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US 8,340,812 B1Granted
Optimization of packaging sizes
AssigneeAmazon Technologies, Inc.
InventorsHong Tian, Mackenzie Smith, Devesh Mishra
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Various systems, methods, and programs embodied in computer-readable mediums are provided for determining optimum sizes of packaging in a packaging suite employed in a materials handling facility. The packaging may be used, for example, in the shipping of items from the materials handling facility to various destinations. The sizes of the packaging in the packaging suite are determined based upon the shipping volumes associated with packages or shipments shipped from the materials handling facility.
Claims44
A system, comprising:
- a processor circuit having a processor and a memory;
- a plurality of shipping volumes stored in the memory, each shipping volume comprising a three-dimensional bounding box around at least one item;
- a packaging suite manager stored in the memory and executable by the processor;
- the packaging suite manager being configured to determine a plurality of sizes of packaging in a packaging suite employed in a materials handling facility based upon the shipping volumes, the packaging in the packaging suite being used for a plurality of shipments;
- the packing suite manager determining the plurality of sizes of packaging in the packaging suite by calculating the plurality of sizes based upon the shipping volumes, a maximum number of sizes of packaging specified for the packaging suite, a plurality of possible packaging sizes in the packaging suite using a P-median solver;
- wherein each of the shipping volumes are associated with a corresponding at least one item shipped in a package from the materials handling facility to a plurality of customers over a predefined period of time, or with a plurality of items to be shipped from the materials handling facility to a plurality of customers in the future;
- and
- the packaging suite manager being further configured to periodically generate an order for the packaging in the packaging suite after the determination of the sizes of packaging in the packaging suite.
5 more elements
A method, comprising the steps of:
- storing a plurality of shipping volumes in a memory, each one of the shipping volumes enclosing a collection of at least one item and being associated with one of a plurality of different orders for goods, at least some of the shipping volumes differing with respect to each other;
- determining, in a computer system, a plurality of sizes of packaging in a packaging suite employed in a materials handling facility based at least in part upon the plurality of shipping volumes, the packaging in the packaging suite being used for a plurality of shipments;
- wherein the sizes of the packaging are not predetermined;
- and
- wherein the step of determining the plurality of sizes of packaging in the packaging suite further comprises the step of calculating the plurality of sizes based upon the shipping volumes using a P-median solver.
2 more elements
A method, comprising the steps of:
- storing a plurality of shipping volumes in a memory, each shipping volume enclosing a collection of at least one item;
- determining, in a computer system, a plurality of sizes of packaging in a packaging suite employed in a materials handling facility based upon the shipping volumes, the packaging in the packaging suite being used for a plurality of shipments;
- and
- wherein the step of determining the plurality of sizes of packaging in the packaging suite further comprises the step of calculating the plurality of sizes based upon the shipping volumes using a P-median solver.
1 more element
A method, comprising the steps of:
- storing a plurality of shipping volumes in a memory, each one of the shipping volumes enclosing a collection of at least one item and being associated with one of a plurality of different orders for goods;
- determining, in a computer system, a plurality of sizes of packaging in a packaging suite employed in a materials handling facility based at least in part upon the plurality of shipping volumes, the packaging in the packaging suite being used for a plurality of shipments;
- wherein each of the shipping volumes is associated with a corresponding at least one item shipped in a package from the materials handling facility to a plurality of customers over a predefined period of time;
- wherein the sizes of the packaging are not predetermined;
- and
- wherein the step of determining the plurality of sizes of packaging in the packaging suite further comprises the step of calculating the plurality of sizes based upon the shipping volumes using a P-median solver.
3 more elements
A method, comprising the steps of:
- storing a plurality of shipping volumes in a memory, each one of the shipping volumes enclosing a collection of at least one item and being associated with one of a plurality of different orders for goods;
- determining, in a computer system, a plurality of sizes of packaging in a packaging suite employed in a materials handling facility based at least in part upon the plurality of shipping volumes, the packaging in the packaging suite being used for a plurality of shipments;
- wherein the sizes of the packaging in the packaging suite are determined periodically at predefined time intervals;
- wherein the sizes of the packaging are not predetermined;
- and
- wherein the step of determining the plurality of sizes of packaging in the packaging suite further comprises the step of calculating the plurality of sizes based upon the shipping volumes using a P-median solver.
