Method and apparatus for multi-destination item selection using motes

• US 20060206235A1
• Filed: 03/10/2005
• Published: 09/14/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/10/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Shakes, Jonathan J., Rouaix, Francois M.
• Granted Patent: US 8,731,708 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/216
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 1/1373 for fulfilling orders in warehouses
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 1/1378 the orders being assembled on fixed commissioning areas remote from the storage areas
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders

Abstract

Method and apparatus for multi-destination pick using motes. In embodiments, each receptacle may be assigned to a destination and may have a mote that may include an indicator that may be activated by a control system to indicate to the agent that the receptacle is the destination receptacle for a picked item. The agent may then place the item in the indicated destination receptacle. A mote may include a communication interface for communicating with a control system and with other motes in an ad-hoc network. In one embodiment, the mote on the destination receptacle may be activated when the picked item is scanned by the agent. In some embodiments, each receptacle may also have a sensor that detects when an item is placed in the receptacle to deactivate the indicator and/or to verify that the item was placed in the correct receptacle.

Claims

1. A materials handling facility, comprising:

a plurality of destinations for items picked in the materials handling facility;

a control system configured to;

assign a list of items to be picked to an agent in the materials handling facility, wherein the list of items includes items for two or more of the destinations in the materials handling facility;

assign a receptacle to each of the destinations for the list of items to be picked, wherein each receptacle has a mote comprising a communications interface for communicating with the control system, wherein the mote is coupled to an indicator;

direct the agent to a location in the materials handling facility for a particular item to be picked; and

send a message to the mote on the one of the receptacles assigned to the destination for that item to activate the indicator coupled to the mote to indicate to the agent that the item is to be placed in the indicated receptacle.

2. The materials handling facility as recited in claim 1, wherein the plurality of destinations include one or more of sorting stations, packing stations, and stations for performing value-added services.

3. The materials handling facility as recited in claim 1, wherein each receptacle further has a sensor for detecting placement of an item in the receptacle, and wherein the control system is further configured to deactivate the activated indicator in response to detection of placement of the item in the receptacle by the sensor.

4. The materials handling facility as recited in claim 1, wherein each receptacle further has a sensor for detecting placement of an item in the receptacle, and wherein the control system is further configured to verify and indicate placement of the item in the correct receptacle assigned to the destination of the item in response to detection of placement of the item in the receptacle by the sensor.

5. The materials handling facility as recited in claim 1, wherein the control system is further configured to activate the indicator on the receptacle assigned to the destination for the item in response to the agent entering information about the item on a communications device configured to communicate the entered information to the control system.

6. The materials handling facility as recited in claim 1, wherein the motes and the control system are configured to participate in an ad-hoc network in the materials handling facility.

7. A method, comprising:

an agent of a materials handling facility picking items on a list of items into two or more receptacles, wherein each receptacle has a mote comprising a communications interface for communicating with a materials handling facility control system, wherein the mote is coupled to an indicator, wherein the list of items includes items for two or more destinations in the materials handling facility, and wherein each of the two or more receptacles is assigned to a particular one of the destinations;

wherein said picking comprises, for each item picked;

entering information about the item on a communications device configured to communicate the entered information to the control system; and

the control system sending a message to the mote on the one of the receptacles assigned to the destination for the item to activate the indicator coupled to the mote in response to the entered information to indicate to the agent that the item is to be placed in the indicated receptacle.

8. The method as recited in claim 7, further comprising:

the agent receiving the list of items to be picked from the materials handling facility from the control system on the communications device;

the agent obtaining the two or more receptacles; and

assigning each obtained receptacle to one of the two or more destinations for the items on the list of items.

9. The method as recited in claim 7, wherein the destinations include one or more of sorting stations, packing stations, and stations for performing value-added services.

10. The method as recited in claim 7, wherein each receptacle further has a sensor for detecting placement of an item in the receptacle, and wherein the method further comprises:

the sensor detecting placement of the item in the receptacle; and

the control system deactivating the activated indicator in response to said detecting placement of the item in the receptacle.

11. The method as recited in claim 7, wherein each receptacle further has a sensor for detecting placement of an item in the receptacle, and wherein the method further comprises:

the sensor detecting placement of the item in the receptacle; and

the control system verifying placement of the item in the correct receptacle in response to said detecting placement of the item in the receptacle.

12. The method as recited in claim 7, wherein the motes and the control system are configured to participate in an ad-hoc network in the materials handling facility.

13. The method as recited in claim 7, wherein each receptacle is one of a tote, a basket, a box, a bin, a hopper, a shelf, and an induct lane of an automated sorting mechanism.

14. The method as recited in claim 7, wherein each receptacle is a compartment in one of a partitioned tote, a partitioned basket, a partitioned box, a partitioned bin, and a partitioned shelf.

15. A computer-accessible medium comprising program instructions, wherein the program instructions are configured to implement:

providing a list of items to be picked in a materials handling facility to an agent of the materials handling facility, wherein the list of items includes items for two or more destinations in the materials handling facility;

assigning a receptacle to each of the two or more destinations for the items on the list of items, wherein each receptacle has a mote comprising a communications interface and coupled to an indicator;

directing the agent in picking the items on the list of items from the materials handling facility into the two or more receptacles, wherein said directing comprises, for each item picked;

receiving information about the item from a communications device configured to send the information entered by the agent; and

sending a message to the mote on the one of the receptacles assigned to the destination for the item to activate the indicator coupled to the mote in response to said receiving the information to indicate to the agent that the item is to be placed in the indicated receptacle.

16. The computer-accessible medium as recited in claim 15, wherein the destinations include one or more of sorting stations, packing stations, and stations for performing value-added services.

17. The computer-accessible medium as recited in claim 15, wherein each receptacle further has a sensor for detecting placement of an item in the receptacle, and wherein the program instructions are further configured to implement deactivating the activated indicator in response to the sensor detecting placement of the item in the receptacle.

18. The computer-accessible medium as recited in claim 15, wherein each receptacle further has a sensor for detecting placement of an item in the receptacle, and wherein the program instructions are further configured to implement verifying placement of the item in the correct receptacle in response to detecting placement of the item in the receptacle.

19. An apparatus for receiving and transporting items picked from a materials handling facility to one of a plurality of destinations in the materials handling facility, the apparatus comprising:

a receptacle for holding said items; and

a mote, comprising;

a mote core comprising;

a processor;

a memory; and

;

a communications interface; and

an indicator coupled to the mote core;

wherein the mote is configured to communicate with a materials handling facility control system to activate said indicator in response to information about an item received by the control system to indicate to an agent of the materials handling facility that the item is to be placed in the receptacle.

20. The apparatus as recited in claim 19, further comprising a sensor configured to detect placement of the item in the receptacle.

21. The apparatus as recited in claim 20, wherein the mote is further configured to deactivate the activated indicator in response to the sensor detecting placement of the item in the receptacle.

22. The apparatus as recited in claim 19, wherein the indicator comprises a light, wherein said activating the indicator comprises activating the light.