# US 2014/0360141 A1 · Packing station and multi-modal interface > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2014/0360141 A1 - Document ID: US20140360141A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 14/298,497 - Filed: 2014-06-06 - Published: 2014-12-11 - Earliest claimed: 2013-06-07 - Assignees: Jtv Jewelry Television - Applicants: Jtv Jewelry Television - Inventors: George F. WILLARD, III; Mahendra SATRASALA; Lei COA; Dustin COLE; Shannon MEAD; Matthew Cardwell - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140360141A1 ## CPC - G06Q 30/0635: {replenishment orders; recurring orders} - B65B 57/00: Automatic control, checking, warning, or safety devices (registering wrapping or container-forming material fed from rolls B65B41/18) - B65B 65/00: Details peculiar to packaging machines and not otherwise provided for; Arrangements of such details - G06Q: INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR - B65B: MACHINES, APPARATUS OR DEVICES FOR, OR METHODS OF, PACKAGING ARTICLES OR MATERIALS; UNPACKING (bundling and pressing devices for cigars A24C1/44; devices for tensioning and securing binders adapted to be supported by the article or articles to be bound B25B25/00; applying closure members to bottles, jars or similar containers B67B1/00-B67B6/00; concurrent cleaning, filling and closing of bottles B67C7/00; emptying bottles, jars, cans, casks, barrels or similar containers B67C9/00) ## Abstract Exemplary embodiments of the present application provide a packing system for an order fulfillment process. The packing system may include a scanner for scanning a barcode to retrieve a product identifier that is used to look up an order in a package database. A packager may package the product and a scale may weigh the packaged product. Using the weight from the scale and the order information from the package database, postage information for the packaged product may be retrieved from a postage database. One or more labels for the product may be printed based on the postage information and the order information, and the labels may be affixed to the packaged product. A workstation may display an interface providing an overview of the process, a time required to perform the steps in the process, and any errors associated with steps in the process. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A packaging system comprising: a conveyor for conveying a product through the packaging system; a packager for placing the product in packaging to create a packaged product; a package database storing information related to an order; a printer for printing shipping information on at least one of a label or the packaged product, the printing being performed based at least in part on information in the package database; a link to a postage database storing postage rates; a workstation comprising a display and one or more interfaces for linking the workstation to at least the sensor, the scale, the package database, and the postage database, wherein: the workstation is configured to search the postage database based on the information related to the order stored in the package database, and returns postage information to be used to ship the product. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, further comprising at least one camera, the at least one camera being positioned: inside the packaging system in the vicinity of the packager for capturing an image of the product as the product is being packaged, or at an outlet of the packaging system for capturing an image of the packaged product. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein: the package database stores one or more entries, each entry comprising: a list of items ordered by a customer, and a delivery destination of the customer; and the printer prints the delivery destination of the customer on the label or the packaging. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The system of claim 3, further comprising a scale for measuring a weight of the product, wherein the workstation is further configured to search the postage database based on the weight measured by the scale. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The system of claim 4, wherein the workstation stores a weight measured by the scale and locks in the weight for use with a future product. ### Claim 6 (depends on 4) The system of claim 4, wherein the workstation is further configured to compare the weight of the product as measured by the scale against a predetermined weight that is based on the list of items ordered by the customer, and to return an error if the measured weight is not within a predetermined threshold amount of the predetermined weight. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, further comprising a barcode scanner for scanning a barcode on the product to retrieve an identifier associated with the product, wherein the workstation retrieves the information related to the order from the package database based on the identifier. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the postage information comprises a shipping company and a postage amount. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the label printer prints postage for the packaged product based on the postage information. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the packaging system further confirms the postage information retrieved from the postage database. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the workstation is further configured to update the information related to the order when the order is sent for shipping. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the printer prints one or more labels with the shipping information, and affixes the labels to the packaged product. ### Claim 13 A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to: (a) display an interface; (b) identify an order to be shipped, wherein an identifier of the order to be shipped is displayed on the interface and the order to be shipped is placed in a package; (c) retrieve order information related to the order to be shipped from a package database; (d) retrieve a weight of the package; (e) shop for postage based on the order information and the weight; (f) printing shipping information on at least one of a label or the packaged product, the printing being performed based at least in part on the order information and the postage; and (g) update the order information in the package database. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The medium of claim 13, wherein the order to be shipped is identified based on a bar code associated with the order to be shipped. ### Claim 15 (depends on 13) The medium of claim 13, wherein the interface further displays an amount of time required to perform at least steps (c)-(g) ### Claim 16 (depends on 13) The medium of claim 13, wherein the interface comprises an error dialog for displaying an error message associated with any of steps (b)-(g) ### Claim 17 A method comprising: receiving an item at an input of a packaging system; retrieving order information related to the item from a package database; inserting the item into a packaging material to create a package; retrieving a weight of the package; identifying a postage rate for shipping the package based on the order information and the weight; printing shipping information on at least one of a label or the packaged product, the printing being performed based at least in part on the order information and the postage rate; and updating the order information in the package database. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The method of claim 17, wherein the shipping information is printed on one or more labels, and further comprising affixing the one or more labels to the package. ### Claim 19 A packaging system comprising: a conveyor for conveying a product through the packaging system; a packager for placing the product in packaging to create a packaged product; a package database storing information related to an order; a printer for printing shipping information on at least one of a label or the packaged product, the printing being performed based at least in part on information in the package database; a scale for measuring a weight of the product; a link to a postage database storing postage rates; a workstation comprising a display and one or more interfaces for linking the workstation to at least the sensor, the scale, the package database, and the postage database, wherein the workstation is a multi-modal workstation that has: a pack mode wherein the product is placed in the packaging by the packager; a look up mode wherein the display displays information from the package database for a selected order; and a shipping mode wherein the workstation searches the postage database based on the information related to the order stored in the package database and the weight measured by the scale, and returns postage information to be used to ship the product. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The system of claim 19, wherein the workstation has a pack and print mode wherein the product is placed in the packaging by the packager and the label printer prints the label based on information in the package database.