3 more elements
A system, comprising:
- a processor circuit having a processor and a memory;
- a plurality of shipping volumes stored in the memory, each one of the shipping volumes enclosing at least one item and being associated with one of a plurality of orders for goods, at least some of the shipping volumes differing with respect to each other;
- a packaging suite manager stored in the memory and executable by the processor, the packaging suite manager being configured to determine a plurality of sizes of packaging in a packaging suite employed in a materials handling facility based at least in part upon the shipping volumes, the packaging in the packaging suite being used for a plurality of shipments;
- wherein the sizes of the packaging are not predetermined;
- and
- wherein the packaging suite manager determines the plurality of sizes of packaging in the packaging suite by calculating the plurality of sizes based upon the shipping volumes using a P-median solver.
3 more elements
A system, comprising:
- a plurality of shipping volumes stored in a memory, each one of the shipping volumes enclosing at least one item and being associated with one of a plurality of different orders for goods, at least some of the shipping volumes differing with respect to each other;
- means for determining a plurality of sizes of packaging in a packaging suite employed in a materials handling facility based at least in part upon the plurality of shipping volumes, the packaging in the packaging suite being used for a plurality of shipments;
- wherein the sizes of the packaging are not predetermined;
- and
- wherein the means for determining determines the plurality of sizes of packaging in the packaging suite by calculating the plurality of sizes based upon the shipping volumes using a P-median solver.
2 more elements
A non-transitory computer-readable medium embodying a program executable by a processor circuit, comprising:
- code that determines a plurality of sizes of packaging in a packaging suite employed in a materials handling facility based at least in part upon a plurality of shipping volumes, the packaging in the packaging suite being used for a plurality of shipments;
- and
- each one of the shipping volumes enclosing at least one item and being associated with one of a plurality of different orders for goods, at least some of the shipping volumes differing with respect to each other;
- wherein the sizes of the packaging are not predetermined;
- and
- wherein the code that determines is configured to determine the plurality of sizes of packaging in the packaging suite by calculating the plurality of sizes based upon the shipping volumes using a P-median solver.
3 more elements
A non-transitory computer-readable medium embodying a program executable by a processor circuit, comprising:
- code that determines a plurality of sizes of packaging in a packaging suite employed in a materials handling facility based upon a plurality of shipping volumes, the packaging in the packaging suite being used for a plurality of shipments;
- each of the shipping volumes enclosing at least one item;
- and
- wherein the code that determines the sizes of packaging in the packaging suite calculates the plurality of sizes using a P-median solver based upon the shipping volumes, a maximum number of sizes of packaging specified for the packaging suite, and a plurality of possible packaging sizes in the packaging suite.
1 more element
A method, comprising the steps of:
- storing a plurality of shipping volumes in a memory, each one of the shipping volumes enclosing a collection of at least one item and being associated with one of a plurality of different orders for goods;
- determining, in a computer system, a plurality of sizes of packaging in a packaging suite employed in a materials handling facility based at least in part upon the plurality of shipping volumes, the packaging in the packaging suite being used for a plurality of shipments;
- wherein at least one of the collections of at least one item comprises a plurality of dissimilar items, and at least one of the collections is associated with a bounding box that is dissimilar relative to the remaining ones of the collections;
- wherein the sizes of the packaging are not predetermined;
- and
- wherein the step of determining the plurality of sizes of packaging in the packaging suite further comprises the step of calculating the plurality of sizes based upon the shipping volumes using a P-median solver.
3 more elements
A method, comprising the steps of:
- storing a plurality of shipping volumes in a memory, each one of the shipping volumes enclosing a collection of at least one item;
- determining, in a computer system, a plurality of sizes of packaging in a packaging suite employed in a materials handling facility based at least in part upon the plurality of shipping volumes, the packaging in the packaging suite being used for a plurality of shipments;
- wherein the collections of at least one item are randomly grouped;
- wherein the sizes of the packaging are not predetermined;
- and
- wherein the step of determining the plurality of sizes of packaging in the packaging suite further comprises the step of calculating the plurality of sizes based upon the shipping volumes using a P-median solver.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.