# US 10,504,055 B2 · Optimization of warehouse layout based on customizable goals > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,504,055 B2 - Document ID: US10504055B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/255,696 - Filed: 2016-09-02 - Published: 2018-03-08 - Granted: 2019-12-10 - Earliest claimed: 2016-09-02 - Assignees: X Development LLC - Applicants: X Development LLC - Inventors: Christopher Hance; Daniel Shaffer - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10504055B2 ## CPC - G06Q 10/087: Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders - B65G 57/03: from above - B65G 61/00: Use of pick-up or transfer devices or of manipulators for stacking or de-stacking articles not otherwise provided for - G06Q 10/043: {Optimisation of two dimensional placement, e.g. cutting of clothes or wood} - G06Q 10/0838: {Historical data} - G06Q 10/08741: {by picking of items from inventory for fulfillment} - 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 - 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) ## Abstract Example methods and systems enable rearrangement of a warehouse to an optimal layout determined according to customizable goals. An example method includes receiving, at a warehouse management system (WMS), information of a warehouse and items of the warehouse, identifying an item shipment expectation including new items expected to be received at the warehouse at a future date and items present at the warehouse marked for delivery at the future date, determining an optimal layout of the items of the warehouse at a present date based on the item shipment expectation, determining an amount of time to rearrange the items, by one or more of robotic devices rearranging the items, to the optimal layout based on a time measurement for robotic devices to perform tasks, and determining to rearrange the items of the warehouse based on the amount of time to rearrange the items being less than a threshold amount of time. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method comprising: receiving, at a warehouse management system (WMS), real time inventory of items in a warehouse and real time location data of the items; identifying an item shipment expectation including new items expected to be received at the warehouse at a future date and items present at the warehouse marked for delivery at the future date, said identifying being performed by the WMS and based on one or more of a receiving record, an order fulfillment or a shipping record; receiving an indication of a user-selected throughput goal for the items in the warehouse; determining, based on the item shipment expectation, an optimal layout of the items for achieving the user-selected throughput goal; determining an amount of time for a robotic device to rearrange the items to the optimal layout based on a time measurement for the robotic device to perform a task; determining to rearrange the items of the warehouse based on the amount of time to rearrange the items being less than a threshold amount of time; and causing the robotic device to rearrange the items to the optimal layout. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the items in the warehouse are arranged on pallets, and receiving the real time location data includes receiving information as to positioning of the pallets in the warehouse as well as a content of each pallet. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising determining an optimal layout of the items based on a business goal including a date for a promotion on the items. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising determining an optimal layout of the items based on forecasting of a quantity of items to be delivered. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: determining an optimal layout of the items based on item availability proximal to a shipping dock; and determining to reposition excess inventory of items to storage away from the shipping dock. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising determining an optimal layout of the items based on a maximum storage capacity arrangement of the warehouse. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: optimizing the layout of the items of the warehouse based on an output of a cost function that considers at least the following parameters: an amount of expected time to deplete inventory; an amount of storage capacity required for inbound items; and one or more deadlines for a shipment of items. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: determining to rearrange the items based on the optimal layout satisfying an outbound throughput of items and providing a storage capacity requirement for the future date. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: determining to rearrange the items of the warehouse based on a storage capacity requirement of the warehouse for the future date. ### Claim 10 A system comprising: a robotic device in a warehouse; a processor; and data storage comprising instructions executable by the processor to cause the system to perform operations comprising: receiving real time inventory of the items in the warehouse and real time location data of the items; identifying an item shipment expectation including new items expected to be received at the warehouse at a future date and items present at the warehouse marked for delivery at the future date, said identifying based on one or more of a receiving record, an order fulfillment record or a shipping record; receiving an indication of a user-selected throughput goal for the items in the warehouse; determining, based on the item shipment expectation, an optimal layout of the items for achieving the user-selected throughput goal; determining an amount of time for the robotic device to rearrange the items to the optimal layout based on a time measurement for the robotic device to perform a task; determining to rearrange the items of the warehouse based on the amount of time to rearrange the items being less than a threshold amount of time; and causing the robotic device to rearrange the items to the optimal layout. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The system of claim 10, wherein the items in the warehouse are arranged on pallets, and receiving the real time location data includes receiving information as to positioning of the pallets in the warehouse as well as a content of each pallet. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The system of claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise: determining an optimal layout of the items based on item availability proximal to a shipping dock; and determining to reposition excess inventory of items into storage away from the shipping dock. ### Claim 13 (depends on 10) The system of claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise: optimizing the layout of the items of the warehouse based on an output of a cost function that considers at least the following parameters: an amount of expected time to deplete inventory; an amount of storage capacity required for inbound items; and one or more deadlines for a shipment of items. ### Claim 14 (depends on 10) The system of claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise: determining an optimal layout of the items based on a business goal including a date for a promotion on the items. ### Claim 15 A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon program instructions that when executed by a computing system that includes at least one processor cause the computing system to perform operations comprising: receiving real time inventory of items in a warehouse and real time location data of the items; identifying an item shipment expectation including new items expected to be received at the warehouse at a future date and items present at the warehouse marked for delivery at the future date, said identifying based on one or more of a receiving record, an order fulfillment or a shipping record; receiving an indication of a user-selected throughput goal for the items in the warehouse; determining, based on the item shipment expectation, an optimal layout of the items for achieving the user-selected throughput goal; determining an amount of time for a robotic device to rearrange the items to the optimal layout based on a time measurement for the robotic device to perform a task; determining to rearrange the items of the warehouse based on the amount of time to rearrange the items being less than a threshold amount of time; and causing the robotic device to rearrange the items to the optimal layout. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise: determining an optimal layout of the items based on item availability proximal to a shipping dock; and determining to position excess inventory of items into storage away from the shipping dock. ### Claim 17 (depends on 15) The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise: optimizing the layout of the items of the warehouse based on an output of a cost function that considers at least the following parameters: an amount of expected time to deplete inventory; an amount of storage capacity required for inbound items; and one or more deadlines for a shipment of items. ### Claim 18 (depends on 15) The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise: determining to rearrange the items based on the optimal layout satisfying an outbound throughput of items and providing a storage capacity requirement for the future date. ### Claim 19 (depends on 15) The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise: determining to rearrange the items of the warehouse based on a storage capacity requirement of the warehouse for the future date. ### Claim 20 (depends on 15) The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise: determining an optimal layout of the items based on a maximum storage capacity arrangement of the warehouse.