Inventory facility

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9558472-B1
Application number	US-201514966774-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Dec 11, 2015
Priority date	Dec 11, 2015
Publication date	Jan 31, 2017
Grant date	Jan 31, 2017

Abstract

This application describes fabric storage totes, as well as techniques for use of fabric totes in an infrastructure that uses mechanical systems to transport the fabric totes and/or access inventory items in the fabric totes. The fabric totes may include a fabric base and side walls, with a hardened material support structure. Additionally, the fabric totes may include two handles made of a substantially hard material. The fabric totes may be accessed and transported, manually and/or mechanically, via interaction with the handles.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system comprising:
a tote configured to store an inventory item, the tote comprising a first handle and a second handle;
an inventory pod comprising a storage space, wherein the storage space comprises a rail system configured to assist insertion of the tote into the storage space;
a mechanical device comprising:
a lifting mechanism configured to couple to a bottom of the inventory pod and to lift the inventory pod off a surface of an inventory facility in which the mechanical device is located; and
a drive system to move the mechanical device from a first location in the inventory facility to a second location in the inventory facility;

a conveyor system comprising a first cable and a second cable, and configured to transport the tote within the inventory facility;
an extractor configured to couple to the first handle and the second handle and to cause a manipulation of the tote, wherein the manipulation of the tote comprises at least removing the tote from the storage space of the inventory pod and placing the first handle on the first cable and the second handle on the second cable, wherein the extractor is located at the second location and the conveyor system transports the tote from the second location to a third location in the inventory facility; and
a mechanical arm at the third location, the mechanical arm configured to remove the inventory item from the tote and transport the inventory item to a fourth location in the inventory facility, wherein the fourth location comprises a work area for initiating a delivery of the inventory item.

2. The system as recited in claim 1 , wherein the first cable and the second cable are configured to diverge from a first distance in which the tote is in a neutral position to a second distance in which the tote is in an open position to facilitate access to the inventory item at the third location in the inventory facility.

3. The system as recited in claim 1 , further comprising a management component configured to:
identify the tote;
identify the inventory pod;
assign a first task to the mechanical device, the first task comprising:
driving to the first location, the first location being a storage location for the inventory pod;
coupling to the bottom of the inventory pod;
lifting the inventory pod off the surface of the inventory facility; and
driving to the second location;

assign a second task to the extractor, the second task comprising:
removing the tote from the inventory pod; and
placing the tote on the conveyor system; and

assign a third task to the mechanical arm, the third task comprising:
removing the inventory item from the tote; and
transporting the inventory item to the fourth location.

4. The system as recited in claim 1 , further comprising a management component configured to:
determine a minimum battery charge of the mechanical device; and
based at least partly on the minimum battery charge, assign a recharge task to the mechanical device, wherein the recharge task comprises connecting to a recharging station.

5. An inventory facility comprising:
a tote comprising at least one handle and configured to store an inventory item;
an inventory pod configured to store the tote via the at least one handle;
an extractor configured to remove the tote from the inventory pod via the at least one handle; and
a conveyor configured to deliver the tote to a workstation in the inventory facility via the at least one handle.

6. The inventory facility as recited in claim 5 , wherein the extractor is further configured to:
couple to a first handle of the tote and a second handle of the tote; and
place the first handle on a first cable or a first rail of the conveyor and the second handle on a second cable or a second rail of the conveyor.

7. The inventory facility as recited in claim 5 , wherein the extractor is further configured to adjust a first handle of the tote and a second handle of the tote from a first distance in which the tote is in a neutral position to a second distance in which the tote is in an open position, the second distance being greater than the first distance.

8. The inventory facility as recited in claim 5 , wherein the extractor is configured to couple to the tote via a magnetic connection or a mechanical connection.

9. The inventory facility as recited in claim 5 , further comprising a mechanical device comprising a drive system to move with the inventory facility, wherein the mechanical device further comprises a lifting mechanism configured to couple to the inventory pod and lift the inventory pod off of a surface of the inventory facility, the mechanical device being further configured to deliver the inventory pod from a first location in the inventory facility to a second location in the inventory facility.

10. The inventory facility as recited in claim 5 , further comprising an unmanned aerial vehicle configured to transport, via the at least one handle, the tote from the workstation to a second location, the second location being associated with a customer or the inventory facility.

11. The inventory facility as recited in claim 5 , further comprising a management component configured to:
identify the inventory pod;
identify the tote; and
cause the extractor to remove the tote and place the tote on the conveyor.

12. The inventory facility as recited in claim 5 , further comprising a mechanical arm configured to identify the inventory item in the tote and remove the inventory item from the tote.

13. The inventory facility as recited in claim 5 , wherein the tote comprises:
a first handle comprising a first set of rollers; and
a second handle comprising a second set of rollers,
wherein the first set of rollers and the second set of rollers facilitate movement of the tote along a first cable or a first rail of the conveyor and a second cable or a second rail of the conveyor.

14. The inventory facility as recited in claim 5 , wherein the conveyor comprises a first cable or a first rail and a second cable or a second rail configured to diverge from a first distance in which the tote is in a neutral position to a second distance in which the tote is in an open position to facilitate access to the inventory item, wherein the second distance is greater than the first distance.

15. A method comprising:
receiving, from a customer device, an order for an inventory item;
identifying a tote comprising at least one handle and storing the inventory item;
identifying a location associated with an inventory pod storing the tote;
causing a mechanical device to move to the location associated with the inventory pod;
causing the tote to be removed, via the at least one handle, from the inventory pod via an extractor coupled to the mechanical device;
causing the tote to be delivered to a second location associated with a conveyor;
causing the tote to be placed on the conveyor via the at least one handle;
causing the tote to be delivered, via the at least one handle, to a workstation via the conveyor;
causing the inventory item to be removed from the tote at the workstation; and
causing a delivery of the inventory item to a customer associated with the customer device.

16. The method as recited in claim 15 , further comprising:
causing a first handle of the tote to be placed on a first cable or a first rail of the conveyor; and
causing a second handle of the tote to be placed on a second cable or a second rail of the conveyor,
wherein the first handle is configured to facilitate movement of the tote along the first cable or the first rail and th

Assignees

• Amazon Tech Inc

Inventors

• Tubilla Kuri Fernando

Classifications

• G05B2219/39102

  Manipulator cooperating with conveyor · CPC title

• G05B2219/2621

  Conveyor, transfert line · CPC title

• G06Q10/087 Primary

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

• G05B19/041

  Function-oriented details · CPC title

• G05B19/19

  characterised by positioning or contouring control systems, e.g. to control position from one programmed point to another or to control movement along a programmed continuous path · CPC title