Patent Publication Number: US-10332060-B2

Title: Optimization of packaging sizes

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation of, and claims priority to, co-pending U.S. Patent Application entitled “OPTIMIZATION OF PACKAGING SIZES” filed on Apr. 25, 2014 and assigned application Ser. No. 14/262,129, which is a continuation of, and claims priority to, co-pending U.S. Patent Application entitled “OPTIMIZATION OF PACKAGING SIZES” filed on Sep. 14, 2012 and assigned application Ser. No. 13/619,440, which is a continuation of, and claims priority to, co-pending U.S. Patent Application entitled “OPTIMIZATION OF PACKAGING SIZES” filed on Aug. 30, 2007 and assigned application Ser. No. 11/847,735, all of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     In various materials handling facilities, it is often the case that products are shipped to various destinations using various packaging. For example, one facility may ship products purchased over the Internet to various customers. In order to ship products to their various destinations, a materials handling facility may include various types of packaging in which products are placed before shipment. The packaging serves to protect the products during shipment. Unfortunately, it is usually the case that the packaging used to ship a given product is not sized correctly, such that the packaging may be bigger than that necessary to ship the given product. This translates into lost space on trucks and other transportation vehicles that, as a result, carry less products than they could if the packaging matched the size of the products. Also, the mismatch between product sizes and packaging sizes can result in other costs. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Many aspects of the invention can be better understood with reference to the following drawings. The components in the drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the present invention. Moreover, in the drawings, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views. 
         FIG. 1  is a drawing of an order fulfillment environment according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a drawing of one example of a shipping volume that encloses a group of items that may be shipped in the order fulfillment environment of  FIG. 1  according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 3  is a drawing of one example of a package shipped in the order fulfillment environment of  FIG. 1  that illustrates a mismatch between a shipping volume and the volume of the packaging of the package according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 4  is a diagram of an example of a time line that illustrates when shipping volumes of  FIG. 2  are obtained and stored for analysis according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 5  is a flow chart that provides one example of a packaging suite manager that is employed in the order fulfillment environment of  FIG. 1  to optimize sizes of packaging employed in shipping items according to an embodiment of the present invention; and 
         FIG. 6  is a schematic block diagram of one example implementation of a packaging suite manager illustrated in the example flow chart of  FIG. 5  according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     With reference to  FIG. 1 , shown is a materials handling environment  100  that illustrates a flow of information and physical items in a manner that facilitates an optimization of packaging employed by a materials handling facility  103  according to an embodiment of the present invention. The materials handling environment  100  includes at least one materials handling facility  103 . The materials handling facility  103  may comprise, for example, an order fulfillment center, distribution center, warehouse, cross-docking facilities, packaging facility, shipping facility, or other facilities, or combinations of such facilities for performing one or more functions of material or inventory handling. 
     The operation of the materials handling facility  103  is orchestrated by various materials handling facility management systems  106 . Such systems may include, for example, an order processing system, inventory control systems, security systems, routing systems, and many other systems. Among the materials handling facility management systems  106  of the materials handling facility  103  is a packaging suite manager  109 . 
     The packaging suite manager  109  is employed to identify optimum sizes of packaging  113  in a packaging suite  116  that is used by the materials handling facility  103  to package items for shipment to respective shipping destinations  119 . In this respect, the materials handling facility  103  packages items in the packaging  113  and ships the items in the resulting packages  123  to the ultimate shipping destinations  119 . The shipping destinations  119  may comprise, for example, residential locations, commercial locations, governmental locations, internal locations within a given materials handling facility  103  or other facility, or other destinations. Items that are packaged using the packaging  113  are shipped to the destinations  119  as packages  123 . 
     In order to determine the optimum sizes of the packaging  113  that is employed by the materials handling facility  103  to package items for shipping, the packaging suite manager  109  performs various functions and/or calculations based upon shipping volumes  126  that are stored in the respective materials handling facility management system  106 . According to one embodiment, the packaging suite manager  109  and the shipping volumes  126  may be stored and/or executed within a suitable computing system as will be described. 
