US 2025/0144671 A1Published application

Systems, devices, and methods for enhanced sortation of delivery items

AssigneeUnited States Postal Service

InventorsMichael A. NAGY, Dirk H. SATTLER

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Abstract

Systems, methods, media, and devices for designating a location for a delivery item that is being sorted. Operations may include receiving, from a first scanner, address information from a first delivery item; determining, based on the address information and a sort plan, a sort output location for the first delivery item; causing a first indicator device to activate a first designator (e.g., an LED) on the first indicator device, where the first indicator device is located near the sort output location; receiving, from a second scanner, address information from a second delivery item; determining, based on that address information and the sort plan, that the sort output location for the second delivery item is also the same sort output location; causing the first indicator device to activate a second designator (e.g., a different LED) on the first indicator device; and causing the first indicator device to deactivate the first designator.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A delivery item sorting system for designating an output location to a scanner operator, the system comprising:

a first scanner that captures address information from delivery items;
a second scanner that captures address information from delivery items;
a first indicator device located near a first sort output location, wherein the first indicator device comprises a plurality of designators;
a second indicator device located near a second sort output location, wherein the second indicator device comprises a plurality of designators;
and
a processor that is operably connected to the first scanner, the second scanner, the first indicator device, and the second indicator device, and that is configured to perform operations comprising:
receiving, from the first scanner, address information from a first delivery item;
determining, based on the address information from the first delivery item and a sort plan, that the sort output location for the first delivery item is the first sort output location;
causing the first indicator device to present a first designator from among the plurality of designators of the first indicator device, wherein the first designator is associated with the first scanner;
receiving, from the second scanner, address information from a second delivery item;
determining, based on the address information from the second delivery item and the sort plan, that the sort output location for the second delivery item is the first sort output location;
causing the first indicator device to present a second designator from among the plurality of designators of the first indicator device, wherein the second designator is associated with the second scanner;
and
causing the first indicator device to cease presenting the first designator.

11 more elements

A computer-readable, non-transitory storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processor, cause the one or more processor to perform operations for controlling an indicator device to designate a location for sorting delivery items, the operations comprising:

receiving, from a first scanner, address information from a first delivery item;
determining, based on the address information from the first delivery item and a sort plan, a first sort output location for the first delivery item;
causing a first indicator device to present a first designator from among a plurality of designators of the first indicator device, wherein the first indicator device is located near the first sort output location, and the first designator is associated with the first scanner;
receiving, from a second scanner, address information from a second delivery item;
determining, based on the address information from the second delivery item and the sort plan, that the sort output location for the second delivery item is the first sort output location;
causing the first indicator device to present a second designator from among the plurality of designators of the first indicator device, wherein the second designator is associated with the second scanner;
and
causing the first indicator device to cease presenting the first designator.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 19/016,872Filed 10 Jan 2025
Priority: 3 Apr 2019
Published: 8 May 2025
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification5 codes

B07C 3/14
Apparatus characterised by the means used for detection ofthe destination: using light-responsive detecting means
B07C 3/008
Sorting according to destination: means for collecting objects, e.g. containers for sorted mail items
B07C 3/18
Sorting according to destination: devices or arrangements for indicating destination, e.g. by code marks
B07C 7/005
Sorting by hand only e.g. of mail: computer assisted manual sorting, e.g. for mail

Family

Application62/828,860Us provisional application · filed 3 Apr 2019
Application16/838,214Continuation · filed 2 Apr 2020
Application18/056,950Continuation · filed 18 Nov 2022
Application18/514,618Continuation · filed 20 Nov 2023
Application19/016,872Continuation
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From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.