System and method for integrated stowing and picking in a materials handling facility

• US 8,244,603 B1
• Filed: 02/15/2010
• Issued: 08/14/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/15/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Tang, Jen-Chieh Tom, Palla, Srinivas
• Primary Examiner(s): Champagne, Luna
• Application Number:
  US12/705,908
• Time in Patent Office: 911 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 705/28
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0633 Workflow analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders

Abstract

Various embodiments of a system and method for integrated stowing and picking in a materials handling facility may include a process control component for monitoring processes within the materials handling facility in order to implement opportunistic picking and stowing. To implement an opportunistic pick, the process control component may determine that an agent has stowed a unit at a respective inventory location. The process control component may determine that the inventory location (or a nearby inventory location) includes a unit designated to be picked and may issue an instruction to opportunistically pick that unit. To implement an opportunistic stow, the process control component may determine that an agent has picked a unit from a respective inventory location. The process control component may determine that a conveyable receptacle utilized by the agent includes a unit that is designated to be stowed and may issue an instruction to opportunistically stow that unit.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

performing, by one or more computers;

determining that a first unit has been stowed in a particular inventory location of a materials handling facility that comprises a plurality of inventory locations;

in response to that determination, evaluating a region comprising one or more of the plurality of inventory locations including the particular inventory location in order to determine whether the region comprises a unit designated to be picked from inventory; and

in response to determining that the region comprises a particular unit designated to be picked from inventory, generating an instruction to pick the particular unit from a respective location within the region, wherein the particular unit is different from the first unit.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the particular unit specified by the instruction is located within the particular inventory location in which the first unit was stowed.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein said region comprises only one inventory location, wherein that inventory location is the particular inventory location in which said first unit was stowed.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the region evaluated comprises multiple inventory locations including the particular inventory location in which said first unit was stowed and one or more other inventory locations proximate to the particular inventory location.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, wherein the first unit is stowed in a bin of a storage module comprising multiple bins, wherein said multiple inventory locations of the region are bins of the storage module.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising providing the instruction to a mobile communication device associated with an agent that performed the stowing of the first unit in the particular inventory location.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein said first unit is obtained from a conveyable receptacle of a group of conveyable receptacles, wherein said instruction is generated subsequent to determining that at least one of the receptacles of the group is designated to hold items picked from inventory of the materials handling facility.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, wherein the group of conveyable receptacles is located on a conveyable cart configured to be moved to multiple locations within the materials handling facility.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises generating an instruction to move the picked unit into a conveyable receptacle destined for a particular destination within the materials handling facility, wherein the particular destination is associated with a respective process performed within the materials handling facility.

10. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

performing, by one or more computers;

determining that a first unit has been picked from a given inventory location of a materials handling facility that comprises a plurality of inventory locations, wherein the first unit is placed in a receptacle of a plurality of conveyable receptacles subsequent to being picked;

in response to that determination, evaluating contents of the plurality of conveyable receptacles to determine whether the plurality of conveyable receptacles comprises a unit designated to be stowed into inventory; and

in response to determining that the plurality of conveyable receptacles comprises a given unit designated to be stowed into inventory, generating an instruction to stow the given unit into an inventory location.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein the instruction indicates the given unit is to be stowed in said given inventory location from which the first unit was picked.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein the instruction indicates the given units is to be stowed at an inventory location selected from a particular region, the region comprising the given inventory location from which the first unit was picked and one or more inventory locations proximate to the given inventory location.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein the plurality of receptacles are located on a conveyable cart configured to be moved to multiple locations within the materials handling facility.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein the first unit is picked from a bin of a storage module comprising multiple bins, wherein the instruction specifies that the given unit is to be stowed in a bin of that storage module.

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

determining that a second unit has been stowed in a specific inventory location of the materials handling facility;

in response to that determination, evaluating a region comprising one or more of the plurality of inventory locations including the specific inventory location to determine whether the region comprises an other unit designated to be picked from inventory; and

in response to determining that the region comprises an other unit designated to be picked from inventory, generating an instruction to pick the other unit from a respective location within the region.

16. A system, comprising:

a memory; and

one or more processors coupled to the memory, wherein the memory comprises program instructions executable by the one or more processors to implement a process control component configured to;

determine that a first unit has been stowed in a particular inventory location of a materials handling facility that comprises a plurality of inventory locations;

in response to that determination, evaluate a region comprising one or more of the plurality of inventory locations including the particular inventory location in order to determine whether the region comprises a unit designated to be picked from inventory; and

in response to determining that the region comprises a particular unit designated to be picked from inventory, generating an instruction to pick the particular unit from a respective location within the region, wherein the particular unit is different from the first unit.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the particular unit specified by the instruction is located within the particular inventory location in which the first unit was stowed.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein said region comprises only one inventory location, wherein that inventory location is the particular inventory location in which said first unit was stowed.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the region evaluated comprises multiple inventory locations including the particular inventory location in which said first unit was stowed and one or more other inventory locations proximate to the particular inventory location.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the first unit is stowed in a bin of a storage module comprising multiple bins, wherein said multiple inventory locations of the region are bins of the storage module.

21. The system of claim 16, wherein the process control component is configured to provide the instruction to a mobile communication device associated with an agent that performed the stowing of the first unit in the particular inventory location.

22. The system of claim 16, wherein said first unit is obtained from a conveyable receptacle of a group of conveyable receptacles, wherein the process control component is configured to generate said instruction subsequent to determining that at least one of the receptacles of the group is designated to hold items picked from inventory of the materials handling facility.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the group of conveyable receptacles is located on a conveyable cart configured to be moved to multiple locations within the materials handling facility.

