Systems, methods and apparatus for distribution of products and supply chain management

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10643170-B2
Application number	US-201815882421-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 29, 2018
Priority date	Jan 30, 2017
Publication date	May 5, 2020
Grant date	May 5, 2020

Abstract

In some embodiments, apparatuses and methods are provided herein useful to access and advance a work flow for a product or a plurality of products during unloading and loading shipments at a distribution center or unloading and processing shipments at a retail store. In some embodiments, RFID tags and wearable smart devices are employed such that products are monitored as they are unloaded from shipments at a retail facility, such as a distribution center, and repackaged into containers and onto a delivery truck for delivery to another retail facility, such as a physical retail store, or one or more customers.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A system for tracking products in real-time and managing distribution of comprising:
a database having an inventory record with bundles of items associated with a shipment, bundle RFID tag identifiers associated therewith, bundle locations, and item destinations;
eyeglass frames wearable by a user, the frames having an electronic assembly mounted to the frames including a display device and a speaker and an RFID tag reader configured to scan the bundle RFID tags that are unloaded from the shipment by the user wearing the frames; and a control circuit in communication with the RFID tag readers and the database, the control circuit configured to:
receive identifying information for one of the bundle RFID tags associated with one of the bundles of items via the RFID tag readers;
update the database with an item location upon receipt of the bundle of items at a distribution center and the identifying information for the one of the bundle RFID tags by the control circuit;
upon packing a shipping container with products from one or more of the bundles of items for delivery to at least one of a retail facility or a customer, associate the container, via a container RFID tag or a product RFID tag, with the products packed into the shipping container;
provide instructions to the user, via the speaker of the frames, regarding placement and intended location of the shipping containers within a delivery vehicle as the shipping containers are loaded into the delivery vehicle; and
update the database to associate the delivery vehicle with the shipping containers loaded therein, the container or product RFID tags associated with the shipping containers loaded therein, and the products packed therein, upon receipt of a scan of the RFID tags as the shipping containers are loaded into the delivery vehicle.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the frames having a pair of temple arm members configured to rest on ears of the user and a front support having a bridge portion configured to rest on a nose of the user who is loading or unloading the delivery vehicle, the frames communicatively coupled to the control circuit.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the delivery vehicle includes one or more RFID tag readers incorporated therein and the RFID tag readers being disposed in at least one of: a vehicle ceiling, a vehicle floor, a vehicle door, a vehicle frame, or a vehicle load and unload point.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the frames, in communication with the control circuit, update the database upon loading of the containers onto the delivery vehicle.

5. The system of claim 1 further comprising a secondary RFID tag reader at a container packing location, the secondary RFID tag reader configured to scan at least one of the RFID tags on the products being deposited into the shipping containers and the control circuit is further configured to update the database upon receipt of a reading that one or more of the products are deposited into a particular shipping container for shipment thereof.

6. The system of claim 5 further comprising RFID shielding at the container packing location.

7. The system of claim 5 wherein the container packing location is where the bundles of items are deposited after removal from the shipment and where the products from the bundle of items are placed into the shipping containers having the container RFID tag incorporated therewith.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the system further comprises both the container RFID tags and product RFID tags and the database further includes a product RFID tag identifier and a container RFID tag identifier associated with the shipping container.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the RFID tag associated with at least one of the shipping container or the products therein is attached to at least one of the shipping container or product packaging.

10. A system for tracking products in real-time comprising:
a database having an inventory record with bundles of items associated with a shipment, bundle RFID tag identifiers associated therewith, bundle locations, and item destinations;
an autonomous robot having an RFID tag reader configured to scan the bundle RFID tags that are unloaded from the shipment by the autonomous robot; and
a control circuit in communication with the RFID tag readers and the database, the control circuit configured to:
receive identifying information for one of the bundle RFID tags associated with one of the bundles of items via the RFID tag readers;
update the database with an item location upon receipt of the bundle of items at a distribution center and the identifying information for the one of the bundle RFID tags by the control circuit;
upon packing a shipping container with products from one or more of the bundles of items for delivery to at least one of a retail facility or a customer, associate the container, via a container RFID tag or a product RFID tag, with the products packed into the shipping container;
provide instructions to the autonomous robot regarding placement and intended location of the shipping containers within a delivery vehicle as the shipping containers are being loaded thereon; and
update the database to associate the delivery vehicle with the shipping containers loaded therein, the container or product RFID tags associated with the shipping containers loaded therein, and the products packed therein, upon receipt of a scan of the RFID tags as the shipping containers are loaded into the delivery vehicle.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the autonomous robot is configured to assist with unloading the shipment and loading of the delivery vehicle, the autonomous robot being communicatively coupled to the control circuit.

12. The system of claim 10 wherein the delivery vehicle includes one or more RFID tag readers incorporated therein and the RFID tag readers being disposed in at least one of: a vehicle ceiling, a vehicle floor, a vehicle door, a vehicle frame, or a vehicle load and unload point.

13. The system of claim 10 wherein the autonomous robot and the control circuit, which are in communication with one another, update the database upon loading of the containers onto the delivery vehicle.

14. The system of claim 10 further comprising a secondary RFID tag reader at a container packing location, the secondary RFID tag reader configured to scan at least one of the RFID tags on the products being deposited into the shipping containers or the shipping containers and the control circuit is further configured to update the database upon receipt of a reading that one or more of the products are deposited into a particular shipping containers for shipment thereof.

15. The system of claim 14 further comprising RFID shielding at the container packing location.

16. The system of claim 14 wherein the container packing location is where the bundles of items are deposited after removal from the shipment and where the products from the bundle of items are placed into the shipping containers having the container RFID tag incorporated therewith.

17. The system of claim 10 wherein the system further comprises both the container RFID tags and product RFID tags and the database further includes a product RFID tag identifier and a container RFID tag identifier associated with the shipping container.

18. The system of claim 10 wherein the RFID tag associated with at least one of the shipping container or the products therein is attached to at least one of the shipping container or product packaging.

19. A method for tracki

Assignees

• Walmart Apollo Llc

Inventors

• Lee Ryan
• Blackner Joseph
• Cerda Jr Santos
• Mattingly Todd D

Classifications

• G06K17/0022

  arrangements or provisions for transferring data to distant stations, e.g. from a sensing device ("transfer between computer elements G06F13/00 "; data-transmission H04L) · CPC title

• B65G1/137

  with arrangements or automatic control means for selecting which articles are to be removed · CPC title

• G06Q90/00

  Systems or methods specially adapted for administrative, commercial, financial, managerial or supervisory purposes, not involving significant data processing · CPC title

• B65G67/02

  Loading or unloading land vehicles · CPC title

• G02B2027/0138

  comprising image capture systems, e.g. camera · CPC title