Clothing classification and processing systems and methods

Abstract

The system and method utilize a machine-readable garment identification tag (12) at a first station (78) to input information about a specific garment (10) into a computer system (80). Garment data from the garment identification tag (12) is assigned a garment identifier (44) and printed or formed on a hanger neck sleeve member. The hanger neck sleeve member (44) provides a consistent scan point across all subsequent classification stations (84) in the system (70). This eliminates the need to search for the location of the garment tag (12) for scanning at classification stations (84) following the initial station (78). Each hanger neck sleeve member (44) has a machine-readable code (46) assigned to the associated garment (10) and is positioned at the neck (30) of the hanger (16) for that garment (10). The position of the hanger neck sleeve member (44) on the neck portion (30) of the hanger (16) makes it significantly easier to access and read than the garment tag (12).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 454,980, filed on March 28, 2023, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] The present invention relates to a system and related method for classifying articles hung on hangers, and more particularly to a system and related method for classifying clothes hung on hangers and moving them along a conveyor through a cleaning facility.

Background Art

[0003] Commercial uniform rental laundries handle numerous clothing or apparel items, and when they are washed and ready to be delivered to customers, the clothes must be sorted. Typically, commercial facilities need to label and sort the clothes by delivery route, customer, and user. Most laundries sort the laundry manually. Automated sorting machines can be used for clothing sorting, which reduces the amount of manual labor required. The sorting machines used for this purpose usually include a conveyor on which clothes supported by hangers are transported. The conveyor carries the clothes to various processing and sorting stations along the conveyor path. Each piece of clothing usually has a coded label that is detected or scanned by a detector. The code information is then transmitted to a computerized processor that controls the automated sorting of the clothes. An automated system for removing articles from the conveyor can be provided at each station. Using a barcode scanner, an operator manually scans the label for each piece of clothing into the computer. The code enables each article to be tracked by the computer as it moves along the conveyor, and thus the computer can control the automated movement of the article as it passes through the appropriate sorting station.

[0004] The conveyors used to classify these various items typically consist of a conveyor with mounting members or hanger trees on which garments are placed, supported on garment hangers. After the items are placed on these mounting members, the conveyor carries the garments to various classification stations along the conveyor's path. Automated means for removing items from the conveyor are provided at each station, so that garments identified by a particular route, customer, or user are collected at each station. The conveyor typically moves continuously with garments placed on one mounting member at a time, and each mounting member supports one or more garments. To supply the garments to be classified to the conveyor, the operator usually needs to feed each individual garment into the conveyor's mounting member. In most cases, the operator also needs to scan or input identification data for each garment into computers at several classification stations along the conveyor path. This allows each item to be tracked by the computer as it moves along the conveyor, and allows the computer to control the automated means for removing the items when they pass through the appropriate classification station.

[0005] Due to the large volume of clothing to be sorted, the work of supplying and sorting clothes becomes highly repetitive. Human operators are often slow or inefficient in supplying clothes to the sorting conveyor. What is needed is an automated supply system that can separate large quantities of clothes, supply them to the conveyor, and automatically identify them.

[0006] Furthermore, items such as clothing are extremely difficult to identify, and achieving identification throughout the entire system in a way that allows for effective classification is extremely challenging. This is understandable, as clothing identification cannot simply be stamped on its visible outer surface, and is usually fixed in places that are not easily visible, such as the inner cuffs or collars. In addition, when clothing is suspended on conventional rails or conveyors, entanglement of clothing or clothing hangers creates problems that hinder its automated identification and transport.

