Automated Storage and Distribution System

• US 20120143726A1
• Filed: 05/02/2007
• Published: 06/07/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/02/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Munroe Chirnomas
• Original Assignee: Munroe Chirnomas
• Inventors: Chirnomas, Munroe
• Application Number:
  US12/227,008
• Publication Number:
  US 20120143726A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/27.1
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 1/1373 for fulfilling orders in warehouses
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 1/1376 the orders being assembled on a commissioning conveyor
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/083 Shipping
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 11/26 Endless bands
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 11/42 the articles being delivered by motor-driven means

Abstract

An automated storage (2) and distribution system (ASDS) for storing and then distributing articles. The ASDS includes an entry means for controlling entry into the system of a plurality of closed shipping containers. A sensing means (10) determines the position of at least a portion of an outside surface of each one of the plurality of closed shipping containers that have entered into the system. An automated forming means (12) uses the determined position specific to each of the closed shipping containers to form an opening in each of the plurality of the shipping containers. A storing means (14) stores the plurality of opened shipping containers inside a storage area of the system. A computer controlled retrieving means (16) enters into selected ones of the opened shipping containers located in the storage area, by passing through the formed opening so as to retrieve an article from inside one of the stored opened shipping containers, and a moving means (18) moves the retrieved articles to an output of the system.

Claims

1. An automated storage and distribution system (ASDS) for storing and then distributing articles, the ASDS receiving closed shipping containers for storage, and for distributing articles, which articles were retrieved from inside stored shipping containers, comprising:

A means for receiving into the system of a plurality of closed shipping containers, with at least some of the plurality of closed shipping containers having outer dimensions which are different from the outer dimensions of other ones of the plurality of closed shipping containers;

a sensing means for determining the position of at least a portion of an outside surface of each one of the plurality of closed shipping containers that have entered into the system;

an automated forming means for using the determined position specific to each of the closed shipping containers to form an opening in each of the plurality of the shipping containers;

a storing means for storing the plurality of opened shipping containers inside a storage area of the system;

a computer controlled retrieving means for entering into selected ones of the opened shipping containers located in the storage area, by passing through the formed opening so as to retrieve an article from inside one of the stored opened shipping containers; and

moving means for moving the retrieved articles to an output of the system.

2. The ASDS of claim 1 or 48, further including a customer interface which allows a customer of said ASDS to select a desired one or more of the articles stored therein.

3. The ASDS of claim 2, further including a customer interface which allows a customer of said ASDS to make a payment for the one or more of the selected desired articles.

4. The ASDS of claim 2 or 3, wherein said customer interface includes one or more of an Internet connected communication device for allowing the customer to access said ASDS via the Internet, a touch-screen or other selection and/or payment device located at the site of the ASDS.

5. The ASDS of claims 1-4, where said housing includes means for providing a secure environment for the shipping containers and the above-recited means which operate the ASDS.

6. The ASDS of claims 1-5 and 46, where the entry means includes authorizing means for authorizing the entry into the ASDS of only authorized shipping containers.

7. The ASDS of claim 6, where the authorizing means includes means for authorizing a delivery person, which delivery person, once authorized, is deemed to supply authorized shipping containers to said entry means.

8. The ASDS of claim 6, where the authorizing means communicates with a database in order to confirm that specific shipping containers were anticipated and pre-authorized for entry into the housing.

9. The ASDS of claim 6, where the authorizing means communicates in real time to a remote location and/or to a remotely located person and/or computer.

10. The ASDS of claim 6, where the authorizing means includes a shipping container identification (ID) device for determining the identity of a type for the shipping container.

11. The ASDS of claim 10, where the shipping container ID) device can access a database in order to determine one or more of what articles are contained in the shipping container and how those articles are arranged n the shipping container, based on its determined identity.

12. The ASDS of claim 10, where the shipping container ID) device cooperates with a manipulation device for manipulating the shipping container in order enhance the ability of the shipping container ID) device to determine the identity of the shipping container.

13. The ASDS of claim 12, where the manipulation device includes one or more of, a gripper mechanism, a robot, a device that can rotate the shipping container.

14. The ASDS of claim 10, where the shipping container ID device includes a camera imaging system.

15. The ASDS of claim 14, where the camera imaging system uses image or pattern recognition techniques to identify the shipping container.

16. The ASDS of claim 15, where the camera imaging system includes a color image sensor for sensing attributes of the shipping containers, which attributes are then compared with information that is stored on a database, either a local or remote location, so as to identify the shipping container.

17. The ASDS of claim 10, where the shipping container ID device using one or more of a Barcode Recognition system, an RFID system, a Text reading system, an optical scanner.

