Position-based item identification in a materials handling facility
First Claim
1. A method, comprising:
- receiving a plurality of items at a materials handling facility, wherein the materials handling facility comprises one or more buildings in which items are stored in a plurality of inventory areas, and wherein items picked from the inventory areas are shipped from the one or more buildings to different destination locations to fulfill orders for the items;
for each of the plurality of items;
storing the item in a respective one of the plurality of inventory areas in the materials handling facility, wherein storing the item comprises placing the item at a particular position within the inventory area according to one or more positional placement guidelines that describe how items should be placed in the inventory area relative to other items in the same inventory area; and
using a computer to perform storing a respective position indicator in association with an identifier of the item in a database;
in response to receiving an order for one or more of the plurality of items, wherein the order identifies each of the one or more ordered items;
accessing the database to determine the respective position indicator that is stored in association with an identifier of a given one of the one or more ordered items;
determining position information describing the particular position at which the given one of the one or more ordered items is stored in terms of a relationship between the particular position at which the given item is stored and a position of at least one other item in the same inventory area as the given item, wherein said determining is dependent on the determined position indicator; and
displaying, on a communication device, instructions visible to an agent inside the materials handling facility that are usable by the agent to locate the given one of the one or more ordered items to be picked from a given inventory area in the materials handling facility, wherein the given inventory area stores a plurality of dissimilar items, and wherein the displayed instructions comprise the position information.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Positional placement guidelines for storing items in an inventory area may allow determination and tracking of the position of the items in the inventory area. Position information may be associated with each item in a materials handling facility to assist in locating an item in an inventory area. The position information may represent a position relative to the inventory area and/or to the other items therein. Position information may be determined based on a count of items in the inventory area or based on a time stamp corresponding to the time the item was stored in the inventory area. Position information may be presented to an agent to facilitate picking the item with or without descriptive information. Feedback may provide an indication that the position information is incorrect and may trigger a review or a reset of position information for one or more items in the inventory area.
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Citations
52 Claims
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1. A method, comprising:
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receiving a plurality of items at a materials handling facility, wherein the materials handling facility comprises one or more buildings in which items are stored in a plurality of inventory areas, and wherein items picked from the inventory areas are shipped from the one or more buildings to different destination locations to fulfill orders for the items; for each of the plurality of items; storing the item in a respective one of the plurality of inventory areas in the materials handling facility, wherein storing the item comprises placing the item at a particular position within the inventory area according to one or more positional placement guidelines that describe how items should be placed in the inventory area relative to other items in the same inventory area; and using a computer to perform storing a respective position indicator in association with an identifier of the item in a database; in response to receiving an order for one or more of the plurality of items, wherein the order identifies each of the one or more ordered items; accessing the database to determine the respective position indicator that is stored in association with an identifier of a given one of the one or more ordered items; determining position information describing the particular position at which the given one of the one or more ordered items is stored in terms of a relationship between the particular position at which the given item is stored and a position of at least one other item in the same inventory area as the given item, wherein said determining is dependent on the determined position indicator; and displaying, on a communication device, instructions visible to an agent inside the materials handling facility that are usable by the agent to locate the given one of the one or more ordered items to be picked from a given inventory area in the materials handling facility, wherein the given inventory area stores a plurality of dissimilar items, and wherein the displayed instructions comprise the position information. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A method, comprising:
in response to receiving an order for one or more of a plurality of items in a materials handling facility, wherein the order identifies each of the one or more ordered items, wherein the materials handling facility comprises one or more buildings in which items are stored in a plurality of inventory areas, and wherein items picked from the inventory areas are shipped from the one or more buildings to different destination locations to fulfill orders for the items; displaying, on a communication device, instructions visible to an agent inside the materials handling facility that are usable by the agent to locate a given one of the one or more ordered items within one of the plurality of inventory areas in the materials handling facility to be picked from the one of the plurality of inventory areas;
wherein the instructions comprise position information for the given item; andthe agent locating the given item in the materials handling facility dependent on the displayed position information and dependent on a position of at least one other item in the one of the plurality of inventory areas; wherein the one of the plurality of inventory areas stores a plurality of dissimilar items, and wherein the position information displayed in the instructions describes a position at which the given item is stored within the one of the plurality of inventory areas in terms of a relationship between the position at which the given item is stored and a position of at least one other item in the one of the plurality of inventory areas; wherein the position information for the given item is determined dependent on a respective product identifier for the given item and dependent on accessing a respective position indicator that is stored in association with the respective product identifier for the given item in a data store, and wherein the particular position at which the given item is stored within the one of the plurality of inventory areas is dependent on one or more positional placement guidelines that describe how items should be placed in the inventory area relative to other items in the same inventory area and that were used when stowing the given item in the one of the plurality of inventory areas. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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26. A non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium, comprising program instructions computer-executable to implement:
