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US 7,242,993 B2Granted
Automated manufacturing system
AssigneeShutterfly, Inc.
InventorsXin Wen, Russ Ennio Muzzolini, Jeff D. Boone
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An automated manufacturing system comprises a computer processing system and a plurality of consolidation systems. The computer processing system receives information on product subbatches and product packages and consolidation status information to produce consolidation assignment information, each product package comprising one or more product subbatches. The consolidation systems receive the product subbatches in accordance to the consolidation assignment information and consolidate the product subbatches into product packages, wherein the status of the consolidation systems are tracked and the consolidation status information is sent to the computer processing system.
Claims47
An automated manufacturing system, comprising
- a computer processing system configured to define product packages and one or more product subbatches within each product package in response to input product information, to receive status information from one or more consolidation systems, and to produce consolidation assignment in response to the status information;
- and
- a plurality of consolidation systems each comprising:
- a batch storage system configured to store product subbatches for different product packages in accordance to the consolidation assignment;
- a consolidation controller configured to track the one or more product subbatches for a product package in the batch storage system, to produce the status information about the batch storage system, and to trigger the consolidation of the one or more product subbatches into the product package when all the product subbatches for the product package have been received by the consolidation system;
- and
- a package system configured to consolidate the one or more product subbatches into the product package.
4 more elements
An automated manufacturing system, comprising
- a computer processing system configured to define product packages and one or more product subbatches within each product package in response to input product information, to receive status information from one or more consolidation systems, and to produce consolidation assignment in response to the status information;
- one or more production systems configured to produce the one or more product subbatches for the product packages defined by the computer processing system;
- and
- a plurality of consolidation systems each comprising:
- a batch storage system configured to store product subbatches for different product packages in accordance to the consolidation assignment;
- a consolidation controller configured to track the one or more product subbatches for a product package in the batch storage system, to produce the status information about the batch storage system, and to trigger the consolidation of the one or more product subbatches into the product package when all the product subbatches for the product package have been received by the consolidation system;
- and
- a packaging system configured to consolidate the one or more product subbatches into the product package.
5 more elements
A method of automated manufacturing, comprising:
- defining product packages and one or more product subbatches within each product package in response to input product information;
- receiving status information from one or more consolidation systems;
- producing consolidation assignment in response to the status information;
- storing product subbatches for different product packages in accordance to the consolidation assignment in a batch storage system in one of a plurality of consolidation systems;
- tracking the one or more product subbatches for a product package in the batch storage system by a consolidation controller in the consolidation system;
- producing the status information about the batch storage system by the consolidation controller in the consolidation system;
- triggering the consolidation of the one or more product subbatches into the product package when all the product subbatches for the product package have been received by the consolidation system;
- and
- consolidating the one or more product subbatches into the product package.
6 more elements
A method of automated manufacturing, comprising:
- providing a plurality of product subbatches for a product package;
- storing product subbatches for different product packages e in one of a plurality of consolidation systems;
- specifying a first load level for the plurality of consolidation systems;
- if load level, of a consolidation system exceeds the first load level stopping sending consolidation system product subbatches that do not have companion product subbatches already stored in the consolidation system;
- and
- sending the consolidation systems product subbatches that have companion product subbatches already stored in the consolidation system.
3 more elements
A method of automated manufacturing, comprising
- storing product subbatches for different product packages in one of a plurality of consolidation systems;
- specifying a consolidation priority to a new product subbatch in accordance with whether one or more companion subbatches in a same product package as the new product subbatch are already stored in a consolidation system;
- sending the new product subbatch to the consolidation system in accordance with the consolidation priority;
- and
- consolidating the new product subbatch with the one or more companion product subbatches already stored in the consolidation system to produce the product package.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.