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:
Nov. 18, 2014
Filed:
Oct. 24, 2011
Kevin R. Vliet, Seattle, WA (US);
Wayne A. Kiser, Breinigsville, PA (US);
Michael A. Holland, McKinney, TX (US);
Jonathan S. Battles, Independence, MO (US);
Kevin R. Vliet, Seattle, WA (US);
Wayne A. Kiser, Breinigsville, PA (US);
Michael A. Holland, McKinney, TX (US);
Jonathan S. Battles, Independence, MO (US);
Amazon Technologies, Inc., Reno, NV (US);
Abstract
Methods and apparatus for material handling in an order fulfillment center. An order fulfillment system may include inventory storage, a processing area, and a control system. The inventory storage may in some instances include two storage areas, and in some cases the processing area may be disposed between the two storage areas. The processing area may include a router module that is configured to receive inventory items that have been picked from the inventory storage. Inventory items may be received by the router module via conveyance receptacles (e.g., totes, bins) that are conveyed using a conveyor mechanism. The processing area may also include a plurality of processing modules that may be configured to receive inventory items from the router module. In some instances, the processing modules may receive the inventory items via conveyance receptacles that are conveyed using the conveyor mechanism.