Computer Aided Systems, Inc.

Other

Daniel C Perry

Clay Bernard, Ii

Stanley H Lukken

Robert D Lichti, Sr

Jack Quinton

William A Pearson

Jeff Johnson

Robert M Surtees

Sean Patrick Hirka

Louis Hiti

Donald P Buller

Timothy E Gorham, Jr

A storage system for the storage and retrieval of material goods has a continuous track and a storage carousel movable along the track. The carousel carries a plurality of shelf arrays, each of which includes a plurality of vertically-spaced shelves removably attachable to the carousel at an adjustable vertical pitch. One or more inserter assemblies are disposed adjacent the carousel for transferring cartons onto the carousel. One or more removal assemblies are disposed adjacent the carousel for removing cartons from the carousel. A vertical transport unit has an upward reach disposed adjacent the inserter assemblies for transferring cartons to the inserter assemblies, and a downward reach disposed adjacent the removal assemblies for receiving cartons from the removal assemblies. The vertical transport unit has a plurality of platforms removably attachable to the vertical transport unit at an adjustable pitch. A control system controls the operation of the storage carousel, the inserter assemblies, the removal assemblies and the vertical transport unit.

Staging, tracking and retrieval system with a rotatable storage structure

An apparatus and method for consolidation of warehoused goods into orders, sets or kits is described. The apparatus allows precise positioning of a large number of objects supported by a movable rigid member, without requiring precise drive motion. The method allows concurrent transfer of a large number of articles, to fill the same or different ones of a large number of orders, where items for different orders may be initially stored in the same or different storage containers.

Order consolidation indexing system

An inserter assembly for inserting containers onto a storage carousel. The containers may be inserted by moving them horizontally in a direction tangent to a curved portion of the storage carousel. The container is then latched into the rack by raising a vertically movable horizontal lifting member to lift the lower outside edge of the container and tilt the container toward the carousel to engage a latching mechanism on the rack. The latching mechanism includes leading and trailing hooks with a smooth and continuous bottom surface, with the leading hook having an inclined wing sufficiently wide to rest on the upper leading inside corner of the container until it hangs over the inside of the container.

Inserter for a rotatable storage structure

A method of using a multi-access storage system including inserting and extracting containers from a conveyor in continuous motion.

Organizer system and method for a rotatable storage structure

An integrated warehousing system for storing and retrieving goods as well as preparing the goods for their ultimate disposition is disclosed. The warehousing system includes numerous modular components that may be added to or subtracted from the system to accommodate a particular warehousing need. Inventoried goods placed in containers are stored on a rotational storage carousel, A plurality of work stations, each having an associated temporary storage queues are integrated with the carousel to facilitate high volume handling operations. Containers, delivered from the storage carousel, are brought to the temporary queue where they are held until an operator is prepared to work with the goods stored therein. The container is then delivered to a work area, where the operator performs the desired task. The containers, may then be delivered either to another appropriate work station or back to the storage carousel.

System for delivery

A storage system for the storage and retrieval of material goods, having an inserter assembly for inserting containers onto a storage carousel while the carousel remains in continuous motion.

This invention relates to an automated work center for use in materials handling operations. The work center includes a randomly accessible vertically moving temporary storage queue 11 for receiving containers 25 that hold material goods. A fixed loading ramp 20 is arranged to receive containers 20 from an external system and to load the received containers onto the storage queue 11. A work area 5 having a plurality of rotatable work tables 7 provides an gives the operator access to the containers. A delivery system 14 transfers containers between the storage queue 11 and the work tables 7 and a takeaway system 16 transfers containers between the work area and the conveyor network. An automated control system 17 coordinates the delivery of containers between the temporary storage queue 11 and the work area 5. A consolidation queue 18 having a multiplicity of vertically spaced shelfs may be disposed opposite the work tables 7 to facilitate the consolidation of ordered goods.

Automated work center and method

An integrated warehousing system for storing and retrieving goods as well as preparing the goods for their ultimate disposition is disclosed. The warehousing system includes numerous modular components that may be added to or subtracted from the system to accommodate a particular warehousing need. Inventoried goods placed in containers are stored on a rotational storage carousel. A plurality of work stations, each having an associated temporary storage queues are integrated with the carousel to facilitate high volume handling operations. Containers, delivered from the storage carousel, are brought to the temporary queue where they are held until an operator is prepared to work with the goods stored therein. The container is then delivered to a work area, where the operator performs the desired task. The containers, may then be delivered either to another appropriate work station or back to the storage carousel.

An automated work center for use in materials handling operations is disclosed. The work center includes a randomly accessible vertically moving temporary storage queue 11 for receiving containers 25 that hold material goods. A fixed loading ramp 20 is arranged to receive containers 20 from an external system and to load the received containers onto the storage queue 11. A work area 5 having a plurality of rotatable work tables 7 provides an gives the operator access to the containers. A delivery system 14 transfers containers between the storage queue 11 and the work tables 7 and a takeaway system 16 transfers containers between the work area and the conveyor network. An automated control system 17 coordinates the delivery of containers between the temporary storage queue 11 and the work area 5. A consolidation queue 18 having a multiplicity of vertically spaced shelfs may be disposed opposite the work tables 7 to facilitate the consolidation of ordered goods.

Automated work center

A control system for a storage system wherein containers may be extracted from and inserted on the carousel while the carousel remains in continuous motion.

Organizer system for a rotatable storage structure

An integrated warehousing system for storing and retrieving goods as well as preparing the goods for their ultimate disposition is disclosed. The warehousing system includes numerous modular components that may be added to or subtracted from the system to accommodate a particular warehousing need. Inventoried goods placed in containers are stored on a rotational storage carousel. A plurality of work stations each having an associated temporary storage queues are integrated with the carousel to facilitate high volume handling operations. Containers delivered from the storage carousel are brought to the temporary queue where they are held until an operator is prepared to work with the goods stored therein. The container is then delivered to a work area where the operator performs the desired task. The containers may then be delivered either to another appropriate work station or back to the storage carousel.

The present invention relates generally to automated distribution systems for storing and retrieving goods. More particularly, the invention relates to a rotatable storage carousel and supporting mechanisms for inserting and extracting containers from the carousel while it remains in continuous motion. The delivery system is designed to deliver goods at rates which exceed the demand of today's production and warehousing facilities.

A storage facility is provided for integration with a material distribution facility that includes as storage carousel for receiving and storing containers adapted to carry material goods. The carousel includes a multiplicity of connecting rack arrays arranged in side-by-side fashion. Each of the rack arrays includes a plurality of vertically spaced container racks for supporting selected containers, with the container racks from various rack arrays being arranged in a plurality of tiers. The carousel is adapted to rotate about a continuous track. Insertion and extraction assemblies are provided for each carousel tier that are adapted to load and unload containers from the various racks while the carousel remains in continuous motion. A novel lift arrangement is provided for carrying containers between a conveyor network and the various inserter and extractor assemblies. In an alternative aspects of the invention, a novel control system for a storage facility is described as well.

Growing community of inventors

San Jose, CA, United States of America

Daniel C Perry