Automated container accumulation and delivery systems and methods
AssigneeAmazon Technologies, Inc.
InventorsJohn Daryl Day, Raashid Mohammed, Ruben Brignoni
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Automated container accumulation and delivery systems and methods may include a magazine body, a slide, and a workstation. The magazine body may receive and store a plurality of containers in vertical magazine lanes. Upon request, a container may be released from a lowest position of a magazine lane, and the slide may guide the released container to the workstation for processing. In addition, remaining containers within the magazine lane from which the container was released may be moved or indexed downward in order to prepare another container for release from the lowest position of the magazine lane responsive to a subsequent request.
Claims18
A container processing system, comprising:
- an inbound conveyance mechanism configured to transport an item proximate a work surface;
- a container accumulation system configured to provide a container to the work surface, the container accumulation system comprising:
- a magazine body including a plurality of magazine lanes, each magazine lane including a plurality of vertical positions configured to receive a respective plurality of containers, each magazine lane configured to move the plurality of containers downward along the plurality of vertical positions, each vertical position of a respective magazine lane being configured to receive a respective container, and each vertical position including a respective actuation mechanism configured to selectively support or release the respective container relative to the vertical position;
- a slide positioned below a lowest vertical position of the plurality of vertical positions of the magazine body and configured to guide containers released from the plurality of magazine lanes;
- and
- the work surface configured to receive containers guided by the slide;
- and
- an outbound conveyance mechanism configured to transport the container with the item away from the work surface.
A container accumulation system, comprising:
- a magazine body including at least one magazine lane, the at least one magazine lane including a plurality of vertical positions configured to receive a respective plurality of containers, the at least one magazine lane configured to move the plurality of containers downward along the plurality of vertical positions, and each vertical position including a respective actuation mechanism configured to selectively support or release a respective container relative to the vertical position;
- a slide positioned below a lowest vertical position of the plurality of vertical positions of the magazine body and configured to guide a container released from the at least one magazine lane;
- and
- a surface configured to receive the container released from the at least one magazine lane and guided by the slide.
A container accumulation method, comprising:
- causing, by a controller, at least one magazine lane of a magazine body to receive a plurality of containers at a respective plurality of vertical positions of the at least one magazine lane, the at least one magazine lane configured to move the plurality of containers downward along the plurality of vertical positions, and each vertical position including a respective actuation mechanism configured to selectively support or release a respective container relative to the vertical position;
- in response to a request, causing, by the controller, a respective actuation mechanism to release a container from a lowest vertical position of the at least one magazine lane;
- causing, by the controller, a slide to receive the container from the lowest vertical position and guide the container to a work surface;
- and
- causing, by the controller, the work surface to receive the container from the slide.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.