Amazon Technologies, Inc.

Paul Raines

Timothy Alan Talda

David L Alspaugh

Brian Hoffman

Eric K Wyman

Garett Andrew Ochs

Seshachalamgupta Motamarri

Bruno Zbinden

Steven Todd Johnson

A material handling apparatus for reorienting and transferring inventory items to a packaging device includes a support member and a packaging conveyor. The support member receives an inventory item and reorients the item to a rejection orientation or a packaging orientation. The item is moved onto the packaging conveyor in the packaging orientation and is transported to the packaging device.

Material handling apparatus

A film tensioning and steering system can be configured to extract a film from a film source. One or more film characteristics can require that the film tensioning and steering system be isolated from the film source so that a film tension can be maintained within the film tensioning and steering system. A first drive roller pair and a second drive roller pair can be configured to secure the film and enable a dampening roller to maintain the film tension between the first drive roller pair and the second drive roller pair. Additionally, the dampening roller can store an amount of the film as a film buffer. Accordingly, the film tensioning and steering system can maintain the film tension such that a steering system can align the film before the first drive roller pair provides the film at a proper alignment to a downstream system.

Isolated film tension and steering system

A system and method that causes at least one item to be placed within a portion of an elastic film positioned across a top surface of a container, the portion including a center portion in which the at least one item is placed. Air may be extracted from the container to create a vacuum within the cavity and to expand the center portion to create a void in the center portion within the cavity. Air may flow into the container to release the vacuum and contract the center portion of the elastic film as the void is decreased and eliminated.

Vacuum-assisted item bundling system

In one embodiment, a conveyor system has first and second conveyors. The first conveyor has inner and outer sides and a first conveyor surface between the inner and outer sides that is configured to carry payloads between first and second conveyor ends along a first direction. The second conveyor has inner and outer sides and a second conveyor surface between the inner and outer sides of the second conveyor that is configured to carry payloads between the first and second conveyor ends along the first direction. The first and second conveyors are coupled to one another such that the inner sides are spaced closer to one another than the outer sides and the first and second conveyors are angularly offset from one another. The conveyor system is configured to rotate between a first orientation and a second orientation about an axis that extends along the first direction.

Rotatable v-shaped conveyor and system and method of using the same

In one embodiment, a transfer system has a conveyor system with first and second conveyors. The first conveyor has inner and outer sides and a first conveyor surface between the inner and outer sides that is configured to carry payloads along a first direction. The second conveyor has inner and outer sides and a second conveyor surface between the inner and outer sides of the second conveyor that is configured to carry payloads along the first direction. The first and second conveyors are coupled to one another such that the inner sides are spaced closer to one another than the outer sides and the first and second conveyors are angularly offset from one another. The transfer system also has a movement system that moves the conveyor system along at least one of a vertical direction, and a second direction so as to align the conveyor system with another conveyor system.

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Seattle, WA, United States of America

Paul Raines