Hide routing systems and methods

{
  "publication_number": "US9951394B2",
  "country": "US",
  "kind": "B2",
  "title": "Hide routing systems and methods",
  "abstract": "Methods and systems for processing raw animal hides into leather are provided. In particular, one or more embodiments comprise a tanning manager that directs the routing of hides to a plurality of tanning drums. This allows the tanning manager to efficiently use the capacity of the plurality of tanning drums and provides improved consistency in the tanning of the hides. Furthermore, one or more embodiments enable the tanning manager to route hides to tanning drums based on various factors, such as hide type, hide weight, and hide size. In addition, one or more embodiments provide the tanning manager with greater control over the processing of hides into leather by customizing the tanning recipes applied to each batch of hides.",
  "claims": [
    "1. A method of routing hides comprising: identifying a hide type of a plurality of hides; identifying a weight of the plurality of hides; determining, using at least one processor, whether the hide type of the plurality of hides relates to a batch hide type associated with a drum; determining whether adding the weight of the plurality of hides to the drum will cause a batch weight that corresponds to the drum to exceed a weight capacity of the drum; routing, using the at least one processor, the plurality of hides to the drum based on the determination that the hide type of the plurality of hides relates to the batch hide type associated with the drum and the determination that adding the weight of the plurality of hides to the drum will not cause the batch weight that corresponds to the drum to exceed the weight capacity of the drum; routing, using the at least one processor, the plurality of hides to an available drum based on either the determination that the hide type of the plurality of hides does not relate to the batch hide type associated with the drum or the determination that adding the weight of the plurality of hides to the drum will cause the batch weight that corresponds to the drum to exceed the weight capacity of the drum; determining a batch characteristic associated with a hide batch that includes a plurality of hides; determining a liming recipe based at least in part on the batch characteristic; applying a liming process to the hide batch in accordance with the liming recipe; and applying a chroming process to the hide batch subsequent to the application of the liming process.",
    "2. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising: determining that a batch hide type associated with the available drum is unassigned; and associating the hide type of the plurality of hides with the available drum.",
    "3. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising separating the plurality of hides into individual hides, wherein each individual hide is routed to the drum to which the plurality of hides are routed.",
    "4. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising: determining a hide count of the plurality of hides; adding the hide count of the plurality of hides to a batch hide count that corresponds to the drum to which the plurality of hides are routed; and storing the batch hide count in a batch database.",
    "5. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising determining a liming recipe based at least in part on a first batch weight of the hide batch determined prior to the application of the liming process, wherein the liming process is performed in accordance with the liming recipe.",
    "6. The method as recited in claim 5, further comprising determining a chroming recipe based at least in part on a second batch weight of the hide batch determined subsequent to the application of the liming process, wherein the chroming process is performed in accordance with the chroming recipe.",
    "7. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the hide type of the plurality of hides comprises one of heifer, jumbo, or steer.",
    "8. A method of routing hides comprising: identifying a hide characteristic of one or more hides; determining, using at least one processor, that the hide characteristic of the one or more hides relates to a first batch characteristic associated with a drum; routing, using the at least one processor, the one or more hides to the drum based on the determination that the hide characteristic of the one or more hides relates to the first batch characteristic associated with the drum; determining a second batch characteristic associated with the drum; determining a liming recipe based at least in part on the second batch characteristic; and applying a liming process to the one or more hides in accordance with the liming recipe.",
    "9. The method as recited in claim 8, wherein the hide characteristic of the one or more hides comprises a hide type of the one or more hides, the first batch characteristic comprises a hide type of a batch of hides, and the second batch characteristic comprises a batch weight of the batch of hides determined prior to the application of the liming process to the batch of hides.",
    "10. The method as recited in claim 8, further comprising: determining a third batch characteristic associated with the drum; determining a chroming recipe based at least in part on the third batch characteristic; and applying a chroming process to the one or more hides in accordance with the chroming recipe.",
    "11. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein the third batch characteristic comprises a batch weight of a batch of hides determined subsequent to the application of the liming process to the one or more hides.",
    "12. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein the first batch characteristic comprises one of a hide type of a batch of hides, one or more container identifiers associated with the batch of hides, a transport vehicle identifier associated with the batch of hides, or a plant identifier associated with the batch of hides.",
    "13. The method as recited in claim 8, wherein routing the one or more hides to the drum based on the determination that the hide characteristic of the one or more hides relates to the first batch characteristic associated with the drum further comprises using a conveyor system."
  ],
  "description_excerpt": "1. Technical Field\n\nOne or more embodiments relate generally to processing animal hides. More specifically, one or more embodiments relate to systems and methods of processing raw animal hides into leather.\n\n2. Background and Relevant Art\n\nIn general, tanning is the process of transforming raw animal hides into leather. More specifically, tanning involves treating animal hides with certain chemicals that prevent the hides from decaying and make the hides more supple and durable. Most often, raw animal hides come from slaughterhouses that slaughter animals to harvest animal meat. However, in other cases raw animal hides may come from other facilities, such as knackeries or tanneries that slaughter and skin various animals for a variety of reasons. Thus, while the vast majority of leather is made from the hides of bovine (e.g., cattle), ovine (e.g., sheep), porcine (e.g., pigs), and caprine (e.g., goats) animals, a wide assortment of leather is also produced from the hides of various other animals, such as deer, bison, buffalo, ostrich, kangaroo, crocodile, alligator, snake, eel, and stingray.\n\nFollowing removal of the hides from the animals, curing is typically used to prevent decomposition of the raw animal hides before they are subjected to further tanning processes. Examples of curing include treating the raw animal hides with salt (e.g., by wet-salting or brine-curing the hides) or preserving the raw animal hides at a cold temperature (e.g., by packing the hides with ice). Accordingly, in most cases curing facilitates the preservation of the raw animal hides while they are transported from a slaughterhouse to a tannery.",
  "cpc": [
    "C14B 17/005",
    "B07C 5/16",
    "B07C 5/34",
    "B07C 5/38",
    "B65G 57/00",
    "B65G 57/02",
    "C14B 1/14",
    "C14B 17/02",
    "C14C 1/06",
    "C14C 15/00",
    "C14C 3/00",
    "C14C 3/06",
    "G05B 19/4189",
    "G05B 2219/39106",
    "G06Q 30/0621"
  ],
  "ipc": [
    "B07C 5/16",
    "B07C 5/34",
    "B07C 5/38",
    "B65G 57/00",
    "B65G 57/02",
    "C14B 1/14",
    "C14B 17/00",
    "C14C 1/06",
    "C14C 15/00",
    "C14C 3/00",
    "C14C 3/06",
    "G05B 19/41",
    "G05B 19/418",
    "G06Q 30/06"
  ],
  "assignees": [
    "NATIONAL BEEF PACKING CO LLC"
  ],
  "inventors": [
    "Robert Horst Hein",
    "Kenneth Graham Press",
    "Shaun Francis Gleeson"
  ],
  "filing_date": "2015-05-15",
  "publication_date": "2018-04-24",
  "grant_date": "2018-04-24",
  "priority_date": "2014-05-28",
  "application_number": "US-201514714006-A",
  "family_id": "54701062",
  "cited_by_count": 1,
  "citations": [
    "EP0354009A2"
  ]
}