Apparatus for bagging mass-customized items, such as dental appliances

摘要

A system for packaging mass-customized items includes a computer system including a database containing item identification information unique to each item; (2) outer container identification apparatus that applies the item identification information received from the database to each outer container in a plurality of outer containers; (3) inner pack identification apparatus that applies the item identification information received from the database to each inner pack in a plurality of inner packs; and (4) inner pack filling apparatus that fills each inner pack with a specific item matched to that inner pack by the item identification information received from the database. Each item is associated with its unique item identification information and is inserted into an inner pack with matching item identification information, and each outer container is presented for loading with one or more inner packs matched to that outer container by the item identification information received from the database.

主权项

1. Apparatus for inserting mass-customized items into bags, comprising:
a computer system having a database; a puck conveyor configured to carry a plurality of pucks, each of the pucks carrying at least one mass-customized item associated with the puck by item-specific information stored in the database; a bag conveyor configured to receive a plurality of bags, each of the bags having an opening defined between opposed side walls, each of the bags being associated by the computer system with the item-specific identification information identifying at least one of the mass-customized items; a pick and place mechanism operable to move each of the mass-customized items from its associated puck on the puck conveyor to an item conveyor; a bag opening mechanism configured to receive the plurality of bags from the bag conveyor and to open each of the bags; and an insertion mechanism operably associated with the bag-opening mechanism and configured to receive the mass-customized items from the item conveyor and to insert each individual mass-customized item into an open bag associated by the computer system with the individual mass-customized item using the item-specific identification information in the database identifying the individual mass-customized item.