Managing individual item sequencing from a storage area to a packing station in a materials handling facility
First Claim
1. A computing system, comprising:
- a memory; and
one or more processors coupled to the memory, wherein the memory comprises program instructions that are executed by one or more processors to implement a control system configured to;
determine that a shipment including a plurality of units is to be conveyed via a conveyance system from a storage area to a packing station in a materials handling facility;
evaluate each respective unit of the shipment according to one or more criteria for physical characteristics of the unit in order to generate an individual unit sequence in which the plurality of units of the shipment are to be individually conveyed to the packing station to be packed together in a same package at the packing station, wherein the generation of the individual unit sequence is dependent on one or more differences between the physical characteristics of the individual units of the plurality of units of the shipment;
for each of the individual units to be packed together in the same package for shipping, generate, based on the individual unit sequence, an instruction to individually convey the respective individual unit of the shipment from the storage area to said packing station such that the plurality of the units to be packed together in the same package are individually received one after another at the packing station according to said individual unit sequence, wherein the plurality of individual units are to be packed for shipping together in the same package according to the individual unit sequence; and
send the generated instruction, to the conveyance system, that controls a physical mechanism of the conveyance system to convey the respective individual unit of the shipment from the storage area to said packing station according to said individual unit sequence.
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Abstract
Various embodiments of a system and method for managing shipment release from a storage area in a materials handling facility are described. Embodiments may include a system configured to determine that a shipment including multiple units is expected to be conveyed from a storage area to a packing station in a materials handling facility. The system may also be configured to evaluate each respective unit of the shipment according to one or more criteria related to physical characteristics of the unit in order to generate an order in which the units of the shipment are to be provided to the packing station. The system may also be configured to generate an instruction to provide the units of the shipment to the packing station according to the generated order.
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Citations
24 Claims
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1. A computing system, comprising:
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a memory; and one or more processors coupled to the memory, wherein the memory comprises program instructions that are executed by one or more processors to implement a control system configured to; determine that a shipment including a plurality of units is to be conveyed via a conveyance system from a storage area to a packing station in a materials handling facility; evaluate each respective unit of the shipment according to one or more criteria for physical characteristics of the unit in order to generate an individual unit sequence in which the plurality of units of the shipment are to be individually conveyed to the packing station to be packed together in a same package at the packing station, wherein the generation of the individual unit sequence is dependent on one or more differences between the physical characteristics of the individual units of the plurality of units of the shipment; for each of the individual units to be packed together in the same package for shipping, generate, based on the individual unit sequence, an instruction to individually convey the respective individual unit of the shipment from the storage area to said packing station such that the plurality of the units to be packed together in the same package are individually received one after another at the packing station according to said individual unit sequence, wherein the plurality of individual units are to be packed for shipping together in the same package according to the individual unit sequence; and send the generated instruction, to the conveyance system, that controls a physical mechanism of the conveyance system to convey the respective individual unit of the shipment from the storage area to said packing station according to said individual unit sequence. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A computer-implemented method, comprising:
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performing, by one or more computer processors; determining, by a control system, that a shipment including a plurality of units is to be conveyed from a storage area to a packing station in a materials handling facility; evaluating, by the control system, each respective unit of the shipment according to one or more criteria for physical characteristics of the unit in order to generate an individual unit sequence in which the plurality of units of the shipment are to be individually conveyed to the packing station to be packed together in a same package at the packing station, wherein the generation of the individual unit sequence is dependent on one or more differences between the physical characteristics of the individual units of the plurality of units of the shipment; for each of the individual units to be packed together in the same package for shipping, generating, based on the individual unit sequence, an instruction to individually convey the respective individual unit of the shipment from the storage area to said packing station such that the plurality of individual units to be packed together in the same package are individually received one after another at the packing station according to said individual unit sequence, wherein the plurality of individual units are to be packed for shipping together in the same package according to the individual unit sequence; and sending, by the control system, the generated instruction to the conveyance system that controls a physical mechanism of the conveyance system to convey the respective individual unit of the shipment from the storage area to said packing station according to said individual unit sequence. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, storing program instructions that are executed on a computer system to implement a control system configured to:
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determine that a shipment including a plurality of units is to be conveyed from a storage area to a packing station in a materials handling facility; evaluate each respective unit of the shipment according to one or more criteria for physical characteristics of the unit in order to generate an individual unit sequence in which the plurality of units of the shipment are to be individually conveyed to the packing station to be packed together in a same package at the packing station, wherein the generation of the individual unit sequence is dependent on one or more differences between the physical characteristics of the individual units of the plurality of units of the shipment; for each of the individual units to be packed together in the same package for shipping, generate, based on the individual unit sequence, an instruction to individually convey the respective individual unit of the shipment from the storage area to said packing station such that the plurality of individual units to be packed together in the same package are individually received one after another at the packing station according to said individual unit sequence, wherein the plurality of individual units are to be packed for shipping together in the same package according to the individual unit sequence; and send the generated instruction, to the conveyance system, that controls a physical mechanism of the conveyance system to convey the respective individual unit of the shipment from the storage area to said packing station according to said individual unit sequence. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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Specification