18. The ASDS of claims 1, 46 and 48, where said housing is one of a fixed structure, such as a stand-alone building, or a portable structure, such as a trailer.

19. The ASDS of claims 18, where said housing is adapted to be located at a position that is one of above ground or underground.

26. The ASDS of claim 5, further including a conveyance system for moving shipping containers that enter into the housing to places further within the housing.

27. The ASDS of claim 11, where said forming means operates so as to form said opening in said shipping container at a location and with a dimension that is specific to the identified typed of each of the plurality of shipping containers, so as to thereby ensure that said computer controlled retrieving means can enter the opened shipping container by passing through the formed opening.

28. The ASDS of claim 27, where said forming means forms said opening by one or more of the following techniques:

i. removing from said shipping container one or more sides thereof,

ii. removing a portion of the outside surface of said shipping container,

iii. by opening/unsealing flaps of said container, and then physically separating said flaps from said container or securing said flaps to exterior sides of said container in a manner so as to form said opening in said container.

29. The ASDS of claim 28, further including a disposing device for disposing of material removed from said shipping containers to make said opening.

30. The ASDS of claims 1, 46 and 48, wherein said storing means also stores therein received shipping containers which have not been opened, so that said not opened shipping containers can be delivered to the output of the housing.

31. The ASDS of claims 1, 46 and 48, wherein said storing means includes a plurality of storage areas for receiving for storage therein said shipping container, said storage areas including an arrangement of one or more bins or racks.

32. The ASDS of claim 31, further including a shipping container positioning system for moving said opened shipping containers into said storage areas.

33. The ASDS of claims 1, 46 and 48, wherein said article retrieving device includes a robotic article grasping device, which uses a vision system and pattern recognition to guide the retrieval apparatus for retrieving said articles from said shipping containers.

34. The ASDS of claims 1, 46 and 48, wherein said article retrieving device includes a robotic article grasping device, which uses vacuum sensing for determining when said article retrieving device has grasped an article.

35. The ASDS of claims 1, 46 and 48, wherein said article retrieving device includes one or more of a robotic device, gantries, and grippers of different sizes and shapes.

36. The ASDS of claim 35, wherein said said grippers can be of the type which use one of more of suction cups or electro-mechanical gripping devices.

37. The ASDS of claims 2, 46 and 48, wherein said article retrieving device cooperates with said customer interface so as to retrieve the customer selected article from the storage area.

38. The ASDS of claims 10, 46 and 48, where said forming means accesses a database having information therein which allows the forming means to determine how to form said opening in the shipping container, which opening is positioned and dimensioned in a manner that is specific to an identified type for each of the plurality of shipping containers.

39. The ASDS of claim 38, where said database information allows said forming means to form said opening based on specific parameters of the identified type of the shipping container.

40. The ASDS of claim 31, where the storing means includes racks that are situated so as to present the shipping containers to the article retrieving device at an angle so that the opening faces one of either upward or frontward with respect to the expected direction from which said article retrieving device will approach said stored shipping containers.

41. The ASDS of claim 1, where the storing means includes a memory device having database information stored therein, said storing means determining the location of where to store said opened shipping containers based on database information which specific to the identified type of each of the shipping containers.

42. The ASDS of claim 1, further including a packaging system which cooperates with said customer interface so as to receive the desired articles retrieved from the stored shipping containers, and generate therefrom a customer package having the customer selected articles therein, said customer package being moved by said moving means to said output of the housing.

43. The ASDS of claims 2, 42, 46 and 48, further including an article identification system for identifying articles moved by said moving means to said output of the housing, so as to confirm delivery of the customer of the selected article or articles.

45. The ASDS of claim 1, further including a system controller for enabling all of the operations performed by each of the entry means sensing means, to be controlled in a fully automatic manner and without any human intervention.

47. The ASDS of claim 1, where said sensing means includes a shipping container identification (ID) device for determining the identity of a type for a plurality of the received the shipping containers, said container type indicating specific attributes for the container, which attributes relate to the size of the container and/or the articles and their arrangement as contained in the container, and

said computer controlled forming means forms said openings at positions and with dimensions that are specific to the identified type of each of the plurality of shipping containers.

46. An ASDS for storing and then distributing articles, the ASDS having a housing for receiving a plurality of different types of closed shipping containers into the housing for storage, each of the closed shipping containers having a plurality of articles contained therein, and for distributing said articles to an output of the housing articles which were retrieved from inside stored shipping containers, CHARACTERISED BY:

a sensing means for determining the position of at least a portion of an outside surface of each one of the plurality of closed shipping containers that have been received into the housing; and

a computer controlled forming means which uses the determined position specific to each of the closed shipping containers to form an opening in each of the plurality of the shipping containers, which formed opening is positioned and dimensioned in a manner so as to allow automated retrieval of articles from inside of the opened shipping containers.

