# Automated System for Emptying and Sorting Items from Shipping Containers > This patent describes an automated system for quickly emptying items from shipping containers, like totes, by inverting them onto a conveyor belt for scanning and sorting into customer orders. - **Patent:** US 11648589 - **Original title:** Systems and methods to enhance the utilization of order sortation systems - **Owner:** Target Brands - **Granted:** 2023 - **Status:** Active - **Times cited:** 1 - **Field:** consumer_electronics, software, ecommerce, mechanical, telecommunications ## What it does This patent outlines a system and method for efficiently processing items from containers in a warehouse. It involves an incoming conveyor that brings a container, like a tote, to a container handling system. This system then uses a pusher mechanism to slide the container to an inversion mechanism, which grasps and flips the container to dump its contents onto an item conveyor system. As the items travel on this conveyor, a barcode scanner identifies them. Finally, an automated item sorter separates these items into groups based on specific customer orders, while the now-empty container is moved away on an outgoing conveyor. For example, a tote filled with various products for different online orders would be automatically emptied, scanned, and its contents sorted for packing. ## What it does NOT cover - Does not cover manual unloading of containers by human workers. - Does not cover systems that pick individual items from a container without inverting the entire container. - Does not cover sorting systems that do not include a barcode scanner to identify items. - Does not cover systems where the empty container is not automatically transported away on an outgoing conveyor. - Does not cover systems that use methods other than inversion to transfer items from a container to a conveyor, such as scooping or vacuuming. - Does not cover sorting items without an 'automated item sorter' as specified in the claims. ## The clever bit The clever bit is the integrated automation of container handling, specifically the precise inversion of a container to transfer its contents directly onto an item conveyor for immediate scanning and sorting, streamlining a traditionally manual or semi-manual process. ## Real-world examples 1. Target fulfillment centers 2. Amazon warehouses 3. Walmart distribution centers 4. Large e-commerce logistics operations 5. Automated parcel sorting hubs ## Why it matters This patent addresses the critical need for speed and efficiency in modern order fulfillment, especially with the growth of e-commerce. By automating the process of emptying containers and feeding items into a sorting system, it helps companies like Target reduce labor costs and process orders faster. This efficiency can lead to quicker delivery times for customers and more cost-effective operations for retailers. ## Frequently asked questions ### What does Automated System for Emptying and Sorting Items from Shipping Containers cover? This patent describes an automated system for quickly emptying items from shipping containers, like totes, by inverting them onto a conveyor belt for scanning and sorting into customer orders. ### Who owns patent US 11648589? Target Brands owns this patent, granted in 2023. ### When does this patent expire? This patent is expected to expire on August 5, 2041, when the invention enters the public domain. ### What is patent US 11648589 cited by? This patent has been cited by 1 later patents that build on its ideas. ### What problem does this patent solve? This patent addresses the critical need for speed and efficiency in modern order fulfillment, especially with the growth of e-commerce. By automating the process of emptying containers and feeding items into a sorting system, it helps companies like Target reduce labor costs and process orders faster. This efficiency can lead to quicker delivery times for customers and more cost-effective operations for retailers. ### What does this patent NOT cover? Does not cover manual unloading of containers by human workers. **Full plain-English explainer:** https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/11648589/systems-and-methods-to-enhance-the-utilization-of-order-sortation-systems **Original patent:** https://patents.google.com/patent/US11648589 --- _Source: PatentBrief — https://patentbrief.org. Patent facts are from public records; the plain-English explanation is PatentBrief's._ ## Related patents Semantically similar inventions in the PatentBrief corpus: - [How Warehouses Sort Items with Magnetic Levitation Shuttles](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/12077385/systems-and-methods-for-high-speed-warehouse-order-sortation) — This patent describes a warehouse system that uses magnetic levitation shuttles to quickly sort individual items for customer orders, guided by a control system that directs shuttles based on item type and order needs. - [How Warehouses Plan Pallet Stacks for Incoming Shipments](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/11767169/warehousing-systems-and-methods) — This patent describes an automated warehouse system that plans how to stack incoming items onto pallets to perfectly fit available storage racks, and automatically sorts out incorrect items. - [How Robots and Mobile Shelves Fulfill Orders in Warehouses](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/10947045/warehousing-and-order-fulfillment-systems-and-methods) — Target's patent describes an automated warehouse system where mobile robots bring shelves and shipping containers to a central robot that picks items directly into orders, all without human hands. - [How to Build a Shock-Absorbing Shipping Box](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/11993444/starship-mars-base-alpha) — A design for a shipping box that uses special tabs and accordion-style folds to keep an inner product compartment suspended away from the outer box walls, protecting fragile items from impacts. - [How Amazon Optimizes Where to Store Products to Avoid Stockouts](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/8732039/amazon-subscribe-save) — A mathematical method for deciding how many items to stock in different warehouses to minimize the cost of running out of products.