# US 2020/0401989 A1 · Systems and methods for rush order fulfilment optimization > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2020/0401989 A1 - Document ID: US20200401989A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 16/891,654 - Filed: 2020-06-03 - Published: 2020-12-24 - Earliest claimed: 2018-02-26 - Assignees: Walmart Apollo, LLC - Applicants: Walmart Apollo, LLC - Inventors: Pratosh Rajkhowa; Vidyanand Krishnan; Ameya Ajay Shendre; Shekhar Gupta; Pavan Kumar - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20200401989A1 ## CPC - G06Q 10/087: Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders - B65D 79/02: Arrangements or devices for indicating incorrect storage or transport ({B65D79/005 takes precedence } ; measuring devices G01) - G06Q 10/063114: {Status monitoring or status determination for a person or group} - G06Q 10/06312: {Adjustment or analysis of established resource schedule, e.g. resource or task levelling, or dynamic rescheduling} - G06Q 10/06316: {Sequencing of tasks or work} - G06Q 10/08741: {by picking of items from inventory for fulfillment} - G06K 7/10366: {the interrogation device being adapted for miscellaneous applications} - 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 - B65D: CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES - G06K: GRAPHICAL DATA READING (image or video recognition or understanding G06V); PRESENTATION OF DATA; RECORD CARRIERS; HANDLING RECORD CARRIERS ## Abstract A system for rush order fulfillment optimization is discussed. The system includes mobile devices that are each associated with a worker and a rush fulfillment engine executed by a computing system which dynamically updates a task queue of each worker upon receipt of a new rush order according to a task completion rate difference between an estimated task completion rate and the current task completion rate of the worker. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A rush order fulfillment optimization system for fulfilling rush orders, the system comprising: a computing device in communication with one or more databases, the computing device configured to execute a rush fulfillment engine that when executed: monitors a task queue associated with each worker of a plurality of workers; receives an availability status for each worker; receives a plurality of requests to fulfill a plurality of orders, each order including a plurality of items and subject to a completion threshold; wherein upon receipt of each new order of the plurality of orders, the rush fulfillment engine: classifies the plurality of items of the new order into a plurality of tasks according to item task requirements associated with the plurality of items; calculates an estimated completion time of the new order based on an estimated completion time of the item task requirements associated with the plurality of items; determines whether the estimated completion time required for the new order meets the completion threshold; identifies, when the estimated completion time required for the new order meets the completion threshold, a current task completion status for each of a plurality of task queues associated with each of the plurality of workers based in part on the availability status and current tasks in the task queue; and assigns the plurality of tasks to one or more of the plurality of task queues associated with a plurality of workers based on the current task completion status and the estimated completion time required for the new order; and the one or more databases holding order information and information associated with the plurality of workers. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, further comprising: a smart container including at least one machine-readable representation scanner, wherein the smart container transmits, to the rush fulfillment engine, a task completion indication in response to the machine-readable representation scanner scanning a machine-readable representation located on an item when the item is put into the smart container. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1 wherein the smart container includes a separate scanner on every interior surface in the container. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the computing device is further configured to: monitor a current location of the worker based on a location signal received by the computing device from a mobile device associated with the worker. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of tasks include at least one of picking, packing and dispensing. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, further comprising: a mobile application executable on each of a plurality of user mobile devices respectively associated with each of the plurality of workers, the mobile application when executed: receiving, from the computing device, the task queue; displaying the received task queue on the mobile device; and transmitting, to the computing device, a task completion indication when a assigned task is completed. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the computing device is further configured to: monitor a location of one of the plurality of workers based on a location signal received from a mobile device. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the item task requirements include item location, item category, and item task completion time limitation based on the item category. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein a mobile application executing on a mobile device associated with one of the plurality of workers when executed: transmits the availability status in response to an operation by the worker associated with the mobile device. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the rush fulfillment engine rejects the order when the estimated completion time for the new order fails to meet the completion threshold. ### Claim 11 A computer-implemented method for fulfilling a rush order, the method comprising: receiving an indication of an availability status for each of a plurality of workers at a rush fulfillment engine executed by a computing device in communication with one or more databases, the one or more databases holding order information and information associated with the plurality of workers; monitoring a task queue associated with each worker; receiving, with the computing device, a plurality of requests to fulfill a plurality of orders, each order including a plurality of items and subject to a completion threshold; and upon receipt of each new order of the plurality of orders, classifying, with the rush fulfillment engine, the plurality of items of the new order into a plurality of tasks according to item task requirements associated with the plurality of items; calculating, with the rush fulfillment engine, an estimated completion time of the new order based on an estimated completion time of the item task requirements associated with the plurality of items; determining, with the rush fulfillment engine, whether the estimated completion time of the new order meets a completion threshold; identifying, when the estimated completion time required for the new order meets the completion threshold, a current task completion status for each of a plurality of task queues associated with each of the plurality of workers based in part on the availability status associated with the workers and current tasks in the task queue; and assigning the plurality of tasks to one or more of the plurality of task queues associated with the plurality of workers based on the current task completion status and the estimated completion time required for the new order. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, further comprising: transmitting, by a smart container including at least one machine-readable representation scanner, to the computing system, a task completion indication in response to the machine-readable representation scanner scanning a machine-readable representation located on an item when the item is put into the smart container. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12 wherein the smart container includes a separate scanner on every interior surface in the container. ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, further comprising: monitoring a current location of the worker based on a location signal received by the computing system from a mobile device associated with the worker. ### Claim 15 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein the plurality of tasks include at least one of picking, packing and dispensing. ### Claim 16 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, further comprising: receiving, by a mobile application executable on each of a plurality of user mobile devices respectively associated with each of the plurality of workers, from the computing system, the task queue; and displaying, by the mobile application, the received task queue on the mobile device; and transmitting, by the mobile application to the computing system, a task completion indication when a assigned task is completed. ### Claim 17 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, further comprising: monitoring, by the computing system, a location of one of the plurality of workers based on a location signal received from a mobile device. ### Claim 18 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, further comprising: transmitting, by the mobile application executable on the plurality of user mobile devices, the availability status in response to an operation by the worker. ### Claim 19 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, further comprising: rejecting the order with the rush fulfillment engine when the estimated new order task completion time is greater than the threshold. ### Claim 20 A non-transitory medium holding computing device-executable instructions for fulfilling a rush order, the computing device in communication with one or more databases, the one or more databases holding order information and information associated with a plurality of workers, the instructions when executed causing the computing device to: receive an indication of an availability status for each of a plurality of workers; monitor a task queue associated with each worker; receive, with the computing device, a plurality of requests to fulfill a plurality of orders, each order including a plurality of items and subject to a completion threshold; and upon receipt of each new order of the plurality of orders, classify the plurality of items of the new order into a plurality of tasks according to item task requirements associated with the plurality of items; calculate an estimated completion time of the new order based on an estimated completion time of the item task requirements associated with the plurality of items; determine whether the estimated completion time of the new order meets a completion threshold; identify, when the estimated completion time required for the new order meets the completion threshold, a current task completion status for each of a plurality of task queues associated with each of the plurality of workers based in part on the availability status associated with the workers and current tasks in the task queue; and assign the plurality of tasks to one or more of the plurality of task queues associated with the plurality of workers based on the current task completion status and the estimated completion time required for the new order.