Assigning boxes to storage bays based on available spaces

• US 10,235,654 B2
• Filed: 07/14/2016
• Issued: 03/19/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/14/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Notohardjono, Budy D., Tsfasman, Arkadiy O., Werner, John S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Iwarere, Oluseye
• Application Number:
  US15/209,937
• Publication Number:
  US 20180018622A1
• Time in Patent Office: 978 Days
• Field of Search: 340313, 1 1, 705 28
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2358 Change logging, detection, and notification replication G06F16/27
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10009 sensing by radiation using wavelengths larger than 0.1 mm, e.g. radio-waves or microwaves
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10861 sensing of data fields affixed to objects or articles, e.g. coded labels postal sorting B07C3/14, conveying articles B65G47/48
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders

Abstract

Assigning boxes to available spaces in storage bays may include: obtaining a first data structure identifying available spaces in multiple storage bays, the first data structure including xyz measurements of available spaces, and the multiple storage bays including one or more boxes; comparing, by a processor, for match xyz dimensions of a box with xyz dimensions of one or more available spaces in the first data structure to identify a matching available space, the box being selected from a second data structure identifying boxes to be placed into the multiple storage bays; and assigning, based on a match, the box to the matching available space, and removing the box from the second data structure, and the matching available space from the first data structure. The assigning of boxes may be combined with identifying desired products to be ordered, and ordering products based on available spaces in the storage bays.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

wirelessly reading, using a mobile device, identifying information from tags associated with stored boxes in multiple storage bays of a warehouse;

creating a first data structure using in part, the identifying information wirelessly read from the tags, the first data structure identifying available spaces in the multiple storage bays, and the first data structure comprising xyz measurements of the available spaces, the xyz measurements of the available spaces representing a sub-set of total space in the multiple storage bays for storing boxes;

comparing, by a processor, for a match xyz dimensions of a box with xyz dimensions of one or more available spaces in the first data structure of available spaces to identify a matching available space, the box being selected from a second data structure identifying boxes to be placed into the multiple storage bays;

assigning, based on a match, the box to the matching available space, and removing the box from the second data structure and the matching available space from the first data structure; and

placing the box in the matching available space in a storage bay of the multiple storage bays.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising repeating the comparing and the assigning for multiple boxes in the second data structure.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising, where one or more dimensions of the box are smaller than the xyz dimensions of available spaces in the first data structure, comparing two dimensions of the box with two dimensions of the available spaces in the first data structure to identify the matching available space.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the two dimensions are z and x dimensions, with the z dimension being a depth dimension into the storage bays, and the x dimension being a horizontal dimension across the storage bays.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the comparing two dimensions further comprises, where the box matches in two dimensions multiple available spaces in the first data structure, assigning the box to the matching available space with a third dimension that is larger than and most closely matching to the box'"'"'s third dimension.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the comparing two dimensions further comprises, where the box matches in two dimensions multiple available spaces in the first data structure, assigning the box to the matching available space with an adjacent box having a third dimension that most closely matches the box'"'"'s third dimension.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the third dimension is a y dimension, with the y dimension being a vertical dimension with the multiple storage bays.

8. The method of claim 3, further comprising, where the box does not match an available space in two dimensions, comparing one dimension of the box with one dimension of the available spaces in the first data structure to identify a matching available space in one dimension which also has a best-fit match to the box in a second dimension.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the one dimension is a z dimension, with the z dimension being a depth dimension into the storage bays, and the second dimension an x dimension, the x dimension being a horizontal dimension across the storage bays.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the comparing one dimension further comprises, where the box matches in one direction multiple available spaces with multiple similar best-fit matches in the second dimension, assigning the box to the matching available space which has a third dimension that is larger than and most closely matching to the box'"'"'s third dimension.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the comparing one dimension further comprises, where the box matches in one dimension multiple available spaces with multiple similar best-fit matches in the second dimension, assigning the box to the matching available space with an adjacent box with a third dimension that most closely matches the box'"'"'s third dimension.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the third dimension is a y dimension, with the y dimension being a vertical dimension within the multiple storage bays.

13. The method of claim 3, further comprising, where one or more remaining boxes in the second data structure do not match an available space in the one dimension, reducing in the one dimension size of an available space in the first data structure to a longest length of a longest remaining box of the one or more remaining boxes in the second data structure.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating the second data structure based, at least in part, on ascertaining desired products to be stored, the desired products being within associated boxes; and

ordering one or more products of the desired products based on determining that one or more associated boxes of the one or more products have a matching available space in the first data structure of available spaces.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating a third data structure comprising boxes without a current available space in the multiple storage bays, and for each box in the third data structure, providing an identification of one or more storage bays of the multiple storage bays which could potentially be reorganized to provide an available space for the box.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein generating the third data structure comprises, for each bay of the multiple storage bays:

determining an open front surface area in the bay;

comparing each box to be included in the third data structure with the open front surface of the bay; and

adding identification of the storage bay to the third data structure for that box, based on the open front surface area of the bay being greater than a surface area of a smallest side of the box being listed in the third data structure.