Asset loading system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12583679-B2
Application number	US-202217981214-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 4, 2022
Priority date	Dec 31, 2019
Publication date	Mar 24, 2026
Grant date	Mar 24, 2026

Abstract

An identifier associated with one or more assets is obtained in response to a reader component reading a tag associated with one or more assets as the one or more assets traverse a conveyor apparatus. At least partially in response to the obtaining of the identifier, a storage unit of a plurality of storage units is caused to automatically rotate to a loading location to receive the one or more assets.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A system comprising:
one or more processors; and computer storage memory having computer-executable instructions stored thereon which, when executed by the one or more processors, implement operations comprising:
obtaining an identifier of a first asset in response to a reader component reading a first tag associated with the first asset;
at least partially in response to obtaining the identifier, populating, at a first time, a data structure indicating a sequence that the reader component read the first tag relative to one or more other tags associated with one or more other assets; and
at least partially in response to populating the data structure, causing a plurality of storage units to automatically rotate to move a first storage unit of the plurality of storage units to a loading location.

2 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise:
subsequent to obtaining the identifier of the first asset, obtaining a second identifier of a second asset in response to the reader component reading a second tag associated with the second asset; in response to obtaining the second identifier, populating, at a second time subsequent to the first time, the data structure indicative of the reader component reading the second tag subsequent to the first tag; and at least partially in response to populating the data structure at the second time and subsequent to causing the first storage unit to automatically rotate to the loading location, causing the plurality of storage units to automatically rotate to move a second storage unit of the plurality of storage units to the loading location.

3 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the reader component is coupled to a conveyor apparatus such that reading the first tag occurs as the first asset traverses the conveyor apparatus past the reader component, and obtaining the identifier of the first asset occurs in response to the conveyor apparatus transmitting the identifier over a computer network.

4 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the identifier of the first asset includes an identification of the first asset, a destination for the first asset, and a size of the first asset.

5 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the data structure is a queue data structure that is indexed and populated according to an order that the reader component reads the first tag and the one or more other tags associated with the one or more other assets.

6 . The system of claim 5 , wherein causing the first storage unit of the plurality of storage units to automatically rotate to the loading location comprises sending a control signal to the first storage unit that rotates the plurality of storage units to move the first storage unit to the loading location based at least in part on the identifier and the order.

7 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the loading location is at a rear portion of a vehicle where an operator is to load the first asset to the first storage unit, the first storage unit being included in the vehicle.

8 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise, selecting the first storage unit based on at least one of an asset size of the first asset or a final mile delivery destination location of the first asset.

9 . The system of claim 1 , wherein causing the plurality of storage units to automatically rotate to move the first storage unit to the loading location occurs in near real-time relative to the first asset traversing a conveyor apparatus.

10 . A computer-implemented method comprising:
obtaining an identifier for each asset of a plurality of assets in response to a reader component reading a tag coupled to a respective asset of the plurality of assets; in response to obtaining the identifier for each asset of the plurality of assets, populating a data structure indicative of a sequence that the reader component read the tag for a respective asset of the plurality of assets relative to reading the tag for other assets of the plurality of assets; and for each asset of the plurality of assets and at least partially based on populating the data structure, causing a plurality of storage units to automatically rotate to move a respective storage unit of the plurality of storage units to a loading location.

11 . The computer-implemented method of claim 10 , wherein the reader component is coupled to a conveyor apparatus such that reading the tag for each asset of the plurality of assets occurs as a respective asset of the plurality of assets traverses the conveyor apparatus past the reader component, and obtaining the identifier occurs in response to the conveyor apparatus transmitting the identifier over a computer network.

12 . The computer-implemented method of claim 10 , wherein the identifier includes an identification of a respective asset of the plurality of assets, a destination for the respective asset, and a size of the respective asset.

13 . The computer-implemented method of claim 10 , wherein the data structure is a queue data structure that is indexed and populated according to an order that the reader component reads the tag for each asset of the plurality of assets.

14 . The computer-implemented method of claim 13 , wherein causing the plurality of storage units to automatically rotate to move the respective storage unit comprises sending a control signal to the respective storage unit that rotates the plurality of storage units to move the respective storage unit to the loading location based at least in part on the identifier and the order.

15 . The computer-implemented method of claim 10 , wherein the loading location is at a rear portion of a vehicle where an operator is to load an asset of the plurality of assets to the respective storage unit, and the plurality of storage units is included in the vehicle.

16 . The computer-implemented method of claim 10 , further comprising selecting the respective storage unit is based on at least one of an asset size of a respective asset of the plurality of assets or a final mile delivery destination location of the respective asset.

17 . The computer-implemented method of claim 10 , wherein causing the plurality of storage units to automatically rotate to move the respective storage unit to the loading location occurs in near real-time relative to a respective asset of the plurality of assets traversing a conveyor apparatus.

18 . One or more computer storage media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon that, when executed, by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:
obtaining a first identifier of a first asset based at least in part on a reader component reading a first tag associated with the first asset; based at least in part on obtaining the first identifier, populating, at a first time, a data structure that indicates a sequence that the reader component read the first tag relative to one or more other tags associated with one or more other assets; and based at least in part on populating the data structure, causing a first storage unit located in a storage space of a vehicle to automatically rotate along a support surface of the storage space to a loading location.

19 . The one or more computer storage media of claim 18 , wherein the operations further comprising:
subsequent to obtaining the first identifier of the first asset, obtaining a second identifier of a second asset based at least in part on the reader component reading a second tag associated with the second asset; based

Assignees

• United parcel service america inc

Inventors

• Gil Julio
• Ramsager Thomas

Classifications

• G06Q10/0832

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

• B65G67/04

  Loading land vehicles {(loading or unloading boats to or from land vehicles B60P3/10)} · CPC title

• B65G1/1371

  with data records · CPC title

• B25J9/1661

  characterised by task planning, object-oriented languages · CPC title

• G06Q50/40

  Business processes related to the transportation industry (shipping G06Q10/083) · CPC title