Continuous flow processing of packaged items at order fulfillment centers

• US 9,174,758 B1
• Filed: 11/23/2011
• Issued: 11/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Rowley, Peter D., Battles, Jonathan S.
• Primary Examiner(s): KOCH, GEORGE R
• Application Number:
  US13/304,198
• Time in Patent Office: 1,441 Days
• Field of Search: 156/64, 156/378, 700/225, 700/226, 700/227, 705/330, 705/337, 705/338
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 5/00 Packaging individual articles in containers or receptacles, e.g. bags, sacks, boxes, cartons, cans, jars
• CPC Class Codes: B65C 2009/401 for detecting the height of articles to be labelled
• CPC Class Codes: B65C 9/40 Controls; Safety devices
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 1/1378 the orders being assembled on fixed commissioning areas remote from the storage areas
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0212 with means for defining a desired trajectory involving a plurality of land vehicles G05D1/0287
• 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

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for material handling in an order fulfillment center. An order fulfillment system may include a pre-shipment package preparation module that receives packaged units, and performs various post-packaging operations to facilitate shipment. Some embodiments may include an alignment section configured to orient received packaged units, a package verification section configured to verify one or more physical parameters of the packaged units, a labeling section configured to automatically apply shipping labels to each packaged unit while the packaged units travel at a constant velocity from the packaging verification section and through the labeling section, thereby applying labeling without need to stop or slow travel of the packaged units through the system. Some embodiments include a routing section that is configured to route each packaged unit to a corresponding shipping path that is selected based on information (e.g., packaged height, customer order information) associated with the given packaged unit.

Claims

1. A pre-shipment package preparation module, comprising:

an alignment section configured to orient packaged units received at the pre-shipment package preparation module;

a package verification section configured to receive the packaged units from the alignment section and to verify one or more physical parameters of the packaged units;

a labeling section configured to;

receive the packaged units from the package verification section, and

automatically apply one or more corresponding shipping labels to each packaged unit while the packaged units travel at a constant velocity from the packaging verification section and through the labeling section; and

a routing section configured to receive the packaged units from the labeling section, and to route each packaged unit to a corresponding shipping path selected from a plurality of shipping paths, wherein the corresponding shipping path for a given packaged unit is selected based on information associated with the given packaged unit.

2. The pre-shipment package preparation module of claim 1,

wherein the package verification section is further configured to determine customer order information associated with individual ones of the packaged units;

and

wherein the pre-shipment package preparation module is configured to select the corresponding shipping path based on the determined customer order information.

3. The pre-shipment package preparation module of claim 1,

wherein the one or more physical parameters verified by the package verification section includes heights of the packaged units;

and

wherein the pre-shipment package preparation module is configured to divert ones of the packaged units that are determined, using the package verification section, to have a height exceeding a maximum height specification for the labeling section.

4. The pre-shipment package preparation module of claim 1,

wherein the one or more physical parameters verified by the package verification section includes weights of the packaged units;

and

wherein the pre-shipment package preparation module is configured to divert ones of the packaged units that are determined, using the package verification section, to have weights that are inconsistent with expected weights of the packaged units.

5. The pre-shipment package preparation module of claim 1,

wherein the packaged units traveling at the constant velocity while the labeling section automatically applies the one or more corresponding shipping labels includes at least two types of packaged units that differ from each other in height.

6. The pre-shipment package preparation module of claim 5,

wherein the pre-shipment package preparation module is configured to select the corresponding shipping path for the given packaged unit based on the height of the given packaged unit.

7. The pre-shipment package preparation module of claim 1, wherein the pre-shipment package preparation module is configured to select the corresponding shipping path for a given packaged unit based on information received from a fulfillment center central server.

8. The pre-shipment package preparation module of claim 1, wherein the labeling section is further configured to print the one or more corresponding shipping labels.

9. A computer system, comprising:

one or more processors;

memory, coupled to the one or more processors, having instructions stored thereon that in response to execution by the computer system, cause the computer system to perform operations comprising;

causing an alignment section of a pre-shipment package preparation module to orient packaged units received at the pre-shipment package preparation module,

causing a package verification section of the pre-shipment package preparation module to receive the packaged units from the alignment section and to verify one or more physical parameters of the packaged units,

causing a labeling section of the pre-shipment package preparation module to receive the packaged units from the package verification section and to automatically apply one or more corresponding shipping labels to each packaged unit while the packaged units travel at a constant velocity through the labeling section, and

causing a routing section of the pre-shipment package preparation module to receive the packaged units from the labeling section, and to route each packaged unit to a corresponding shipping path selected from a plurality of shipping paths, wherein the corresponding shipping path for a given packaged unit is selected based on information associated with the given packaged unit.

10. The computer system of claim 9, wherein the operations further comprise:

causing the package verification section to determine customer order information associated with individual ones of the packaged units; and

causing the pre-shipment package preparation module to select the corresponding shipping path based on the determined customer order information.

11. The computer system of claim 9, wherein the operations further comprise:

causing the pre-shipment package preparation module to divert ones of the packaged units that are determined by the package verification section to have a height exceeding a maximum height specified for the labeling section.

12. The computer system of claim 9,

wherein the one or more physical parameters verified by the package verification section includes weights of the packaged units;

and

wherein the operations further comprise causing the pre-shipment package preparation module to divert ones of the packaged units that are determined by the package verification section to have weights that are inconsistent with an expected weights of the packaged units.

13. The computer system of claim 9,

wherein the packaged units traveling at the constant velocity while the labeling section automatically applies the one or more corresponding shipping labels includes at least two types of packaged units that differ from each other in height and at least two types of packaged units that differ from each other in length.

14. The computer system of claim 13,

wherein the operations further comprise selecting the corresponding shipping path for a given packaged unit based on the height of the given packaged unit.

15. The computer system of claim 9, wherein the operations further comprise causing the labeling section to print the one or more corresponding shipping labels.

16. A method, comprising:

causing an alignment section of a pre-shipment package preparation module to orient packaged units received by the pre-shipment package preparation module,

causing a package verification section of the pre-shipment package preparation module to receive the packaged units from the alignment section and determine heights of the packaged units,

causing a labeling section of the pre-shipment package preparation module to receive the packaged units from the package verification section and to automatically apply one or more corresponding shipping labels to each packaged unit while the packaged units travel at a constant velocity through the labeling section, and

causing a routing section of the pre-shipment package preparation module to receive the packaged units from the labeling section, and to route each packaged unit to a corresponding shipping path selected from a plurality of shipping paths, wherein the corresponding shipping path for a given packaged unit is selected based on information associated with the given packaged unit.

17. The method of claim 16,

wherein causing the package verification section to determine heights of the packaged units comprises causing the package verification section of the pre-shipment package preparation module to determine heights of the packaged units prior to the packaged units being received at the labeling section;

and

diverting ones of the packaged units that are determined by the package verification section as having heights exceeding a maximum height for the labeling section.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

causing a post-labeling inspection section of the pre-shipment package preparation module to determine whether ones of the one or more shipping labels are non-compliant; and

diverting ones of the packaged units that are determined by the pre-shipment package preparation module to be non-compliant.