Material handling apparatus with item scanning station

A material handling apparatus for delivering a plurality of items to a plurality of storage locations, comprising:

• a conveyor operable to convey a first of the items from an input location to a scanning area and then to a loading location;
• a delivery mechanism operable to receive the first item from the conveyor at the loading location and deliver the first item to one of the storage locations;
• an RFID scanner positioned adjacent the scanning area to scan items for RFID tags having identification information;
• a housing positioned along the conveyor, comprising:
• a first wall extending across a width of the conveyor and configured to allow items on the conveyor to pass from the input location to the scanning area wherein the first wall is formed of a conductive material;
• a second wall extending across the width of the conveyor and spaced apart from the first wall so that the scanning area is between the first wall and the second wall, wherein the second wall is configured to allow items on the conveyor to pass from the scanning area to the loading location wherein the second wall is formed of a conductive material
• wherein the conveyor comprises a moveable surface for moving the first item through the scanning area and a fixed support surface supporting the moveable surface wherein the moveable surface and fixed support surface are formed from non-conductive materials.

A method for delivering items to one or more destinations, comprising the steps of:

• conveying a first item along a first conveyor section;
• conveying the first item under a first conductive wall and onto a second conveyor section wherein the first conductive wall separates the first conveyor section from the second conveyor section;
• emitting an RF signal toward an RFID tag on the first item on the second conveyor section while the first item is supported on a non-conductive support;
• receiving an RF signal from the RFID tag on the first item while the first item is supported on the non-conductive support;
• determining the destination for the first item based on the step of receiving the RF signal from the RFID tag;
• conveying the first item under a second conductive wall separating the second conveyor section from a third conveyor section;
• loading the first item from the third conveyor section onto a delivery mechanism;
• displacing the delivery mechanism to deliver the first item to the determined destination;
• and
• discharging the item from the delivery mechanism to the determined destination wherein the step of conveying the first item along a first conveyor section comprises supporting the first item with a conductive support.