Generating current order fulfillment plans to influence expected future conditions

• US 8,428,988 B1
• Filed: 02/06/2012
• Issued: 04/23/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Braumoeller, Rick, Brinkerhoff, Richard, Holden, Jeff, Lee, Dennis
• Primary Examiner(s): Jeanty, Romain
• Application Number:
  US13/367,284
• Time in Patent Office: 442 Days
• Field of Search: 705/7.11
• US Class Current: 705/7.11
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063 Operations research, analysis or management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06375 Prediction of business process outcome or impact based on a proposed change
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0875 Itemisation or classification of parts, supplies or services, e.g. bill of materials
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0202 Market predictions or forecasting for commercial activities

Abstract

A method, system, and computer-readable medium for dynamically generating actual fulfillment plans for a current order or a potential order so as to enhance the future fulfillment process for expected future orders is described. In some situations, actual delivery information based on one or more such actual fulfillment plans will then be provided to a customer, such as by displaying actual delivery date and/or time before or during the ordering process based on one or more actual fulfillment plans that can be or will be used to fulfill the order. A variety of types of criteria can be used to evaluate the effects of using a fulfillment plan to fulfill a current order, including criteria that consider the modeled future cost of fulfilling expected future orders, such as an overall cost of fulfilling all orders during a specified time period that is at least partially in the future.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving, by one or more configured computing systems, an indication of an order for one or more items;

determining, by the one or more configured computing systems, one of multiple distribution centers that is associated with the indicated order as a default distribution center from which to fulfill the indicated order;

determining, by the one or more configured computing systems, whether fulfilling the indicated order at the default distribution center would result in an inventory shortage for at least one of the one or more items of the indicated order;

if it is determined that fulfilling the indicated order at the default distribution center would result in the inventory shortage, determining, by the one or more configured computing systems, an alternate distribution center for the fulfilling of the indicated order; and

if it is not determined that fulfilling the indicated order at the default distribution center would result in the inventory shortage, determining, by the one or more configured computing systems, to fulfill the indicated order using the default distribution center.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein determining, by the one or more configured computing systems, whether fulfilling the indicated order at the default distribution center would result in the inventory shortage is based at least in part on projections of future orders to be fulfilled by the default distribution center.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein determining, by the one or more configured computing systems, whether fulfilling the indicated order at the default distribution center would result in the inventory shortage is based at least in part on optimal levels of inventory that are determined for the default distribution center.

4. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving, by one or more configured computing systems, an indication of an order;

determining, by the one or more configured computing systems, one of multiple distribution centers that is associated with the indicated order as a default distribution center from which to fulfill the indicated order;

determining, by one or more configured computing systems, if fulfilling the indicated order at the default distribution center would result in an overload of work at the default distribution center;

if it is determined that fulfilling the indicated order at the default distribution center would result in the overload of work, determining, by the one or more configured computing systems, an alternate distribution center for the fulfilling of the indicated order; and

if it is not determined that fulfilling the indicated order at the default distribution center would result in the overload of work, determining, by the one or more configured computing systems, to fulfill the indicated order using the default distribution center.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein determining whether fulfilling the indicated order at the default distribution center would result in the overload of work is based at least in part on projections of future orders to be fulfilled by the default distribution center.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein determining whether fulfilling of the indicated order at the default distribution center would result in the overload of work is based at least in part on optimal levels of work that are determined for the default distribution center.

7. The method of claim 4 further comprising:

determining, by the one or more configured computing systems, for each of multiple fulfillment plans that are options for fulfilling the indicated order, a cost associated with the fulfillment plan;

selecting one of the multiple fulfillment plans for use in fulfilling of the indicated order based at least in part on the determined cost associated with the selected one of the multiple fulfillment plans; and

initiating fulfilling of the indicated order using the selected one of the multiple fulfillment plans.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein determining, by the one or more configured computing systems, if the fulfilling of the indicated order at the default distribution center would result in the overload of work at the default distribution center is performed as part of the determining of the cost associated with each of one or more of the multiple fulfillment plans, and wherein the selecting of the one of the multiple fulfillment plans includes the determining of the alternate distribution center or the determining to fulfill the indicated order using the default distribution center.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising, if it is determined that fulfilling the indicated order at the default distribution center would result in the overload of work, including, as part of the cost associated with each of the one or more fulfillment plans, a cost of correcting the overload of work at the default distribution center.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the cost associated with each of the multiple fulfillment plans further includes a direct cost associated with using the fulfillment plan to fulfill the indicated order.

