Inventory facility
AssigneeAmazon Technologies, Inc.
InventorFernando Tubilla Kuri
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
This application describes an infrastructure for storing fabric totes, as well as techniques for use of fabric totes in the infrastructure that use mechanical systems to transport the fabric totes and/or access inventory items in the fabric totes. The infrastructure may include a conveyor system configured to transport the fabric totes, drive units configured to transport the fabric totes, inventory pods configured to house the fabric totes, and/or various other mechanical systems for accessing contents and/or transportation of the fabric totes. Additionally, the fabric totes may be accessed and transported manually within the infrastructure.
Claims20
An inventory facility comprising:
- a tote comprising a first handle and a second handle and configured to store an inventory item;
- an inventory pod that defines a storage space in which the tote is configured to fit;
- an extractor configured to manipulate the tote, wherein to manipulate the tote comprises adjusting the tote from a neutral position to at least one of an opened position or a closed position;
- and
- a conveyor configured to transport the tote to a location in the inventory facility via the first handle and the second handle.
A system comprising:
- a tote comprising a first handle and a second handle and configured to store an inventory item, the first handle and the second handle being configured to diverge from a neutral position to an open position;
- an inventory pod that defines a storage space in which the tote is configured to fit;
- a conveyor configured to transport the tote to a location in an inventory facility via the first handle and the second handle;
- and
- an extractor configured to manipulate the tote via the first handle and the second handle and place the tote on the conveyor.
A method comprising:
- labeling a tote comprising at least one handle;
- placing an inventory item in the tote;
- identifying a storage location associated with the tote;
- causing the tote to be placed, via the at least one handle, on a conveyor system at a first location;
- causing the tote to be removed from the conveyor system at a second location that is a distance from the storage location;
- causing the tote to be inserted, via the at least one handle, into an inventory pod at the second location;
- and
- causing the inventory pod to be transported to the storage location.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.