358 results about "Order fulfillment" patented technology

A system and method for enabling patrons at large venues, such as spectator venues, convention halls, or airports, which have identifiable delivery locations, to utilize hand-held, wireless communication devices to self-order food, drink, souvenir items or services from remote order fulfillment locations within the venue for delivery to the identified delivery locations. Verification of available service level is provided. Hierarchical menus can be provided for visual display or audible presentation of items or services for purchase on the devices, or for presenting other information. A delivery location identification code is provided with the order, which is acknowledged. Automatic electronic payment for the order occurs by prearranged means.

One or more images of items for an order being processed at processing station of an order fulfillment center may be captured and associated with the order. Alternatively, a short video clip may be captured of the order being packaged. An electronic notification that the order has been processed may be sent to a customer associated with the order. The electronic notification may include a reference to one or more of the captured images or video clips. The customer may use a reference included in the notification to view the captured images. The customer may view captured images to verify that the order has been correctly processed. The captured images may include images of the items being packaged for shipment and may show the shipping address on the package allowing the customer to verify that indeed it is his package in the images.

The invention includes a method of lubricants supply chain management including: storing in a web-accessible database a catalog of lubricants and prices-per-unit for same which prices-per-unit optionally decrease based on certain pre-determined cumulative volume purchases; upon receiving at a web server a request from a web-browser client, querying the database and serving the results of the query to the requesting web-browser client for display; serving an order form to the web-browser client which is configured to contain fields for order quantity and type for lubricants, delivery type preferences and delivery address entered in the web-browser client, and determining and displaying on the web-browser client a delivery price quote; receiving an order from the web-browser client for a specific type and quantity of lubricants and having a specific delivery type selected; electronically transmitting over a network the order to an order fulfillment agent; where the order fulfillment agent electronically transmits over a network the order to at least one lubricant blender; electronically transmitting over a network the order and the delivery information to a freight-handling agent; where the freight-handling agent inputs the information into a delivery optimization system which outputs a delivery schedule which includes the order, and electronically transmits over a network the order and the delivery information to at least one trucking company; and maintaining the status and all actions and communications for the order in a second web-accessible database.

A technique for effecting electronic commerce using a data network is described. The data network includes a plurality of subsystems which, together, form an integrated system for receiving customer orders for selected items via a data network, fulfilling the customer orders, and delivering the ordered products to the customers. Moreover, according to a specific embodiment, the integrated nature of the system architecture of the present invention allows the on-line merchant to provide a guarantee to the customer that the ordered items will be available to be delivered to the customer at the specified delivery date, time, and location.

A method and system for agent exchange-based materials handling. According to one embodiment, a method of agent exchange-based order fulfillment may include a number of agents moving along respective paths through an inventory storage area of a materials handling facility. While moving through the inventory storage area, a portion of the number of agents may respectively select one or more of a number of items stored within the inventory storage area, where each one of the selected items is specified in a corresponding customer order or materials request. The method may also include conveying the selected items to one or more corresponding processing areas of the materials handling facility in order to fulfill the corresponding customer orders. Further, at least some of the selected items may be exchanged one or more times among the agents in the course of being conveyed to corresponding processing areas.

A system includes a first mobile drive unit and a second mobile drive unit. The system also includes a first inventory holder, a second inventory holder, and a third inventory holder. An inventory station includes a first location and a second location and the inventory station operable to receive a first inventory item from the first inventory holder at the first location. The first inventory holder transported by the first mobile drive unit. The inventory station also operable to receive a second inventory item from the second inventory holder at the first location. The second inventory holder transported by the second mobile drive unit. The inventory station also operable to receive a third inventory item from the third inventory holder at the second location. The third inventory holder is fixed at the second location while the inventory station receives the first and second inventory item.

A method for implementing a computer-based product purchase and fulfillment club is disclosed, comprising the steps of designating one or more geographic club member areas; associating with each such club member area one or more consumer members who reside within the club member area and who must agree to pay a membership fee to the club; associating with each such club member area one or more buyer members who must be prepared to work within the club member area and who must agree to pay a membership fee to the club; associating with each such club member area one or more retailer members who must offer products for sale within the club member area and who must agree to pay a membership fee to the club; providing means through an electronic communications network for the consumer members, buyer members and retailer members to access a club web site specific to the club member area and to interact with the club web site; providing means through an electronic communications network for the consumer members, buyer members and retailer members to each access an individual member web page located on the club web site and personalized using parameters specific to each such consumer member, buyer member and retailer member; providing means through software programming for the retailer members to offer one or more products for sale on the club web site to the consumer members; providing means through software programming for the consumer members to purchase products offered for sale on the club web site; providing means through software programming for the buyer members to be notified of purchases made by the consumer members and to offer to the retailer members to fulfill the purchases; and fulfilling the purchases by having the buyer members buy the products from the retailer members, deliver the products to the consumer members to a location within the club member area within approximately thirty (30) minutes of the purchase, and collect a payment from the consumer members.

Some embodiments provide a system for fully autonomous order fulfillment and inventory management within a distribution site or warehouse. The system operates by autonomous robots directly pulling customer order items from distribution site shelves or pulling individual bins from distribution site shelves and dispensing appropriate quantities of items from the bins until all items of a customer order are retrieved without human involvement. The system further involves the robots autonomously monitoring item quantities within the distribution site, identifying and autonomously responding to shortages, and organizing the items within the distribution site for most efficient order fulfillment.