     The packaging  113  used to package the items that are shipped to respective shipping destinations  119  may comprise any one of a number of different types of packaging. For example, the packaging may comprise, for example, boxes, crates, cases, envelopes, encasements, bundles, packets, cartons, bins, receptacles, containers, capsules, and other types of packaging. The packaging  113  may come in many different sizes and shapes. Also, the packaging may be constructed of many different materials including, for example, paper, plastic, cardboard (which is typically constructed from paper), rubber, metal, or other materials. In addition, for purposes of the present discussion, the term “shipment” refers to items that are grouped for shipment from a given materials handling facility  103 . It may be the case that a given shipment will be shipped in multiple packages  123 . It is also possible that a given shipment may be sent in a single package  123 . 
     In the case that the materials handling environment  100  facilitates order fulfillment, individuals at the respective shipping destinations  119  may generate orders  133  for goods or items. The orders  133  may be transmitted to an order processing system associated with the materials handling facility  103 , for example, over the Internet or other transmission medium. Ultimately, the ordered items are obtained from various bins or other structures within the materials handling facility  103  and are packaged for shipment to their respective shipping destination  119  in the form of one or more packages  123 . 
     The materials handling facility  103  employs the packaging suite  116  comprising a predefined number of different sizes of packaging  113 . For example, the materials handling facility  103  may employ a predefined number of different sizes of boxes or other packaging. The packaging suite manager  109  is implemented in order to optimize the sizes of the packaging  113  used by the materials handling facility  103  so as to minimize underutilization of shipping space and other costs. 
     According to various embodiments, the packaging suite manager  109  calculates new sizes of the packaging  113  in the packaging suite  116  employed by the materials handling facility  103  from time to time. This calculation is based upon the shipping volumes  126  obtained from packages  123 , shipments, or other materials handling events that occur over a predefined period of time. Alternatively, the calculation may be based upon the shipping volumes  126  associated with shipments of items to occur over a period of time in the future. As an additional alternative, the calculation may be based upon shipping volumes  126  associated with a combination of shipments that have occurred in the past and shipments that will occur in the future. 
     In one embodiment, the packaging suite manager  109  generates one or more orders for packaging that includes packaging sizes  136  that are forwarded to a respective packaging supplier  139  or to a packaging machine  143 . The packaging supplier  139  can then respond by creating the respective sizes of packaging  113  in the newly ordered packaging suite  116 . The packaging supplier  139  may then ship the same to the materials handling facility  103  to facilitate shipping of items in the form of packages  123  to the respective shipping destinations  119 . 
     Alternatively, the materials handling facility  103  may include one or more packaging machines  143  located on site that can generate the packaging  113  in the respective sizes of the new packaging suite  116  as indicated by the packaging sizes  136 . The packaging  113  is then used by the materials handling facility  103  for packaging of items as described above. 
     With reference to  FIG. 2 , shown is one example of a shipping volume  126  according to an embodiment of the present invention. As contemplated herein, a “shipping volume” refers to an amount of three dimensional space that is necessary to enclose at least one item  153  that is subject to or will be subject to shipping to a destination. The destination may be external to or internal to a materials handling facility  103 . It is understood that the items  153  are shown merely as examples of various items that may be enclosed by a given shipping volume  126 . 
     According to one embodiment, the shipping volume  126  comprises a three dimensional bounding box that includes a length L, a width W, and a height H. The length L is typically the maximum dimension of the items  153  associated with the shipping volume  126  as they would be arranged together in a package according any suitable packing algorithm as described, for example, in co-pending U.S. Patent Application entitled “System and Method for Packaging Performance Analysis” filed on May 4, 2007 and assigned application Ser. No. 11/744,336. Also, the width W and height H may involve the widths and/or heights of multiple items  153  placed adjacent to each other, etc. In this respect, any one of the length L, width W, and height H may involve the placement of multiple items  153  adjacent to each other or any one of the length L, width W, and height H may be associated with a single dimension of a single one of the items  153 . 
     It may be the case that the items  153  associated with a given shipping volume  126  do not completely take up the three dimensional space within the shipping volume  126  due to the various shapes of the items  153  themselves relative to each other. On the other hand, where the items are all the same size, the three dimensional space associated with a shipping volume  126  may be entirely occupied by the items  153  associated therewith. 
     In addition, a given shipping volume  126  may also include the three dimensional space necessary to include buffering or packing materials that are used to create a buffer zone between a given item  153  in a package  123  and the sides of the package  123 . Such a buffer zone may prevent damage to the items  153  in the package  123  due to rough handling or dropping, etc. 
