprises an expected value for a property of the item,
- sense a value for the property of the item, and
- compare the expected value for the property with the sensed value for the property, and
- in response to the comparison satisfying a threshold condition:
- transport the item to a second zone of the conveying system, wherein the second zone comprises a second local controller, and
- transfer the data from the first local controller to the second local controller;
- and
- in response to the comparison not satisfying the threshold condition, transport the item to a third zone of the conveying system.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.