Transport carrier for use in an article sorting system

Abstract

A sorting system in which uniquely coded garments are hung on transport carriers, also having unique identification bar codes. The garment transport carriers include a connector for removably attaching garments or garment hangers and a hook which engages the transport rails so that the carrier can be moved along the rails and throughout the sorting system. Such a hook is used with slick-type rails, screw-type conveyor rails and even channel-type rails, or a rotatable wheel may be mounted on the carrier for movement of the carrier along rails, including channel-type rails. The transport carrier bar code is read as it progresses through the sorting system and is compared with a computer data base of garment information to determine the sorting route. The garment identification is initially correlated in the computer data base before sorting with the carrier identification code. Once all garment carriers and associated garments of a lot have been identified and correlated by the computer, an algorithm is carried out for assigning a sort value to each carrier. A master distributor switch then distributes the garment carriers a first time to a plurality of sort paths based upon a least significant digit of the sort value. Second and subsequent digits of the sort value of each carrier are employed to recirculate and resort the garment carriers to the plural sort paths to complete the sorting operation with the parallel paths. The garment carriers are then sequentially released from the parallel sort paths to an exit sort path in a final serial order representative of the order of the garments desired by the customers.