CN104471590B - Conveyor system and method of associating data with items being transported by the conveyor system - Google Patents

Abstract

A method of associating data with an item being transported by a conveyor system is described. The method comprises the following steps: receiving an item into a first region of a conveying system; receiving data associated with the item and storing the data in a first storage memory associated with a first region; transporting the item into a second region of the conveying system; and transferring the data stored in the first storage memory to a second storage memory associated with the second region.

Description

Conveyor system and method of associating data with items being transported by the conveyor system

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS : This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/595,098, filed February 5, 2012, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety for all purposes as if set forth herein. It's fully explained as well.

background of the invention

technical field

The present invention relates to conveyor systems and methods, and in particular to conveyor systems and methods of associating data with items being transported by the conveyor system.

Description of related technologies

Conveying systems are commonly used in several applications, such as packaging systems, order fulfillment systems, manufacturing systems, shipment sorting systems, and returns processing systems. Some of these conveyor systems use centralized multi-horsepower AC motors to drive shafts, belts or chains which in turn move sets of rollers to carry items through the entire conveyor system. Other conveyor systems are based on rollers with internal DC "microhorsepower" motors that drive partial segments of the rollers. The latter systems include brushless DC roller conveyor systems. A brushless DC roller conveyor system is built around several components and components, including drive rollers with self-contained brushless DC motors, intelligent local controllers, and a bi-directional communication protocol between the controllers. networking.

One method for controlling brushless DC roller conveyor systems uses local controllers to control local functions in each zone of the conveyor system, but uses centralized controllers to Pallets) are transported through the entire conveyor system to track these items. This tracking occurs using a centralized controller to uniquely identify items at decision points in the conveyor system. These decision points include, for example, transfers, transfers, consolidations, order picking areas, weighing, sorting, and printing.

To uniquely identify items, conveyor systems use barcodes, which are often printed on adhesive labels that can be adhered to the item. Alternatively, when reusable bags hold items, permanent barcode labels are assigned to the item(s) contained within the bag. Reuse or reassign barcoded IDs associated with permanent labels as bag contents change.

Barcode scanners are placed at decision points to read barcodes as items are transported through the entire conveyor system. At each decision point, the barcode information is sent electronically to a centralized controller, and the centralized controller determines what needs to be done with the item or what data is needed about the item at the barcode scanning location. This approach has several negative aspects. First, barcode scanning and related equipment capable of reading barcodes on moving items is expensive and can represent a significant percentage of the cost of a typical automated conveyor system. Second, the barcode scanners must be electrically linked to the central control system, resulting in extensive and expensive data communication networks and associated cabling. Third, the information required at the decision points is stored in a central database, therefore, accessing this database in a timely manner can become challenging on large automated conveyor systems, as the central controller must serve all decision points simultaneously .

Typically, barcodes used in automated conveyor systems are one-dimensional barcodes that uniquely identify items. However, 1D barcodes do not contain any additional data about the item. Instead, the data required to determine the functions to be performed by the delivery system is stored remotely in a database associated with the centralized controller. This data can be the route the item has to take on the conveyor system, order data, sorting points, return points, etc.

The use of a two-dimensional barcode allows some of this additional data to be transferred with the item, but the data within the barcode cannot be updated. These 2D barcodes can simplify some sortation systems by including data about a specific item's predefined route within an automated conveyor system. However, the data on the 2D barcode cannot be updated.

Contents of the invention

A method of associating data with an item being transported by a conveyor system according to an embodiment of the present invention includes the steps of: receiving the item into a first zone of the conveyor system; receiving data associated with the item, and linking the storing data into a first storage memory associated with the first zone; transporting the item to a second zone of the conveyor system; and storing the data in the first storage memory transferred to the second storage memory associated with the second area.

The step of receiving data associated with the item may include reading data from a data tag associated with the item using a data reader associated with the first area. The data read by the data reader may be stored in said first storage memory, or the data read by the data reader may be sent to a central database, and wherein the data received from the central database is stored in said first storage memory. One is stored in memory. The data reader may include at least one of a barcode reader and an RFID reader.

