Random inventory system
AssigneeAllegheny Ludlum Corporation
InventorDavid L. Burk
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method for locating and retrieving a randomly placed object, such as a steel coil, in a warehouse, such as a crane bay of a steel mill storage warehouse. The method comprises the steps of attaching an indicia identification to the object, recording the indicia of identification, determining the coordinates of the object, indexing the indicia to the coordinates, and retrieving the object with a transporting means.
Claims25
The method for identifying the location of a randomly placed object, said method including the steps of:
- applying visual indicia of identification to the object which is to be randomly placed;
- generating and recording electrical signals corresponding to X, Y and Z coordinates of a random storage location of the object by transport means for the object;
- indexing the recorded electrical signals of the visual indicia with the electrical signals of the X, Y, and Z coordinates of the random storage location thereby creating an index;
- and
- accessing said index to identify, locate and retrieve the object from the random storage location.
A method of locating transporting means proximate to a randomly stored object to be moved by said transporting means said method comprising the steps of:
- applying visual indicia of identification on the object;
- recording electrical signals corresponding to said visual indicia of identification;
- determining a coordinate in the x direction for a random storage location of the object by determining the coordinate in the x direction for the location of the transporting means;
- determining a coordinate in the y direction for a random storage location of the object by determining the coordinate in the y direction for the location of the transporting means;
- determining a coodinate in the z direction for a random storage location of the object by determining the coordinate in the z direction for the location of the transporting means;
- indexing said coordinates in the x, y, and z directions, respectively, to the recorded electrical signals corresponding to visual indicia of identification, thereby creating an index;
- and
- using the index to locate and retrieve the object from the randomly selected storage location.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.