Managing warehouse space capacity and utilization using self-adjusting inventory slots

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11049064-B2
Application number	US-201815872973-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 16, 2018
Priority date	Jan 16, 2018
Publication date	Jun 29, 2021
Grant date	Jun 29, 2021

Abstract

A technology for managing space utilization using self-adjusting inventory slots is described. In an example embodiment, a system comprises a shelving unit including a shelf, and a shelf adjustment system including an electronic display strip extending parallel with the shelf of the shelving unit. The electronic display strip may display a first visual representation of a first adjustable inventory slot horizontally adjacent to a second visual representation of a second adjustable inventory slot, the first visual representation indicating a first portion of the shelf as the first adjustable inventory slot for a first item, and the second visual representation indicating a second portion of the shelf as the second adjustable inventory slot for a second item.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system, comprising: a shelving unit including a shelf; and
a shelf adjustment system including an electronic display strip extending parallel with the shelf of the shelving unit, the electronic display strip displaying a first visual representation of a first adjustable inventory slot horizontally adjacent to a second visual representation of a second adjustable inventory slot, the first visual representation indicating a first portion of the shelf as the first adjustable inventory slot for a first item, a dimension of the first visual representation matching indicating a first dimension of the shelf allocated to stock the first item, and the second visual representation indicating a second portion of the shelf as the second adjustable inventory slot for a second item, a dimension of the second visual representation matching indicating a second dimension of the shelf allocated to stock the second item.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the electronic display strip extends from a first point proximate to a first end of the shelf to a second point proximate to a second end of the shelf; the first visual representation extends from a first end of the first adjustable inventory slot to a second end of the first adjustable inventory slot; and the second visual representation extends from a first end of the second adjustable inventory slot to a second end of the second adjustable inventory slot.

3. The system of claim 1 , further comprising:
an inventory control system electronically coupled to the electronic display strip that adjusts, on the electronic display strip, one or more of a horizontal dimension of the first visual representation to adjust a slot width of the first adjustable inventory slot and a horizontal dimension of the second visual representation to adjust a slot width of the second adjustable inventory slot.

4. The system of claim 3 , wherein
the shelf adjustment system includes one or more shelf actuators configured to vertically position the shelf of the shelving unit;
the inventory control system is electronically coupled to the one or more shelf actuators; and
the inventory control system actuates the one or more shelf actuators to vertically position the shelf using a slot height of the first adjustable inventory slot and the second adjustable inventory slot.

5. The system of claim 3 , further comprising:
a data storage communicatively coupled to the inventory control system for storing data and providing access to the data to the inventory control system, wherein the inventory control system is operable to:
determine a first quantity of the first item to be stocked in the first adjustable inventory slot and a second quantity of the second item to be stocked in the second adjustable inventory slot;
determine first item dimensions of the first item and second item dimensions of the second item;
calculate a slot width and a slot height for the first adjustable inventory slot based on the first quantity of the first item and the first item dimensions; calculate a slot width and a slot height for the second adjustable inventory slot based on the second quantity of the second item and the second item dimensions; and
store, in the data storage, the slot width and the slot height of the first adjustable inventory slot and the slot width and the slot height of the second adjustable inventory slot.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein the inventory control system is operable to:
allocate the first adjustable inventory slot to the first item in the data storage; and
allocate the second adjustable inventory slot to the second item in the data storage.

7. The system of claim 6 , wherein
to allocate the first adjustable inventory slot to the first item in the data storage includes associating a product identifier of the first item with a slot identifier of the first adjustable inventory slot; and
to allocate the second adjustable inventory slot to the second item in the data storage includes associating a product identifier of the second item with a slot identifier of the second adjustable inventory slot.

8. The system of claim 6 , wherein the inventory control system is operable to:
receive an input that identifies the first item;
retrieve, from the data storage, allocation data indicating the first adjustable inventory slot allocated to the first item, the allocation data including a shelving location indicating a location of the shelving unit that includes the shelf having the first adjustable inventory slot from among a plurality of shelves in a storage facility; and
provide the shelving location indicating the location of the shelving unit that includes the shelf having the first adjustable inventory slot.

9. The system of claim 6 , wherein the inventory control system is operable to:
receive an input that identifies the first item;
retrieve, from the data storage, allocation data indicating the first adjustable inventory slot allocated to the first item, the allocation data including a shelving location indicating a location of the shelving unit that includes the shelf having the first adjustable inventory slot from among a plurality of shelves in a storage facility; and
instruct an autonomous vehicle to transport the first quantity of the first item to the shelving location for stocking in the first adjustable inventory slot represented by the first visual representation on the electronic display strip.

10. The system of claim 5 , wherein the inventory control system is operable to:
update the first visual representation displayed on the electronic display strip to include a unique machine-readable symbol identifying the first item and item information describing the first item.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the item information describing the first item displayed by the first visual representation on the electronic display strip includes one or more of an item name of the first item, a picking instruction of the first item, and the first quantity of the first item to be stocked in the first adjustable inventory slot.

12. The system of claim 4 , further comprising a second shelf that has a second electronic display strip extending parallel with the second shelf and one or more second shelf actuators configured to vertically position the second shelf, wherein
the shelf includes a first unallocated portion indicated by a third visual representation on the electronic display strip;
the second shelf includes a second unallocated portion indicated by a fourth visual representation on the second electronic display strip; and
the inventory control system is operable to:
determine a third quantity of a third item to be stocked in a third adjustable inventory slot and third item dimensions of the third item; calculate a slot width and a slot height for the third adjustable inventory slot based on the third quantity of the first item and the third item dimensions; and
select, from the first unallocated portion and the second unallocated portion, a third portion to form the third adjustable inventory slot based on the slot width and the slot height of the third adjustable inventory slot.

13. The system of claim 12 , wherein the inventory control system is operable to:
adjust, on the corresponding electronic display strip, a horizontal dimension of the corresponding visual representation that indicates the third portion using the slot width of the third adjustable inventory slot; and
actuate the one or more corresponding shelf actuators to vertically position the corresponding shelf that includes the third portion using the slot height of the third adjustable inventory slot.

Assignees

• Staples Inc

Inventors

• Musunuri Vishal
• Bhaskaran Michael
• Kalra Amit

Classifications

• G06Q10/087 Primary

  Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders · CPC title

• B65G1/10

  with relatively movable racks to facilitate insertion or removal of articles {(cabinets with means for moving compartments up and down A47B51/00; cabinet system, e.g. consisting of cabinets arranged in a row with means to open or close passages between adjacent cabinets A47B53/02)} · CPC title