The method may further comprise the step of sensing a property of the item using a sensor associated with the second area. Sensing a property of the item using a sensor associated with the second area may include sensing a weight of the item using a scale associated with the second area. Data associated with the sensed property may be stored in a second storage memory.

The method may further comprise the step of transporting the item into a third zone of the conveyor system and transferring the data stored in the second storage memory to a third zone associated with the second zone. stored in memory. The data transferred to the third storage memory may include data transferred from the first storage device and sensed property data stored in the second storage memory.

The method may also include processing the item in a third region based on sensed property data stored in the third storage memory. The step of processing the item may include transporting the item into a fourth zone of the conveyor system if data associated with the sensed property satisfies predetermined criteria, and if associated with the sensed property If the associated data fails to meet the predetermined criteria, the item is transported to a fifth zone of the conveyor system. The sensed property may be the weight of the item, and the predetermined criterion may be a specified tolerance within the expected weight of the item.

The step of processing the item may include printing a label using a label printer associated with the third area based on the sensed property data stored in the third storage memory.

Conveyor systems according to embodiments of the present invention may include a plurality of zones, each zone comprising: a conveyor section that carries items; a drive that drives the conveyor section; a storage memory that stores items associated with the items; and a controller communicating with a controller in an adjacent zone, controlling the drive to transport the item into the adjacent zone, and controlling the storage memory to transfer stored data to the in adjacent areas of storage memory.

One of the plurality of regions may include a data reader that reads data from a data tag associated with the item. These (Thee) data readers may include at least one of barcode readers and RFID readers.

One of the plurality of regions may include a sensor that senses a property of the item. The sensor may be a scale that senses the weight of the item.

The plurality of areas may include a first area, a second area, and a third area, and wherein if data stored in a storage memory associated with the first area satisfies predetermined criteria, the control of the first area the controller controls the drive to transport the item into the second area, and if the data stored in the storage memory associated with the first area fails to meet the predetermined criteria, the first area's A controller controls the drive to transport the item into the third area.

One of the plurality of regions may include a processor for processing items based on data stored in the storage memory. The processor may be a label printer that prints a label for the item based on the properties of the item.

Description of drawings

Figure 1 illustrates a conveyor system and method of using barcodes to associate data with items being transported by the conveyor system;

2 is a diagram illustrating a conveyor system and a method of using RFID data tags to associate data with items being transported by the conveyor system;

Figure 3 illustrates a conveyor system and method of associating data with items being transported by the conveyor system according to an embodiment of the invention; and

Figure 4 illustrates a first embodiment of a conveyor system without a storage memory and a second embodiment including a storage memory.

detailed description

Figure 1 illustrates a conveyor system and a method of associating data with an item 1 being transported by the conveyor system, to which a one-dimensional barcode 2 is affixed. As shown, the delivery system includes a first zone 10 and a second zone 20 . Each zone includes a conveyor section 11, 21, a drive 12, 22, a data mark reader 13, 23 (in this case a barcode reader) and a local controller 14, 24, the conveyor section 11, 21 The item 1 is transported, the drives 12 , 22 drive the conveyor sections 11 , 21 , and the data tag readers 13 , 23 read the data encoded in the one-dimensional barcode 2 . The first area 10 also includes a weighing apparatus 16 and the second area 20 also includes a label printer 27 . The delivery system also includes a centralized controller 40 and a centralized database 41 .

In the method of FIG. 1, an item 1 having a one-dimensional barcode 2 is admitted into an area 10, wherein a data tag reader 13 reads the one-dimensional barcode 2 and sends the data associated with the one-dimensional barcode 2 to a local Controller 14 , local controller 14 sends this data to centralized controller 40 . The centralized controller 40 then retrieves the expected weight of the item 1 from the database 41 and sends the expected weight data to the local controllers 14 . Simultaneously, scale 16 weighs item 1 and sends data associated with the actual weight of the item to controller 14, which compares the weight from scale 16 with the weight received from centralized controller 40. Expected weight for comparison. If the local controller 14 determines that the actual weight differs from the expected weight within specified tolerances, the local controller 14 will divert the item 1 to another area (not shown). Otherwise, the local controller 14 queries the local controller 24 to determine whether the second area 20 can accept the item 1 currently occupying the first area 10 . If the second zone 20 is empty (no items), the second zone 20 will control the drive 22 to start the conveyor section 21 and the second zone 20 will inform the first zone 10 that the second zone 20 can accept items 1 . When a notification is received from the second zone 20 , the first zone 10 will control the drive 12 to activate the conveyor section 11 , causing the item 1 to be transported into the second zone 20 . At the same time, data associated with the weight sensed by the scale 16 is sent to the centralized controller 40 and stored in the database 41 . In the second area 20, the data mark reader 23 reads the one-dimensional barcode 2, and sends the barcode data associated with the one-dimensional barcode 2 to the local controller 24, and the local controller 24 then sends the data to the centralized Type controller 40. After accessing the database 41 to retrieve the weight data associated with the 1D barcode, the centralized controller will then send the weight data to the local controller 24, which then instructs the label printer 27 to print the appropriate label based on the weight of the item. Cargo label 28. A problem with the system and method of FIG. 1 is the nature of the one-dimensional barcode 2 comprising only a single number or code representing the item 1 and not actual data associated with the item 1 such as an estimated weight. Another problem is the static nature of the one-dimensional barcode 2 which does not allow weight data to be transferred with the item 1 from the first area 10 to the second area 20 .

The use of two-dimensional barcodes may allow some of the actual data, such as estimated weight, to be included in the barcode, but not allow updating of the actual data included in the barcode.

Figure 2 illustrates a conveyor system and a method of associating data with an item 1 being transported by the conveyor system to which an RFID tag 3 is affixed. As shown, the delivery system includes a first zone 10 and a second zone 20 . Each zone includes a conveyor section 11, 21, a drive 12, 22, a data tag reader 13, 23 (in this case an RFID reader) and a local controller 14, 24, the conveyor section 11, 21 The item 1 is transported, the drive 12 , 22 drives the conveyor section 11 , 21 , and the data tag reader 13 , 23 reads the data encoded in the RFID tag 3 . The first area 10 also includes a weighing apparatus 16 and the second area 20 also includes a label printer 27 .

In the method of FIG. 2 , an item 1 having an RFID tag 3 is admitted into an area 10 where a data tag reader 13 reads the RFID tag 3 and sends the data associated with the RFID tag 3 to a local controller 14 . If this data includes expected weight data, it does not have to access the centralized controller to retrieve the expected weight of item 1 . Simultaneously, the scale 16 weighs the item 1 and sends data relating to the actual weight of the item to the local controller 14, which compares the weight from the scale 16 with the expected weight. If the local controller 14 determines that the actual weight differs from the expected weight within specified tolerances, the local controller 14 will divert the item 1 to another area (not shown). Otherwise, the local controller 14 queries the local controller 24 to determine whether the second area 20 can accept the item 1 currently occupying the first area 10 . If the second zone 20 is empty (no items), the second zone 20 will control the drive 22 to start the conveyor section 21 and the second zone 20 will inform the first zone 10 that the second zone 20 can accept items 1 . When a notification is received from the second zone 20 , the first zone 10 will control the drive 12 to activate the conveyor section 11 , causing the item 1 to be transported into the second zone 20 . At the same time, data associated with the actual weight sensed by the scale 16 is written onto the RFID tag 3 . After the item is transported to the second area 20 , the data tag reader 23 reads the RFID tag 3 and sends the data associated with the RFID tag 3 to the local controller 24 . After retrieving the actual weight data from the RFID tag 3, the local controller 24 will then instruct the label printer 27 to print the appropriate shipping label 28 based on the weight of the item.

A benefit of the system and method of FIG. 2 is that the RFID tag allows data to travel with the item and also allows that data to be updated with new data created after the RFID tag is assigned to the item. However, RFID tags are expensive and are not an option for applications where items are cheap or where items are shipped and not returned. This problem can be overcome to some extent by attaching RFID tags to reusable bags, wherein RFID tags are assigned to the item(s) contained in the bag, and when the contents of the bag are changed, reuse or Redistribute RFID tags. Another problem in this case, however, is that RFID tags are finitely writeable, which means that they can only be written a finite number of times before they fail to operate reliably. Another problem is the need for RFID data tag readers at every decision point in the transport process. Yet another problem is that there is a limit to how fast an RFID tag can be accessed while an item is moving, which is especially a problem when large amounts of data are being read.

