US 7,031,801 B1 · Continuous item picking in a distribution center using coordinated item picking periods

Abstract

A facility for scheduling the picking of a plurality of items specified for an item shipment is described. When a first-picked item of the plurality is picked, the facility selects a first period of time of a target length during which the first-picked item is expected to arrive at a sorting machine. For each of the items specified for the item shipment other than the first-picked item, the facility designates a picking period for the item that, when shifted forward in time by an amount of time the item will take to arrive at the sorting machine once picked, falls completely within the first period of time.

Claims19

Dependent claims

A method in a computing system for shipping a shipment, comprising:

selecting a shipment for shipping, the selected shipment identifying a plurality of items to be included in the shipment;
selecting a first item among the plurality of items;
issuing a pick directive for the first item to a picker;
receiving a pick confirmation identifying a first time at which the first item was picked;
adding to the first time an expected travel time for the first item to obtain a sorter dwell start time;
adding a target sorter dwell duration to the sorter dwell start time to obtain a sorter dwell end time;
for each of the items of the plurality other than the first item:
subtracting an expected travel time for the item from the sorter dwell start time to obtain a pick window start time for the item;
subtracting the expected travel time for the item from the sorter dwell end time to obtain a pick window end time for the item;
and
issuing a pick directive for the item at a time to a picker between the item's pick window start time and pick window end time.

8 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Continuous item picking in a distribution center using coordinated item picking periods

Life of this patent

Continuous item picking in a distribution center using coordinated item picking periods

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims19