GB2337254A - Method and system for handling garments - Google Patents

Abstract

A method of, and system for, handling garments, particularly suited to the sorting and packaging of laundered garments prior to despatch to various destinations, comprises the steps of: (i) processing the garments at a processing station 1, (ii) individually packaging each garment at a packaging station 2, and (iii) sorting the garments at a sorting station 9 downstream of the packaging station 2. Preferably the processing step involves one or more of cleaning, pressing, repairing and altering, while the packaging step may involve folding 5 and sealing 6 a garment within a polythene bag. The sorted garments may be conveyed to one or more sorting stations 10 prior to loading 11 for despatch to their final destination. Additional steps in this system may also include inspection 3, registration 7 and transfer 8 of the garments.

Description

1 2337254 METHOD OF HANDLING GARMENTS AND SYSTEM THEREFOR This invention

relates to a method of handling garments and a system therefor, particularly for processing and sorting laundered garments into batches, ready for despatch to various destinations.

The invention will be described with reference to use in large-scale laundries operated by workwear contractors, it being Understood, however, that the invention can be applied to the handling of garments generally, for example in the processing for despatch of newly manufactured guments. By the general terms laundering and laundries, included is the dry cleaning of garments and sites for doing this.

It is often advantageous for compm-W to have garments provided and maintained for their workforce by a third-party w contractor, rather than service this need of their company internally. The "con" , Y' might be, for example, a store or chain of stores, such as a supermarket chain,-Aw a restaurant or restaurant chain, an airline or a hospital, or indeed any type of oron where uniforms or other protective clothing are provided for its employees. U, specific garments are assigned to either an individual or to a department wiAw- company. As this work is contracted out to a third party, it is of course desirable lFhe company to minimise its contribution, whilst maximising the contractor's contribu "u.

To fulfil this requirement, the conh h often responsible for all aspects of the supply and maintenance of the garmentLIW includes the laundering and repair of the garments, and their renewal once fity has dropped below a certain standard.

Usually, the company periodically es an unsorted batch of soiled garments for collection by the contractor.

After collection, the garments are readied for laundering and/or to the contractor's laundry where they are together with garments from other sources, resulting in intermixing of 9 m the different sources. Therefore, prior to return, the garments must be sor Moreover, to further minimise desirable for the garments to be recipient employee/department.

batches according to the recipient company.

MOntribution of the company, it is particularly sorted prior to their delivery, according to their To allow sorting of the garments, each preferably carries identifying means. This often comprises marking with a characteristic alphanumeric code or bar code. Alternatively a characteristic code can be transmitted by a transmitter or the like attached to, or enclosed within, the garment. This code is linked to a database, where fields can be used to store details relating to a garment, for example details relating to the recipient employee, department and company.

Conventionally, the garments are sorted after laundering and/or repair, before being folded and placed inside protective packaging, so that the garments are ready for despatch to the companies.

Applicant is aware of apparatus suitable for sorting garments as required by the method described in the preceding paragraph. For example, United Kingdom Patent Application No. GB-A-2 164 909 to Ducker Engineering Limited (hereinafter '909') teaches an apparatus comprising an input rail, an endless conveyor suitable for carrying garments suspended therefrom, a plurality of output rails, means for driving the conveyor, and means for determining when the conveyor has moved a unit of distance.

According to 909, the laundered/repaired garments, already on hangers, slide down an input rail to an input station. It is not disclosed how, or where, the garments are placed onto the hangers, although conventionally this stage is performed manually after the laundering of the garments. Once the hung garment arrives at the input station, an operator either scans its bar- code, or records its alphanumeric code using a keyboard. This characteristic code is passed onto a central processor which determines which output rail the garment should be passed to.

Whilst the garment is at the input station, the operator may inspect the garment and if the garment is not acceptably clean, or is tom or damaged, the operator can override the processor and select an alternative output rail, from where the garments can be collected 30 for further laundering or repair.

Responsive to a predetermined signal, the processor allows the hung garment to slide to a junction between the input rail and the conveyor, from where means mechanically transfer the hung garment to the moving conveyor.