Figure 3 illustrates a conveyor system and method of associating data with items being transported by the conveyor system, wherein a storage memory is associated with each area of the conveyor system, according to an embodiment of the invention. As shown, the delivery system includes a first zone 10 and a second zone 20 . Each zone includes a conveyor section 11, 21, a drive 12, 22, a data mark reader 13, 23 (in this case a barcode reader), a local controller 14, 24 and a storage memory 15, 25, Conveyor sections 11 , 21 carry the item 1 , drives 12 , 22 drive the conveyor section 11 , 21 , and data tag readers 13 , 23 read data encoded in a one-dimensional barcode 2 associated with the item 1 . The first area 10 also includes a weighing apparatus 16 and the second area 20 also includes a label printer 27 . The delivery system also includes a centralized controller 40 and a centralized database 41 .

In the method of FIG. 3, an item 1 having a one-dimensional barcode 2 is admitted into an area 10, wherein a data mark reader 13 reads the one-dimensional barcode 2 and sends the data associated with the one-dimensional barcode 2 to a local The controller 14 , the local controller 14 sends the barcode data to the centralized controller 40 . The centralized controller 40 then retrieves the expected weight of the item 1 from the database 41 and sends the expected weight data to the local controllers 14 . Simultaneously, scale 16 weighs item 1 and sends data associated with the actual weight of the item to controller 14, which compares the weight from scale 16 with the weight received from centralized controller 40. Expected weight for comparison. If the local controller 14 determines that the actual weight differs from the expected weight within specified tolerances, the local controller 14 will divert the item 1 to another area (not shown). Otherwise, the local controller 14 queries the local controller 24 to determine whether the second area 20 can accept the item 1 currently occupying the first area 10 . If the second zone 20 is empty (no items), the second zone 20 will control the drive 22 to start the conveyor section 21 and the second zone 20 will inform the first zone 10 that the second zone 20 can accept items 1 . When a notification is received from the second zone 20 , the local controller 14 of the first zone 10 will control the drive 12 to activate the conveyor section 11 , causing the item 1 to be transported into the second zone 20 . At the same time, the data from the one-dimensional barcode 2 and the weight data from the weighing device 16 stored in the storage memory 15 of the first area 10 are transmitted to the storage memory 25 of the second area 20 . In the second area 20, after retrieving the actual weight data from storage memory 25, the local controller 24 instructs the label printer 27 to print the appropriate shipping label 28 based on the weight of the item.

According to Figure 3, data is allowed to move with the item and also to be updated with new data created after the 1D barcode has been assigned to the item. In addition, data tag readers at each decision point in the transport process can be avoided, and the time required to read physical data tags (such as barcodes or RFID tags) can be avoided, and the need to access the centralized controller 40 can be avoided. time.

It will be appreciated that the system and method described above is an exemplary embodiment and that the system may include variations from that described above as well as additional features, some of which are described below.

As shown in FIG. 3, items are encoded with a one-dimensional barcode that includes only a single number or code representing the item and does not include actual data associated with the item, such as an estimated weight. For FIG. 3 , a 1D barcode was chosen to demonstrate that the benefits of using a 2D barcode or RFID data labeling can be realized by the system and method of FIG. 3 even using a 1D barcode. However, any data tag may be used, including one-dimensional barcodes, two-dimensional barcodes, and RFID data tags. Additionally, as shown in Figure 3, a data tag is attached to the item. However, the data tag may be affixed to, or integrated with, the container holding the item, or otherwise associated with the item.

As shown in Fig. 3, the first area includes the weighing apparatus, and the second area includes the label printer. These functions of the first area and the second area were chosen to illustrate that the system and method can be applied to any number of applications that would benefit from allowing data to move with items through a conveyance system, such as at a decision point in the conveyance system, the Decision points may include transfers, transfers, consolidations, order picking areas, weighing, sorting, and printing).

