System for responding to fulfillment orders

• US 8,731,707 B2
• Filed: 04/07/2006
• Issued: 05/20/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/07/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation (Martin Marietta Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation (Martin Marietta Corporation)
• Inventors: Stemmle, Denis J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Crawford, Gene
• Assistant Examiner(s): LOGAN, KYLE O
• Application Number:
  US12/518,543
• Publication Number:
  US 20100070070A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,965 Days
• Field of Search: 700/215
• US Class Current: 700/215
• CPC Class Codes: B07C 3/082 In which the objects are carried by transport holders and the transport holders form part of the conveyor belts conveyors with carriers B65G47/00
• CPC Class Codes: B07C 5/3412 according to a code applied to the object which indicates a property of the object, e.g. quality class, contents or incorrect indication sorting according to size measured by light-responsive means B07C5/10; sorting according to optical properties B07C5/342; for packages B65D79/02; for information carriers G06K7/00
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 1/0457 with suspended load carriers
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 1/1373 for fulfilling orders in warehouses
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 209/90 Sorting flat-type mail

Abstract

A system, method, and software (1600) are for moving inventory items (1610) to an unloading station (1640) in response to a fulfillment order. An input device (1620) is used to enter identification information about the inventory items. At a loading station (1615), the inventory items are received and loaded into holders (1605). The holders are then moved to storage area (1630). A controller (1625) is configured for creating and storing a first association between the entered identification information and each of the holders in which each of the inventory items is placed. A selector and transporter (1635) are responsive to the fulfillment order and the first association, and are configured to select a holder which holds the inventory items corresponding to the fulfillment order, and configured to transport the holder from the storage area to the unloading station (1640).

Claims

1. A fulfillment system, for moving inventory items to at least one unloading station in response to a fulfillment order, the system comprising:

an input device for entering identification information about a plurality of the inventory items;

a plurality of holders, each holder dimensioned for receipt and holding of one of the inventory items, wherein each holder is a clamp;

at least one storage area configured to store at least one of the plurality of holders;

at least one loading station configured for placing each of the inventory items into one of said holders;

a controller configured for creating and storing a first association between each of the entered identification information and each of the holders in which each of the inventory items is placed;

a selector and transporter, responsive to said fulfillment order and the first association, configured to select at least one of the holders holding the inventory items which correspond to the fulfillment order, and configured to transport the at least one of the holders from the at least one storage area to the at least one unloading station; and

a machine readable identifying means;

wherein the identifying means includes holder information which, in combination with the entered identification information on the inventory item, enables selection of the inventory item, and

wherein the first association uniquely associates each of the entered identification information with a unique identifier of each of the clamps.

2. The fulfillment system of claim 1, wherein holders holding non-selected inventory items remain in the at least one storage area.

3. The fulfillment system of claim 1, wherein the clamp comprises:

jaws for releasably holding the inventory item.

4. The fulfillment system of claim 1, further comprising recycling equipment, for recycling at least one of the holders from the unloading station to the loading station.

5. The fulfillment system of claim 1, configured for simultaneously loading, sorting, and unloading separate batches of the inventory items.

6. The fulfillment system of claim 1, wherein a replenishment order for additional inventory items of a particular type is created in response to the fulfillment system storing less than a predetermined amount of that particular type.

7. The fulfillment system of claim 1, wherein the inventory items are singulated, then captured by a clamp.

8. The fulfillment system of claim 1, wherein the system moves multiple identical ones of the inventory items to the at least one storage area.

9. The fulfillment system of claim 1, wherein the system moves a plurality of a first type of the inventory items to a first one of the at least one storage area, a plurality of a second type of the inventory items to a second one of the at least one storage area, and a plurality of a third type of the inventory items to a third one of the at least one storage area.

10. The fulfillment system of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to create and store a second association, between the entered identification information of each of the inventory items and one or more of the storage areas.

11. The fulfillment system of claim 10, wherein the inventory items are retrievable from one or more of the storage areas based upon the second associations.

12. The fulfillment system of claim 1, further comprising means for opening the holders to release the inventory items at the at least one unloading station.

13. The fulfillment system of claim 12, wherein the means for opening the holders includes a jaw opener that opens each of the holders.

14. The fulfillment system of claim 12, further including at least one pathway from the storage areas of the unloading station.

15. The fulfillment system of claim 1, further comprising means for preparing a package, label, or invoice for the fulfillment order.

16. The fulfillment system of claim 15, wherein the package, label, or invoice is prepared before the inventory items arrive at the at least one unloading station.