As the processor stores the number of units of length to the various output rails, and records the number of units of length travelled by the conveyor, it can determine when a particular garment has travelled to the junction with its designated output rail. At this point the processor activates flu-ther mechanical means for transferring the garment on its hanger to the output rail.

In this way, garments from a single rail may be transferred to a number of output rails. 909 does not disclose what, if -my, fluther processing is performed before the suspended garments are despatched Wtheir recipient company.

A further sorting apparatus, suitable for use in sorting laundered garments, is disclosed in European Patent Application No. EP-Al-O 589 821 to DVT Sorttech A/S (hereinafter 821). 821 is substantially similar to 909, in that it describes apparatus for sorting garments from a single input source and conveying them to a plurality of output areas.

The garments are not placed onto h, but are merely presented to the sorting apparatus on a flat-bed conveyor. Trnders within the garments transmit a signal which allows a processor to identify the garment. The garments proceed over a series of inclined conveyor belts, arranged so that a gap exists between consecutive belts. The garments are either 'thrown' over the-lops onto the next conveyor, or are allowed to drop through a gap to an output ^-Whether the garment is thrown or dropped is determined by the processor.

A fluther sorting apparatus, suitable Aw use in sorting laundered garments, is disclosed in European Patent No. EP-Bl-0 3774548 also to DVT Sorttech A/S (hereinafter '548). 548 describes a system for sorting a c of garments, on hangers, that are presented j to the apparatus on a single conveyor%;,-- Once passed onto an input section - ^ sorting apparatus, the garments' identifying means are registered with a procem&---lle hung garments are then presented to a series of sorting sections, wherein each section has an intermediate store. Sorting is performed according to a selected o by the processor, and via a mathematical algorithm. This order may be sele,.either before or after the garments arrive at the sorting apparatus. The hung garmen conveyed by the sorting apparatus to an output area on a single rail, in the selected oMa 548 differs from 909 and 821 in that-the garments are conveyed to a single output area rather than a plurality of output arm. However, 548 can be considered more sophisticated as a random stream of lents presented to the device are sorted into a iw selected sequence, rather than merely being sorted into several batches of unordered garments.

As with 909, 548 fails to disclose how the garments are loaded onto the hangers.

Furthermore, neither 821 nor 548 disclose whether any further processing of the sorted garments is required prior to their despatch. However, to ensure the garments are delivered to the recipient company as cleanly and attractively as possible, it is usual for them to be folded and packaged prior to their return journey.

As will be appreciated, in each of the aforementioned cases, further handling of the sorted garments is required. While, in principle, this handling may be partly automated - by using an automatic folding machine, for example, such as the one disclosed in United Kingdom Patent Application No. GB-A-2 218 680, also to Ducker - a certain degree of human intervention is required. As a minimum, the garments must be loaded into a folding machine, followed by packaging.

Any such human intervention introduces the possibility of human error. Therefore, a particular disadvantage of the foregoing method is the likelihood that in folding and packaging the garments, the order of the garments will be unintentionally altered from the order in which they arrive at the selected output rail, thereby severely diminishing the benefits gained from using the sorting apparatus. Unless there is a final check after the folding and/or packaging, there is a risk that the garments will be despatched in the wrong order or worse still, to the wrong destination. Resorting of the garments may therefore be necessary if disordering has occurred.

Another disadvantage is that the final handling and checking involves a further level of manpower in the garment's progression through the laundry. This is particularly undesirable because the major expense to a workwear contractor is labour costs, and these final stages contribute significantly to these costs.

It increases efficiency, of course, if one person is assigned a plurality of tasks to be performed sequentially within a single location, rather than to assign the tasks to more than one person at separate locations within the laundry, to be performed at different stages.