Conveyor systems may use rollers with internal DC "microhorsepower" motors driving the rollers of the partial sections, including brushless DC roller conveying systems. A brushless DC roller conveying system may include driven rollers with independent brushless DC motors, intelligent local controllers, and networking between the local controllers based on a two-way communication protocol. These types of conveyor systems can segment the long run of the conveyor into multiple zones that store individual items in one "zone." Each zone can have its own powered/motorized rollers and can be started and stopped independently of other zones on the system.

In addition to driving brushless motors, local controllers can also have the ability to communicate with external control components through digital I/O (inputs and outputs). These devices include, but are not limited to, photocell sensors, limit switches, operator interfaces, solenoid valves, motor contactors, and the like. Each controller can also contain a microprocessor and storage memory. The storage memory can have much more storage capacity than with rewritable RFID tags, and instead of existing as a physical device that travels with the item, it acts as a virtual data tag that travels with the item. Furthermore, because the data tags are virtual, there is no cost to the tags themselves or to the reader/writer devices normally required to read and write RFID tags throughout the conveyor system. Furthermore, because the data is transferred electronically, there are no speed issues associated with data transfer.

Conveyor systems may include motor driven roller conveyor lines which are essentially a series of individual conveyors (zones) connected end-to-end to create longer lengths of conveyor. Each section of the conveyor can contain its own drive roller coupled to other rollers in that area. Typically, each local controller communicates with its adjacent controller(s) to move the item from one area to another as the item is conveyed on the conveyor line. Storage memory may reside on the regional controller card of each local controller. As an item enters a conveyor line or is placed onto a conveyor line (inducted), specific data related to that item can be extracted from a central database and transmitted electronically to the controller as well as to storage on the zone controller card memory.

In more detail, the following description compares a first embodiment, in which a barcode is associated with an item to be transported in a conveyor system without storage memory, with a second embodiment, in which , including storage memory.

According to the first and second embodiments, the invoice system typically takes a completed customer order in a case or bag and weighs the item to determine if the item is the correct weight and then either transfers the case to Decline the lane, or proceed and print a shipping label specific to this order.

According to a first embodiment shown in FIG. 4 , boxes (items) enter zone 1 . The barcode scanner reads the barcode on the item and identifies it as Item 12345 (Item 12345). The item 12345 ID is sent to the central database (host) to indicate to the host that the item is being processed and has entered the system.

Once the data is captured and sent to the host, Zone 1 queries Zone 2 to determine if Zone 2 can accept the item currently occupying Zone 1 . If zone 2 is empty and has no items, zone 2 will start and notify zone 1 that it is empty. Zone 1 then starts its motor and drives the item into Zone 2. When an item is transferred from zone 1 to zone 2, the barcode scanner at zone 2 reads the identifying barcode on the item.

Items now reside in zone 2. In this embodiment, zone 2 is equipped with a scale function. Zone 2 weighs the item and then sends the item's weight to the host. Zone 2 then queries Zone 3 to see if it is available to accept items currently in Zone 2. Zone 3 starts up and indicates to Zone 2 that it is a free acceptable item. Area 2 powers up and teleports items to area 3. When an item is conveyed from zone 2 to zone 3, the barcode scanner at zone 3 reads the identification barcode on the item. The barcode ID is then sent to the host computer to determine if the actual weight of the item collected in zone 2 is the same as the expected weight stored in the central database on the host computer. The host computer compares the expected weight with the actual weight. If the host determines that the actual weight differs from the expected weight within specified tolerances, it will tell Zone 3 to divert the item to Zone 6, the reject conveyor for orders that may have picked errors. To effectuate this transfer, zone 3 queries zone 6 to see if it is available to accept items. If zone 6 is empty of items, it will notify zone 3 that it is available and at the same time start its drive motor. Area 3 then teleports the item to area 6.

If the actual weight matches the expected weight, the host tells Zone 3 to transfer the item to Zone 4 in the same way that the transfer occurred in the previous description. Area 4 then tries to teleport the item to Area 5 in the same manner.

