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US 9,517,899 B2Granted
System for unloading items
AssigneeAmazon Technologies, Inc.
InventorsWilliam James Watt, Timothy Aaron Bragg, Andrew Stubbs, Matthew David Verminski, John P. Dugan
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A system for unloading inventory items includes an inventory holder, an unloading station, and a mobile drive unit. The inventory holder stores inventory items. The unloading station includes a barrier that is operable to prevent inventory items from moving past the barrier as the inventory holder moves past the barrier. The mobile drive unit is operable to move the inventory holder toward the unloading station and to move the inventory holder past the barrier.
Claims18
A system for unloading inventory items, comprising:
- an inventory holder operable to store an inventory item;
- an unloading station comprising a barrier, the barrier operable to prevent inventory items from moving past the barrier as the inventory holder moves past the barrier;
- and
- a mobile drive unit operable to:
- move the inventory holder in a first direction toward the unloading station until a center of gravity of the mobile drive unit passes beneath at least a portion of a deposit surface;
- and
- change movement from the first direction to movement in a second direction such that the mobile drive unit moves the inventory holder past the barrier through an opening formed by at least two vertical portions of the barrier;
- and
- wherein the barrier is operable to prevent inventory items from moving past the barrier by dislodging inventory items from the inventory holder as the mobile drive unit moves the inventory holder past the barrier;
- and wherein the deposit surface is operable to receive inventory items dislodged from the inventory holder by the barrier.
7 more elements
A system for unloading inventory items, comprising:
- an inventory holder operable to store an inventory item;
- an unloading station comprising a barrier, the barrier operable to prevent inventory items from moving past the barrier as the inventory holder moves past the barrier;
- and
- a mobile drive unit operable to:
- move the inventory holder in a first direction toward the unloading station until a center of gravity of the mobile drive unit passes beneath at least a portion of a deposit surface;
- and
- change movement from the first direction to movement in a second direction such that the mobile drive unit moves the inventory holder past the barrier through an opening formed by at least two vertical portions of the barrier;
- wherein the inventory holder comprises:
- a first platform operable to store the inventory item;
- a second platform operable to couple to the mobile drive unit;
- and
- one or more supports coupling the first platform to the second platform;
- and
- wherein the deposit surface is operable to receive items dislodged from the inventory holder by the barrier, and wherein at least a portion of the deposit surface passes between the first platform and the second platform of the inventory holder as the mobile drive unit moves the inventory holder past the barrier.
11 more elements
A system for unloading inventory items, comprising:
- an inventory holder operable to store an inventory item;
- an unloading station comprising a barrier operable to prevent inventory items from moving past the barrier as the inventory holder moves past the barrier;
- and
- a mobile drive unit operable to move the inventory holder toward the unloading station and to move the inventory holder past the barrier;
- wherein:
- the inventory holder comprises:
- a first platform operable to store the inventory item;
- a second platform operable to couple to the mobile drive unit;
- and
- one or more supports coupling the first platform to the second platform;
- the unloading station further comprises a deposit surface operable to receive items dislodged from the inventory holder by the barrier,
- at least a portion of the deposit surface passes between the first platform and the second platform as the mobile drive unit moves the inventory holder past the barrier;
- the one or more supports comprise at least one detachable support;
- and
- the deposit surface detaches the detachable support from one of the first platform and the second platform while the portion of the deposit surface passes between the first platform and the second platform.
12 more elements
A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising logic, the logic, when executed by a processor, operable to:
- instruct a mobile drive unit to move to an inventory holder storing an inventory item;
- and
- instruct the mobile drive unit to:
- move the inventory holder in a first direction toward an unloading station, such that a center of gravity of the mobile drive unit passes beneath at least a portion of a deposit surface;
- and
- change movement from the first direction to movement in a second direction such that the mobile drive unit moves the inventory holder past a barrier associated with the unloading station through an opening formed by at least two vertical portions of the barrier, wherein the barrier is operable to prevent the inventory item from moving past the barrier as the inventory holder moves past the barrier;
- and
- wherein the barrier is operable to prevent inventory items from moving past the barrier by dislodging inventory items from the inventory holder as the mobile drive unit moves the inventory holder past the barrier;
- and wherein the deposit surface is operable to receive inventory items dislodged from the inventory holder by the barrier.
6 more elements
A method for unloading inventory items, comprising steps of:
- moving, by a mobile drive unit, an inventory holder storing an inventory item in a first direction toward an unloading station, such that a center of gravity of the mobile drive unit passes beneath at least a portion of a deposit surface;
- changing, by the mobile drive unit, movement from the first direction to movement in a second direction such that the mobile drive unit moves the inventory holder past a barrier of the unloading station through an opening formed by at least two vertical portions of the barrier;
- preventing the inventory item from moving past the barrier as the inventory holder is moved past the barrier by the mobile drive unit;
- and
- wherein:
- the barrier is operable to prevent the inventory item from moving past the barrier by dislodging the inventory item from the inventory holder as the mobile drive unit moves the inventory holder past the barrier;
- and
- the deposit surface is operable to receive the inventory item dislodged from the inventory holder by the barrier.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.