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US 11,890,649 B2Granted
System and method of sorting and sequencing items
AssigneeUnited States Postal Service
InventorScott R. Bombaugh
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Embodiments of a system and method for sorting and sequencing articles in a processing facility are disclosed. Delivery endpoints are divided and grouped into stop groups. A first sorter sorts items according to stop group and outputs the items to trays. The output trays from the first sorter are loaded to a second sorter in stop group order. The second sorter sorts items for each stop group into separate lanes. Each lane can then be sorted into output bins in delivery sequence order.
Claims20
A method of sorting and sequencing items comprising:
- creating, in a processor, a sort plan for sorting a plurality of items for delivery to a plurality of delivery end points;
- assigning, in a processor, a plurality of delivery end points to a plurality of stop groups based on the sort plan;
- sorting, in a first pass, the plurality of items on a sorting apparatus according to the assigned stop groups to a plurality of sort destinations;
- moving the sorted items from the plurality of sort destinations into a plurality of trays according to the stop groups;
- moving the plurality of trays containing the sorted items to a staging farm;
- storing, in a memory, an association between the sorted items, an individual tray of the plurality of trays in which at least a portion of the sorted items are located, and a location within the staging farm where the individual tray is stored;
- identifying, based on the sort plan, a subset of the plurality of trays for sorting in the sorting apparatus;
- retrieving the subset of the plurality of trays from their locations in the staging farm;
- moving the subset of the plurality of trays to the sorting apparatus;
- and
- sorting, in a second pass, the items from the subset of the plurality of trays on the sorting apparatus into individual sort destinations of the plurality of sort destinations.
8 more elements
A system for sorting and sequencing items comprising:
- a sorting apparatus having a plurality of sort destinations;
- a staging farm;
- and
- one or more processors configured to:
- create a sort plan for sorting a plurality of items for delivery to a plurality of delivery end points;
- assign a plurality of delivery end points to a plurality of stop groups based on the sort plan;
- cause the sorting apparatus to sort, in a first pass, the plurality of items according to the assigned stop groups into a plurality of trays;
- cause movement of the plurality of trays containing the sorted items to the staging farm;
- store, in a memory, an association between the sorted items, an individual tray of the plurality of trays in which the sorted items are stored, and a location within the staging farm where the individual tray is stored;
- identify, based on the sort plan, a subset of the plurality of trays for sorting in the sorting apparatus;
- cause retrieval of the subset of the plurality of trays from their locations in the staging farm;
- cause movement of the subset of the plurality of trays to the sorting apparatus;
- and
- cause the sorting apparatus to sort, in a second pass, the items of the subset of the plurality of trays on the sorting apparatus into individual sort destinations of the plurality of sort destinations.
11 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.