Enhanced inventory holder

• US 9,527,710 B1
• Filed: 06/18/2015
• Issued: 12/27/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hussain, Mustafa Mustansir, Goyal, Neeraj, Subramanian, Venkataramanan, Vishwanatham, Vikas
• Primary Examiner(s): CUMBESS, YOLANDA RENEE
• Application Number:
  US14/743,866
• Time in Patent Office: 558 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B66F 9/063 Automatically guided

Abstract

Embodiments herein are directed to an inventory system having multiple inventory holders and drive units for moving the inventory holders. Features herein are directed to moving inventory items relative to a bin of an inventory holder or between inventory holders in the inventory system. The inventory system may include actuation units or some other mechanism on the drive units for assisting in moving inventory items relative to a bin of an inventory holder or between inventory holders. The inventory holders each include one or more inventory bins. A mobile drive unit is included, which includes an actuator configured for selectively actuating at least one of the inventory bins for moving at least one inventory item relative to the bin.

Claims

1. A method for transporting inventory items, the method comprising:

supporting an inventory bin via a frame, the inventory bin having a linkage associated therewith, the linkage including a first end connected with the inventory bin and a second end having an engagement surface;

using a mobile drive unit to move the frame to another location within an inventory workspace; and

engaging the engagement surface via an actuator included in the mobile drive unit to actuate the linkage to tilt the inventory bin relative to the frame to move one or more inventory items out of the inventory bin.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein engaging the engagement surface comprises pushing on the engagement surface via an element drivingly coupled with the actuator.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein engaging the engagement surface raises at least one element of the linkage.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one element of the linkage is pulled via the actuator.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein engaging the engagement surface lowers at least one element of the linkage.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein tilting the bin comprises lifting a first end of the inventory bin to cause the inventory bin to rotate about a second end of the inventory bin opposite the first end.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

supporting a second inventory bin via the frame, the second inventory bin having a second linkage associated therewith; and

engaging the second linkage via the actuator to actuate the second linkage to tilt the second inventory bin relative to the frame to move one or more inventory items out of the second inventory bin.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising tilting a plurality of inventory bins relative to the frame via a single actuation of the actuator.

9. A system for transporting inventory items, the system comprising:

a plurality of inventory holders, each inventory holder of the plurality comprising one or more inventory bins; and

at least one mobile drive unit comprising an actuator configured for selectively actuating at least one of the inventory bins for moving at least one inventory item relative to said at least one of the inventory bins,

wherein the plurality of inventory holders comprises at least a sending inventory holder and a receiving inventory holder, wherein the sending inventory holder is configured to move at least one inventory item from a sending inventory bin of the sending inventory holder to the receiving inventory holder in response to actuation of the sending inventory bin.

10. The system for transporting inventory items of claim 9, wherein actuating the sending inventory bin comprises vertically moving a first part of the sending inventory bin to cause the sending inventory bin to rotate about an axis.

11. The system for transporting inventory items of claim 9, further comprising at least one linkage selectively arrangeable to engage different inventory bins.

12. The system for transporting inventory items of claim 9, further comprising at least one linkage selectively arrangeable to engage multiple inventory bins.

13. The system for transporting inventory items of claim 9, wherein the at least one mobile drive unit is configured to lift the sending inventory holder to align the sending inventory bin with a receiving inventory bin of the receiving inventory holder configured to receive the inventory item from the sending inventory bin.

14. The system for transporting inventory items of claim 9, wherein the at least one mobile drive unit is configured to lift the receiving inventory holder to align the sending inventory bin with a receiving inventory bin of the receiving inventory holder configured to receive the inventory item from the sending inventory bin.

15. A method for transporting inventory items, the method comprising:

supporting an inventory bin via a frame, the inventory bin having a linkage connected with the inventory bin;

using a mobile drive unit to move the frame and the inventory bin to another location within an inventory workspace; and

actuating the linkage via an actuator included in the mobile drive unit to move one or more inventory items out of the inventory bin to a receiving inventory holder.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein actuating the linkage rotates the inventory bin relative to the frame about an axis.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising lifting the frame by the mobile drive unit to align the inventory bin with a receiving inventory bin of the receiving inventory holder.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising lifting the receiving inventory holder to align the inventory bin with a receiving inventory bin of the receiving inventory holder configured to receive the one or more inventory items from the inventory bin.

19. The method of claim 15, further comprising using a mobile drive unit to move the receiving inventory holder to another location within the inventory workspace after moving the one or more inventory items out of the inventory bin to the receiving inventory holder.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein actuating the linkage tilts the inventory bin relative to the frame, the method further comprising actuating a second linkage via an actuator included in a second mobile drive unit to tilt a receiving inventory bin of the receiving inventory holder into alignment with the inventory bin as tilted via the actuation of the linkage.