Automated Inventory Tracking via Unified Commerce Engine
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional self-service store inventory replenishment methods are inefficient and prone to inventory losses due to manual processes and lack of effective tracking systems, especially for less-than-case quantities.
Innovation Solution
An automated retail supply chain utilizing a unified commerce engine (UCE) for real-time inventory management, item-level traceability, and a consignment model, where manufacturers maintain ownership until point of sale, enabling rapid replenishment and optimized inventory levels.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If manual case-picking process is used to fulfill orders, then operational flexibility is maintained, but inventory losses occur and tracking precision is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual case-picking operations with an automated robotic system. Robots equipped with vision systems and robotic arms automatically retrieve cases from storage shelves and place them on order pallets, eliminating human intervention in the picking process. This substitution of mechanical/automated systems for manual operations directly addresses the contradiction by achieving high inventory accuracy through automated tracking while maintaining operational flexibility through programmable robot control.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements self-service through automated robots that independently perform the case-picking task without human operators. The robotic system autonomously navigates storage aisles, identifies required cases through vision systems, and executes picking operations automatically. This self-service capability resolves the contradiction by enabling precise inventory tracking through automated means while maintaining the flexibility to handle various order configurations.
2Productivity
If pallet shipments are used for replenishment, then shipping efficiency is improved, but tracking precision for individual items is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by dividing the pallet into individual trackable units. Each case or individual item within the pallet is equipped with tracking identifiers (such as barcodes or RFID tags), allowing the system to segment the bulk pallet shipment into monitorable individual units. This enables the system to maintain pallet-level shipping efficiency while achieving item-level tracking precision through segmented identification of individual products within the pallet structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The system introduces tracking intermediaries (barcodes, RFID tags, or other identification systems) as mediators between the pallet and individual items. These intermediaries enable the connection between bulk shipping units and individual trackable units, allowing the system to maintain the efficiency of pallet shipments while achieving precise item-level tracking through the intermediary tracking mechanisms attached to individual cases or items.
3Adaptability or versatility
If more SKUs are stored in a distribution center, then product variety is improved, but facility size requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements nesting by organizing inventory in hierarchical containers - pallets containing cases, which contain individual items. This nested structure allows efficient use of vertical and horizontal space within the distribution center. By nesting products in standardized containers of varying sizes, the system can store a diverse range of SKUs in compact configurations, maximizing inventory density without proportionally increasing facility footprint. The nested container system enables high SKU variety while minimizing the total storage area required.
Data Source
AI summary
An automated supply chain for end to end tracking of eaches, comprising: one or more distribution centers for receiving eaches and delivering the eaches to a market; one or more of pallets, cases and totes for transporting the eaches, the one or more of pallets, cases and totes comprising tracking systems; a plurality of robots at the one or more distribution centers for sorting the eaches for shipment between the one or more distribution centers and the market; a unified commerce engine (UCE) comprising at least one processor and at least one non-transitory memory including computer program code, the UCE configured to receive and store identification information from the tracking systems, the UCE tracking locations of the eaches within the pallets, cases and totes in each of the one or more distribution centers from receipt from the manufacturer to delivery to the market using the identification information.