It is, therefore, an object of the invention to provide a method of handling garments, wherein the garments are sorted automatically and subsequently require minimal, if any, manual intervention prior to despatch to the recipient company.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a method of handling garments, wherein fewer man-hours are devoted to each garment whilst it is at the laundry, thereby reducing the labour cost per garment In order to achieve the first object the applicant has had the insight to perform packaging, and if required folding, of the garments prior to sorting. The second object of the invention is achieved, by ens that packaging, and any further necessary operations, may be performed within a single area.

From a first aspect therefore, the invn resides in a method of handling garments in which a batch of garments is pro and subsequently sorted for despatch, characterised in that the garments of tbt processed batch are individually packaged prior to being sorted.

Whilst the batches of sorted garmente may require subsequent loading into receptacles, suitable for bulk transport for ele, no finther processing of the garments themselves is required. Preferably, garments are automatically loaded.

To facilitate sorting, especially of ical garments, the garments preferably carry identifying means. In a first embo the identifying means are unique indicia - an alphanumeric code, or more convdy, a bar code, or a combination of an alphanumeric code and a bar code - 'Ited on garments.

In certain circumstances, a specific low-dnin for the code may be preferred. For example, to allow easy inspection, a bar co be printed on a breast pocket. Of course, in such a position the bar code will be e in everyday use, thus reducing the aesthetic appeal of the garment. If this is docnracceptable, the bar code may be printed on a discrete portion of the garment wh will not be visible in everyday use, such as under a collar.

Furthermore, the bar code may be 1"--tioned to prevent spoiling, by staining or by rubbing off for example, which wouerwise render the bar code indistinct.

In a second embodiment, the id means could include a unique characterising code transmitted by a transmitter, or a transponder, carried by the garment, either alone or in combination with printed alphanumeric codes and/or printed bar codes. A transponder is preferred over a transmitter of equal range, due to its lower power consumption.

The transmitter, or transponder, can be conveniently concealed within the garment by enclosing the device within a cuff or hem, for example, without preventing reception of the transmitted characterising code.

For a garment to be identified, the characterising code - whether it be carried by an alphanumeric code, a bar code, a transmitted code, or indeed any other form of code, or combination of carriers - may be registered with a processor.

It is contemplated that data will be stored for each garment in a file, which is identified by the garment's characteristic code. Upon registration of a garment, the processor accesses its corresponding file. The file may simply contain only the characteristic code of the garment, or it may contain any number of data.

For example, it may contain the characteristic code, the type of garment, the recipient 20 company, the recipient employee, the date the garment was issued, the number of times it has been laundered and a record of repairs made to the garment. Each of these data can be stored as numeric codes, as text, or as both. For instance, employees could be assigned numeric codes so that the garments are sorted into increasing employee code order ready for delivery.

To supplement this data, the processor may also have access to further information, such as how the packaged garments are to be sorted, where the sorted garments are to be conveyed, and the position of any of the registered garments.

In a preferred embodiment, the processor uses the information available to direct the sorting of the garments. Additionally, the processor may be responsible for determining how the garments are to be sorted.

Prior to packaging, the garments are subject to processing, which can take many forms. For instance, in a manufacturing plant, the processing may be the making of the garments. Alternatively, in a laundry the processing may be the cleaning (either dry or wet), pressing and drying, and optionally repairing or altering of the garments. In any event, the processing results in garments, that are complete in the case of manufacture, or clean in the case of a laundry, but which are not packaged or sorted.

In addition to packaging, further operations may take place after processing, but before sorting. In one embodiment of the present invention, it is contemplated that these operations, along with the packaging, we performed manually by handlers.

For instance, the handlers may perform a quality-control inspection of the garments, to ensure that they are clean, undamaged and of a sufficient quality to be returned to the recipient company. Furthermore, a garment failing the inspection may be returned for further processing.

Advantageously, this quality-control inspection is performed prior to packaging. Consequently, if the garment fails theection, it need not be unnecessarily subject to further operations, including packaging.

In addition to placing the garments widiin packaging, packaging of the garments may also involve any, or any combinatio"f placing onto/removing from hangers, folding, sealing within packaging, deodorisin&Asinfecting or embellishing with decoration. In a preferred embodiment, packaging cses folding the garments before heat- sealing them within polythene bags, as this ly and effectively prevents the garments from becoming soiled prior to delivery. Eer, it will be clear to somebody skilled in the art that many other possibilities exist for packaging the garments which also prevent the garments from becoming soiled.

While the packaging of individual Sments is used to exemplify the invention, this is intended to include both the packaf individual garments, and the packaging of sets of garments as one article. For ins a suit comprising a jacket and trousers may be packaged within a single bag.

Vt:

The packaging employed depends 1 upon the preference of the recipient company. For instance, garments on hangers andwidiin polythene bags for delivering on a rail. In an alternative embodiment, the garments may be folded and placed within packaging for subsequent loading into cardboard b plastic or canvas bins, roll containers or any 5 other container suitable for their bulk,--ort.

i - PC--- - However, it should be noted that the packaging is performed on garments, or sets of aw- garments, only. The loading of the packaged garments, or sets of garments, onto rails or into boxes, bins or roll containers - to use the examples given in the Preceding paragraph - is not considered to be part of the packaging of the garments.

As described hereinabove, the garments preferably carry unique characterising codes to facilitate sorting. If this optional feature is employed, a handler must register the code prior to the garment being sorted.

While registration of the code can be performed at any time prior to sorting (e.g. upon arrival at a laundry or during processing), in a preferred embodiment of the invention the registration is performed after processing. Furthermore, in a particularly preferred embodiment, the characterising code is registered after packaging.

Of course, the method of registration depends upon how the garment carTies its 15 characterising code. An alphanumeric code can advantageously be entered via a keyboard.

A bar code can be read using either a hand-held scanner presented to the garment, or by presenting the garment to a fixed-head bar code scanner. Both of these types of scanner are commonly used in retail stores for instance. Advantageously, to facilitate scanning of packaged garments, the garments are folded such that their bar codes can be seen through the packaging or through an optically transparent window provided thereon.

For transmitters or transponders, the code may be received by a conveniently positioned receiver. Either a handler may present a garment to the receiver, or if the range of the transmitter or transponder is sufficient, a garment may automatically be registered. For example, a receiver may be positioned close to a flat surface upon which the garments are folded, such that the codes are registered whilst the handler folds the garments.

In each of the above alternatives, it would be beneficial to show some or all of the data associated with a garment on a display, so that a handler can check that a garment's code was successfully registered.

Once the garment is packaged, and optionally inspected or registered, it is conveyed to 35 the sorting apparatus. This step may be performed by a handler if, for instance, the finished garments need placing upon a conveyor belt.

Hence, firom a second aspect, the invention resides in a method of handling garments in which a batch of garments is processed, by carrying out one or more of cleaning, pressing, repairing and altering the garments; inspecting the garments for quality-control purposes; packaging of the garments, which may include folding and sealing within packaging; and registering the packaged garments with a processor which directs the subsequent sorting; wherein all of the above actions are performed prior to sorting.

As described hereinabove, it is pardcularly advantageous if the packaging and any inspection or registration is performed at a single area.

Therefore, from a third aspec the invention resides in a method of handling garments in which a batch of garments is procewed and subsequently sorted for despatch, characterised in that the garments of the processed batch are individually packaged prior to being sorted, and wherein packaging and any quality-control inspection or registration is performed at a packaging on.

In a preferred embodiment, there is a single packaging station in the form of a large area, which is manned by one or a number of handlers. According to a particularly preferred embodiment, the or each h selects an unfinished garment, and performs on the garment, or supervises the ga through each operation, including packaging, at the packaging station. The or each-hmdler does this repetitively, such that the batch of garments are packaged, and opdy inspected and registered, in a particularly efficient manner.