[0007] A given facility needs to clean and process a wide variety of garments, and the system must track each garment of all kinds throughout the entire process. A few types of garments can be easily scanned for tracking throughout the system. However, when automated scanning of many different types of garments is required, there are many difficulties. Placing accessible machine-readable tags on a wide variety of garments (i.e., trousers, shorts, aprons, vests, jumpsuits, dresses, coats, ponchos, shawls, etc.) is difficult in most cases, and if the need arises to place the machine-readable tags in inconspicuous locations on the garment when in use, this becomes almost impossible to overcome for an effective reading process. For example, placing a tag 12 on a typical buttoned shirt 10 is generally done in the neck area at the back, below the collar 14, as shown in Figure 1. This makes the garment tag 12 on such a shirt 10 easily visible when the shirt 10 is on a hanger 16. Furthermore, the tag 12 in this location is completely hidden when the shirt 10 is worn. On the other hand, other garments 10 present difficulties in this regard. For example, the tag 12 may be placed on the inside belt of a pair of trousers or slacks 10. Such placement can conceal the tag 12 when the trousers 10 are being worn. However, when the trousers 10 are folded and hung on a hanger 16, accessing the belt tag 12 for scanning or reading is difficult, if not impossible. These complexities and difficulties are more frequent when the process requires reading each garment tag 12 of various garments 10 at multiple locations throughout the system. [Overview of the Initiative] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0008] These and other issues must be addressed in improved automated tracking systems and processes for garment cleaning and sorting facilities. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] In various embodiments, the present invention addresses these and other drawbacks of the prior art. The system and method of the present invention utilizes machine-readable garment tags at a first station to input information about a particular garment into a computer system. In one embodiment, the present invention provides output to a digital display / monitor that indicates to a sorting operator where to place the garment on a hanger in a manual sorting conveyor. This embodiment eliminates the operator's reliance on reading human-readable data on barcodes. It also eliminates the need to have human-readable data on garment tags in addition to machine-readable codes or barcodes.

[0010] A single initial scan of a garment tag or barcode at the first sort-hanging station also offers other advantages. The garment's barcode data is assigned to a system barcode printed or formed on a hanger neck sleeve component. The hanger neck sleeve component provides a consistent barcode scanning point throughout all subsequent sorting stations in the system. This eliminates the need to search for the garment tag's location for scanning at sorting stations following the initial station. Each hanger neck sleeve component has a machine-readable code assigned to the associated garment and is positioned on the neck of the hanger relative to that garment. The position of the hanger neck sleeve component on the hanger neck makes it easily accessible and readable, a significant improvement over garment tags in these respects. The machine-readable code on the hanger neck sleeve is applied to the hanger to track the movement of garments on that hanger and is then read at each required station. The hanger's neck sleeve component is removed from the associated hanger after the final sorting station, and the system's machine-readable code data barcode is removed from the system for subsequent reuse / reassignment to another garment at the initial station.

[0011] Another aspect of various embodiments of the present invention utilizes a digital output from the first sorting station to instruct a robot or a non-human operator where to place garments identified at a second and / or subsequent sorting station. This method reduces the number of human operators in the second and subsequent sorting areas.

[0012] The aforementioned and other features and advantages of the present invention, as well as methods for achieving them, will become even clearer by referring to the following descriptions of embodiments of the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, and the present invention itself will also be well understood. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0013] [Figure 1] This is a front view of an exemplary garment and a garment tag for processing the same, according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 1A] This is a close-up of an example clothing tag. [Figure 2] A perspective view of a garment on a hanger having a garment identification member in the form of a hanger neck sleeve member that moves along a conveyor system and is applied to the neck of the hanger from a cartridge containing several such hanger neck sleeve members. [Figure 3] This is an enlarged perspective view of the leading hanger neck sleeve component inside the cartridge, applied to the neck of the hanger. [Figure 3A] This is a perspective view of another embodiment of the hanger neck sleeve member according to the present invention. [Figure 3B] This is a perspective view of another embodiment of the hanger neck sleeve member according to the present invention. [Figure 4A] This is a front view of a hanger neck sleeve member applied to the neck portion of a hanger, according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4B] This is a front view of a hanger neck sleeve member applied to the neck portion of a hanger, according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4C]Front view of a hanger neck sleeve member applied to the neck portion of a hanger according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4D] Front view of a hanger neck sleeve member applied to the neck portion of a hanger according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4E] Front view of a hanger neck sleeve member applied to the neck portion of a hanger according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] Enlarged perspective view of a hanger neck sleeve attached to the neck portion of a hanger. [Figure 5A] Enlarged view of the hanger neck sleeve member of FIG. 5. [Figure 6] Cross-sectional view taken along line 6-6 of FIG. 5. [Figure 7] Perspective view of an exemplary clothing conveyor system applicable to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] Schematic view of a classification and processing facility applicable to the present invention. [Figure 9] Diagram showing a screen at the first classification station of various embodiments of the present invention indicating where a specific piece of clothing should be placed based on its clothing tag data. [Figure 10] Diagram of a robot for placing clothing on a conveyor in a facility according to an aspect of the present invention. [Figure 11] Top view of a classification and processing facility showing several human operators required for the operation of a facility not using the present invention. [Figure 12] Top view of a classification and processing facility using a small number of human operators with various embodiments of the present invention to operate the facility. [Figure 13] Top view of a classification and processing facility using a small number of operators with various embodiments of the present invention to operate the facility. [Figure 14] Front view of an alternative embodiment of a clothing identification member in the form of a hanger neck sticker applied to the neck region of a hanger. [Figure 15]A perspective view of an alternative embodiment of a garment identification member in the form of a hanger neck sticker applied to the neck region of a hanger.

Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0014] In FIG. 1, exemplary garments 10 that can be washed, sorted, and / or processed according to various embodiments of the present invention are shown. The garment 10, in the shirt garment 10 of FIG. 1, has a garment tag 12 located in the neck region of the garment 10, under the color 14 and also at the rear. Advantageously, the placement of the garment tag 12 in this particular embodiment of the garment 10 makes the garment tag 12 conspicuous within the facility according to the present invention during washing, sorting, and / or processing, but the garment tag 12 can be hidden when the garment 10 is in use and / or being worn. It should be understood that the classification, processing, and / or washing system according to the present invention is applicable to a wide range of garments 10, including but not limited to the shirt shown in FIG. 1 and many various other designs, sizes, and configurations of garments.

[0015] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 1A, the garment tag 12 can have various information, some of which can be machine-readable and also readable by a person. The exemplary garment tag 12 of FIGS. 1 and 1A includes an indicium, which includes identification data for uniquely identifying the associated garment. The indicium is unique within the system, and thus, in the system, no two of the plurality of indicia have the same identification data. The field 12a of human-readable information can include routing, customer, and user information. The garment tag 12 can also have a field 12b of machine-readable information, such as a barcode, a QR code (registered trademark), optically character-recognizable data, combinations thereof, or other types. The present invention is not limited to any particular type of machine-readable information.

[0016] Industrial facilities for sorting, processing, and / or washing garments 10 hang the garments 10 on hangers 16, as shown in Figures 2 and 3. The hangers 16 shown herein are wire hangers 16, but any design, style, shape, size, or configuration of garment hangers 16 can be utilized in the present invention. The wire hanger 16 shown most clearly in Figure 3 is formed from a single piece of wire and has a straight transverse bar 18, although the transverse bar 18 may be omitted in some hanger 16 designs. The transverse bar 18 ends at one of two bends 20 at both ends. Shoulder sections 22 protrude from each bend 20, opposite to the transverse bar 18. Diagonal members 24 protrude from the shoulder sections 22 on each arm 26 of the wire hanger 16. In many embodiments of the wire hanger 16, the diagonal members 24 are connected to a transverse stem 28 which is generally parallel to the transverse bar 18. The neck region, including the neck section 30, extends upward from each transverse stem 28, and the two neck sections 30 are connected together at a twisted connector 32 oriented generally perpendicular to the transverse bar 18. At the twisted connector 32, the wires of each arm 26 form several turns 34 with respect to each other. The wires of each neck section 30 are offset from each other as they enter the twisted connector 32. The end 36 of the wire of one arm 26 protrudes upward from the twisted connector 32, while the wire of the other arm 26 is bent into a hook 38 and terminates at a hook end 40. The neck sections 30 and the twisted connector 32 can be considered as the neck region of the hanger 16, with or without adjacent components. The hook 38 is adapted to suspend the hanger 16 and garments 10 on a bar 42 (Figures 2, 3, and 4A) or a conveyor system, as will be discussed below.

[0017] One aspect of the present invention is a garment identification member specific to each garment 10, an embodiment of which is shown in Figures 2 to 6 as a hanger neck sleeve member 44, which is clipped to or attached to a hanger 16 near the neck portion 30 and the twisted connecting portion 32 of the hanger 16. Each hanger neck sleeve member 44 includes a tag or mark 46 that is clearly visible when the member 44 is attached to the hanger 16 so that it can be read by a scanner or reader. The tag 46 may include machine-readable data that, when scanned or read, works to identify the garment 10 on the hanger 16 to which a particular member 44 is attached. Each mark 46 of the member 44 has identification data to uniquely identify the associated garment 10 on the associated hanger 16. Each mark 46 is unique in the system, and no two marks 46 in the system have the same identification data.