11. The method of claim 7 wherein selecting one of the multiple fulfillment plans includes, if it is determined that the fulfilling of the indicated order at the default distribution center would result in the overload of work, performing the selecting of the one fulfillment plan based at least in part on the selected one fulfillment plan being associated with the determined alternate distribution center, and otherwise performing the selecting of the one fulfillment plan based at least in part on the selected one fulfillment plan being associated with the default distribution center.

12. The method of claim 4 wherein the indicated order is a potential order that is identified before an instruction has been received to place the order.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored contents that configure a computing system to perform a method, the method comprising:

receiving, by the configured computing system, an indication of an order for one or more items;

determining, by the configured computing system, one of multiple distribution centers that is associated with the indicated order as a default distribution center for use in fulfilling the indicated order;

determining, by the configured computing system, whether fulfilling the indicated order from the default distribution center would result in an inventory shortage for at least one of the one or more items of the indicated order;

if it is determined that fulfilling the indicated order from the default distribution center would result in the inventory shortage, determining, by the configured computing system, an alternative distribution center to use for the fulfilling of the indicated order; and

if it is not determined that fulfilling the indicated order from the default distribution center would result in the inventory shortage, determining, by the configured computing system, to fulfill the indicated order using the default distribution center.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13 wherein the determining of whether fulfilling the indicated order from the default distribution center would result in the inventory shortage is based at least in part on projections of one or more future orders to be fulfilled by the default distribution center and includes determining that fulfilling the indicated order from the default distribution center would result in the inventory shortage, and wherein the method further comprises initiating fulfilling the indicated order using the alternative distribution center.

15. A configured system comprising:

one or more processors of one or more computing systems; and

one or more components that are configured to, when executed by the one or more processors;

receive an indication of an order for one or more items;

determine one of multiple distribution centers that is associated with the indicated order as a default distribution center for fulfilling the indicated order;

determine whether fulfilling the indicated order from the default distribution center would result in an inventory shortage for at least one of the one or more items of the indicated order;

if it is determined that fulfilling the indicated order from the default distribution center would result in the inventory shortage, determine an alternative distribution center to use for the fulfilling of the indicated order; and

if it is not determined that fulfilling the indicated order from the default distribution center would result in the inventory shortage, determine to fulfill the indicated order using the default distribution center.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein the determining of whether fulfilling the indicated order from the default distribution center would result in the inventory shortage is based at least in part on projections of one or more future orders to be fulfilled by the default distribution center and includes determining that fulfilling the indicated order from the default distribution center would not result in the inventory shortage, and wherein the one or more components are further configured to initiate fulfilling the indicated order using the default distribution center.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored contents that configure a computing system to perform a method, the method comprising:

receiving, by the configured computing system, an indication of an order for one or more items;

determining, by the configured computing system, one of multiple distribution centers that is associated with the indicated order as a default distribution center for use in fulfilling the indicated order;

determining, by the configured computing system, if fulfilling the indicated order from the default distribution center would result in an overload of work at the default distribution center;

if it is determined that fulfilling the indicated order from the default distribution center would result in the overload of work, determining, by the configured computing system, an alternative distribution center to use for the fulfilling of the indicated order; and

if it is not determined that fulfilling the indicated order from the default distribution center would result in the overload of work, determining, by the configured computing system, to fulfill the indicated order using the default distribution center.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17 wherein the determining of whether fulfilling the indicated order from the default distribution center would result in the overload of work is based at least in part on projections of one or more future orders to be fulfilled by the default distribution center and includes determining that fulfilling the indicated order from the default distribution center would result in the overload of work, and wherein the method further comprises initiating fulfilling the indicated order using the alternative distribution center.

19. A configured system comprising:

one or more processors of one or more computing systems; and

one or more components that are configured to, when executed by the one or more processors;

receive an indication of an order;

determine one of multiple distribution centers that is associated with the indicated order as a default distribution center for fulfilling the indicated order;

determine if fulfilling the indicated order from the default distribution center would result in an overload of work at the default distribution center;

if it is determined that fulfilling the indicated order from the default distribution center would result in the overload of work, determine an alternative distribution center to use for the fulfilling of the indicated order; and

if it is not determined that fulfilling the indicated order from the default distribution center would result in the overload of work, determine to fulfill the indicated order using the default distribution center.

20. The system of claim 19 wherein the determining of whether fulfilling the indicated order from the default distribution center would result in the overload of work is based at least in part on projections of one or more future orders to be fulfilled by the default distribution center and includes determining that fulfilling the indicated order from the default distribution center would not result in the overload of work, and wherein the one or more components are further configured to initiate fulfilling the indicated order using the default distribution center.