As the item is being conveyed from zone 4 to zone 5, the barcode scanner at zone 5 reads the identification barcode on the item. When an item arrives in zone 5, the label printer at that zone needs to print a shipping label for that order. The barcode ID for the item is sent to the host, which retrieves the required information from its central database to create the shipping label. The host then sends the label information to the label printer and notifies the conveyor when the label is ready to print. Zone 5 then energizes its rollers to transport the item through the label printer.

This approach requires central processing at each decision and many barcode scanners, one for each control point.

According to a second embodiment, also shown in FIG. 4 , boxes (items) enter zone 1 . The barcode scanner reads the barcode on the item and identifies it as item 12345. Item 12345 ID is sent to the central database to retrieve specific information about the order (single database record). This information will typically include the customer's address information needed to print the label, the expected weight of the order, the desired shipping method (USPS, UPS, Fed-x, etc.) and possibly, details of the SKU and quantity in the order. This data from the database is sent in its entirety to the storage memory on the zone 1 control card.

Once the data is written to the control card, Zone 1 queries Zone 2 to determine if Zone 2 can accept the item currently occupying Zone 1 . If zone 2 is empty and has no items, zone 2 will start and notify zone 1 that it is empty. Zone 1 then starts its motor and drives the item into Zone 2. When an item is being transferred from zone 1 to zone 2, zone 1 sends the entire data record it has stored in its storage memory to zone 2, and clears its own storage memory.

The item now resides in Zone 2 and all data associated with that item has been electronically transferred to Zone 2 storage memory. In this embodiment, zone 2 is equipped with a scale function. Zone 2 weighs the item and then writes the item's weight to storage memory in the appropriate field. Zone 2 then queries Zone 3 to see if it is available to accept items currently in Zone 2.

Zone 3 starts up and indicates to Zone 2 that it is a free acceptable item. Zone 2 powers up and will transfer the item to Zone 3 and send the data associated with the item, including the actual weight, to Zone 3. Zone 3 then uses the data records in its storage memory to compare the expected weight with the actual weight. If Zone 3 determines that the actual weight differs from the expected weight within specified tolerances, Zone 3 will divert the item to Zone 6, the reject conveyor for orders that may have picked errors. To effectuate this transfer, zone 3 queries zone 6 to see if it is available to accept items. If zone 6 is empty of items, it will notify zone 3 that it is available and at the same time start its drive motor. Zone 3 then sends data associated with the item to Zone 6, at the same time it transmits the item to Zone 6.

If the actual weight matches the expected weight, zone 3 attempts to transfer the item to zone 4 in the same manner as the transfer occurred in the previous description. Area 4 then tries to teleport the item to Area 5 in the same manner.

When an item arrives in zone 5, the label printer at that zone needs to print a shipping label for that order. Since all the data needed to ship an item resides directly in zone 5 storage memory, the control card for this zone simply prints the label directly and marks the order as shipped. Completed order information including shipment tracking number, weight, shipment time, etc. is then sent back to the master controller database.

This is a small example, but shows how many conveyor functions that require item specific data can be implemented without the aid of a barcode scanner or other identification device at each point where data is required or generated. Another benefit is that this method requires fewer barcode scanners. Fewer scanners means less initial cost, but also proportionally lower chances of "no reads". Whenever the scanner fails to properly decode the barcode, the item must be handled differently and sent to a special lane on the conveyor system to be inspected, relabeled or redirected. This represents ongoing costs and an increase in the initial cost of the subsystem handling no reads.

Another benefit of the present invention is that there is no need for a central controller (host) to quickly react to the decisions required by the conveyor system, since each controller makes its own decisions locally and does not require input from the host. Real-time data. Systems constructed similarly to the first embodiment rely on the host's timely response to requests. When a host receives several requests from the entire system at the same time, system throughput may suffer because items may be held up, waiting for a response from the host.

Because the control cards for each zone also have serial data communication capabilities, the wiring and associated costs associated with connecting barcode scanners, scales, printers, etc. to the system can be greatly reduced. Instead of having to wire these "data" devices to the remote host, each of these data devices is wired directly to the local area controller.