[0018] Each hanger neck sleeve member 44 has a generally U-shaped cross-section, as is best seen in Figures 3A, 3B, and 6. In one embodiment, the member 44 has a channel-shaped configuration comprising a pair of spaced-out member flanges 48 that are generally parallel to each other and connected together at the arched curved portion 50 of the member 44. The flanges 48 in the embodiments of Figures 3A to 3B are shorter than those in Figure 6. The outer surface 52 of the member 44 includes the outer surfaces of the flanges 48 and the outer surface of the curved portion 50, and the tag 46 can be located on the outer surface 52 of the member 44, as is best seen in Figures 3B and 5A. A rib 54 may be formed longitudinally on the inner surface of each flange 48 near the curved portion 50. A pair of notches 56 are formed at both ends of the member 44 near the joint of the flanges 48 and the curved portion 50. The notches 56 are offset from each other, as best shown in Figures 3B and 5 to 5A, so that one notch 56 is at the joint between one flange 48 and the curved portion 50, and the other notch 56 at the opposite end of member 44 is at the joint between the other flange 48 and the curved portion 50. In various embodiments, member 44 can be made from a durable polycarbonate or plastic material and / or produced by additive manufacturing. The tag 46 can be adhesively attached to member 44 or permanently etched or formed on the outer surface 52.

[0019] When attached to the hanger 16, the hanger neck sleeve member 44 snaps into place around the twisted connector 32, using ribs 54 that capture the wire of the twisted connector 32 adjacent to the curved portion 50, as shown in Figure 6. The notch 56 at the lower end of the member is positioned on the neck portion 30 of the hanger 16 adjacent to the transverse stem 28, as is best seen in Figure 5. When the member 44 is attached to the hanger 16 as shown in Figure 5, the member tag 46 is prominently displayed and presented for scanning or reading without interference from the garment 10 on the hanger 16.

[0020] As shown in Figures 2 to 4E, the supply of the hanger neck sleeve member 44 can be housed in a dosing clip or cartridge 58, and the supply of member 44 is biased by a spring mounted on the cartridge 58, biasing the leading member 44a in the cartridge 58 toward the opening 60 of the cartridge 58, so that the leading member 44a can be ejected from the cartridge 58 and attached to the hanger 16. In one embodiment, the cartridge 58 has a topless housing 62 that houses the supply of member 44, and the leading member 44a can be ejected from the opening 60 of the cartridge 58 by passing between a pair of jaws 64, each having an inwardly facing stopper 66, as shown in Figures 3 and 3A.

[0021] A series of sequences for attaching member 44 to hanger 16 using cartridge 58 are shown in Figures 3 to 4E. The hanger 16 may have garments 10 suspended from it, and the hooks 38 of the hanger 16 may suspend the hanger 16 and garments 10 from a bar 42 or a similar configuration. Member 44 may also be attached to the hanger 16 before the garments 10 are suspended from it. Cartridge 58, with the leading member 44a positioned in its opening 60, approaches the hanger 16 as shown in Figures 4B and 4F. The wire of the hanger 16 adjacent to the hook 38 is inserted into the leading member 44a between the jaws 64 of cartridge 58. The flange 48 of member 44a is positioned on either side of the wire between them (Figures 4B and 4G). The cartridge 58 and the leading member 44a are then moved downward in the direction of arrow A in Figure 4B, so that member 44a approaches the twisted coupling 32 of the hanger 16. The continuous downward movement of the cartridge 58 relative to the hanger 16 positions the leading member 44a on the twisted coupling 32 or in the neck region of the hanger 16. The cartridge 58 is then moved away from the hanger 16 in the direction of arrow B in Figures 4C and 4D, thereby mounting member 44 to the hanger 16. The ribs 54 within member 44 work to hold member 44 on the twisted coupling 32 of the hanger 16 once the cartridge 58 and the remaining member 44 have moved away from the hanger 16. After the leading member 44a is ejected from the cartridge 58, the next member 44 is pushed forward into the opening 60 of the cartridge in the direction of arrow C in Figure 4D to become the next leading member 44a. Therefore, the member 44 is securely and releasably attached to the hanger 16 so that the tag 46 is clearly visible on the hanger 16 without interference or obstruction from the garment 10 hanging on the hanger 16.

