A collapsible dunnage adapted for being positioned in a box for transporting parts that includes a plurality of top-opening pockets for receiving the parts to be transported and formed of a flexible web positioned in side-by-side registration with each other and movable between an expanded use position and a collapsed storage position while being maintained in the same side-by-side registration position. Fastener elements are attached to the dunnage and adapted for fastening the dunnage to complementary fastener elements carried by a box in which the dunnage is adapted to be positioned for use and storage. The box is collapsible and includes features that permit convenient storage of the collapsed accordion dunnage in the collapsed box.
B61D 3/16 - Wagons or vans adapted for carrying special loads
B65D 6/16 - Containers having bodies formed by interconnecting or uniting two or more rigid, or substantially rigid, components made wholly or mainly of metal, plastics, wood or substitutes therefor collapsible
B65D 6/18 - Containers having bodies formed by interconnecting or uniting two or more rigid, or substantially rigid, components made wholly or mainly of metal, plastics, wood or substitutes therefor collapsible with hinged components
B65D 25/06 - Partitions adapted to be fitted in two or more alternative positions
B65D 25/10 - Devices to locate articles in containers
B65D 81/05 - Containers, packaging elements, or packages, for contents presenting particular transport or storage problems, or adapted to be used for non-packaging purposes after removal of contents specially adapted to protect contents from mechanical damage maintaining contents at spaced relation from package walls, or from other contents
A collapsible dunnage box is provided that includes a box base and first and second opposed base sidewalls attached to the box base on opposing sides of the box. First and second opposed top sidewalls are pivotally attached to the top edge of respective ones of the base sidewalls. First and second opposed top endwalls are provided to form a box enclosure. The base endwalls are pivotally-mounted to the top endwalls and are moveable between a lowered, vertical deployed position enclosing respective ends of the box and a raised, horizontal stowed position to contain and store dunnage positioned in an upper portion of the box.
B65D 5/36 - Rigid or semi-rigid containers of polygonal cross-section, e.g. boxes, cartons or trays, formed by folding or erecting one or more blanks made of paper specially constructed to allow collapsing and re-erecting without disengagement of side or bottom connections
B65D 25/06 - Partitions adapted to be fitted in two or more alternative positions
B65D 85/30 - Containers, packaging elements or packages, specially adapted for particular articles or materials for articles particularly sensitive to damage by shock or pressure
B65D 85/68 - Containers, packaging elements or packages, specially adapted for particular articles or materials for machines, engines or vehicles in assembled or dismantled form
3.
Cluster-based-system and method for E-commerce-order fulfillment
It is disclosed a system and method for order fulfillment, the method comprising the following steps: generating (S10) a packing pattern for the order defining the packing sequence; assigning (S12) one of the one or more merge-and-pack stations (22) to the order; analyzing (S14) the order with regard to pouchable and non-pouchable articles (46) associated with the order, wherein each of the pouchable articles (46) is sized and heavy such that it fits into one of the pouches (48), and wherein each of the non-pouchable articles (46) is at least one of sized and heavy such that it does not fit into one of the pouches (48); retrieving corresponding storage units (50), which contain the pouchable articles (46) associated with the order, from the warehouse (16), delivering the retrieved storage units (50) to one or more of the pick stations (18), and loading the pouchable articles (46) from the delivered storage units (50) into one or more of the pouches (48) at the one or more pick stations (18); transporting (S18) loaded pouches (48) from the one or more pick stations (18) to the assigned merge-and-pack station (22); transporting (S18) corresponding storage units, which contain the non-pouchable articles (46) associated with the order, to the assigned merge-and-pack station (22); and synchronizing arrivals (S20) of the loaded pouches (48) and the corresponding storage units (50), which contain the non-pouchable articles (46) associated with the order, and unloading the pouchable and non-pouchable articles (46) associated with the order at the assigned merge-and-pack station (16) so that the pouchable and non-pouchable articles associated with the order are transferable in the packing sequence to one or more shipping units associated with the order and the packing pattern.
A closed-loop box identification and tracking system that includes a plurality of boxes for being moved by at least one box transport apparatus between an origination point and a destination point, each box containing an RFID tag. At least one RFID reader/transmitter is provided to interact with the at least one box transport apparatus, and is adapted to read the RFID tags when in proximity to the RFID reader/transmitter and transmit the identification of the RFID tag. An RFID receiver and associated digital computer is provided for receiving, storing and processing the transmitted RFID identification for determining the location of the boxes from the processed RFID identification.
G06F 17/30 - Information retrieval; Database structures therefor
G06K 19/07 - Record carriers with conductive marks, printed circuits or semiconductor circuit elements, e.g. credit or identity cards with integrated circuit chips
G06Q 10/08 - Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distributionInventory or stock management
patents