17. The fulfillment system of claim 1, wherein the inventory items are handled once to singulate them and load it into a clamp.

18. The fulfillment system of claim 17, wherein the inventory items are mail items that are provided into a carrier delivery sequence by the selector and transporter.

19. The fulfillment system of claim 17, wherein the selector and transporter process mail from three or more different routes simultaneously:

one in a feeding operation, a second route in a sorting operation, and a third route in an unload and traying operation.

20. The fulfillment system of claim 1, wherein:

the controller is configured to create and store a second association between the identification information and the at least one storage area;

the controller uses the first and second associations to determine whether a requested fulfillment item is located in a particular storage area of the at least one storage area; and

the controller instructs the selector and transporter to select the holder from the storage area and transport the holder to an unloading station.

21. The fulfillment system of claim 20, wherein:

the inventory items are mail pieces;

after the mail pieces have left a sorter, the controller isolates the mail pieces to anywhere within the postal processes using a unique identifier and one of;

re-directs a particular mail piece to a new destination;

stops the delivery of the particular mail piece; and

guarantees the delivery of the particular mail piece at a certain time on a certain day, before or after the mail piece is inducted into the postal processes.

22. The fulfillment system of claim 21, wherein the mail pieces are held in a mail tray which are identified by the controller.

23. A method for moving inventory items to at least one unloading station in response to a fulfillment order, the method comprising:

entering identification information associated with a plurality of the inventory items;

receiving and holding each of the inventory items in one of a plurality of holders;

creating and storing a first association between the entered identification information of each of the inventory items and each of said holders in which each of said inventory items is placed;

storing at least one of the plurality of holders in at least one storage area;

selecting and transporting the inventory items held by said holders, in order to move said holders from the at least one storage area to the unloading station, based at least partly upon the first association and the fulfillment order; and

opening the holders to release the inventory items at the at least one unloading station, wherein opening the holders is accomplished using a jaw opener.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein holders holding non-selected inventory items remain in the at least one storage area.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein the first association uniquely associates each of the entered identification information with each of the holders.

26. The method of claim 23, wherein each of the holders includes a unique identifier which, in combination with the entered identification information on the inventory item, enables selection and movement of the inventory item.

27. The method of claim 23, further comprising recycling at least one of the holders from the unloading station to the loading station.

28. The method of claim 23, further comprising simultaneously loading, sorting, and unloading separate batches of the inventory items.

29. The method of claim 23, further comprising creating and storing a second association, between the entered identification information of each of the items and one or more of the storage areas.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the one or more inventory items are retrieved from one or more of the storage areas, based at least partly upon the second association.

31. The method of claim 23, further comprising preparing a package, label, or invoice for the fulfillment order.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein the package, label, or invoice is prepared before the inventory items arrives at the at least one unloading station.

33. The method of claim 23, further comprising replenishing the system with additional inventory items, at at least one loading station.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein a replenishment order for additional inventory items of a particular type is created in response to the fulfillment system storing less than a predetermined amount of that particular type.

35. A software product for directing movement of inventory items to at least one unloading station in response to a fulfillment order, the software product comprising a computer readable medium having codes therein for execution by a processor, so that when executed the codes provide for steps comprising:

entering identification information associated with a plurality of the inventory items;

entering identification information associated with each of a plurality of holders;

receiving and storing each of one of the inventory items in one of the plurality of holders;

creating and storing a first association between the entered identification information of each of the inventory items and each of said holders in which each of said inventory items is placed;

storing at least one of the plurality of holders, in at least one storage area; and

selecting and transporting the inventory items held by said holders, in order to move said holders from the at least one storage area to the unloading station, based upon the first association and the fulfillment order,

wherein the selecting and transporting is enabled by identifying both holder information in combination with the entered identification information on the inventory item and the first association uniquely associates each of the entered identification information with a unique identifier of each of the holder.

36. The software product of claim 35, further comprising code for creating and storing a second association, between the entered identification information of each of the items and one or more of the storage areas.

37. The software product of claim 35, wherein the plurality of the inventory items are mail items, and the selecting and transporting of the mail items are provided into a carrier delivery sequence after the mail items are loaded into a sorter only a single time.

38. The software product of claim 37, wherein the plurality of the inventory items are singulated, then captured by a clamp.

39. The software product of claim 37, further comprising opening the holders to release the inventory items at at least one unloading station, wherein opening the holders is accomplished using a jaw opener.