[0022] As is best seen in Figure 5, the lower notch 56 of member 44 is, in one embodiment, positioned on the wire of the hanger 16 between the transverse stem 28 and the neck 30. The lower notch 56 is offset from the longitudinal centerline CL in the curved portion 50 of member 44 so as to be positioned on the wire, because the neck 30 on one arm 16a is offset from the wire in the neck 30 of the other arm 16b of the hanger 16 below the twisted connector 32. This juxtaposition of the wires of arms 16a and 16b near the twisted connector 32 is also shown in the cross-sectional view of Figure 6.

[0023] Exemplary embodiments of a washing, sorting, or processing system 70 utilizing the advantages of various aspects of the present invention are shown in Figures 12 to 13, where each hanger 16 holding the associated garments 10 has a hanger neck sleeve member 44 attached thereto. The member 44 on each hanger 16 in the system 70 allows for the reading of tags 46 on the member 44 by barcode readers 76 at specific locations within the system 70, thereby eliminating the need for many operators 72 within the system 70. The system 70 in Figure 12 uses only three operators 72, and the system in Figure 13 uses only two operators 72, because readers 76 at various locations throughout the system 70 read the tags 46 on the member 44 in a more reliable, efficient, consistent, and accurate manner than operators 72 reading garment tags 12 in the prior art. Exemplary locations of the readers 76 are shown in Figures 12 to 13, but other locations, quantities, and details of the readers 76 are also included in the present invention. While the tags 46 on member 44 and the readers 76 for such tags 46 are shown and described in various embodiments herein as using barcode technology, other machine-readable or detection technologies (i.e., QR, RFID, etc.) can also be used in conjunction with embodiments of the present invention.

[0024] In this embodiment of the present invention, a single scan of the garment's barcode 12 at the initial sorting-hanging station 70a inputs that information into a computer database 80 for the facility 70, where it is assigned a system barcode and printed or formed on a tag 46 on the hanger neck sleeve member 44. The tag 46 on the member 44 hanging on the hanger 16 of the garment 10 provides a consistent barcode scan point throughout all garment sorting stations in the system 70. The present invention eliminates the need to search for the location of the garment tag / barcode 12 for scanning at subsequent sorting stations following the initial sorting-hanging station 70a. The member 44 is removed after the final sorting station 70b, and its system barcode is removed for new reuse / reassignment at the initial sorting station 70a for the next garment 10. In various embodiments of the present invention, thousands of members can be used in a single facility 70.

[0025] In Figure 8, an exemplary sorting and processing system / facility 70 according to one aspect of the present invention is shown together with a conveyor 74, which has unsorted garments 10 hanging on hangers near a starting point 70a. At several sorting stations 1-n and an exit conveyor 74b near a discharge point 70b, the sorted garments 10 are processed and delivered to customers. In this schematic facility, each of the sorting stations 1-n is arranged in series, but it should be noted that other arrangements included in the present invention are also possible.

[0026] Unclassified garments 10 hanging on hangers are transported by a conveyor 70, for example, in one embodiment, such as a horizontal screw conveyor, past an initial upstream reader or a registration device 78 near the starting location 70a, where, for example, a camera, sensor, or reading device scans garment tags 12 on the garments 10 attached to the relevant hangers 16 and codes on tags 46 on members 44 at or near the first classification section 70a. A specific garment tag 12 is associated with a tag 46 on the relevant member 44 attached to the hanger 16 in a computer system 80 for the facility / system 70. Thus, at each subsequent time and place, the tag 46 is read by a reader 76 in the system 70, and specific details about the garment 10 are associated with the tags 12 and 46. Since the tags 46 on members 44 are easily read, the garment tags 12 do not need to be read after the first registration device 78. From here, the garment 10 is transported from the subsequent sorting station 1 through n and is also sent by an exit conveyor 74b, which may also be a horizontal screw conveyor. The garment 10 is correctly and appropriately sorted based on the reading of the tag 46 on the hanger neck sleeve member 44. For further possible sorting confirmation, a scanning device 82 for identifying the garment 10 may be placed near the exit conveyor 74b.