in response to receiving an order for one or more of a plurality of items in a materials handling facility, wherein the order identifies each of the one or more ordered items, wherein the materials handling facility comprises one or more buildings in which items are stored in a plurality of inventory areas, and wherein items picked from the inventory areas are shipped from the one or more buildings to different destination locations to fulfill orders for the items; receiving instructions for an agent inside the materials handling facility to locate a given one of the one or more ordered items to be picked from one of the plurality of inventory areas in the materials handling facility;
wherein the instructions comprise position information for the given item; anddisplaying the position information in a manner visible to the agent to assist the agent in locating the given item in the materials handling facility, wherein said locating is further dependent on a position of at least one other item in the one of the plurality of inventory areas; wherein the one of the plurality of inventory areas stores a plurality of dissimilar items; and
wherein the displayed position information describes a particular position at which the given item is stored within the one of the plurality of inventory areas in terms of a relationship between the position at which the given item is stored and a position of at least one other item in the one of the plurality of inventory areas; andwherein the position information of the given item is determined dependent on a respective product identifier for the given item and dependent on accessing a respective position indicator stored in association with the respective product identifier for the given item in a data store, and wherein the particular position at which the given item is stored within the one of the plurality of inventory areas is dependent on one or more positional placement guidelines that describe how items should be placed in the inventory area relative to other items in the same inventory area and that were used when stowing the given item in the one of the plurality of inventory areas. - View Dependent Claims (27, 28, 29, 30)
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31. A non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium, comprising program instructions computer-executable to implement:
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for each of a plurality of items in a materials handling facility, wherein the materials handling facility comprises one or more buildings in which items are stored in a plurality of inventory areas, and wherein items picked from the inventory areas are shipped from the one or more buildings to different destination locations to fulfill orders for the items; receiving an indication that the item was stored in a respective one of the plurality of inventory areas in the materials handling facility, wherein the one of the plurality of inventory areas stores a plurality of dissimilar items, and wherein the item was stored at a particular position within the inventory area according to one or more positional placement guidelines that describe how items should be placed in the inventory area relative to other items in the same inventory area and dependent on a position of at least one other item in the one of the plurality of inventory areas; and storing a respective position indicator in association with an identifier of the item in a database; and in response to receiving an order for one or more of the plurality of items, wherein the order identifies each of the one or more ordered items; accessing the database to determine the respective position indicator that is stored in association with an identifier of a given one of the one or more ordered items; determining position information describing the particular position at which the given one of the one or more ordered items is stored in terms of a relationship between the position at which the given item is stored and a position of at least one other item in the same inventory area as the given item, and wherein said determining is dependent on the determined position indicator; and displaying instructions visible to an agent inside the materials handling facility that are usable by the agent to locate the given one of the one or more ordered items to be picked from a given inventory area in the materials handling facility, wherein the given inventory area stores a plurality of dissimilar items, and wherein the displayed instructions comprise the position information. - View Dependent Claims (32, 33, 34, 35, 36)
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37. A system, comprising:
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a database configured to store a respective position indicator for each of a plurality of items in a materials handling facility in association with a respective product identifier for each of the items, wherein the materials handling facility comprises one or more buildings in which items are stored in a plurality of inventory areas, wherein the position at which each of the plurality of items is stored within one of the plurality of inventory areas is dependent on one or more positional placement guidelines used in storing the item within the one of the plurality of inventory areas, and wherein items picked from the inventory areas are shipped from the one or more buildings to different destination locations to fulfill orders for the items; and a control system communicatively coupled to the database, wherein in response to receiving an order for one or more of the plurality of items the control system is configured to; access the database to determine the respective position indicator that is stored in association with a product identifier of a given one of the one or more ordered items; determine position information for the given one of the one or more ordered items within a given one of the plurality of inventory areas dependent on the determined position indicator and dependent on a position of at least one other item in the given inventory area;
wherein the given inventory area stores a plurality of dissimilar items; and
wherein the position information describes a particular position at which the given item is stored within the given inventory area in terms of a relationship between the position at which the given item is stored and a position of the at least one other item in the given inventory area; andcommunicate the position information to an agent in the materials handling facility to assist the agent in locating the given item within the given inventory area. - View Dependent Claims (38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52)
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Specification