# US 10,479,612 B1 · Carton induction optimization in order fulfillment picking system > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,479,612 B1 - Document ID: US10479612B1 - Status: Granted - Kind: B1 - Application number: 16/108,012 - Filed: 2018-08-21 - Granted: 2019-11-19 - Earliest claimed: 2016-03-15 - Assignees: Staples, Inc. - Applicants: Staples, Inc. - Inventors: Vikranth Gopalakrishnan; Daniel Jarvis; Rodney Gallaway; Michael Bhaskaran - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10479612B1 ## CPC - B65G 43/08: Control devices operated by article or material being fed, conveyed or discharged {(and controlling the discharging devices B65G47/42)} - B07C 5/00: Sorting according to a characteristic or feature of the articles or material being sorted, e.g. by control effected by devices which detect or measure such characteristic or feature; Sorting by manually actuated devices, e.g. switches (sorting by hand only B07C7/00; separating solids from solids by sieving, screening, or sifting or by using gas currents or other separating by dry methods applicable to bulk material B07B) - B65G 1/137: with arrangements or automatic control means for selecting which articles are to be removed - B65G 1/1373: {for fulfilling orders in warehouses} - B65G 1/1376: {the orders being assembled on a commissioning conveyor} - G06Q 10/087: Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders - G06Q 10/08726: {for replenishment processing, procedures, or recommendations using forecasting or optimisation} - G06Q 10/0874: {Inventory fulfillment (shipping G06Q10/083)} - B65G 2203/0208: relating to the transported articles - B65G 2203/0283: Position of the load carrier - B65G 2203/0291: Speed of the load carrier - B65G: TRANSPORT OR STORAGE DEVICES, e.g. CONVEYORS FOR LOADING OR TIPPING, SHOP CONVEYOR SYSTEMS OR PNEUMATIC TUBE CONVEYORS (packaging B65B; handling thin or filamentary materials, e.g. paper sheets or thread, B65H; cranes B66C; portable mobile or lifting or hauling appliances, e.g. hoists, B66D; devices for lifting or lowering goods for loading or unloading purposes, e.g. fork-lift trucks, B66F9/00; emptying bottles, jars, casks, barrels or similar containers, not otherwise provided for, B67C9/00; delivering or transferring liquids B67D; filling or discharging vessels for liquefied, solidified or compressed gases F17C; pipe-line systems for fluids F17D) - B07C: POSTAL SORTING; SORTING INDIVIDUAL ARTICLES, OR BULK MATERIAL FIT TO BE SORTED PIECE-MEAL, e.g. BY PICKING (specially adapted for a specific purpose covered by another class, see the relevant place, e.g. A43D33/06, B23Q7/12) - G06Q: INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR ## Abstract Technology for optimizing carton induction in an order fulfillment picking system is described. In an example embodiment, a method, implemented using one or more computing devices, may include receiving scan data reflecting status of cartons being conveyed by a conveying system, receiving confirmatory input reflecting pick completion for a subset of the cartons being conveyed by the conveying system, and generating an estimated time of arrival for one or more cartons not yet inducted into the conveying system based on the scan data and the confirmatory input. The method may further include generating a load forecast based on the estimated time of arrival and inducting one or more of the one or more cartons into the conveying system based on the load forecast. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A computer-implemented method comprising: receiving data reflecting a set of cartons associated with a conveying system; identifying a pick-zone visit for each carton in the set of cartons, an identified pick-zone visit for a carton indicating a pick zone among one or more pick zones in the conveying system at which a given item may be placed in the carton; generating a load forecast for the one or more pick zones in the conveying system based on the identified pick-zone visit for each carton in the set of cartons; and inducting one or more of the set of cartons into the conveying system based on the load forecast. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving scan data reflecting a status of the set of cartons associated with the conveying system; and generating an estimated time of arrival for one or more of the set of cartons not yet inducted into the conveying system based on the scan data. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein generating the load forecast is further based on the estimated time of arrival for the one or more of the set of cartons not yet inducted into the conveying system. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising: identifying one or more low-load pick zones based on the identified pick-zone visits for the set of cartons, the low-load pick zones having a load of picks below a threshold; and ranking the one or more low-load pick zones based on a quantity of cartons having a pick-zone visit to each of the one or more low-load pick zones, one or more of the set of cartons being inducted into the conveying system based on the ranking of the one or more low-load pick zones. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The computer-implemented method of claim 4, further comprising: determining a particular carton with a first pick-zone visit to a particular low-load pick zone of the one or more low-load pick zones based on the ranking of the one or more low-load pick zones; releasing the particular carton into the conveying system based on the particular carton having the first pick-zone visit; and re-ranking the one or more low-load pick zones based on a quantity of remaining cartons having a pick-zone visit to each of the one or more low-load pick zones. ### Claim 6 (depends on 4) The computer-implemented method of claim 4, further comprising: determining a particular carton with a second pick-zone visit to a particular low-load pick zone of the one or more low-load pick zones based on the ranking of the one or more low-load pick zones; modifying a sequence of pick-zone visits for the particular carton by making the particular low-load pick zone a first pick-zone visit for the particular carton; and re-ranking the one or more low-load pick zones based on a quantity of remaining cartons having a pick-zone visit to each of the one or more low-load pick zones. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising: identifying a high-load pick zone based on the identified pick-zone visits for the set of cartons, the high-load pick zone having a load of picks above a threshold; determining that a particular carton of the set of cartons includes a pick-zone visit to the high-load pick zone; and holding the particular carton from the set of cartons to a later induction release. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The computer-implemented method of claim 7, wherein holding the particular carton from the set of cartons to the later induction release is further based on a duration for which the particular carton has been held. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising: determining that a particular pick zone of the one or more pick zones exceeds a threshold load level; and flagging a carton in the set of cartons with a pick-zone visit to the particular pick zone as ineligible for a particular induction release. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising: determining that a particular carton of the set of cartons has a pick-zone visit to a pick zone that is marked for replenishment; and flagging the particular carton as ineligible for a particular induction release. ### Claim 11 A system comprising: one or more processors; and a non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, are configured to perform operations including: receiving data reflecting a set of cartons associated with a conveying system; identifying a pick-zone visit for each carton in the set of cartons, an identified pick-zone visit for a carton indicating a pick zone among one or more pick zones in the conveying system at which a given item may be placed in the carton; generating a load forecast for the one or more pick zones in the conveying system based on the identified pick-zone visit for each carton in the set of cartons; and inducting one or more of the set of cartons into the conveying system based on the load forecast. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The system of claim 11, further comprising: receiving scan data reflecting a status of the set of cartons associated with the conveying system; and generating an estimated time of arrival for one or more of the set of cartons not yet inducted into the conveying system based on the scan data. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The system of claim 12, wherein generating the load forecast is further based on the estimated time of arrival for the one or more of the set of cartons not yet inducted into the conveying system. ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) The system of claim 11, further comprising: identifying one or more low-load pick zones based on the identified pick-zone visits for the set of cartons, the low-load pick zones having a load of picks below a threshold; and ranking the one or more low-load pick zones based on a percentage of cartons having a pick-zone visit to each of the one or more low-load pick zones, one or more of the set of cartons being inducted into the conveying system based on the ranking of the one or more low-load pick zones. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The system of claim 14, further comprising: determining a particular carton with a first pick-zone visit to a particular low-load pick zone of the one or more low-load pick zones based on the ranking of the one or more low-load pick zones; releasing the particular carton into the conveying system based on the particular carton having the first pick-zone visit; and re-ranking the one or more low-load pick zones based on a percentage of remaining cartons having a pick-zone visit to each of the one or more low-load pick zones. ### Claim 16 (depends on 14) The system of claim 14, further comprising: determining a particular carton with a second pick-zone visit to a particular low-load pick zone of the one or more low-load pick zones based on the ranking of the one or more low-load pick zones; modifying a sequence of pick-zone visits for the particular carton by making the particular low-load pick zone a first pick-zone visit for the particular carton; and re-ranking the one or more low-load pick zones based on a percentage of remaining cartons having a pick-zone visit to each of the one or more low-load pick zones. ### Claim 17 (depends on 11) The system of claim 11, further comprising: identifying a high-load pick zone based on the identified pick-zone visits for the set of cartons, the high-load pick zone having a load of picks above a threshold; determining that a particular carton of the set of cartons includes a pick-zone visit to the high-load pick zone; and holding the particular carton from the set of cartons to a later induction release. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The system of claim 17, wherein holding the particular carton from the set of cartons to the later induction release is further based on a period for which the particular carton has been held. ### Claim 19 (depends on 11) The system of claim 11, further comprising: determining that a particular pick zone of the one or more pick zones exceeds a threshold load level; and flagging a carton in the set of cartons with a pick-zone visit to the particular pick zone as ineligible for a particular induction release. ### Claim 20 A computer-implemented method comprising: receiving data reflecting a set of cartons associated with a conveying system; identifying a pick-zone visit for each carton in the set of cartons, an identified pick-zone visit for a carton indicating a pick zone among one or more pick zones in the conveying system at which a given item may be placed in the carton; identifying a high-load pick zone and one or more low-load pick zones based on the identified pick-zone visits for the set of cartons, the high-load pick zone having a load of picks above a first threshold, and the one or more low-load pick zones having a load of picks below a second threshold; determining that a first carton of the set of cartons includes a pick-zone visit to the high-load pick zone; holding the first carton of the set of cartons to a later induction release; ranking the one or more low-load pick zones based on a quantity of cartons having a pick-zone visit to each of the one or more low-load pick zones; and identifying a second carton with a first pick-zone visit to a particular low-load pick zone of the one or more low-load pick zones based on the ranking of the one or more low-load pick zones; and inducting the second carton into the conveying system.