Systems and methods for optimizing delivery routes using fleet vehicles and third-party deliverers

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11494728-B2
Application number	US-202016827059-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 23, 2020
Priority date	Dec 6, 2016
Publication date	Nov 8, 2022
Grant date	Nov 8, 2022

Abstract

Systems and methods including one or more processors and one or more non-transitory storage devices storing computing instructions configured to run on the one or more processors and perform: receiving a plurality of website orders on a website of an online retailer for delivery of a plurality of products; determining at least one fleet delivery route for delivery of the plurality of products of the plurality of website orders to a plurality of locations using a vehicle fleet of the online retailer; dynamically shuffling the at least one fleet delivery route, wherein dynamically shuffling the at least one fleet delivery route comprises: selecting a source route from the at least one fleet delivery route; selecting a first order of the plurality of web site orders from the source route, the first order scheduled to be delivered to a first location of the plurality of locations; selecting a destination route from (1) the at least one fleet delivery route and (2) one or more third-party delivery routes; evaluating a cost differential of removing the first order of the plurality of orders from the source route, as selected; and inserting the first order into a first third-party delivery route of the one or more third-party delivery routes when the cost differential of (1) removing the first order from the source route and (2) inserting the first order into the first third-party delivery route satisfies a predetermined cost differential level; and communicating the first order to a first third-party deliverer associated with the first third-party delivery route for delivery at the first location when the cost differential of (1) removing the first order from the source route and (2) inserting the first order into the first third-party delivery route satisfies the predetermined cost differential level. Additional embodiments are disclosed herein.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system comprising:
one or more processors; and
one or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing computing instructions that, when executed on the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform functions comprising:
receiving one or more orders for delivery of one or more items;
determining at least one fleet delivery route for delivery of the one or more items of the one or more orders to one or more locations using a vehicle fleet;
dynamically shuffling the at least one fleet delivery route, wherein dynamically shuffling the at least one fleet delivery route comprises:
selecting a source route from the at least one fleet delivery route;
selecting a first order of the one or more orders from the source route, wherein the first order is scheduled to be delivered to a first location of the one or more locations;
evaluating a cost differential of removing the first order of the one or more orders from the source route, as selected; and
inserting the first order into a first other delivery route of one or more other delivery routes when (1) removing the first order from the source route and (2) inserting the first order into the first other delivery route satisfies a predetermined cost differential level; and

communicating the first order to a first other deliverer associated with the first other delivery route for delivery at the first location when (1) removing the first order from the source route and (2) inserting the first order into the first other delivery route satisfies the predetermined cost differential level.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein:
determining the at least one fleet delivery route for delivery of the one or more items comprises determining a first fleet delivery route and at least a second fleet delivery route for delivery of the one or more items of the one or more orders to the one or more locations using the vehicle fleet;
dynamically shuffling the at least one fleet delivery route further comprises performing a randomized node movement on the first fleet delivery route and the at least the second fleet delivery route; and
selecting the source route from the at least one fleet delivery route comprises selecting the source route from the first fleet delivery route and the at least the second fleet delivery route.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein:
the one or more other delivery routes comprise one or more other delivery routes for one or more other deliverers comprising at least the first other deliverer; and
dynamically shuffling further comprises selecting the first other delivery route associated with the first other deliverer of the one or more other deliverers from the one or more other delivery routes with a random number generator.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the computing instructions, when executed on the one or more processors, further cause the one or more processors to perform functions comprising:
determining whether one or more additional orders of the one or more orders are for delivery at an additional location of the one or more locations that is within a predetermined distance or time from the first location for the first order;
removing an additional order of the one or more additional orders from the at least one fleet delivery route; and
communicating the one or more additional orders to the first other deliverer for delivery at the additional location.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first other deliverer comprises a commercial delivery service or a crowdsourced delivery service.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein determining the at least one fleet delivery route for delivery of the one or more items comprises using a heuristic greedy insertion algorithm to determine the at least one fleet delivery route for delivery of the one or more items of the one or more orders to the one or more locations using the vehicle fleet.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein receiving the one or more orders, determining the at least one fleet delivery route, dynamically shuffling, and communicating the first order to the first other deliverer are performed in real-time.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein:
the at least one fleet delivery route comprises a plurality of nodes; and
each node of the plurality of nodes comprises a different location of the one or more locations.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein inserting the first order into the first other delivery route of the one or more other delivery routes comprises:
inserting a first node of the plurality of nodes into the first other delivery route of the one or more other delivery routes when (1) removing the first node from the source route and (2) inserting the first node into the first other delivery route satisfies the predetermined cost differential level.

10. A method being implemented via execution of computing instructions configured to run on one or more processors and stored at one or more non-transitory computer-readable media, the method comprising:
receiving one or more orders for delivery of one or more items;
determining at least one fleet delivery route for delivery of the one or more items of the one or more orders to one or more locations using a vehicle fleet;
dynamically shuffling the at least one fleet delivery route, wherein dynamically shuffling the at least one fleet delivery route comprises:
selecting a source route from the at least one fleet delivery route;
selecting a first order of the one or more orders from the source route, wherein the first order is scheduled to be delivered to a first location of the one or more locations;
evaluating a cost differential of removing the first order of the one or more orders from the source route, as selected; and
inserting the first order into a first other delivery route of one or more other delivery routes when (1) removing the first order from the source route and (2) inserting the first order into the first other delivery route satisfies a predetermined cost differential level; and

communicating the first order to a first other deliverer associated with the first other delivery route for delivery at the first location when (1) removing the first order from the source route and (2) inserting the first order into the first other delivery route satisfies the predetermined cost differential level.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein:
determining the at least one fleet delivery route for delivery of the one or more items comprises determining a first fleet delivery route and at least a second fleet delivery route for delivery of the one or more items of the one or more orders to the one or more locations using the vehicle fleet;
dynamically shuffling the at least one fleet delivery route further comprises performing a randomized node movement on the first fleet delivery route and the at least the second fleet delivery route; and
selecting the source route from the at least one fleet delivery route comprises selecting the source route from the first fleet delivery route and the at least the second fleet delivery route.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein:
the one or more other delivery routes comprise one or more other delivery routes for one or more other deliverers comprising at least the first other deliverer; and
dynamically shuffling further comprises selecting the first other delivery route associated with the first other deliverer of the one or more other deliverers from the one or more other delivery routes with a random number generator.

13. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:
determining whether one or more additional orders of the one or more orders are for delivery at an add

Assignees

• Walmart Apollo Llc

Inventors

• Fu Mingang
• Deshpande Deepak
• Seetharaman Prakash
• Pattathil Devadas

Classifications

• G06Q10/08355 Primary

  Routing methods · CPC title