US 12,236,387 B2
Systems and methods for fulfilling product orders
Paul E. Durkee, Centerton, AR (US); and Brian C. Roth, Bentonville, AR (US)
Assigned to WALMART APOLLO, LLC, Bentonville, AR (US)
Appl. No. 17/623,216
Filed by Walmart Apollo, LLC, Bentonville, AR (US)
PCT Filed Jul. 1, 2020, PCT No. PCT/US2020/040405
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Dec. 27, 2021,
PCT Pub. No. WO2021/003208, PCT Pub. Date Jan. 7, 2021.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/869,213, filed on Jul. 1, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2022/0327602 A1, Oct. 13, 2022
Int. Cl. G06Q 10/0832 (2023.01); G06Q 10/087 (2023.01)
CPC G06Q 10/0832 (2013.01) [G06Q 10/087 (2013.01)] 16 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A system for processing online orders, the system comprising:
a robotic device at a facility;
an order processing server, wherein the order processing server is configured to:
receive, from a customer, an online order, wherein the online order includes grocery items; and
transmit, to a control circuit via a communications network, the online order;
the control circuit communicatively coupled to the order processing server, the control circuit configured to:
receive, from the order processing server via the communications network, the online order;
determine, based on the online order, the grocery items included in the online order;
determine, based on the grocery items included in the online order, a number of the grocery items that require refrigeration and a number of the grocery items that require freezing;
determine, based on the number of grocery items requiring refrigeration and the number of grocery items requiring freezing, a number of totes required for the online order;
transmit, to the robotic device, an instruction, wherein the instruction indicates the number of totes required for the online order and indicates an intended state for at least one tote of the number of totes, wherein the intended state is one of a refrigeration state and a freezer state;
wherein the robotic device transports, or causes transport of, the at least one tote of the number of totes to a refrigerated section of a storage area of the facility if the intended state is a refrigeration state or to a freezer section of the storage area if the intended state is a freezer state.