[0027] Depending on the size of the facility 70, the sorting section is controlled by one or more electronic circuits 19, each of which comprises a PLC possibly connected to a computer 80, and input / output circuits coupled to scan / read devices 76, 78, 82, sorting stations 1, 2, ...n, and drive assemblies for conveyors 74.

[0028] The system 70 according to the present invention also includes a computer 80, which is coupled to a database from which production programs, for example, for a day are generated, in which case the actual data is obtained from the database. If necessary, a daily program consisting of several codes, for example, several line codes in a desired sequence, can be transferred to a machine control unit, which includes a further computer that handles the amount of data for that day, for example. The relevant data is collected and further sent to an actual machine control unit, which includes one or more electronic circuits 19 that are directly coupled to and located on or near the system 70. These electronic circuits control inputs and outputs to the facility itself, ensuring that the entire classification is reflected in the manner specified in the database and daily programs for each customer with respect to the sequence of items, their size, color, number, etc. A garment tag 12 for a garment 10 is associated in the computer database with a tag 46 on a member 44 attached to the associated hanger 16.

[0029] As the garment 10 on the hanger 16 approaches the facility exit, the component 44 can be removed from the hanger 16, and its association with the garment 10 can be erased from the computer database for subsequent reuse of the component 44 and tag 46.

[0030] Another aspect of various embodiments of the present invention is shown in Figure 9, in which a computer-assisted program uses barcode reader input at each sorting station 84. The program provides output messages 90 to a digital display / monitor 92, indicating to the operator where to place a particular garment that is to be hung on a hanger 16 on a manually sorting conveyor 74. The garment tag 12 is read by a barcode reader 76, and the sorting program determines where the garment 10 should be placed on the conveyor 74 by the operator. This operation eliminates the reliance on an operator to read human-readable data 12a on the garment tag 12. This aspect of the present invention also eliminates the need for human-readable data 12a on the garment tag 12.

[0031] Further embodiments of various models of the present invention are shown in Figure 10, in which data read from garment tags 12 by a reader 76 is used to instruct a robot 94, or any of the currently available switches, conveyors, and rails, where to place the garments 10 from subsequent sorting stations 1 to n relative to the initial sorting station 70a. The robot 94 can then appropriately position the garments 10 on any of the various conveyor hooks 74a. This method reduces the number of human operators at downstream sorting stations and can be implemented in the system 70 in conjunction with any of the readers 76 downstream from the initial sorting station 70a, as shown in Figures 12 to 13.

[0032] A further alternative embodiment of the garment identification member is a hanger neck sticker 96 having a first inner surface and a second outer surface, as shown in Figures 14 to 15. The first inner surface can be wrapped around and secured to the neck area of ​​a hanger 16, and a first portion of the first surface can be adhered to a second portion of the first surface. The second outer surface carries an identification mark 46.

[0033] From the above disclosure of the general principles of the present invention and the above detailed description of at least one embodiment, those skilled in the art will readily understand the various modifications that the invention may be permitted to make. Therefore, it is desirable that the invention be limited only to the following claims and their equivalent forms. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0034] 10. Clothing, shirts, trousers, slacks 12. Clothing tags, belt tags, clothing barcodes 12a Fields of human-readable information, human-readable data 12b Fields of machine-readable information 14 colors 16 hangers, clothes hangers 16a Arm 16b Arm 18 horizontal bars 19 Electronic circuit 20 Bending section 22 Shoulder 24 Diagonal 26 Arms 28 horizontal stem 30 Neck 32 Twisted connection 34 rotations 36 Terminal part 38 hooks 40 Hook end 42 bars 44 Hanger neck sleeve component 44a Leading member 46. ​​Stamps, tags, and component tags 48 Flanges, component flanges 50 Curved section 52 Exterior 54 Ribs 56 cuts 58 cartridges 60 opening 62 Housing without a top 64. Chin area 66 Reversal stop 70 Processing systems, systems, facilities 70a Classification - Hanging Station, First Classification Station, Starting Location 70b Discharge location, final sorting station 72 Operators 74 Conveyors, sorting conveyors 74a Conveyor Hook 74b Exit conveyor 76 Barcode reader, reader 78 Registered Devices 80 Computer databases, computer systems, computers 82 Scanning Devices 84 Sorting Stations 90 Output messages 92 Digital displays / monitors 94 Robots 96 Hanger Neck Stickers CL centerline

