Automated Packing Label Printing via Inverted Barcode Scanning
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
In on-demand printing operations, workers face inefficiencies in packing products due to the need to manually identify and separate work instruction sheets from printed sheets, leading to potential errors in destination matching during shipping.
Innovation Solution
An information processing apparatus that uses a reading apparatus to identify products and determine their destinations, automatically printing work instructions and shipping labels to streamline the packing process by associating product information with destination information and managing the number of times each product is read.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a worker manually picks up goods and reads barcodes with an inspection terminal, then the specification of packed goods can be printed, but the worker needs to look at a pre-printed pickup list which increases the risk of picking wrong goods and reduces packing efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of having the worker read the barcode and then check a pre-printed list to verify the destination, the system inverts the workflow by having the reading apparatus automatically retrieve destination information from the server after scanning the barcode. This reversal eliminates the need for manual list checking and reduces errors while maintaining efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables self-service by allowing the reading apparatus to automatically obtain and process destination information from the server without requiring worker intervention. The worker simply scans the barcode, and the system autonomously retrieves, displays, and manages the destination information, reducing manual labor and improving accuracy.
2Reliability
If work instruction sheets are attached to printed sheets for destination management, then destination information is tracked, but extra work is required to remove the work instruction sheet before finishing processing to prevent it from undergoing finishing processing
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts the destination information function from the physical work instruction sheet and implements it through an electronic system. The reading apparatus scans barcodes and retrieves destination information from the server, eliminating the need for physical sheets that require manual removal before finishing processing.
Solution Approach 2:
The mechanical system of attaching and manually removing physical work instruction sheets is replaced with an electronic information retrieval system. The reading apparatus and server work together to provide destination information digitally, eliminating the mechanical operations of attaching and removing sheets.
3Ease of operation
If the system prints a work instruction for each product read, then destination information is provided, but multiple work instructions for the same destination may be printed causing waste
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements feedback by checking whether a work instruction for a particular destination has already been printed before printing a new one. The server tracks printed work instructions and provides feedback to the reading apparatus, preventing duplicate printing and reducing paper waste while ensuring work instructions are available when needed.
Data Source
AI summary
An information processing apparatus prints, when a first product is read by a reading apparatus, a first work instruction sheet including information about all products to be delivered to a first destination of the read first product, prints, if all products to be delivered to the first destination are read by the reading apparatus, a first shipping label for delivery to the first destination, determines, if a second product to be delivered to a second destination different from the first destination is read by the reading apparatus, whether any other product is to be delivered to the second destination, and prints, if it is determined that there no other product is to be delivered to the second destination, a second shipping label for delivery to the second destination.