US 12,454,414 B2
Systems and methods for handling and sorting garment items for store replenishment
Gregory Lisso, Minneapolis, MN (US); Daniel Seidel, Minneapolis, MN (US); Pablo Lewin, Minneapolis, MN (US); Thomas Gardner, Minneapolis, MN (US); and David Sellner, Minneapolis, MN (US)
Assigned to Target Brands, Inc., Minneapolis, MN (US)
Filed by Target Brands, Inc., Minneapolis, MN (US)
Filed on Oct. 18, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/968,366.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/295,999, filed on Jan. 3, 2022.
Prior Publication US 2023/0211954 A1, Jul. 6, 2023
Int. Cl. B65G 1/137 (2006.01); B65D 21/08 (2006.01); B65D 85/18 (2006.01); B65G 1/04 (2006.01); G06Q 10/087 (2023.01)
CPC B65G 1/1378 (2013.01) [B65D 21/086 (2013.01); B65D 85/185 (2013.01); B65D 85/187 (2013.01); B65G 1/0492 (2013.01); G06Q 10/087 (2013.01); B65G 2201/0235 (2013.01)] 18 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A system for replenishing a retail store with garment items, the system comprising:
two or more garment item inventory storage pods, each garment item inventory storage pod releasably containing one or more types of garment items;
two or more mobile robots configured to autonomously engage with and transport individual garment item inventory storage pods of the one or more garment item inventory storage pods;
one or more garment item store-ready transport vessels configured to receive the one or more types of garment items from the one or more garment item inventory storage pods, wherein each of the one or more garment item store-ready transport vessels:
has wheels by which the one or more garment item store-ready transport vessels can be manually rolled on a floor within a retail store;
is collapsible to a low-profile configuration when empty of the one or more types of garment items; and
is configured to be stacked on top of another one of the one or more garment item store-ready transport vessels when collapsed in the low-profile configuration; and
a control system configured to:
control, in response to a first garment item of the one or more types of garment items being on a first order, a first mobile robot of the two or more mobile robots to engage with and transport a first garment item inventory storage pod of the two or more garment item inventory storage pods to an order picking area; and
control, in response to a second garment item of the one or more types of garment items being on the first order, a second mobile robot of the two or more mobile robots to engage with and transport a second garment item inventory storage pod of the two or more garment item inventory storage pods to the order picking area.