Inventory system with efficient operator handling of inventory items

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016145044-A1
Application number	US-201414552309-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Nov 24, 2014
Priority date	Nov 24, 2014
Publication date	May 26, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

An inventory system can receive a receipt receptacle from a shipping vehicle. The receipt receptacle can be moved to a case shuttle without separating or sorting inventory items in the receipt receptacle. A mobile drive unit can move the case shuttle to a receiving station, where the receipt receptacle can be removed and where the inventory items can be stowed in a pickable inventory holder. A mobile drive unit can move the pickable inventory holder to an order-compiling station, where inventory items can be picked from the inventory holder into order receptacles. A mobile drive unit can move an order shuttle carrying order receptacles with completed orders to a shipping station, where the completed order receptacles can be transferred to a shipping vehicle.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method comprising, under the control of one or more computer systems configured with executable instructions:
receiving information regarding a receipt receptacle moved from a shipping vehicle to a position on a case shuttle, the receipt receptacle containing one or more inventory items and moved from the shipping vehicle to the position on the case shuttle without separating or sorting the one or more inventory items contained in the receipt receptacle such that the one or more inventory items contained in the receipt receptacle are unseparated or unsorted; instructing storage of the case shuttle with the receipt receptacle containing the unseparated or unsorted one or more inventory items; receiving an order for a first item of the unseparated or unsorted one or more inventory items; in response to receiving the order, instructing movement, using a mobile drive unit, of the case shuttle to a receiving station, removal of the receipt receptacle from the case shuttle at the receiving station, and stowing of the first item of the unseparated or unsorted one or more inventory items from the receipt receptacle into an inventory holder; instructing movement, using a mobile drive unit, of the inventory holder with the stowed first item to an order-compiling station; instructing transfer of the stowed first item from the inventory holder into an order receptacle at the order-compiling station; instructing movement of the order receptacle with the first item to an order shuttle configured to be moved by a mobile drive unit to a shipping station; and instructing transfer of the order receptacle with the first item from the order shuttle to a shipping vehicle at the shipping station.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein instructing removal of the receipt receptacle from the case shuttle at the receiving station and stowing of the first item from the receipt receptacle into the inventory holder further comprises instructing removal of the first item from the receipt receptacle.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein instructing removal of the receipt receptacle from the case shuttle at the receiving station and stowing of the first item from the receipt receptacle into the inventory holder further comprises instructing stowing of the receipt receptacle with the first item therein into the inventory holder.

4 . The method of claim 3 , further comprising instructing removal of the receipt receptacle from the inventory holder after the first item has been removed from the receipt receptacle and stowing of any inventory items remaining in the receipt receptacle in one or more inventory holders.

5 . A non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon,
wherein the instructions, when executed, cause a computer system having at least one computer processor to perform a method comprising: instructing movement of a plurality of receipt receptacles from a shipping vehicle to a plurality of case shuttles without separating or sorting inventory items contained in the receipt receptacles such that the receipt receptacles contain unseparated or unsorted inventory items; instructing storage of the plurality of case shuttles with the plurality of receipt receptacles containing the unseparated or unsorted inventory items; for each receipt receptacle of the plurality of receipt receptacles, obtaining information about the receipt receptacle regarding the unseparated or unsorted inventory items contained in the receipt receptacle; selecting a receipt receptacle from the plurality of receipt receptacles based at least in part on at least one attribute related to the obtained information regarding the unseparated or unsorted inventory items contained in the selected receipt receptacle; instructing movement, using a mobile drive unit, of the case shuttle bearing the selected receipt receptacle to a receiving station; and instructing removal of the selected receipt receptacle from the case shuttle at the receiving station and stowing of one or more items from the selected receipt receptacle into an inventory holder to permit the one or more items to be pickable for fulfilling orders for inventory items.

6 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 5 , wherein the method further comprises:
receiving an order requesting at least one inventory item; wherein selecting the receipt receptacle based at least in part on at least one attribute related to the obtained information regarding the unseparated or unsorted inventory items contained in the selected receipt receptacle comprises selecting the receipt receptacle based at least in part on a presence, in the selected receipt receptacle, of the at least one inventory item requested in the order.

7 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 5 , wherein selecting the receipt receptacle based at least in part on at least one attribute related to the obtained information regarding the unseparated or unsorted inventory items contained in the selected receipt receptacle comprises selecting the receipt receptacle based at least in part on a presence, in the selected receipt receptacle, of an inventory item that is frequently requested in orders requesting at least one inventory item.

8 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 5 , wherein selecting the receipt receptacle based at least in part on at least one attribute related to the obtained information regarding the unseparated or unsorted inventory items contained in the selected receipt receptacle comprises selecting the receipt receptacle based at least in part on a size of an inventory item in the selected receipt receptacle that is capable of being processed at the receiving station.

9 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 5 , wherein selecting the receipt receptacle based at least in part on at least one attribute related to the obtained information regarding the unseparated or unsorted inventory items contained in the selected receipt receptacle comprises selecting the receipt receptacle based at least in part on an availability of the selected receipt receptacle to arrive at the receiving station before an operator at the receiving station is expected to finish processing another receipt receptacle.

10 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 5 , wherein selecting the receipt receptacle based at least in part on at least one attribute related to the obtained information regarding the unseparated or unsorted inventory items contained in the selected receipt receptacle comprises selecting the receipt receptacle based at least in part on a time that the selected receipt receptacle was moved to a case shuttle relative to another receipt receptacle.

11 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 5 , wherein selecting the receipt receptacle based at least in part on at least one attribute related to the obtained information regarding the unseparated or unsorted inventory items contained in the selected receipt receptacle comprises selecting the receipt receptacle based at least in part on a proximity of the selected receipt receptacle to the receiving station relative to another receipt receptacle.

12 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 5 , wherein selecting the receipt receptacle based at least in part on at least one attribute related to the obtained information regarding the unseparated or unsorted inventory items contained in the selected receipt receptacle comprises selecting the receipt receptacle based at least in part on a presence of one or more inventory items of an unknown type in the selected receipt receptacle.

Assignees

• Amazon Tech Inc

Inventors

• Mountz Michael Cordell
• Schechter Jonathan Harris
• Enright John Joseph
• Durham Joseph W
• Horvath Ibolya
• Nice Eryk Brian
• Decker Michael Harrison
• Wurman Peter R
• Ambrogi Robert Raymond
• Bragg Timothy Aaron

Classifications

• B65G1/1373 Primary

  for fulfilling orders in warehouses · CPC title

• G05B15/02

  electric · CPC title

• B65G2209/06

  Use of order trucks · CPC title

• B65G2209/08

  Orders with a high and a low volume · CPC title