[kp kp kp Posted Mar 31st 2010 1:12PM]

I once did a similar add-on for a liquor distributor, made necessary by a dispute between the warehouse employees union and the delivery drivers union, as liquor stores were complaining of cases of product showing up minus a bottle now and then.

Boxes of liquor being pulled from storage shelves traveled by conveyor, to then be loaded on trucks. The add-on would scan a barcode on each liquor box and and look up the expected weight of the box, comparing the actual weight (detected by the conveyor's in-line scale) to the expected weight.

Boxes that were not in tolerance were shunted off to the side for inspection.

The shortages stopped immediately.

[frotal Posted Mar 31st 2010 6:15PM]

@kp kp kp

And amazon already has the patent on this. What company did you say you work for again? (J/K)

http://www.google.com/patents?vid=USPAT7085677

[kp kp kp Posted Mar 31st 2010 6:22PM]

@frotal
I work for Ingersoll Rand, but the liquor weight issue was addressed in 1988, if I recall correctly. Amazon can patent whatever they wish, I suppose, but it doesn't mean they can successfully prosecute it.

http://www.out-law.com/page-1392