It will be appreciated that any of the oons performed at the packaging station may be performed by hand, or may be Cted. In an extreme embodiment, all of the stages may be automated, in which me no manpower is required at the packaging station. This embodiment can be via thus:- in a laundry, the final act of proc a pressing of the garments; once pressed, the garments may be placed flat upon cving endless conveyor belt; the garments are then conveyed to a packaging s -Onsisting of a number of machines; the machines may automatically fold the garmena, before dropping them onto a polythene sheet, placed upon a stationary conveyor b6X whereby the sheet is folded over the unfinished garment and heat sealed; during fo the garment may be automatically registered by a transponder/receiver combinationp and finally, the conveyor belt may convey the packaged garment to a sorting appar.

If a high degree of automation is used, it may be desirable also to include automatic checking means, and means for the remedy of any errors.

The packaged garments may be sorted in a number of ways. For example, they may be sorted according to several broad classes. Accordingly, each of these classes may correspond to a recipient company, and fin-thennore, the garments within each class could be conveyed to a designated output station.

Alternatively, the packaged garments may be sorted into a predetermined sequence. Accordingly a batch consisting of only one recipient company's garments could be sorted into a sequence based upon recipient employee code, and subsequently conveyed to only one output station.

Of course, both of the above types of sorting may be combined, i.e. sorting into a class according to recipient company, and into employee code order within each class, with the garments within each class being conveyed to a designated output station.

Therefore, from a fourth aspect, the invention resides in a method of handling garments in which a batch of garments is processed and subsequently sorted for despatch, characterised in that the garments of the processed batch are individually packaged prior to being sorted, and wherein packaging and any quality-control inspection or registration is perforTned at a packaging station, and wherein the garments are conveyed to one or more output stations in accordance with a predetermined sequence.

The sorting required may dictate how the packaged garments are presented to the sorting apparatus and how the sorting is achieved. For instance, if the packaged garments are merely being sorted into classes according to recipient companies, wherein each recipient has its own assigned output station, then the sorting may be performed as a continuous stream of packaged garments conveyed to the sorting apparatus. However, if the packaged garments must be sorted into a numerical order, using the 548 apparatus for example, then all of the packaged garments should be presented to the sorting apparatus before sorting can proceed.

A number of types of sorting apparatus can be employed, including those already described hereinabove. For instance, a flat belt may be used so that the packaged garments are simply placed upon the belt, or a plurality of carriers suspended from a endless conveyor to which the packaged garments are attached may be used. In addition to the apparatus described hereinabove, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that simple modifications can be made. For instance, 548 describes an apparatus for sorting hung garments into a selected sequence upon rails. However, a similar sorting of 5 garments placed upon flat conveyor belts could be employed.

Depending upon the sorting apparatus used, sorted garments will be conveyed to output stations in a number of ways. For instance, the batch of sorted garments may be conveyed to a single output station as successive classes of packaged garments according to the recipient company, wherein each class is sorted according to a numeric order relating to recipient employees. Alternatively, a plurality of sorted garments may be conveyed to a plurality of output- ons, each output station corresponding to a recipient company.

The sorted garments may require lg prior to despatch. For instance, a series of packaged garments may be sealed in.cwdboard boxes and placed on pallets. Instead of cardboard boxes, the garments could be placed into plastic or canvas bins, or roll containers. Alternatively, a series of hung garments may be conveyed onto a number of rails. In a particularly preferred ert ent. packaged garments are automatically conveyed from the sorting appa on a flat conveyor belt, from which they automatically drop in a controlled mMo into wheeled bins, which are then pushed to a storage area.

T Despatch is intended to encompass A-pumber of possibilities. For instance, despatch i - may simply involve direct loadint,--f the garments onto lorries before immediate delivery to their recipient companieoj-k- it may mean despatch to a storage area prior to their transport back to the recipient oy.

ahl= This may be applicable, for insta- a recipient company only wants one visit per week from its workwear contractor "-- that case, soiled garments may be transported from the company to the laundry, they are laundered the same day before being stored prior to return to the company,-, the same time the next batch of soiled garments is collected.

AW In addition to providing a method og garments, the invention also resides in a system for handling garments. Altly, the invention may be expressed in terms of a system for handling garments, con"ing a processing station and sorting apparatus, W in which a batch of garments is processed at the processing unit, and are subsequently sorted for despatch by the sorting apparatus, characterised by the presence of a packaging station upstream of the sorting apparatus for individually packaging the garments of the processed batch prior to being sorted.

