Systems to fulfill a picked sales order and related methods therefor

• US 10,699,328 B2
• Filed: 05/05/2017
• Issued: 06/30/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 04/17/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Walmart Apollo, LLC (WalMart Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Walmart Apollo, LLC (WalMart Inc.)
• Inventors: Rajkhowa, Pratosh Deepak, Shendre, Ameya Ajay, Raichur Rajoli, Pavan Kumar, Gupta, Shekhar, Krishnan, Vidyanand
• Primary Examiner(s): Pond, Robert M
• Application Number:
  US15/588,393
• Publication Number:
  US 20180300800A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,152 Days
• Field of Search: 705 26, 705 27
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/083 Shipping
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0635 Processing of requisition or of purchase orders

Abstract

Some embodiments include a system. The system can include one or more processors and one or more non-transitory memory storage devices storing computer instructions configured to run on the processor(s) and perform acts including: receiving a request for a picked sales order; estimating an estimated fulfillment time interval to make ready the good(s) of the picked sales order for receipt by the customer, wherein estimating the estimated fulfillment time interval to make ready the good(s) of the picked sales order for receipt by the customer includes evaluating an availability of one or more pickers to pick the good(s); determining a receivable clock time at which to promise the good(s) for receipt by the customer; and communicating the receivable clock time to the customer. Other embodiments of related systems and methods are also provided.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

one or more processors; and

one or more non-transitory memory storage devices storing computer instructions configured to run on the one or more processors and perform;

receiving a request for a picked sales order, wherein the picked sales order;

is associated with a customer; and

comprises one or more goods offered for sale;

determining when an order is eligible for batch picking by finding one or more other orders comprising at least one of the one or more goods;

clustering, into one or more clusters, the one or more goods of the picked sales order and the at least one of the one or more goods of the one or more other orders;

estimating, for each respective cluster of the one or more clusters, a component estimated fulfillment time interval to make ready the one or more goods of the picked sales order for receipt by the customer by evaluating a respective availability of one or more respective pickers to pick the one or more goods;

determining a receivable clock time at which to promise the one or more goods for receipt by the customer by;

identifying a current clock time;

identifying a first available clock time of one or more predetermined clock times, wherein;

a difference of the first available clock time and the current clock time is greater than a total estimated fulfillment time interval of the picked sales order; and

the first available clock time (1) occurs after the current clock time and (2) is nearest to the current clock time compared to other available clock times; and

assigning the first available clock time as the receivable clock time;

assigning one respective cluster of the one or more clusters to each of at least one respective picker of the one or more respective pickers who are evaluated to be available to pick the one or more goods; and

communicating the receivable clock time to the customer.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein:

evaluating the respective availability of the one or more respective pickers to pick the one or more goods comprises;

evaluating a respective shift schedule of a respective picker of the one or more respective pickers.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein:

evaluating the respective availability of the one or more respective pickers to pick the one or more goods comprises;

receiving a respective picker status of a respective picker of the one or more respective pickers; and

evaluating the respective picker status of the respective picker.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein:

the respective picker status is selected by the respective picker of the one or more respective pickers; and

the respective picker status is an available picker status.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein:

estimating the component estimated fulfillment time interval to make ready the one or more goods of the picked sales order for receipt by the customer comprises;

evaluating a quantity of the one or more goods.

6. The system of claim 4 wherein:

estimating, for each respective cluster of the one or more clusters, the component estimated fulfillment time interval to make ready the one or more goods of the picked sales order for receipt by the customer further comprises;

evaluating, for each respective cluster of the one or more clusters, one or more good types of the one or more goods in the respective cluster.

7. The system of claim 4 wherein:

estimating, for each respective cluster of the one or more clusters, the component estimated fulfillment time interval to make ready the one or more goods of the picked sales order for receipt by the customer further comprises;

evaluating, for each respective cluster of the one or more clusters, a quantity of aisle switches associated with picking the one or more goods in the respective cluster.

8. The system of claim 4 wherein:

the request for the picked sales order comprises a conveyance type of the picked sales order; and

estimating, for each respective cluster of the one or more clusters, the component estimated fulfillment time interval to make ready the one or more goods of the picked sales order for receipt by the customer further comprises;

evaluating the conveyance type of the picked sales order.

9. The system of claim 4 wherein:

estimating, for each respective cluster of the one or more clusters, the component estimated fulfillment time interval to make ready the one or more goods of the picked sales order for receipt by the customer further comprises;

evaluating whether one or more previously promised picked sales orders for the customer have been canceled.

10. The system of claim 3 wherein:

the respective picker status is selected by the respective picker of the one or more respective pickers; and

the respective picker status comprises at least one of;

(i) an available picker status, (ii) a limited wind-down picker status, and (iii) a full wind-down picker status.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein:

estimating, for each respective cluster of the one or more clusters, the component estimated fulfillment time interval to make ready the one or more goods of the picked sales order for receipt by the customer further comprises;

evaluating, for each respective cluster of the one or more clusters, a quantity of the one or more goods in the respective cluster.