Claims

1. A system for handling multiple garments, each suspended from one of multiple hangers, wherein each of the multiple hangers has a hook and a neck area below the hook, and the system, Near the neck region, a plurality of garment identification members are provided, each positioned on one of the hangers, A plurality of marks, each present on one of the plurality of garment identification members and located near the neck region of the associated hanger, wherein each of the plurality of marks includes identification data for uniquely identifying the associated garment on the associated hanger, each of the plurality of marks is unique in the system, and therefore no two of the plurality of marks in the system have the same identification data; At least one reader arranged and adapted to read the plurality of markings on the plurality of garment identification members, Equipped with, A system in which each of the plurality of garments is hung below the neck region of one of the plurality of hangers, so that the reader can read the plurality of markings on the plurality of garment identification members.

2. Each of the aforementioned plurality of clothing identification members is A hanger neck sleeve member attached to the neck region of the associated hanger, each hanger neck sleeve member having a generally U-shaped cross-section comprising a pair of spaced flanges that are generally parallel to each other and connected together at the arched curved portion of the hanger neck sleeve member, the neck region of the associated hanger being positioned between the spaced flanges, and the outer surface of the hanger neck sleeve member bearing the mark, A hanger neck sticker having a first surface and a second surface, wherein the first surface is wrapped around and secured to the neck area of ​​the hanger, and a first portion of the first surface is adhered to a second portion of the first surface, and the second surface carries the mark, The system according to claim 1, further comprising one of the following.

3. The hanger neck sleeve member is, The upper end in the longitudinal direction and the lower end in the longitudinal direction, Upper notches and bottom notches at the longitudinal upper end and longitudinal bottom end, respectively, the upper notches and bottom notches are located near the curved portion and are adapted to receive the arms of the hanger, The system according to claim 2, further comprising:

4. The upper notch is offset in the longitudinal direction from the lower notch. The system according to claim 3.

5. The hanger neck sleeve member is, The system according to claim 2, further comprising a first rib and a second rib, each of which is formed on one of the flanges and protrudes from the inner surface of the hanger neck sleeve member at a position spaced apart from the curved portion, thereby capturing the neck region of the hanger.

6. The system according to claim 1, further comprising a cartridge for housing a first set of the plurality of garment identification members arranged in a continuous manner, such that the leading member of the first set is positioned near the neck area for attachment to one of the hangers.

7. The system according to claim 1, further comprising a conveyor from which each of the plurality of hangers and associated garments is suspended to move relative to the system.

8. Multiple clothing tags, each present on one of the aforementioned multiple garments, Multiple garment identification marks, each present on one of the multiple garment tags, wherein each of the multiple garment identification marks includes garment identification data for uniquely identifying the associated garment, The system according to claim 1, further comprising:

9. The aforementioned at least one leader, The system according to claim 8, further comprising a registration device, the registration device located upstream in the system, which reads both the garment identification data of each of the garment tags and the identification data of each of the plurality of garment identification members, thereby associating the garment identification data with the identification data for the relevant garment in the system.

10. The system according to claim 9, wherein each of the at least one reader located downstream from the registration device reads only the identification data on the garment identification member for each of the plurality of garments, since the garment identification data for each of the plurality of garments is associated with the identification data for each of the garments in the system.