While the invention has been described in detail for purposes of illustration and based on what are presently considered to be the most practically preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that such detail is for that purpose only and that the invention is not limited to the described embodiments. The disclosed embodiments are, on the contrary, intended to cover modifications and equivalent arrangements within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. For example, it is to be understood that the present invention contemplates that, to the extent possible, one or more features of any embodiment may be combined with one or more features of any other embodiment.

Claims (21)

CLAIMS 1. A method of associating data with an item being transported by a conveyor system, the method comprising the steps of: receiving items in the first zone of the conveyor system; receiving data associated with the item; storing the data in a first storage memory associated with the first region; delivering the item to a second zone of the conveyor system, wherein delivering the item to the second zone comprises: (a) querying said second area via said first area to determine whether said second area can accept said article, (b) in response to the second zone indicating that the second zone can accept the item, activating the second conveyor of the second zone, (c) notifying said first region via said second region that said second region can accept said item, and (d) activating the first conveyor of the first zone to move the item to the second conveyor; and Data stored in the first storage memory is transferred to a second storage memory associated with the second area. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of receiving data associated with the item comprises reading from a data tag associated with the item using a data reader associated with the first area data. 3. The method of claim 2, wherein the data read by the data reader is stored into the first storage memory. 4. The method of claim 2, wherein the data read by the data reader is sent to a central database, and wherein the data received from the central database is stored in the first storage memory. 5. The method of claim 2, wherein the data reader comprises at least one of a barcode reader and an RFID reader. 6. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of sensing a property of the item using a sensor associated with the second area. 7. The method of claim 6, wherein the step of sensing a property of the item using a sensor associated with the second area comprises sensing the property of the item using a scale associated with the second area. The weight of the item. 8. The method of claim 6, wherein data associated with the sensed property is stored into the second storage memory. 9. The method of claim 8, further comprising: transporting the item into a third zone of the conveyor system; and transferring data stored in the second storage memory to a third storage memory associated with the second area, wherein the data transferred to the third storage memory includes data transferred from the first storage memory data and sensed property data stored into said second storage memory. 10. The method of claim 9, further comprising processing the item in the third area based on sensed property data stored in the third storage memory. 11. The method of claim 10, wherein the step of processing the item comprises: if the data associated with the sensed property satisfies predetermined criteria, delivering the item to a fourth stage of the conveyor system. area, and if the data associated with the sensed property fails to meet the predetermined criteria, conveying the item into a fifth area of the conveyor system. 12. The method of claim 11, wherein the sensed property is the weight of the item, and wherein the predetermined criterion is a specified tolerance within an expected weight of the item. 13. The method of claim 10, wherein the step of processing the item comprises using a label printer associated with the third area based on the sensed property data stored in the third storage memory Print labels. 14. A delivery system comprising: Multiple areas, each area includes: a conveyor section that carries items; a drive that drives the conveyor section; a storage memory that stores data associated with the item; and a controller in communication with a controller of an adjacent zone, controlling the drive to transport the item to the adjacent zone, and controlling the storage memory to transfer stored data to the adjacent zone in the region's storage memory. 15. The conveyor system of claim 14, wherein one of the plurality of areas includes a data reader that reads data from a data tag associated with the item. 16. The delivery system of claim 15, wherein the data reader comprises at least one of a barcode reader and an RFID reader. 17. The conveyor system of claim 14, wherein one of the plurality of regions includes a sensor that senses a property of the item. 18. The conveyor system of claim 17, wherein the sensor is a scale that senses the weight of the item. 19. The delivery system of claim 14, wherein the plurality of regions includes a first region, a second region, and a third region, and wherein if data stored in a storage memory associated with the first region meeting predetermined criteria, the controller of the first zone controls the drive to transport the item into the second zone, and if the data in the storage memory associated with the first zone fails to meet the If the predetermined standard is met, the controller of the first zone controls the drive to deliver the item to the third zone. 20. The conveyor system of claim 14, wherein one of said plurality of regions includes a processor for processing items based on data stored in said storage memory. 21. The delivery system of claim 20, wherein the processor is a label printer that prints labels for the items based on properties of the items.