Fulfilling items to users

• US 10,332,183 B1
• Filed: 03/28/2014
• Issued: 06/25/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Dogan, Ozgur, Puerini, Gianna Lise, Mountz, Michael Cordell, Kessel, Steve
• Primary Examiner(s): Airapetian, Mila
• Application Number:
  US14/229,380
• Time in Patent Office: 1,915 Days
• Field of Search: 705 261, 700216, 700 23, 701 23
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0631 Item recommendations

Abstract

This disclosure describes a system for fulfilling items at a materials handling facility. In some instances, a predicted items list that identifies items that are likely to be picked by a user are determined and, when the user arrives at the materials handling facility, those predicted items are presented to the user for selection. For example, predicted items may be determined and an inventory holder that holds one or more of those predicted items may be retrieved by a mobile drive unit (such as a Kiva mobile drive unit) and presented to the user at a retrieval area. The user may pick the items they desire from the presented inventory holder.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

under control of one or more computing systems configured with executable instructions,

identifying a user at a facility;

in response to identifying the user and before the user interacts with an item in an item delivery area, determining that a predicted items list is associated with the user, wherein the predicted items list identifies a predicted item, wherein the predicted item is determined, based at least in part on a prior activity of the user, to be of potential interest to the user;

determining an inventory holder located within a storage area of the facility, wherein the inventory holder contains the predicted item and the storage area is separate from the item delivery area;

sending instructions to a mobile drive unit to retrieve the inventory holder from the storage area;

sending instructions to the mobile drive unit to deliver the inventory holder from the storage area to the item delivery area; and

removing a barrier at the item delivery area that separates a user area from an area where the mobile drive unit operates.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the predicted item is further determined based on one or more of:

a prior purchase of an item by the user, a prior use of an item by the user, or an indication by the user that the item is of interest.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the predicted items list identifies a plurality of predicted items for the user, the method further comprising:

sending instructions to consolidate at least two of the plurality of predicted items into the inventory holder prior to sending the instructions to deliver the inventory holder to the item delivery area, wherein consolidating at least two of the plurality of predicted items includes picking the at least two of the plurality of predicted items from a first storage location and a second storage location.

20. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

outputting a notification to the user that the predicted item is available at the item delivery area, wherein the notification is output before the user interacts with the item delivery area.

4. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

under control of one or more computing systems configured with executable instructions,

identifying a user;

in response to identifying the user and before the user interacts with an item in a retrieval area, determining that a predicted items list is associated with the user, wherein the predicted items list identifies a plurality of predicted items to be presented to a user;

determining an inventory holder located in a storage area that contains at least one of the plurality of predicted items, wherein the storage area is separate from a retrieval area; and

sending instructions to a mobile drive unit to deliver the inventory holder from the storage area to the retrieval area, wherein the retrieval area is configured to provide the user access to items contained in the inventory holder.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, further comprising:

subsequent to determining that the predicted items list is associated with the user, sending a notification to the user that informs the user that predicted items are available for selection by the user at the retrieval area.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, further comprising:

determining for each of the plurality of predicted items, a probability that the predicted item will be picked by the user when an inventory holder containing the predicted item is presented to the user at the retrieval area; and

wherein determining the inventory holder includes selecting an inventory holder containing a predicted item having a highest probability.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, further comprising:

determining for each of the plurality of predicted items, a probability that the predicted item will be picked by the user when an inventory holder containing the predicted item is presented to the user at the retrieval area; and

wherein determining an inventory holder includes;

determining for each inventory holder that contains one or more of the plurality of predicted items, a combined probability representative of a combined probability for each predicted item contained in the inventory holder; and

selecting an inventory holder having a highest combined probability.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, further comprising:

sending for presentation to the user, item information about the predicted item.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, further comprising:

determining that the inventory holder is positioned at an item delivery area included in the retrieval area; and

distinguishing the predicted item.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, further comprising:

providing power to the inventory holder.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein distinguishing the predicted item includes at least one of:

illuminating the predicted item, increasing an illumination of the predicted item, decreasing an illumination adjacent to the predicted item, or presenting information about the predicted item.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, further comprising:

determining that the user has picked the predicted item from the inventory holder; and

adding an item identifier representative of the picked predicted item to an item identifier list associated with the user.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, further comprising:

determining that the plurality of predicted items identified on the predicted items list have been confirmed to be of interest to the user.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, further comprising:

determining a second inventory holder that contains at least a second one of the plurality of predicted items; and

sending instructions to a second mobile drive unit to deliver the second inventory holder to the retrieval area, wherein the second inventory holder is positioned in a queue at the retrieval area.

21. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, further comprising:

detecting the user at the retrieval area; and

wherein sending instructions to the mobile drive unit is in response to detecting the user at the retrieval area.

15. A system comprising:

a mobile drive unit;

a retrieval area to receive the mobile drive unit;

one or more processors; and

a memory coupled to the one or more processors and storing program instructions that when executed by the one or more processors cause the processor to at least;

identify a user;

in response to identifying the user and before the user interacts with an item in the retrieval area, determine that a predicted items list is associated with the user, wherein the predicted items list identifies a plurality of predicted items to be presented to a user;

determine an inventory holder located in a storage area that contains at least one of the plurality of predicted items, wherein the storage area is separate from the retrieval area; and

send instructions to the mobile drive unit to deliver the inventory holder to the retrieval area such that the user can access items contained in the inventory holder.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the program instructions further cause the one or more processors to at least:

determine that the user has picked the predicted item from the inventory holder; and

add an item identifier representative of the picked predicted item to an item identifier list associated with the user.

17. The system of claim 15, further comprising:

a second mobile drive unit; and

wherein the program instructions further cause the one or more processors to at least;

determine a second inventory holder that contains at least a second one of the plurality of predicted items; and

send instructions to the second mobile drive unit to deliver the second inventory holder to the retrieval area, wherein the second inventory holder is positioned in a queue at the retrieval area.

18. The system of claim 15, further comprising:

an item delivery area within the retrieval area, the item delivery area including a barrier that separates a user from an area where the mobile drive unit operates.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the program instructions further cause the one or more processors to at least:

prior to delivery of the inventory holder to the retrieval area, send instructions to consolidate at least two of the plurality of predicted items into the inventory holder, wherein consolidating at least two of the plurality of predicted items includes picking the at least two of the plurality of predicted items from a first storage location and a second storage location.

22. A method, comprising:

determining a predicted items list, wherein the predicted items list identifies a plurality of predicted items to be presented to a user;

determining an inventory holder located in a storage area that contains at least one of the plurality of predicted items; and

sending instructions to have the inventory holder delivered from the storage area to the retrieval area.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein:

the storage area is separate from the retrieval area; and

the retrieval area is configured to provide the user access to items contained in the inventory holder.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein sending instructions includes:

sending instructions to a mobile drive unit.