11. A system for handling multiple garments, each suspended from one of multiple hangers, wherein each of the multiple hangers has a hook and a neck area below the hook, and the system, Near the neck region, a plurality of garment identification members are provided, each positioned on one of the hangers, A plurality of marks, each present on one of the plurality of garment identification members and located near the neck region of the associated hanger, wherein each of the plurality of marks includes identification data for uniquely identifying the associated garment on the associated hanger, each of the plurality of marks is unique in the system, and therefore no two of the plurality of marks in the system have the same identification data; At least one reader arranged and adapted to read the plurality of markings on the plurality of garment identification members, Equipped with, The at least one reader further comprises an upstream registration device in the system for reading both the garment identification data of each of the garment tags and the identification data of each of the plurality of garment identification members, thereby associating the garment identification data with the identification data for the associated garment in the system. Each of the plurality of garments is hung below the neck region of one of the plurality of hangers, so that the reader can read the plurality of markings on the plurality of garment identification members. Each of the aforementioned plurality of clothing identification members is (a) A hanger neck sleeve member attached to the neck region of the associated hanger, each hanger neck sleeve member having a generally U-shaped cross-section comprising a pair of spaced flanges that are generally parallel to each other and connected together at the arched curved portion of the hanger neck sleeve member, the neck region of the associated hanger being positioned between the spaced flanges, and the outer surface of the hanger neck sleeve member bearing the mark, (b) A hanger neck sticker having a first surface and a second surface, wherein the first surface is wrapped around and secured to the neck region of the hanger, a first portion of the first surface is adhered to a second portion of the first surface, and the second surface carries the mark, The system further comprises one of the following: A cartridge housing a first set of the plurality of garment identification members arranged in series, the leading member of the first set being positioned to be attached to one of the hangers near the neck area, Multiple clothing tags, each present on one of the aforementioned multiple garments, Multiple garment identification marks, each present on one of the multiple garment tags, wherein each of the multiple garment identification marks includes garment identification data for uniquely identifying the associated garment. Equipped with, A system wherein each of the at least one reader located downstream from the registration device reads only the identification data on the garment identification member for each of the plurality of garments, since the garment identification data for each of the plurality of garments is associated with the identification data for each of the garments in the system.

12. The hanger neck sleeve member is, The upper end in the longitudinal direction and the lower end in the longitudinal direction, Upper notches and bottom notches at the longitudinal upper end and longitudinal bottom end, respectively, the upper notches and bottom notches are located near the curved portion and are adapted to receive the arms of the hanger, Furthermore, The system according to claim 11, wherein the upper notch is offset in the longitudinal direction relative to the bottom notch.

13. The hanger neck sleeve member is, The system according to claim 12, further comprising a first rib and a second rib, each of which is formed on one of the flanges and protrudes from the inner surface of the hanger neck sleeve member at a position spaced apart from the curved portion, thereby capturing the neck region of the hanger.

14. A method for handling multiple garments, each suspended from one of a plurality of hangers, wherein each of the plurality of hangers has a hook and a neck area below the hook, and the method is A step of attaching each of a plurality of garment identification members to one of the plurality of hangers near the neck region of the associated hanger, wherein each of the plurality of garment identification members has a mark having identification data for identifying the associated garment on the associated hanger, A step of transporting the multiple garments via multiple stations, The steps include reading the mark on each of the multiple garment identification members in order to process the associated garments through the multiple stations, Methods that include...

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein each of the plurality of garments is hung below the neck area of ​​one of the plurality of hangers in relation to facilitate the reading step.

16. The aforementioned mounting step is, A step of clipping a hanger neck sleeve member to the neck region of the associated hanger, wherein each hanger neck sleeve member has a generally U-shaped cross-section comprising a pair of spaced flanges that are generally parallel to each other and joined together at the arched curved portion of the hanger neck sleeve member, the neck region of the associated hanger is positioned between the spaced flanges, and the outer surface of the hanger neck sleeve member carries the mark, A step of wrapping a hanger neck sticker having a first surface and a second surface around the neck region of the associated hanger, wherein a first portion of the first surface is adhered to a second portion of the first surface, and the second surface carries the mark; The method according to claim 14, further comprising one of the following.

17. The method according to claim 16, further comprising the step of installing a notch at the longitudinal end of the hanger neck sleeve member on the arm of the associated hanger.

18. The aforementioned mounting step is, The method according to claim 14, further comprising the step of supplying the leading pair of the plurality of hanger neck sleeve members from a cartridge containing the pair of the plurality of hanger neck sleeve members.

19. Each of the garments has a garment tag, and each garment tag has a garment mark, and each of the garment marks includes garment identification data for identifying the associated garment, and the method is Upstream of the plurality of stations, the first step is to read both the garment mark on the garment tag of each of the plurality of garments and the mark on the garment identification member, thereby associating the garment identification data with the identification data for the associated garment. The method according to claim 14, further comprising:

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein the reading step further includes reading only the identification data on the garment identification member for each of the plurality of garments, and the garment identification data for each of the plurality of garments is associated with the identification data for each of the garments.

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