Preferred features of the system according to the invention are set out in the accompanying claims.

In order that the invention can be more readily understood, reference will now be made, 10 by way of example only, to the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig 1 is a flow chart schematically showing the path of a garment through a laundry according to an embodiment of the invention.

According to an embodiment of the invention, as shown in Fig 1, upon arrival at a laundry, garments from a variety of sources are entered into a batch. The garments subsequently undergo processing at 1. After processing, the garments are transported to a packaging station at 2.

Whilst at the packaging station at 2, the garments are inspected at 3 to ensure that the processing has been effective and/or to check for any other defects. The garments are then subjected to packaging at 4, which consists of folding the garments at 5, and heat sealing the garments within packaging at 6. Finally, the packaged garments have their characteristic code registered with a processor at 7, before being transferred to a 25 conveyor at 8.

After leaving the packaging station at 2, the packaged garments are conveyed to be sorted at 9, before being conveyed to one or more output stations at 10. The finished garments are loaded into boxes or bins immediately prior to their despatch at 11.

A particular embodiment of the invention will now be explained in greater detail with reference to Fig 1.

After arriving at the laundry, the batch of garments undergo processing at 1, namely washing and drying or dry cleaning, and pressing or finishing. Once processing is complete, the garments are conveyed to the packaging station at 2 on a flat conveyor belt, where they arrive unordered.

The packaging station at 2 is manned by a number of handlers, each handler takes a garment and performs all of the operations shown at the packaging station at 2. The handlers repeat these tasks successively as the garments arrive at the packaging station at 2.

Initially, the handler will perform an tion of the garment at 3, to ensure that it is clean, undamaged and of a sufficient quality to be returned to the recipient. If the garment passes the inspection, it pro through the path labelled 'pass' in Fig 1, and described in detail hereinafter. Ihowever, the garment fails the inspection, it is returned for finther processing at 1 as thown in Fig 1.

The garments passing the inspection at 3 undergo packaging at 4. More specifically the handler folds the garment in a pres manner at 5 and subsequently heat seals it inside polythene packaging at 6. As -tbu code is printed on the breast pocket of the garment, the handler ensures that the code is visible through a transparent window within the polythene packaging.

Next, the handler registers the characteristic code of the packaged garment at 7 by scanning the bar code using a hand-hevice. The characteristic code is recognised by the processor, as is the registering tw which retrieves the following information from the garment's associated file: the zument's characteristic code, the garment type, the recipient company, the recipient eWloyee and the numeric code associated with that employee. These data are displayed on a LCI) display which the handler consults. to ensure that the code has been recog and in addition, to check that the type of garment displayed corresponds to tb& garment. If an entry seems incorrect, the handler puts the packaged garment aid to be checked by a supervisor.

Once the packaged garment has beered at 7, the handler transfers the packaged garment onto a moving flat feeding oor belt at 8. This is done at a specific position within the handler's area of the p station, and simultaneously, the handler presses a button which tells the pro where the packaged garment is located on the feeding conveyor.

7, A f The feeding conveyor is an element 6f the sorting apparatus. Hence, once transferred to the feeding conveyor, as indicated " the packaged garments are automatically sorted at 9. The sorting apparatus is also ible for delivering the packaged garments to W the appropriate output station.

For the purpose of this exemplified embodiment, a sorting apparatus substantially corresponding to the apparatus described hereinabove, and attributed to 548, is used as an example. However, rather than rails, the apparatus is fitted with continuous flat conveyor belts. Accordingly, each section consists of a through belt and a belt that acts as an intermediary store.

Once all the packaged garments in the batch are registered at 7 and are placed onto the feeding conveyor belt at 8, the packaged garments are transferred into the sorting sections of the apparatus. The apparatus then sorts the packaged garments into a number of classes according to recipient company and the recipient employee number at 9, and conveys them along an output conveyor belt.

