OPEX Corporation

A system may include a vehicle for delivering items and a moveable track that cooperates with the vehicle. The moveable track may cooperate with a storage system having storage locations for storing items. The vehicle may drive into the moveable track and lift the track using a vertical drive mechanism. The vehicle may include a horizontal drive system operable to drive the vehicle horizontally along the ground to carry the moveable track to a position adjacent the storage location. The vehicle may operate the vertical drive system to drop the moveable track adjacent the storage system. Additionally, the vehicle may operate the vertical drive to drive up the moveable track to an elevated position adjacent one of the storage locations in the storage system. The vehicle may include a transfer mechanism for transferring items between the vehicle and the storage location while the vehicle is in the elevated position.

A plurality of material handling vehicles are provided, each including a horizontal drive for driving the vehicle horizontally, a vertical drive for driving the vehicle vertically, and a mechanism for transferring items onto or off the vehicle. Containers of items are extracted from storage locations of a first plurality of storage locations and transferred by corresponding material handling vehicles to bi-directional conveyors that convey the containers toward transfer stations at which items may be removed and transferred.

A method and apparatus for processing mail is provided. A feeder serially feeds envelope from a stack of mail. Two cutters at a cutting station cuts one or two edges of the envelopes. As the envelopes travel from the feeder to the cutters the envelope is jogged on two edges to justify the contents with the envelopes. Additionally, an improved feeder is provided to reduce the number of jams created when feeding the envelopes from the stack.

A vehicle for use in an inventory management system having a plurality of destination areas and a guide system includes a platform for receiving and transporting items to and from the destination areas, a plurality of motors, a first drive system, a second drive system, a transfer mechanism, and a clutch mechanism. The transfer system is configured to transfer and retrieve items to and from the destination areas, and the clutch mechanism is configured to engage and disengage the transfer mechanism from at least one of the motors, whereby the second drive system drives movement of the vehicle independently of the transfer mechanism.

A vehicle for use in an inventory management system having a plurality of destination areas and a guide system includes a platform for receiving and transporting items to and from the destination areas, a plurality of motors, a first drive system, a second drive system, a transfer mechanism, and a clutch mechanism. The transfer system is configured to transfer and retrieve items to and from the destination areas, and the clutch mechanism is configured to engage and disengage the transfer mechanism from at least one of the motors, whereby the second drive system drives movement of the vehicle independently of the transfer mechanism.

A system may include a vehicle for delivering items and a plurality of racks having a plurality of storage locations. The racks may be arranged to form one or more aisles. The vehicles are configured to drive horizontally along a path that may extend along a path under the racks that is parallel to the aisles. Additionally, the vehicles may be operated to turn while the vehicle is positioned under one of the racks. The vehicles may travel under the racks and cross one or more aisles to reach a particular column in one of the aisles. The vehicle climbs upwardly within the particular column to retrieve an item from a storage location in the column.

Each vehicle of a plurality of vehicles defines a support surface for receiving an item to be sorted, and including a power source, a plurality of rotatable drive elements, a transfer mechanism, and at least one motor. Stored instructions are executable by the processor of a controller to: assign available destination areas to respective orders to be fulfilled, acquire item characterizing data for items transferred to a vehicle, determine based on acquired item characterizing data that an item corresponds to an order, transmit an assigned destination area to the sortation system for each item determined to correspond to an order, and determine that an item transferred to a destination area is a final item of a group of items needed to complete an order. Stored instructions are executable by the processor of a second controller to manage starting, stopping, and movement of each vehicle and operation of the transfer mechanism.

A method and apparatus are provided for delivering items to a plurality of storage locations is provided. The system includes a plurality of storage locations. The storage locations may be positioned to provide an aisle and a plurality of delivery vehicles may be operable within the aisle to deliver items to the storage locations. The system may include a track that the guides the vehicles to the storage locations. A reorientation assembly may be provided for re-orienting the vehicles relative to the track to reduce misalignment between the vehicles and the track.

A method and apparatus are provided for sorting or retrieving items to/from a plurality of destinations areas. The items are loaded onto one of a plurality of independently controlled delivery vehicles. The delivery vehicles follow a track that guides the delivery vehicles to/from the destination areas, which are positioned along the track. Once at the appropriate destination area, an item is transferred between the delivery vehicle and the destination area.

A container exchange station for a material handling system is provided. The system may include a plurality of vehicles for retrieving items from a plurality of storage locations located in one or more racks. In an embodiment, the container exchange station is configured to accommodate the vehicles so that the vehicles drive into the container exchange station and drive upwardly along a track in the container exchange station. A transfer mechanism on the vehicle cooperates with a transfer mechanism on the container exchange station to displace an item from the vehicle to a conveyor. The container exchange station may include an elevator having a plurality of elevator platforms and a plurality of elevated buffer storage locations to and from which items can be inserted and retrieved by the elevator platforms for release to a workstation when required.