20. The ASDS of claims 6 and 46, where said housing includes a secure input system which permits only authorized entry to places within the housing.

21. The ASDS of claim 20, where said secure input system includes an interlock area having an exterior door for preventing entry into the interlock area from locations exterior of the housing.

22. The ASDS of claim 21, where opening of said exterior door is enabled when the authorizing means has authorized the entry into the ASDS.

23. The ASDS of claim 22, where the authorized opening of the exterior door is enabled by utilizing a physical lock and key or other similar type of device.

24. The ASDS of claim 21, where said interlock area is adapted to receive, and then automatically pass therethrough, without human interventions, only authorized shipping containers.

25. The ASDS of claim 21, where said interlock area is an area bounded by said exterior door and an internal door, where passage of authorized containers past the internal door can only occur after said exterior door has been closed and a sensor has determined that only authorized persons or shipping containers are in the interlock area.

44. The ASDS of claims 5, 46 and 48, where said output of the housing includes an interlock area having an exterior door for preventing entry into the interlock area from locations exterior of the housing.

48. A fully secured ASDS for storing and then distributing articles, the ASDS having a housing which is sealed and operated by computer control so that no people are required to be inside of the housing for receiving closed shipping containers into the housing for storage, and for distributing articles to an output of the housing, which articles were retrieved from inside of stored ones of the shipping containers, comprising:

a computer controlled secure entry means for receiving a plurality of closed shipping containers at an entry point thereof, said entry means controlling entry into the housing of so that only closed shipping containers which are authorized are passed into the housing, where at least some of the plurality of closed shipping containers which are entered into the housing have outer dimensions which are different from the outer dimensions of other ones of the plurality of closed shipping containers which are entered into the housing;

an automated forming means for forming an opening in a plurality of the shipping containers which entered into the housing;

a storing means for storing the plurality of opened shipping containers inside a storage area of the housing;

a computer controlled retrieving means for entering into selected ones of the opened shipping containers located in the storage area, by passing through the formed opening so as to retrieve an article from inside one of the stored opened shipping containers; and

moving means for moving the retrieved articles to an output of the housing.

50. The method of claim 48, wherein said above-names steps are performed in the order in which they are mentioned.

51. The method of claim 48, including the further step of allowing a customer of said ASDS to select a desired one or more of the articles stored therein by using a customer interface.

52. The method of claim 48, including the further step of allowing a customer of said ASDS to make a payment for the one or more of the selected desired articles by using a customer interface.

53. The method of claims 50 and 51, including the further step of allowing the customer to access said ASDS via the Internet, a touch-screen or other selection and/or payment device located at the site of the ASDS.

54. The method of claim 48, including the further step of authorizing the entry into the ASDS of only authorized shipping containers.

55. The method of claim 53, where said authorizing step includes determining the identity of a type for a plurality of the shipping containers.

56. The method of claim 54, where said authorizing step accesses a database in order to determine one or more of what articles are contained, in the shipping container and how those articles are arranged n the shipping container, based on the determined identity of the shipping containers.

57. The method of claim 54, where said authorizing step includes means for manipulating the shipping containers in order enhance the ability of the authorizing step to determine the identity of the shipping containers.

58. The method of claim 54, where said forming step operates so as to form said opening in said shipping container at a location and with a dimension that is specific to the identified typed of each of the plurality of shipping containers, so as to thereby ensure that said computer controlled retrieving means can enter the opened shipping container by passing through the formed opening.

59. The method of claim 54, where said forming step forms said opening by one or more of the following techniques:

i. removing from said shipping container one or more sides thereof,

ii. removing a portion of the outside surface of said shipping container,

iii. by opening/unsealing flaps of said container, and then physically separating said flaps from said container or securing said flaps to exterior sides of said container in a manner so as to form said opening in said container.

49. A method of operating an ASDS for storing and then distributing articles, the ASDS having a housing for receiving closed shipping containers into the housing for storage, and for distributing articles to an output of the housing, which articles were retrieved from shipping containers stored inside the housing, comprising the following steps:

controlling entry into the housing of a plurality of various different types of closed shipping containers, with at least some of the plurality of closed shipping containers having outer dimensions which are different from the outer dimensions of other ones of the plurality of closed shipping containers;

developing information which identifies at least one of the position and type of a plurality of the closed shipping containers;

using the developed position and type information to form an opening in the container, which opening is positioned and dimensioned for allowing automated retrieval of articles from inside of the container;

storing the container inside the housing; and

retrieving selected articles from said stored containers, and distributing them to an output of the housing.