The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Apr. 21, 2026
Filed:
Oct. 15, 2024
Maplebear Inc., San Francisco, CA (US);
Benjamin Knight, Oakland, CA (US);
Darren Johnson, Elko, NV (US);
Daniel Haugh, San Francisco, CA (US);
Saumitra Maheshwari, Sunnyvale, CA (US);
Qi XI, New York, NY (US);
Conor Woods, Berkeley, CA (US);
Maplebear Inc., San Francisco, CA (US);
Abstract
A method for optimizing order fulfillment in a warehouse by an online system. The system receives an item catalog from an inventory system, which includes item locations. The system also obtains a taxonomy that organizes items into hierarchical levels based on attributes. When an order is placed by a user, the system checks whether the item catalog contains location data for each item. If an item's location is missing, the system identifies alternative items from the taxonomy with shared attributes and uses the location of a selected alternative item as a proxy. The system determines a picking sequence for the items in the order, optimized to minimize travel distance within the warehouse, and transmits the sequence to a shopper's device for fulfillment.