In addition, the processor controls a series of gates along the output conveyor. By moving a guide rail across the output conveyor, the packaged garments are diverted to further conveyor belts that deliver the packaged garments to a plurality of output stations at 10, each output station corresponding to a distinct recipient company.

Hence, while the first class of packaged garments is conveyed along the output conveyor, the processor opens a first gate thus transferring the class of packaged garments to the appropriate output station at 10. Once the final packaged garment within the class has passed through the gate, the processor closes that gate. When the second class of packaged garments is conveyed along the output conveyor, the processor opens a second gate thus transferring the class of packaged garments to their appropriate output station at 10, and so on until the entire batch of packaged garments is delivered to the output stations at 10.

Upon reaching the end of the conveyor belt at the output station at 10, the packaged garments drop into cardboard boxes at 11. By making the box a similar size to the packaged garments, the packaged garments simply stack up one on top of another in the same sequence as within the class. Once a box is filled it is automatically sealed. The boxes are then stacked on pallets before being loaded onto a lorry ready for delivery to the recipient company.

The present invention may of course be embodied in other specific forms. For example, the registration of the garments at 7 may be performed immediately after inspection at 3 and before packaging at 4.

Accordingly, reference should be made to the appended claims and other general statements herein rather than to the foregoing specific description as indicating the 5 scope of the invention.

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Claims (20)

1. A method of handling garments in which a batch of garments is processed and subsequently sorted for despatch, characterised in that the garments of the processed 5 batch are individually packaged prior to being sorted.
2. 2. A method of handling garments according to claim 1, wherein processing comprises one or more of cleaning, pressing, repairing and altering.
3. 3. A method of handling garments according to any preceding claim, wherein packaging includes folding of the garments.
4. 4. A method of handling garments according to any preceding claim, wherein the garments are sealed within their packaging.
5. 5. A method of handling garments according to any preceding claim, wherein the garments are subjected to a quality-control inspection prior to packaging.
6. 6. A method of handling garments according to any preceding claim, wherein the garments are registered after packaging with a processor which directs the sorting.
7. 7. A method of handling garments according to any preceding claim, wherein packaging and any inspection or registration is performed at a packaging station.
8. 8. A method of handling garments according to claim 7, wherein the packaged garments are conveyed from the packaging station to one or more output stations.
9. 9. A method of handling garments according to claim 8, wherein the packaged garments are sorted for delivery to a predetermined output station.
10. 10. A method of handling garments according to claim 8, wherein the batch of packaged garments are sorted into a predetermined sequence for delivery to a single output station.
11. 11. A method of handling garments according to claim 8, wherein the packaged garments are sorted into a predetermined sequence and for delivery to a predetermined output station.
12. 12. A system for handling garments, comprising a processing station and sorting apparatus, in which a batch of garments is processed at the processing station, and is subsequently sorted for despatch by the sorting apparatus, characterised by the presence of a packaging station upstream of the sorting apparatus for individually packaging the garments of the processed batch prior to being sorted.
13. 13. A system for handling garments according to claim 12, wherein the processing station further comprises one or more of a cleaning unit, a pressing unit, a repair unit 5 and an alteration unit.
14. 14. A system for handling garments according to claim 12 or claim 13, wherein said packaging station includes at least one folding unit and/or at least one sealing unit.
15. 15. A system for handling garments according to any of claims 12-14, further comprising at least one inspection unit
16. 16. A system for handling garments according to any of claims 12-15, further comprising at least one registration unit, and at least one processor which directs the subsequent sorting of the packaged ents.
17. 17. A system for handling garments according to either or both claim 15 and claim 16, wherein any inspection units or region units are part of the packaging station.
18. 18. A system for handling garments according to any of claims 12-17, further comprising at least one output station and at least one conveyor, such that sorted garments are conveyed to at least one of the output stations.
19. 19. A method of handling garments substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figure 1 of the accomp drawings.
20. 20. A system for handling ganneM substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figure 1 of the accompa drawings.