An intelligent item receptacle, system, and method for providing supplemental media content in response to depositing an item having media indicia disposed thereon. An intelligent item receptacle includes an item receptacle securely enclosing an interior volume, an item sensor configured to detect an inserted item, a camera within the interior volume configured to capture an image of the item, and an output configured to play audio or visual content to bystanders outside the item receptacle. Processing circuitry within the item receptacle analyzes the image to determine if the media indicia are present on the item and, if present, causes the output to play the audio or visual content associated with the media indicia.

A system includes an article supply location, wherein the article supply location includes a plurality of articles to be sorted, first and second transport vehicles, each having a first position in which an article is stowed about the vehicle and a second position in which the article is deposited into a proximal container. And a control system. The control system is configured to receive an order for a plurality of disparate articles, determine one destination container of a plurality of destination containers to direct the transport vehicle to deposit a selected article, direct the first transport vehicle to transport a selected article to the destination container and deposit the article by manipulation of the first transport vehicle from the first position to the second position for deposit of the selected article in the destination container.

The invention relates to a method for order picking of items at a picking station, wherein the source containers (5) are transported to a retrieval position (33) in an arbitrary sequence, and the target containers (27) are provided in a sorting buffer (36) with buffer positions (39) ahead of a single loading position (35). A first target container is transported back into the sorting buffer for processing of different order lines after placement of an item for a first order line, and is temporarily buffered at a sorting position (42) until a source container with an item for a second order line is conveyed onward into a buffer track section (23) provided upstream of the retrieval position. A second target container is transported back into the sorting buffer for processing of different order lines after placement of an item for a first order line, and is moved via a second sorting position to one of the buffer positions and subsequently to the loading position if a source container with an item for a second order line has already been transported into the buffer track section. In addition, the invention relates to a picking station.

A system includes an article supply location, wherein the article supply location includes a plurality of articles to be sorted, first and second transport vehicles, each having a first position in which an article is stowed about the vehicle and a second position in which the article is deposited into a proximal container. And a control system. The control system is configured to receive an order for a plurality of disparate articles, determine one destination container of a plurality of destination containers to direct the transport vehicle to deposit a selected article, direct the first transport vehicle to transport a selected article to the destination container and deposit the article by manipulation of the first transport vehicle from the first position to the second position for deposit of the selected article in the destination container.

In some embodiments, the present invention provides an exemplary system that includes a mechanism configured to create by a digital mailing services provider, DMSP, a recipient-specific handling information indicia and provide said recipient-specific handling information indicia to a recipient; a mechanism configured to allow the recipient to provide said handling information indicia in delivery address C/O line, on a mail item, thereby indicating to said service provider their desired handling route for the mail item so that a paper mail recipient to receive improved transmission of correspondence from said service provider via both paper and electronic channels solely via including said handling information indicia contained in the delivery address C/O line of the recipient's delivery address on the mail item.

In some embodiments, the present invention provides an exemplary system that includes a mechanism configured to create by a digital mailing services provider, DMSP, a recipient-specific handling information indicia and provide said recipient-specific handling information indicia to a recipient; a mechanism configured to allow the recipient to provide said handling information indicia in delivery address C/O line, on a mail item, thereby indicating to said service provider their desired handling route for the mail item so that a paper mail recipient to receive improved transmission of correspondence from said service provider via both paper and electronic channels solely via including said handling information indicia contained in the delivery address C/O line of the recipient's delivery address on the mail item.

A control method for article sorting, comprising: acquiring relationship data at least used for reflecting a correspondence between an article list comprising labels of articles to be sorted and a sorting machine; and on the basis of the relationship data, controlling the articles to be sorted that have been selected to be conveyed to the corresponding sorting machine. The described method may improve the degree of automation of the article sorting operation, and increase the operation efficiency. Also disclosed are a control device for article sorting and a readable storage medium.

A control method for article sorting, comprising: acquiring relationship data at least used for reflecting a correspondence between an article list comprising labels of articles to be sorted and a sorting machine; and on the basis of the relationship data, controlling the articles to be sorted that have been selected to be conveyed to the corresponding sorting machine. The described method may improve the degree of automation of the article sorting operation, and increase the operation efficiency. Also disclosed are a control device for article sorting and a readable storage medium.

A method and apparatus are provided for sorting items to form groups at respective sort destinations. A scanning station evaluates one or more characteristics of each item fed into the apparatus. The items are loaded onto one of a plurality of independently controlled delivery vehicles. The delivery vehicles are individually driven to sort destinations. Once at the appropriate sort destination, the delivery vehicle ejects the item to the sort destination and returns to receive another item to be delivered. A re-induction conveyor may be provided for receiving select items from the vehicles and conveying the items back to the input station for re-processing. Additionally, a controller is provided to control the movement of the vehicles based on a characteristic each item being delivered by each vehicle. When an item to be manually sorted is encountered, a visual alert aligned with a selected destination is activated until manual transfer is confirmed.

Computer-implemented systems and methods for optimizing sorting and loading of packages are disclosed. An exemplary system includes a memory storing instructions and may include at least one processor configured to execute the instructions. The system may perform operations including receiving data comprising a plurality of package identifiers associated with a plurality of packages. The operations may include determining a plurality of block areas associated with delivery locations for the plurality of packages. The operations may further include determining a delivery route by determining a first set of routes, determining optimal combinations of the inputs for each set of routes and determining a shortest route associated with the optimal combinations. The operations may include determining an order in which to load each of the packages into a delivery vehicle. The operations may further include generating instructions for causing a device to display a visual representation of the loading order.