Patent ID: 11948120
Assignee: WALMART APOLLO, LLC
Field: IT methods for management (Electrical engineering)
Classification: CPC G  B | IPC B  G

Claim 10:
11. A method of using an automated storage and retrieval system for managing storage of inventory at a retail facility, the method comprising:
analyzing, by a control circuit of the automated storage and retrieval system, at least one business rule governing product merging between containers being transported between a plurality of storage locations of a storage structure toward at least one picking station to identify two adjacent containers that are eligible for the product merging therebetween;
wherein the plurality of storage locations are configured to store a plurality of the containers, each of the containers containing a plurality of products;
wherein a container transport system includes at least one conveyor configured to convey the containers between the storage locations and the at least one picking station, where one or more products are removed from one or more of the containers; and
wherein a control unit is operatively coupled to the container transport system and configured to control movement of the at least one conveyor of the container transport system; and

in response to receipt of a signal from at least one sensor positioned adjacent the at least one picking station, the signal indicating that the at least one sensor detected that the two adjacent containers identified as being eligible for the product merging arrived at the at least one picking station, transmitting, by the control circuit, a first signal to the control unit to cause the control unit to stop movement of the at least one conveyor of the container transport system to keep the two adjacent containers that are eligible for the product merging at the at least one picking station until all of the products stored in a first one of the two adjacent containers are removed from the first one of the two adjacent containers and merged with the products stored in a second one of the two adjacent containers.