System and method for adding items to an electronic order

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11854064-B2
Application number	US-202017107737-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 30, 2020
Priority date	Feb 28, 2017
Publication date	Dec 26, 2023
Grant date	Dec 26, 2023

Abstract

A system includes one or more processors and one or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing computing instructions configured to run on the one or more processors to perform: receiving, from a customer device, an online order for a customer, wherein the online order comprises a customer identification for the customer; receiving, from the customer device, a selection of a pick-up time for retrieval at a store; receiving an additional order for the customer; linking the additional order to the online order based on the customer identification; sending instructions to an assembler configured to (1) read identifiers of the online order and the additional order, (2) retrieve the plurality of items and the one or more additional items from a facility, and (3) place the plurality of items and the one or more additional items in a designated location. Other embodiments are disclosed.

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, from a customer device at a first time, an online order of at least one of a plurality of items for a customer, wherein the online order comprises (i) a customer identification for the customer and (ii) a first order identification for the online order;
receiving, from the customer device, a selection of a pick-up time for retrieval of the online order at a store;
receiving, at a second time after the first time, an additional order for the customer comprising (i) one or more additional items from the plurality of items, (ii) the customer identification, and (iii) a second order identification being different than the first order identification;
linking the second order identification for the additional order to the first order identification for the online order based on the customer identification to create a combined order; and
when the additional order is received before a cutoff time for the pick-up time, sending instructions to an automatic inventory retrieval system with an integrated assembler device comprising one or more robots, wherein each robot of the one or more robots is configured to (1) read respective identifiers for at least one item of the plurality of items of the online order and for the one or more additional items of the additional order of the combined order, (2) identify, by scanning a sticker label affixed to an item available in a facility, that the item belongs to either the online order or the additional order of the combined order, (3) retrieve the at least one of the plurality of items and the one or more additional items of the combined order from the facility, and (4) place the at least one of the plurality of items and the one or more additional items of the combined order in a designated location to facilitate assembly of the combined order.

2. 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 a function comprising:
before linking the second order identification for the additional order to the first order identification for the online order, determining that the one or more additional items can be assembled along with the online order by the pick-up time, as selected, based on an estimated amount of time needed to assemble the one or more additional items.

3. 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:
before sending the instructions to the automatic inventory retrieval system:
estimating an amount of time needed to assemble the one or more additional items; and
determining, based on the amount of time, that the automatic inventory retrieval system has capacity to assemble the one or more additional items by the pick-up time of the online order, as selected and combined.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein a number and a type of the one or more robots depend on a layout of a respective facility and a manner in which items available at the respective facility are stored.

5. 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:
before sending the instructions to the automatic inventory retrieval system:
estimating, by an order forecasting server, an amount of time for the one or more robots to assemble the additional order of the combined order; and
sending, by the order forecasting server, the amount of time to an appointment server.

6. 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:
before sending the instructions to the automatic inventory retrieval system:
determining, by an appointment server, whether the one or more robots have capacity to fulfill the additional order of the combined order by the pick-up time; and
sending, by the appointment server, a notification to an order server regarding whether the one or more robots have capacity to assemble the additional order of the combined order by the pick-up time.

7. The system of claim 6 , wherein the computing instructions, when executed on the one or more processors, further cause the one or more processors to perform functions comprising:
after sending, by the appointment server, the notification to the order server and after sending the instructions to the automatic inventory retrieval system with the integrated assembler device:
enabling, by the order server, the customer to check out with the additional order of the combined order for pick-up at the pick-up time upon receipt of the notification from the appointment server that the one or more robots have the capacity to assemble the additional order of the combined order by the pick-up time.

8. The system of claim 6 , wherein the computing instructions, when executed on the one or more processors, further cause the one or more processors to perform functions comprising:
after sending, by the appointment server, the notification to the order server and after sending the instructions to the automatic inventory retrieval system:
preventing, by the order server, the customer from checking out with the additional order of the combined order for pick-up at the pick-up time upon receipt of the notification from the appointment server that the one or more robots do not have the capacity to assemble the additional order of the combined order by the pick-up time.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more additional items from the plurality of items of the combined order comprise a service provided at the store.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the computing instructions, when executed on the one or more processors, further cause the one or more processors to perform a function comprising:
automatically reserving an appointment for the service to be performed at the pick-up time at the store upon a determination that the service can be performed by a time of the pick-up time at the store.

11. 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, from a customer device at a first time, an online order of at least one of a plurality of items for a customer, wherein the online order comprises (i) a customer identification for the customer and (ii) a first order identification for the online order;
receiving, from the customer device, a selection of a pick-up time for retrieval of the online order at a store;
receiving, at a second time after the first time, an additional order for the customer comprising (i) one or more additional items from the plurality of items, (ii) the customer identification, and (iii) a second order identification being different than the first order identification;
linking the second order identification for the additional order to the first order identification for the online order based on the customer identification to create a combined order; and
when the additional order is received before a cutoff time for the pick-up time, sending instructions to an automatic inventory retrieval system with an integrated assembler device comprising one or more robots, wherein each robot of

Assignees

• Walmart Apollo Llc

Inventors

• Smith Austin
• Katz Arnon
• Ebener Michael
• Krishnan Vidyanand
• Shaffer Jason

Classifications

• G06Q30/0635 Primary

  replenishment orders; recurring orders · CPC title

• G06Q10/087

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

• G06Q30/016

  After-sales · CPC title