Walmart Apollo, LLC

Joseph Wayne Hendricks

Courtland J Halbrook

Mingang Fu

Jing Huang

Minghui Liu

Lara N Shock

Ou Sun

John L Sokolsky

Marv Hansen

Steve Ormon

Jeremy Wales

Terry Clear

Cliff Parks

Jamie Lee Hamilton

Donald R High

Robert J Taylor

Matthew David Alexander

Jeffrey Scott Cruz

Lacrecia Lynn Billings

Leigh Ann Marie Scobey

Ranjith Moola

A system including one or more processors and one or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing computing instructions that, when executed on the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations: receiving a load design for loading a trailer to deliver orders; generating an initial grouping comprising stacks of pallets that are configured to be loaded interchangeably among respective floor spot assignments on the trailer; iteratively adjusting at least one of the stacks of pallets within the initial grouping to satisfy at least a center-of-gravity constraint in a final load design for the trailer; and outputting the final load design comprising the initial grouping to cause the stacks of pallets of the initial grouping to be loaded into the trailer according to the final load design. Other embodiments are described.

Automatic generation of flexible load design

A system including one or more processors and one or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing computing instructions configured to run on the one or more processors and perform: generating a feasible dock-out plan designed to deliver one or more orders to one or more physical stores based on a feasible route plan by: generating a preliminary dock-out time boundary based on one or more delivery time windows; determining an earliest dock-out time based at least in part on the preliminary dock-out time boundary and a backward search; and determining a latest dock-out time based at least in part on the preliminary dock-out time boundary and a forward search; and transmitting a range of dock-out times comprising (i) the earliest dock-out time and (ii) the latest dock-out time to a user. Other embodiments are described.

Flexible dock-out time

A system including one or more processors and one or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing computing instructions that, when executed on the one or more processors, perform certain acts. The acts can include obtaining an original load design for loading a trailer to deliver stacks of pallets to physical stores. The load design specifies a respective floor spot assignment for each of the stacks. The original load design satisfies center-of-gravity constraints. The acts also can include generating fluid groups of the stacks to form an initial fluid grouping. The acts additionally can include determining that the fluid groups do not collectively satisfy the center-of-gravity constraints. The acts further can include until the fluid groups collectively satisfy the center-of-gravity constraints, repeatedly determining one or more infeasible groups from the fluid groups, and adjusting at least one of the one or more infeasible groups to update the fluid groups. The acts additionally can include outputting a flexible load design comprising the fluid groups that collectively satisfy the center-of-gravity constraints. Other embodiments are described.

System and methods for dynamic replenishment in a facility are disclosed. A mobile inventory processing device reads a machine readable tag affixed to a perishable item and transmits an indication of the perishable item to a stock inventory processing device. The stock inventory processing device retrieves a stock inventory value corresponding to the perishable item and a historic daily sales value for the perishable item from a database. The stock inventory processing device determines a restocking value based on whether the historic daily sales value exceeds the stock inventory value. The stock inventory processing device transmits a second indication to the mobile inventory processing device. The second indication correspond to insufficient shelf stock of the perishable item. The mobile inventory processing device receives the second indication and outputs an auditory alert in response to the second indication.

System and method for dynamic perishable item replenishment

Systems, methods, and machine readable medium are provided for replenishing product in a freight tethering environment. A pick list is generated at a hub store including one or more items that need to be replenished at a spoke store. It is determined whether the pick list can be fulfilled by the hub store. If the pick list cannot be fulfilled by the hub store, then the one or more items on the pick list is aggregated to a direct-store-delivery from the distribution center. The replenishment need of the spoke store is communicated to a distribution center. Product is received from the distribution center based on the replenishment need, and the pick list for the spoke store is fulfilled by the distribution center.

Systems and methods for replenishment in a freight tethering environment

Systems, methods, and machine readable medium are provided for replenishing product in a freight tethering environment. A pick list is generated at a hub store including one or more items that need to be replenished at a spoke store. It is determined whether the pick list can be fulfilled by the hub store. If the pick list cannot be fulfilled by the hub store, then the one or more items on the pick list is aggregated to a replenishment need of the hub store. The aggregated replenishment need of the hub store and the spoke store is communicated to a distribution center. Product is received from the distribution center based on the aggregated replenishment need, and the pick list for the spoke store is fulfilled from the received product.

In some embodiments, methods and systems are provided that permit a customer to purchase one or more products but not take possession of the products or cause delivery of the products at the time of the purchase order. The products are then stored at one or more product storage locations of the retailer while being marked as purchased by the customer in an inventory management database of the retailer. The customer is provided with a customer interface including a plurality of input fields configured to allow the customer to define one or both of: a delivery time period and a delivery destination for delivery of at least a portion of the products purchased by the customer; and a pickup location and a pickup time period for at least a portion of the products purchased by the customer.

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Bentonville, AR, United States of America

Joseph Wayne Hendricks