# US 11,027,640 B2 · Delivery vehicle and facility loading and unloading shelf system

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- Number: US 11,027,640 B2
- Document ID: US11027640B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/154,573
- Filed: 2018-10-08
- Published: 2019-05-23
- Granted: 2021-06-08
- Earliest claimed: 2017-10-10
- Assignees: United States Postal Service
- Applicants: United States Postal Service
- Inventors: William Schwartz; Amy Longshore; Erika Thoeny; Sierra Raney; Michael Nagy; Andrew Garcia
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11027640B2

## CPC

- B60P 1/6481: {Specially adapted for carrying different numbers of container or containers of different sizes}
- B60P 1/6409: {details, accessories, auxiliary devices}
- G06Q 10/04: Forecasting or optimisation specially adapted for administrative or management purposes, e.g. linear programming or "cutting stock problem" (market predictions or forecasting for commercial activities G06Q30/0202)
- G06Q 10/08: Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
- G06Q 10/083: Shipping
- G06Q 10/087: Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
- G06Q 10/08741: {by picking of items from inventory for fulfillment}
- G06Q 10/0877: {by inventory control or reporting using inventory tracking or counting}
- B60P 3/007: {for delivery of small articles, e.g. milk, frozen articles}
- F21S 4/28: rigid, e.g. LED bars
- F21Y 2115/10: Light-emitting diodes [LED]
- B60P: VEHICLES ADAPTED FOR LOAD TRANSPORTATION OR TO TRANSPORT, TO CARRY, OR TO COMPRISE SPECIAL LOADS OR OBJECTS (vehicles with special provisions for transporting patients or disabled persons, or their personal conveyances A61G3/00)
- 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
- F21S: NON-PORTABLE LIGHTING DEVICES; SYSTEMS THEREOF; VEHICLE LIGHTING DEVICES SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR VEHICLE EXTERIORS
- F21Y: INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASSES F21K, F21L, F21S and F21V, RELATING TO THE FORM OR THE KIND OF THE LIGHT SOURCES OR OF THE COLOUR OF THE LIGHT EMITTED

## Abstract

Vehicle shelf systems having indicators thereon for improving loading and delivery efficiency. Items are scanned for loading, and the indicators on the vehicle shelves identify where to place the item based on the sequence of the delivery point along the delivery route. A mobile computing device alerts a delivery carrier when the delivery vehicle is in proximity to a delivery point when an item is to be delivered.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A system for loading items comprising:
a plurality of shelves, the shelves configured to receive one or more items, each of the plurality of shelves having an indicator thereon, the indicator comprising a plurality of segments, each of the plurality of segments comprising a pair of indicating components spaced a fixed distance apart;
a mobile computing device configured to scan an item to be loaded and to generate scan information for the item to be loaded;
a processor in communication with the mobile computing device and with the indicator; and
a memory in communication with the processor, the memory storing a loading plan for the one or more items;
wherein the processor is configured to:
receive the scan information from the scanner for the item to be loaded, the scan information including a dimension of an item and an intended delivery point for the item,
determine a proposed shelf of the plurality of shelves for the item to be loaded based the intended destination for the item on the scan information and an order of the intended delivery point on a fixed route;
identify a number of the plurality of segments on the identified shelf, the number of the plurality of segments being determined based on the intended destination, the received dimension for the item, and the fixed distances between pairs of indicators of each segment;
and to actuate the indicating components of the identified plurality of segments on the identified shelf.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of shelves are located on a delivery vehicle.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of shelves are located in a distribution facility.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the indicating components comprise light emitting diodes.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, further comprising a sensor located on each of the plurality of shelves, the sensor configured to sense the presence of items on the shelves and to communicate the sensed presence of items to the processor.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to generate the loading plan based on the received scan information and to store the loading plan in the memory.

### Claim 7

A method of loading a vehicle comprising:
scanning a label on an item to be loaded into a vehicle, the vehicle comprising a plurality of shelves, each of the plurality of shelves having an indicator thereon, the indicator comprising a plurality of segments, each of the plurality of segments comprising a pair of indicating components spaced a fixed distance apart;
obtaining item information based on the scan of the label, the item information comprising an item dimension and an intended delivery point for the item;
determining an order of the intended delivery point along a fixed delivery route;
determining a proposed shelf for the item on one of the plurality of shelves based on the intended destination for the item and the determined order of the intended delivery point along the fixed route;
identifying a number of the plurality of segments on the identified shelf, the number of the plurality of segments being determined based on the order of the intended delivery point, the received dimension for the item, and the fixed distances between pairs of indicators of each of the plurality of segments;
actuating the indicating components in the number of identified plurality of segments; and
placing the item on the proposed shelf where the actuated indicating components are located.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The method of claim 7, wherein the indicating components comprise light emitting diodes aligned along a length of each of the plurality of shelves.

### Claim 9 (depends on 7)

The method of claim 7, wherein the intended delivery point comprises a stop sequence number, and wherein determining the order comprises identifying the stop sequence number of the intended delivery point.

### Claim 10 (depends on 7)

The method of claim 7, further comprising generating an indication that the item has been loaded into the proposed shelf location.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The method of claim 10, wherein generating the indication that the item has been loaded into the proposed shelf comprises sensing, via one or more sensors disposed on the plurality of shelves, the presence of the item.

### Claim 12 (depends on 7)

The method of claim 7 further comprising delivering the item to be loaded to a delivery point associated with an intended recipient of the item.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The method of claim 12, wherein delivering the item comprises:
detecting a location of the vehicle along a delivery route;
determining whether the location of the vehicle is within a defined distance to the delivery point associated with the intended recipient of the item;
providing an alert via the mobile computing device if the location of the vehicle is within the defined distance to the delivery point associated with the intended recipient of the item; and
actuating the indicating components corresponding to the item's location on the plurality of shelves.