| CPC B65G 1/1378 (2013.01) [B65G 1/08 (2013.01); B65G 9/004 (2013.01); B65G 17/32 (2013.01); G06Q 10/0837 (2013.01); B65G 1/1371 (2013.01); B65G 2201/0238 (2013.01)] | 29 Claims |
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1. A method of fulfilling an order incorporating return inventory items, comprising:
storing a plurality of customer orders, warehouse inventory item information, and return inventory item information in a data base;
storing a plurality of warehouse inventory items in a warehouse wherein the warehouse inventory items are available to be incorporated into the customer orders, each of said warehouse inventory items comprising a unique item identifier that is known by the data base;
storing a plurality of returned items in a return item buffer as return inventory items, wherein the return inventory items and are available to be incorporated into the customer orders, each of said return inventory items comprising a unique item identifier that is known by the data base;
determining with the data base if a return inventory item matches an item required for a customer order;
if a return inventory item matches with the customer order, transporting the matching return inventory item with a return conveyor from the return item buffer to a picking station;
if a return inventory item does not match the customer order, matching with the data base a warehouse inventory item with the customer order and transporting the matching warehouse inventory item with a transportation system from the warehouse to the picking station; and
if a return inventory item matches with the customer order and that customer order also requires a warehouse inventory item, releasing the warehouse inventory items and the return inventory items to arrive at the picking station at the same time to be picked into the same order, and picking the warehouse inventory items and the return inventory items together that make up the same order.
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13. A method of fulfilling an order incorporating return inventory, comprising:
storing a plurality of customer orders, warehouse inventory item information, and return inventory item information in a data base;
storing a plurality of warehouse inventory items in a warehouse wherein the warehouse inventory items are available to be incorporated into the customer orders, each of said warehouse inventory items comprising a unique item identifier that is known by the data base;
storing a plurality of returned items in a return item buffer as return inventory items, wherein the return inventory items and are available to be incorporated into the customer orders, each of said return inventory items comprising a unique item identifier that is known by the data base;
identifying warehouse inventory items withdrawn from the warehouse with its item identifier and applying the identity of each withdrawn warehouse inventory item to the data base and matching that warehouse inventory item with a customer order;
combining warehouse inventory items together that make up an order with a sortation system, said sortation system having a sortation buffer that is adapted to accumulate individual warehouse inventory items and an accumulator that is adapted to receive individual warehouse inventory items from said sortation buffer when all or a portion of the warehouse inventory items that make up a multiple item order are in said sortation buffer;
transporting warehouse inventory items with a transportation system from the sortation system to a picking station;
identifying return inventory items withdrawn from the return item buffer with its item identifier and applying the identity of each withdrawn return inventory item to the data base and matching that return inventory item with a customer order;
transporting return inventory items with a return conveyor from the item return buffer to the picking station;
releasing the warehouse inventory items and the return inventory items such that they arrive at the picking station at the same time to be picked in the same order;
compiling warehouse inventory items and return inventory items together that make up an order; and
picking the compiled items to an order container.
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19. An order fulfillment system, comprising:
a warehouse storing a supply of warehouse inventory items;
a return item buffer configured to store each of a plurality of returned items as a return inventory item;
a picking station configured to receive warehouse inventory items from the warehouse and return inventory items from the return buffer; and
a computer system having a queue of customer orders,
said computer system comprising a data base configured to store a plurality of customer orders, identifying information of the warehouse inventory items, and identifying information of the return inventory items;
said computer system configured to determine if an item required for a customer order is stored in said return item buffer, and if the required item is in said return item buffer, retrieve the return inventory item from said return item buffer and supply that return inventory item to said picking station;
said computer system further configured to retrieve the item required for the customer order from said warehouse if that required item was not in said return item buffer, and supply that warehouse inventory item to said picking station;
said computer system configured to supply the warehouse inventory items and the return inventory items to said picking station such that they arrive at said picking station at the same time to be picked in the same order;
said computer system configured to issue instructions to an associate at said picking station to pick an order by picking the required item and loading the required item to an order container.
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