B65G1/00

Systems and methods for handling and dispensing of items

Embodiments of product handling systems facilitate transfer of individual product items from incoming bulk form into dedicated trays for inspection, sorting, selection, and packaging. Inspection may comprise interrogation of product items within a tray by electromagnetic (e.g., optical, hyperspectral) or other (e.g., physical, acoustic, gas sensing, etc.) techniques. Prior to packaging, product items disposed within the tray may be stored in a moveable carousel responsible for controlling environmental factors such as temperature, humidity, illumination, ambient gases, product-to-product interactions, and/or others. Movement of product items from a carousel's transfer station to an outside staging position may be accomplished using robots and/or conveyor belts. Embodiments may allow rapid, low-cost consumer selection of specific individual product items based upon their accompanying metadata (e.g., source, identifier), in combination with the results of inspection (e.g., visual appearance). Embodiments may receive product items pre-packaged in tray format to expedite inspection, sorting, selection, and packaging.

Pile preparation unit with pile turner

Provided is a pile preparation unit for changing a pallet support of a pile of sheets with a first end and a second end where the pallet has a support side supporting the pile of sheets at the first end. The pile preparation unit may include a rotation unit configured with an infeed opening for receiving a pallet with a pile of sheets, the rotation unit configured with a rotating structure to rotate a lift unit about a rotational axis. The lift unit is configured with a lift structure fixed to the rotating structure and has a lift plate movable along the lift structure to engage with the second end of the pile of sheets and to move and position the pile of sheets transverse, relative to the rotational axis, providing a portal for changing a pallet.

MODULAR PALLET RACK REPAIR KIT
20210252650 · 2021-08-19 ·

A modular repair kit for repairing damaged pallet rack frames and a method of installation thereof which incudes modular elements that can be customized by mechanical process such as cutting, drilling and connecting, for example, by bolts, that avoids major modifications, such as welding, at the installation site. The modular repair kit utilizes a standard replacement post assembly that can be cut to fit into nearly any size gap that is created when the damaged portion of the pallet rack frame is removed. The remaining elements of the repair kit can then be customized to accommodate any size of the standard replacement post assembly.

SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR HANDLING AND DISPENSING OF ITEMS

Embodiments of product handling systems facilitate transfer of individual product items from incoming bulk form into dedicated trays for inspection, sorting, selection, and packaging. Inspection may comprise interrogation of product items within a tray by electromagnetic (e.g., optical, hyperspectral) or other (e.g., physical, acoustic, gas sensing, etc.) techniques. Prior to packaging, product items disposed within the tray may be stored in a moveable carousel responsible for controlling environmental factors such as temperature, humidity, illumination, ambient gases, product-to-product interactions, and/or others. Movement of product items from a carousel's transfer station to an outside staging position may be accomplished using robots and/or conveyor belts. Embodiments may allow rapid, low-cost consumer selection of specific individual product items based upon their accompanying metadata (e.g., source, identifier), in combination with the results of inspection (e.g., visual appearance). Embodiments may receive product items pre-packaged in tray format to expedite inspection, sorting, selection, and packaging.

STORAGE SHELF, AND METHOD FOR INSTALLING STORAGE SHELF
20210272830 · 2021-09-02 ·

A storage shelf includes second shelf modules each including a second shelf board, a supply nozzle, an MFC configured to adjust a flow rate of the fluid supplied from the supply nozzle, and a third pipe connecting between the MFC and a main pipe connected to a supply source of the fluid, and suspension frames each including additional shelf supporting portions supporting the second shelf modules from below and a pair of suspending portions and a pair of additional suspending portions suspending and supporting the additional shelf supporting portions. The suspension frames are disposed at regular intervals along one direction. Each second shelf module is laid over between additional shelf supporting portions of suspension frames adjacent to each other in the one direction, and a pipe connector being connectable to the main pipe is provided with an end of the third pipe.

Vehicle allocation management device, vehicle allocation management system, vehicle allocation management method, program, and storage medium
11049209 · 2021-06-29 · ·

A vehicle allocation management device that can wirelessly communicate with a first reader device installed correspondingly to a stop area of a vehicle, including a receiver that receives, from the first reader device, radio field intensity information indicating the intensity of a radio field when the first reader device has received information from an electronic tag attached to the vehicle, a vehicle determiner that determines, based on the radio field intensity information, whether the vehicle is present in the stop area, and a vehicle allocation determiner that determines whether the vehicle is ready for allocation based on whether the vehicle is continuously present in the stop area for a predetermined time or more.

CASSETTE HANDLING APPARATUS AND DRUG HANDLING APPARATUS
20210201617 · 2021-07-01 ·

A main unit includes a cassette shelf, at least one transporting cassette holder that temporarily holds a cassette removed from the cassette shelf and to be transported to a drug receiver, at least one returning cassette holder that temporarily holds the cassette received from the drug receiver and to be returned to the cassette shelf, and a main cassette transporter that transports the cassette between the cassette shelf and the at least one transporting cassette holder, and between the cassette shelf and the at least one returning cassette holder.

DIE STACKER
20210187584 · 2021-06-24 · ·

A die stacker for stacking stamping dies has a supporting base, an attachment stem projecting upwardly from said base for insertion into the slot of a slotted foot of a die, and a clamp moveably mounted on said stem which can be moved into or out of clamping engagement with a slotted die foot. Several such die stackers are attached to a die to support the die in a stack or on the floor with the die spaced above the floor.

Transport vehicle and transport method
11027949 · 2021-06-08 · ·

A transport vehicle includes a body; a lift platform that includes a holder to hold an article, the lift platform being ascendable and descendable with respect to the body; a lift driver that raises or lowers the lift platform by feeding out or taking up a flexible suspension support; a sensor provided in the lift driver and emits a detection wave having directivity toward a certain lower position; a lateral extender that causes the lift driver to project laterally from the body while providing cantilever support for the lift driver; and a corrector that corrects a shift in an emission direction of the detection wave that arises from bending of the lateral extender in a state in which the lift driver is caused to project laterally from the body by the lateral extender.

Apparatuses, systems, and methods for aquatic transportation, storage, and distribution
11014632 · 2021-05-25 ·

An aquatic transportation, storage, and distribution system, including one or more storage containers and a guide structure. The storage container is capable of retaining one or more items therein and is configured to selectively vary the buoyancy thereof to urge the storage container to float up or sink down within an aquatic environment. The guide structure is supported at least partially within the aquatic environment and includes at least one non-horizontal segment. The storage container is configured to interact with the at least one segment as the storage container is urged to float up or sink within the aquatic environment such that the storage container is moved along the guide structure and is routed to a specified extraction point for retrieval from the aquatic environment.