A bag transfer apparatus includes a plurality of holding units which include a first holding unit and a second holding unit provided to be adjacent to each other in a horizontal direction and are provided to be able to move, wherein each of the plurality of holding units includes: a left support unit which supports one side portion of a bag; and a right support unit which supports another side portion of the bag, and wherein one of the right support unit of the first holding unit and the left support unit of the second holding unit is positioned above the other.

A robotically-operated gripping device is provided and includes a frame assembly, a vacuum device, a clamping device, and a robotic arm. The vacuum device is connected to the frame assembly and configured to selectively attach to and position at least a portion of an object. The clamping device is connected to the frame assembly and provided for selectively clamping the object attached to the vacuum device. The robotic arm is connected to the frame assembly and provided for selectively positioning the vacuum device and the gripping device.

The conveyor device for conveying flexible containers along a packaging line comprises a track (1) defining a horizontal closed path and one or more pairs of left and right movers (2a, 2b) movably mounted on the track (1) for moving along the path by the effect of active and reactive elements configured for independently driving and controlling the left and right movers along the path, pairs of left and right gripper arms (3a, 3b) pivotally connected to the left and right movers (2a, 2b) by respective left and right articulations (6a, 6b) about vertical axes, and one or more pairs of left and right clamps (4a, 4b) respectively mounted on the left and right gripper arms (3a, 3b) and configured for gripping one or more flexible containers (5) in a vertical position. The left and right gripper arms (3a, 3b) are linked together by a parallelism-keeping mechanism.

A device for inspecting transport bags (14) that can be conveyed in a suspended manner with a bag interior (16) for receiving piece-goods units (5), the transport bag having a bag opening (17) of the bag interior, includes a device for opening and/or keeping open the bag opening of a transport bag that is to be inspected; and a detection device (70) that is configured to receive at least one two-dimensional and/or three-dimensional image of at least part of the bag interior of the transport bag to be inspected.

A method for filling the pockets of a transport device in the form of a suspension conveyor that includes one or more trolleys which are movably mounted on a trolley track in a trolley track direction and on each of which a pocket hanging downwards for receiving transported goods is arranged, the pocket being formed by at least one flexible material web that is planar when open and that is fastened at both ends to the trolley, forming a carrying loop or transport loop hanging downwards. The material web is releasably fastened by at least one end to the trolley. The method further includes the steps: a) advancing a closed pocket, b) opening the pocket by releasing the fastening of the at least one end of the material web to the trolley, c) filling the opened pocket with goods to be transported closing the pocket by fastening the at least one end of the material web to the trolley, and e) transporting away the filled and closed pocket.

A method and system for fulfilling customer orders having a data base that is adapted to store a plurality of customer orders and identity of warehouse inventory items and return inventory items that make up each of the customer orders. Some of the orders are single item orders with only one inventory item assigned to that order. Some of the orders are multiple item orders with multiple inventory items assigned to that order. Returned items that are processed and determined to be acceptable to be re-distributed are re-introduced into the inventory data base and are available to be assigned to an order. Warehouse inventory and return inventory are maintained independent of each other to reduce redundant operations. The order fulfilment system retrieves items from either or both of the warehouse inventory and return inventory to fulfil customer orders. The order fulfilment system may utilizes human associates or robot associates.

An apparatus and method for maintaining a pattern of non-rigid objects in a desired position and orientation. The first surface, second surface, and third surface are mutually orthogonal and meet at a point to form a lowest corner. The second and third surfaces are supported by, attached to and extend at least somewhat vertically from the apparatus. The first surface is oriented at an angle to a plane running through a bottom of the apparatus and thereby provides the lowest corner.

The present disclosure relates to a discharge apparatus for discharging a plurality of flexible spouted containers, the apparatus comprising: a container support comprising a support element with an elongated opening for carrying a row of spouts of a plurality of spouted containers from an inlet to an outlet, wherein the inlet of the support element is configured to receive successive batches of spouted containers in the elongated opening; a biasing unit configured to move at least a subset of the spouts received inside the elongated opening in the support element towards the outlet, wherein the biasing unit further is configured to continuously apply a biasing force to the subset of spouts to continuously discharge the containers from the outlet.

A single robot of a two-lane bin packing system has an end of arm tool (EOAT) that interfaces with two infeed lines and two bins on an ongoing basis so that the robot can pick a group of bags from a first bag group staging area on the first infeed line while a group of bags is being formed in a second bag group staging area by the second infeed line. In addition, by interfacing with two separate bins, one bin can be filled while another, full bin is being replaced with an empty bin. The EOAT thus operates constantly. The bag groups can be formed in layers by discharging bags on a reciprocating shuttle of a pick table assembly.

A modular transfer system with a primary flow system and a diverter system. The primary flow system includes a primary flow belt for conveying an article along a primary flow path from an infeed side of the modular transfer system to a pass-through side of the modular transfer system. The diverter system includes one or more diverter belts for diverting an article from the primary flow path towards a divert side of the modular transfer system. The primary flow belt includes multiple movable components contacting the diverter belt. The movable components can have one or more rotational degrees of freedom.