Inventory ready date trailer prioritization system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11640580-B2
Application number	US-202117198842-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 11, 2021
Priority date	Mar 11, 2021
Publication date	May 2, 2023
Grant date	May 2, 2023

Abstract

Systems and methods for prioritizing trailers can include receiving a list of trailers at a distribution center, determining, for each trailer, an aggregate inventory readiness date, and ranking, into a high priority list, one or more trailers of the trailers that contain high priority items. The method can also include ranking, into an inventory readiness date list, one or more trailers of the trailers that were not added to the high priority list based on the aggregate inventory readiness date of each trailer, selecting, from the inventory readiness date list, trailers having the same aggregate inventory readiness date, ranking those trailers into a store need list based on one or more of the trailers containing needed items. The method can also include generating a trailer unload prioritization list based on combining the high priority list, the inventory readiness date list, and the store need list, and outputting the list.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for prioritizing trailers, the method comprising:
receiving, by a trailer prioritization computer system, first tracking data indicating at least one departure event for a first trailer, wherein the tracking data includes data generated by one or more wireless data tags associated with one or more items carried by the first trailer;
determining, by the trailer prioritization computer system, an inventory readiness metric for at least one item carried by the first trailer using the received tracking data;
receiving, by the trailer prioritization system, second tracking data for the first trailer, the second tracking data being received at a later point in time than the first tracking data;
updating the inventory readiness metric for the at least one item carried by the first trailer using the second tracking data;
receiving, by the trailer prioritization computer system and from a plurality of store computer systems, real-time store inventory data for store item inventory for a plurality of store locations;
listening, by the trailer prioritization computer system, for events indicating that trailers have physically arrived at distribution centers in a network of distribution centers;
receiving, by the trailer prioritization system and based on listening for the events, an event indicating that the first trailer has arrived at a first distribution center in the network of distribution centers, wherein the event comprises a GPS location heartbeat message;
identifying, by the trailer prioritization system and based on the received event, the first distribution center where the first trailer arrived;
in response to receiving the event, performing the following operations to generate prioritization instructions for unloading trailers at the first distribution center:
retrieving, by the trailer prioritization computer system and from a supply chain tracking computer system, data elements that correspond to a plurality of trailers awaiting to be unloaded at the first distribution center in the network of distribution centers, wherein the plurality of trailers includes the first trailer indicated by the received event;
determining, by the trailer prioritization computer system and for each trailer of the plurality of trailers, an aggregate inventory readiness date, wherein the aggregate inventory readiness date is an aggregation of inventory readiness dates for all items in the trailer, and wherein the aggregate inventory readiness data is determined using the updated inventory readiness metric for the at least one item carried by the first trailer;
selecting, by the trailer prioritization computer system, a first portion of the data elements corresponding to trailers that satisfy high priority items criteria;
ranking, by the trailer prioritization computer system, the first portion of the data elements into a high priority list of data elements, wherein the ranking of the first portion of the data elements in the high priority list identifies an order for the trailers to be unloaded at the first distribution center based on information indicating high priority items for the trailers in the high priority list;
selecting, by the trailer prioritization computer system, a second portion of the data elements corresponding to trailers that satisfy aggregate inventory readiness data criteria, wherein the second portion of the data elements do not include the first portion of the data elements ranked in the high priority list;
ranking, by the trailer prioritization computer system, the second portion of the data elements into an inventory readiness date list, wherein the ranking of the second portion of the data elements in the inventory readiness date list identifies an order for the trailers to be unloaded at the first distribution center based on information indicating the aggregate inventory readiness date of the trailers in the inventory readiness date list;
identifying, by the trailer prioritization computer system, a subset of the data elements in the inventory readiness date list corresponding to trailers having the same aggregate inventory readiness date;
ranking, by the trailer prioritization computer system, the identified subset of the data elements at a top of the inventory readiness date list based on the corresponding trailers satisfying needed items criteria, the needed items criteria determined using the received real-time store inventory data for store item inventory for the plurality of store locations;
sorting, by the trailer prioritization computer system, the high priority list and the ranked inventory readiness date list into a trailer unload prioritization list, wherein the trailer unload prioritization list identifies an order for the plurality of trailers to be unloaded at the first distribution center; and
transmitting, by the trailer prioritization computer system to an output computing device at the first distribution center in the network of distribution centers, instructions to unload the plurality of trailers at the first distribution center according to the trailer unload prioritization list.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining, by the trailer prioritization computer system and for each trailer of the plurality of trailers, an aggregate inventory readiness date comprises:
selecting a trailer from the plurality of trailers;
receiving an inventory list for the selected trailer;
retrieving an inventory readiness date for each item in the inventory list of the selected trailer; and
determining the aggregate inventory readiness date for the selected trailer based on calculating at least one of an average, a mean, a median, a minimum, or a maximum inventory readiness date based on the inventory readiness date for each item in the inventory list.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein ranking, by the trailer prioritization computer system, the first portion of the data elements into a high priority list of data elements comprises:
receiving a list of high priority categories;
comparing an inventory list of each of the plurality of trailers to the list of high priority categories;
prioritizing, into the high priority list and based on comparing the inventory list of each of the trailers to the list of high priority categories, one or more trailers having items that correspond to the list of high priority categories;
determining whether one or more remaining trailers that were not prioritized into the high priority list contain a quantity of items that exceeds a predetermined threshold quantity; and
adding, to the high priority list, the one or more remaining trailers that have a quantity of items that exceeds the predetermined threshold quantity.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the data elements in the inventory readiness date list are ranked from earliest inventory readiness date to latest inventory readiness date.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein ranking by the trailer prioritization computer system, the identified subset of the data elements at a top of the inventory readiness date based on the corresponding trailers satisfying needed items criteria comprises:
receiving a list of needed items for stores serviced by the distribution center;
comparing an inventory list of each of the trailers in the identified subset of the data elements in the inventory readiness date list to the list of needed items;
identifying one or more trailers in the identified subset having needed items based on comparing the inventory list of each of the trailers to the list of needed items;
determining, for each of the one or more trailers in the identified subset having needed items, a quantity of needed items;
assigning, for each of the one or more trailers in the identified subset having needed items, a store need score based on the quantity of needed

Assignees

• Target Brands Inc

Inventors

• Rorro Michael
• Johnson Daniel J
• Evers John
• Bliss Alexander
• Sprinkel Jesse

Classifications

• G06Q10/0838

  Historical data · CPC title

• G06Q10/0875 Primary

  Itemisation or classification of parts, supplies or services, e.g. bill of materials · CPC title

• G06Q10/0832

  Special goods or special handling procedures, e.g. handling of hazardous or fragile goods · CPC title

• G06Q10/0833 Primary

  Tracking · CPC title