Systems and methods for sorting, grouping, routing and delivering packages or products to end user customers comprises network-based routing and trip assignment. The packages or products are labeled with a using a plurality visual identifiers that are easily distinguished without requiring either the fulfillment staff or the delivery personnel to review the label for customer names or addresses.

There is provided systems and methods involving a portable distribution center for distributing merchandise in response to emergencies. The distribution center includes a transport vehicle with a locomotion system for movement of the transport vehicle to an emergency location. It also includes a conveyor system for sortation and distribution of merchandise items upon arrival at the emergency location. The conveyor system includes merchandise identifier for reading identification data from merchandise item; a plurality of sortation units for moving merchandise items to uniquely identified destination lanes; and a control circuit configured to: assign merchandise items to uniquely identified sortation destination lanes; receive identification data; and communicate with the plurality of sortation units. The distribution center also includes a power supply for energizing the conveyor system and a communication system. At the emergency location, the control circuit separates the merchandise items into predetermined kits that are sorted to the destination lanes.

A plastic item, such as a beverage bottle, can convey two distinct digital watermarks, encoded using two distinct signaling protocols. A first, printed label watermark conveys a retailing payload, including a Global Trade Item Number (GTIN) used by a point-of-sale scanner in a retail store to identify and price the item when presented for checkout. A second, plastic texture watermark may convey a recycling payload, including data identifying the composition of the plastic. The use of two different signaling protocols assures that a point-of-sale scanner will not spend its limited time and computational resources working to decode the recycling watermark, which may lack data needed for retail checkout. In some embodiments, a recycling apparatus makes advantageous use of both types of watermarks to identify the plastic composition of the item (e.g., relating GTIN to plastic type using an associated database), thereby increasing the fraction of items that are correctly identified for sorting and recycling. In other embodiments the plastic item (or a label thereon) bears only a single watermark. A great number of other features and arrangements are also detailed.

Embodiments conveyed herein seek to disclose a mobile sorting system. The system can include a mobile platform having one or more storage housings. The mobile sorting system can include a mobile platform having a storage area(s) and first and second motorized actuating assemblies. The second motorized actuating assembly can be positioned proximate to the first motorized actuating assembly. The storage areas includes a storage housing(s). The first and second motorized actuating assemblies each include end effectors that can prehend storage housings and containers, respectively. The first and second motorized actuating assemblies each include prehension elements. Each motorized actuating assembly has a firsts mode to prehend object using the end effectors, a second mode to translate the object, and a third mode to release the object.

A method and apparatus are provided for sorting items to a plurality of sort destinations. The items are fed into the apparatus at an input station having a scanning station. The scanning station evaluates one or more characteristics of each item. The items are then 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. The system may also include vehicles having an assembly for detecting items being loaded onto or discharged from the vehicles.

A sorting device (1) for loading, conveying and discharging objects (9), the sorting device (1) comprising: trays (2) each intended for carrying an object (9) in a conveyance direction (T) from a loading position (L) to a discharge position (D), a drive system (6) for conveying the trays (2) along a path (26), a pusher arm (5) arranged on the tray (2) for by means of pushing away, discharging an object (9) present on the tray (2), wherein pushing away takes place substantially transverse to the conveyance direction (T) of the tray (2), a scanning device (3) arranged along the path (26) at a scanning position (30) downstream the loading position (L), and arranged for scanning the object (9) during conveyance at the scanning position (30), a labelling device (4) arranged along the path (26) at a labelling position (40) downstream the scanning position (30), and arranged to compose a label based on the object (9) scanned by the scanning device (3), and to affix the label during conveyance on the object (9) based on the scanned object (9) present on the tray (2).

A separation apparatus, comprising an identifier arranged to identify the particles in a group of particles that have a specific property, an affinity modifier arranged to modify an affinity of the identified particles relative to that affinity of non-identified particles in an group, and a separator arranged to separate the particles in the group based on their difference in the affinity.

Embodiments herein describe a package management system that uses two operation modes of RFID readers (i.e., an inventory mode and a search mode) to provide feedback to an associate when a package has been mis-sorted. In one embodiment, the RFID readers are attached to one or more RFID antennas which each are disposed overhead a respective container or storage location in a warehouse. For example, each of the antennas may have a beam pattern or read region that covers the container. Using the RFID antennas, the RFID reader can query the RFID tags in the container to identify the packages stored in the container. In one embodiment, the RFID reader switches to the search mode after a new package is identified. Using the search mode, the RFID reader can quickly identify when the package is stored in the container and provide prompt feedback to the associate.

It is an object to provide a technique capable of providing a semiconductor device with information indicating a plurality of electrical characteristics. A semiconductor device sorting system includes a characteristic measurement unit measuring electrical characteristics of a semiconductor device, a rank determination database for classifying the electrical characteristics into ranks, a calculation unit classifying the plurality of electrical characteristics of the semiconductor device measured by the characteristic measurement unit into a plurality of ranks with reference to the rank determination database, a writing unit converting the plurality of ranks classified by the calculation unit into a graphic symbolic code and forming the graphic symbolic code on the semiconductor device, a reading unit reading the plurality of ranks from the graphic symbolic code formed on the semiconductor device, and a sorting unit sorting the semiconductor device based on the plurality of ranks being read by the reading unit.

A method and apparatus are provided for sorting items to a plurality of 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.