12. The system of claim 10 wherein:

estimating, for each respective cluster of the one or more clusters, the component estimated fulfillment time interval to make ready the one or more goods of the picked sales order for receipt by the customer further comprises;

evaluating, for each respective cluster of the one or more clusters, one or more good types of the one or more goods in the respective cluster.

13. The system of claim 10 wherein:

estimating, for each respective cluster of the one or more clusters, the component estimated fulfillment time interval to make ready the one or more goods of the picked sales order for receipt by the customer further comprises;

evaluating, for each respective cluster of the one or more clusters, a quantity of aisle switches associated with picking the one or more goods in the respective cluster.

14. The system of claim 10 wherein:

the request for the picked sales order comprises a conveyance type of the picked sales order; and

estimating, for each respective cluster of the one or more clusters, the component estimated fulfillment time interval to make ready the one or more goods of the picked sales order for receipt by the customer further comprises;

evaluating the conveyance type of the picked sales order.

15. The system of claim 10 wherein:

estimating, for each respective cluster of the one or more clusters, the component estimated fulfillment time interval to make ready the one or more goods of the picked sales order for receipt by the customer further comprises;

evaluating, for each respective cluster of the one or more clusters, whether one or more previously promised picked sales orders for the customer have been canceled.

16. A method implemented via execution of computing instructions configured to run at one or more processors and configured to be stored at non-transitory computer-readable media, the method comprising:

receiving a request for a picked sales order, wherein the picked sales order;

is associated with a customer; and

comprises one or more goods offered for sale;

determining when an order is eligible for batch picking by finding one or more other orders comprising at least one of the one or more goods;

clustering, into one or more clusters, the one or more goods of the picked sales order and the at least one of the one or more goods of the one or more other orders;

estimating, for each respective cluster of the one or more clusters, a component estimated fulfillment time interval to make ready the one or more goods of the picked sales order for receipt by the customer by evaluating a respective availability of one or more respective pickers to pick the one or more goods;

determining a receivable clock time at which to promise the one or more goods for receipt by the customer by;

identifying a current clock time;

identifying a first available clock time of one or more predetermined clock times, wherein;

a difference of the first available clock time and the current clock time is greater than a total estimated fulfillment time interval of the picked sales order; and

the first available clock time (1) occurs after the current clock time and (2) is nearest to the current clock time compared to other available clock times; and

assigning the first available clock time as the receivable clock time;

assigning one respective cluster of the one or more clusters to each of at least one respective picker of the one or more respective pickers who are evaluated to be available to pick the one or more goods; and

communicating the receivable clock time to the customer.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein:

evaluating the respective availability of the one or more respective pickers to pick the one or more goods comprises;

receiving a respective picker status of a respective picker of the one or more respective pickers; and

evaluating the respective picker status of the respective picker.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein:

the respective picker status is selected by the respective picker of the one or more respective pickers; and

the respective picker status is an available picker status.

19. The method of claim 17 wherein:

the respective picker status is selected by the respective picker of the one or more respective pickers; and

the respective picker status comprises at least one of;

(i) an available picker status, (ii) a limited wind-down picker status, and (iii) a full wind-down picker status.

20. A system comprising:

one or more processors; and

one or more non-transitory memory storage devices storing computer instructions configured to run on the one or more processors and perform acts comprising;

receiving a request for a picked sales order, wherein the picked sales order;

is associated with a customer; and

comprises one or more goods offered for sale;

determining when an order is eligible for batch picking by finding one or more other orders comprising at least one of the one or more goods;

clustering, into one or more clusters, the one or more goods of the picked sales order and the at least one of the one or more goods of the one or more other orders into one or more clusters;

estimating, for each respective cluster of the one or more clusters, a component estimated fulfillment time interval to make ready the one or more goods of the picked sales order for receipt by the customer by;

evaluating a respective availability of one or more respective pickers to pick the one or more goods;

evaluating a quantity of the one or more goods;

evaluating one or more good types of the one or more goods;

evaluating a quantity of aisle switches associated with picking the one or more goods;

evaluating a conveyance type of the picked sales order; and

evaluating whether one or more previously promised picked sales orders have been canceled;

determining a receivable clock time at which to promise the one or more goods for receipt by the customer by;

identifying a current clock time;

identifying a first available clock time of one or more predetermined clock times, wherein;

a difference of the first available clock time and the current clock time is greater than a total estimated fulfillment time interval of the picked sales order; and

the first available clock time (1) occurs after the current clock time and (2) is nearest to the current clock time compared to other available clock times; and

assigning the first available clock time as the receivable clock time;

assigning one respective cluster of the one or more clusters to each of at least one respective picker of the one or more respective pickers who are evaluated to be available to pick the one or more goods; and

communicating the receivable clock time to the customer wherein;

evaluating the respective availability of the one or more respective pickers to pick the one or more goods comprises;

receiving a picker status of a picker of one or more respective pickers; and

evaluating the picker status of the picker;

the picker status is selected by the picker of the one or more respective pickers; and

the picker status is selected from one of;

(i) an available picker status, (ii) a limited wind-down picker status, and (iii) a full wind-down picker status.