24. The system of claim 16, wherein process control component is configured to generate an instruction to move the picked unit into a conveyable receptacle destined for a particular destination within the materials handling facility, wherein the particular destination is associated with a respective process performed within the materials handling facility.

25. A system, comprising:

a memory; and

one or more processors coupled to the memory, wherein the memory comprises program instructions executable by the one or more processors to implement a process control component configured to;

determine that a first unit has been picked from a given inventory location of a materials handling facility that comprises a plurality of inventory locations, wherein the first unit is placed in a receptacle of a plurality of conveyable receptacles subsequent to being picked;

in response to that determination, evaluate contents of the plurality of conveyable receptacles to determine whether the plurality of conveyable receptacles comprises a unit designated to be stowed into inventory; and

in response to determining that the plurality of conveyable receptacles comprises a given unit designated to be stowed into inventory, generate an instruction to stow the given unit into an inventory location.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the instruction indicates the given unit is to be stowed in said given inventory location from which the first unit was picked.

27. The system of claim 25, wherein the instruction indicates the given units is to be stowed at an inventory location selected from a particular region, the region comprising the given inventory location from which the first unit was picked and one or more inventory locations proximate to the given inventory location.

28. The system of claim 25, wherein the plurality of receptacles are located on a conveyable cart configured to be moved to multiple locations within the materials handling facility.

29. The system of claim 25, wherein the first unit is picked from a bin of a storage module comprising multiple bins, wherein the instruction specifies that the given unit is to be stowed in a bin of that storage module.

30. The system of claim 25, wherein the process control component is configured to:

determine that a second unit has been stowed in a specific inventory location of the materials handling facility;

in response to that determination, evaluate a region comprising one or more of the plurality of inventory locations including the specific inventory location to determine whether the region comprises an other unit designated to be picked from inventory; and

in response to determining that the region comprises an other unit designated to be picked from inventory, generate an instruction to pick the other unit from a respective location within the region.

31. A computer-readable storage medium, storing program instructions computer-executable on a computer system to implement a process control component configured to:

determine that a first unit has been stowed in a particular inventory location of a materials handling facility that comprises a plurality of inventory locations;

in response to that determination, evaluate a region comprising one or more of the plurality of inventory locations including the particular inventory location in order to determine whether the region comprises a unit designated to be picked from inventory; and

in response to determining that the region comprises a particular unit designated to be picked from inventory, generating an instruction to pick the particular unit from a respective location within the region, wherein the particular unit is different from the first unit.

32. The medium of claim 31, wherein the particular unit specified by the instruction is located within the particular inventory location in which the first unit was stowed.

33. The medium of claim 31, wherein said region comprises only one inventory location, wherein that inventory location is the particular inventory location in which said first unit was stowed.

34. The medium of claim 31, wherein the region evaluated comprises multiple inventory locations including the particular inventory location in which said first unit was stowed and one or more other inventory locations proximate to the particular inventory location.

35. The medium of claim 34, wherein the first unit is stowed in a bin of a storage module comprising multiple bins, wherein said multiple inventory locations of the region are bins of the storage module.

36. The medium of claim 31, wherein the process control component is configured to provide the instruction to a mobile communication device associated with an agent that performed the stowing of the first unit in the particular inventory location.

37. The medium of claim 31, wherein said first unit is obtained from a conveyable receptacle of a group of conveyable receptacles, wherein the process control component is configured to generate said instruction subsequent to determining that at least one of the receptacles of the group is designated to hold items picked from inventory of the materials handling facility.

38. The medium of claim 37, wherein the group of conveyable receptacles is located on a conveyable cart configured to be moved to multiple locations within the materials handling facility.

39. The medium of claim 31, wherein process control component is configured to generate an instruction to move the picked unit into a conveyable receptacle destined for a particular destination within the materials handling facility, wherein the particular destination is associated with a respective process performed within the materials handling facility.

40. A computer-readable storage medium, storing program instructions computer-executable on a computer system to implement a process control component configured to:

determine that a first unit has been picked from a given inventory location of a materials handling facility that comprises a plurality of inventory locations, wherein the first unit is placed in a receptacle of a plurality of conveyable receptacles subsequent to being picked;

in response to that determination, evaluate contents of the plurality of conveyable receptacles to determine whether the plurality of conveyable receptacles comprises a unit designated to be stowed into inventory; and

in response to determining that the plurality of conveyable receptacles comprises a given unit designated to be stowed into inventory, generate an instruction to stow the given unit into an inventory location.

41. The medium of claim 40, wherein the instruction indicates the given unit is to be stowed in said given inventory location from which the first unit was picked.

42. The medium of claim 40, wherein the instruction indicates the given units is to be stowed at an inventory location selected from a particular region, the region comprising the given inventory location from which the first unit was picked and one or more inventory locations proximate to the given inventory location.

43. The medium of claim 40, wherein the plurality of receptacles are located on a conveyable cart configured to be moved to multiple locations within the materials handling facility.

44. The medium of claim 40, wherein the first unit is picked from a bin of a storage module comprising multiple bins, wherein the instruction specifies that the given unit is to be stowed in a bin of that storage module.

45. The medium of claim 40, wherein the process control component is configured to:

determine that a second unit has been stowed in a specific inventory location of the materials handling facility;

in response to that determination, evaluate a region comprising one or more of the plurality of inventory locations including the specific inventory location to determine whether the region comprises an other unit designated to be picked from inventory; and

in response to determining that the region comprises an other unit designated to be picked from inventory, generate an instruction to pick the other unit from a respective location within the region.