Granted Patent B2

US 12,211,003 · App. 17/859,764 · Granted Jan 28, 2025

Inventors: John G. Lert, Jr. (Wakefield, MA); William J. Fosnight (Windham, NH)

Assignee: Walmart Apollo, LLC

G06Q10/087B65G1/1373G06Q10/06G06Q10/08G06Q10/0833H04W4/35

Abstract

Claims (43)

1. An automated supply chain for end to end tracking of eaches, comprising:

one or more distribution centers for receiving eaches from a manufacturer and delivering the eaches to a market;

one or more of pallets, cases and totes for transporting the eaches, the one or more of pallets, cases and totes comprising tracking systems;

a plurality of robots at the one or more distribution centers for sorting the eaches for shipment between the one or more distribution centers and the market;

a unified commerce engine (UCE) comprising at least one processor and at least one non-transitory memory including computer program code, the unified commerce engine configured to receive and store identification information from the tracking systems, the UCE tracking locations of the eaches within the pallets, cases and totes in each of the one or more distribution centers from receipt from the manufacturer to delivery to the market using the identification information;

the one or more distribution centers comprise a decanting station configured to receive at least a subset of cases of the one or more of pallets, cases and totes, where the subset of cases are broken down and one or more eaches from the subset of cases are positioned into each of a set of product totes, of the totes, wherein the unified commerce engine, in tracking the location of the eaches, maintains an association of an identification of the eaches with a tote identification of a respective one of the product totes into which the respective each is positioned;

a set of mobile robots of the plurality of robots, wherein the set of mobile robots is each controlled to transport the product totes from the decanting station to storage locations within the respective one of the one or more distribution centers and the unified commerce engine in storing the identification information stores a tote location, within the respective distribution center, where the respective product tote is positioned; and

wherein the unified commerce engine in storing the identification information comprises storing an identification of a respective each, of the eaches from the subset of cases, and preserving in association with the identification of the respective each corresponding upstream parent pallet and case relationship from which the respective each is decanted, and associate the identification of the respective each with the tote identification and the respective tote location.

2. The automated supply chain of claim 1 , wherein the tracking systems are one of a barcode label and RFID tag.

3. The automated supply chain of claim 1 , wherein the one or more of pallets, cases and totes for transporting the eaches comprise one of:

a pallet of homogeneous cases of items received from the manufacturer comprising the item,

a rainbow pallet comprising the item at the one or more distribution centers, the rainbow pallet comprising heterogenous levels of cases of items, each level including homogeneous cases of items,

a mixed pallet comprising the item at the one or more distribution centers, the mixed pallet comprising heterogenous cases of items.

4. The automated supply chain of claim 1 , wherein the one or more of pallets, cases and totes for transporting the eaches comprise one of:

a product tote for storing eaches in a storage rack of the one or more distribution centers;

an order tote including eaches for fulfilling an order, and

an order bag including eaches for fulfilling an order.

5. The automated supply chain of claim 1 , wherein the UCE is configured to present data to the manufacturer with respect to the eaches contained in the supply chain, the data comprising at least one of the location, inventory level, inventory velocity, sales levels throughout the supply chain.

6. The automated supply chain of claim 1 , wherein an order from the market for an each is stored in the UCE.

7. The automated supply chain of claim 1 , wherein a sale of an each at the market is stored in the UCE.

8. The automated supply chain of claim 1 , wherein the decanting station breaks down shipments of eaches from cases to at least one of totes and subtotes.

9. The automated supply chain of claim 8 , wherein the plurality of robots comprise a decanting robot for breaking down cases of eaches into at least one of totes and subtotes.

10. The automated supply chain of claim 9 , further comprising a sensor configured to read the tracking systems, the sensor being part of or associated with the decanting robot to track and identify eaches arriving at the one or more distribution centers.

11. The automated supply chain of claim 1 , wherein the one or more distribution centers comprise a regional distribution center and a market distribution center, eaches shipping from the market distribution center to the market.

12. The automated supply chain of claim 1 , wherein eaches are shipped to the market in at least one of totes and subtotes that match a sales velocity of the market.

13. The automated supply chain of claim 1 , wherein the one or more distribution centers comprise a market distribution center.

14. The automated supply chain of claim 13 , wherein the market distribution center comprises:

a first group of one or more robots configured to accept pallets comprising cases of eaches;

a second group of one or more robots configured to remove eaches from the cases and store the eaches;

a third group of one or more robots configured to selectively retrieve stored eaches to fill a market order.

15. The automated supply chain of claim 14 , wherein the one or more robots of the third group of one or more robots are directed to fill order totes with mixed each subtotes in response to the market order.

16. The automated supply chain of claim 1 , wherein the market comprises one of a retail store and a distribution center.

17. A method of tracking eaches in an automated supply chain, the method comprising:

receiving eaches at each of one or more distribution centers from one or more manufacturers;

receiving and storing, through a unified commerce engine (UCE) comprising at least one processor and at least one non-transitory memory including computer program code, identification information from tracking systems each cooperated with one of one or more of pallets, cases and totes each configured to transport one or more of the eaches;

delivering the eaches to a market;

directing a plurality of robots at the one or more distribution centers in sorting the eaches for shipment between the one or more distribution centers and the market;

tracking locations, through the UCE, of the eaches within the pallets, cases and totes in each of the one or more distribution centers from receipt from the one or more manufacturers to delivery to the market using the identification information;

receiving, by a decanting station at the one or more distribution centers, at least a subset of cases of the one or more of pallets, cases and totes, where the subset of cases are broken down and one or more eaches from the subset of cases are positioned into each of a set of product totes, of the totes;

maintaining, by the unified commerce engine in tracking the location of the eaches, an association of an identification of the eaches with a tote identification of a respective one of the product totes into which the respective each is positioned;

transporting, by a set of mobile robots of the plurality of robots, the product totes from the decanting station to storage locations within the respective one of the one or more distribution centers and the unified commerce engine in storing the identification information stores a tote location, within the respective distribution center, where the respective product tote is positioned;

storing, by the unified commerce engine in storing the identification information, an identification of a respective each, of the eaches from the subset of cases and preserving in association with the identification of the respective each corresponding upstream parent pallet and case relationship from which the respective each is decanted, and associating the identification of the respective each with the tote identification and the respective tote location.

18. The automated supply chain of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of robots comprise tote transport robots controlled, based on the tracked location of the totes, to retrieve a respective tote of the totes based on the identification of the one or more eaches within the respective tote and transport the tote to a fulfillment area within a respective one of the one or more distribution centers.

Assignments (7)

Continuity (4)

References Cited (400)