| CPC B65G 1/1375 (2013.01) | 20 Claims |
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12. A robotic retrieval system comprising:
a controller comprising one or more hardware processors configured to:
receive a request for a particular container from a plurality of containers, wherein the plurality of containers are distributed across a plurality of slots, wherein each slot of the plurality of slots holds three or more of the plurality of containers;
determine a position of the particular container within a particular slot of the plurality of slots; and
select a first side of the particular slot from which to gain access to the particular container based on the particular container being blocked from the first side by a first number of containers that are in between the position of the particular container and a frontmost position at the first side of the particular slot, and the particular container being blocked from an opposite second side of the particular slot by a second number of containers that are in between the position of the particular container and a frontmost position at the second side of the particular slot, wherein the first number of containers is less than the second number of containers; and
a set of robots operating under control of the controller, wherein the set of robots:
advance the particular container to the frontmost position at the first side of the particular slot by removing the first number of containers from the first side of the particular slot, and by inserting the first number of containers into the second side of the particular slot; and
transfer the particular container from the frontmost position at the first side to a target destination after advancing the particular container to the frontmost position at the first side.
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