     A shipping volume  126  may be associated with an entire shipment, where all the items associated with a given shipment are shipped in a single package  123 . Alternatively, the shipping volume  126  may be associated with individual packages  123  that are shipped from the materials handling facility  103  to respective shipping destinations  119 . As mentioned above, in some cases, the shipments may be split up amongst several packages  123 . Thus, for some packages  123 , the shipping volume  126  may be associated with an entire shipment, whereas for others, the shipping volume  126  may be associated with part of a shipment. 
     The optimization of the sizes of the packaging  113  in the packaging suite  116  may be performed based upon shipping volumes  126  associated with entire shipments regardless of whether they are shipped in a single package  123 . Alternatively, the optimization of the sizes of the packaging in the packaging suite  116  may be performed base on shipping volumes  126  associated with the individual packages  123  that are transmitted to respective destinations  119 . The individual packages  123  may involve entire or partial shipments. Still further, some combination of shipping volumes associated with both entire shipments and individual packages  123  may be taken into account in the optimization of the sizes of the packaging  113  in the packaging suite  116 . 
     With reference to  FIG. 3 , shown is a drawing of a volume of a package  123  as compared with a shipping volume  126  of a plurality of items  153  included in the package  123 . The shipping volume  126  depicted in  FIG. 3  is essentially the same as the shipping volume  126  depicted with respect to  FIG. 2 . However, the shipping volume  126  of  FIG. 3  is depicted relative to an internal volume of a package  123  into which the items  153  may be placed for shipment, thereby resulting in one of the packages  123  ( FIG. 1 ). 
     As shown, the volume of the package  123  comprises the volume of the interior of the package  123  that may be employed to contain items  153 . The volume of the package  123  is larger than the shipping volume  126 . To the extent that the volume of the package  123  is greater than the shipping volume  126 , such translates into wasted space as shipping vehicles will necessarily need to use up space for the size of the package  123  in excess of the shipping volume  126 , even though nothing is gained by the extra space in the package  123 . 
     With reference to  FIG. 4 , shown is a timeline that illustrates the various periods of time over which the shipping volumes  126  may be gathered in association with packages  123  or shipments that are shipped from the materials handling facility  103  to respective shipping destinations  119 . In particular, the timeline  163  includes a period of time in the past  166  in which actual packages  123  associated with one or more shipments have been shipped from the materials handling facility  103  to the respective shipping destinations  119 . Such shipping volumes  126  are actual shipping volumes  126  in that they have already been shipped at some time in the past  166 . There are also shipping volumes  126  that are subject to shipment in the future  169 . Such shipping volumes  126  are associated with orders for goods that have not yet been fulfilled. Such orders might stretch a predefined period of time into the future  169 . Such a time period in the future may comprise, for example, any time frame, although a typical time frame might be approximately a couple of weeks. 
     The timeline  163  reflects the fact that shipping volumes  126  associated with the operation of a given materials handling facility  103  may change over time due to many factors. For example, assume that the materials handling facility  103  is operated by a merchant who sells goods over the Internet. Such a merchant may offer specific sales or other special offers that might cause certain products to ship with greater quantities during given periods of time. Such activity inevitably changes the nature of the shipping volumes  126  associated with the respective shipments and packages  123  sent from a respective materials handling facility  103  over such time. 
     Also, the inventory of products offered by such a merchant might change over time, thereby resulting in changes in the shipping volumes  126  of shipments or packages  123  sent by the materials handling facility  103 . Also, seasonal events may affect the shipping volumes  126  over time. For example, products bought near the end of the year during the holiday season might involve shipping volumes  126  that differ drastically from products sold, for example, during the summer or in the spring. Furthermore, many products are seasonal in nature which may affect shipping volumes  126 . For example, bulkier winter clothing sold during the fall may involve larger shipping volumes  126  than lightweight summer clothing sold in the spring. 
     Given that the shipping volumes  126  of shipments or packages  123  shipped by a given materials handling facility  103  may change over time, then according to various embodiments, the packaging suite manager  109  is employed to determine the optimum sizes of the packaging  113  of the packaging suite  116  at predefined points in time. The optimization of the sizes of the packaging  113  in the packaging suite  116  used by the materials handling facility  103  aids in minimizing the empty volume space resulting from a mismatch between the internal volume of packages  123  and the shipping volumes  126  associated therewith. 
     Since the shipping volumes  126  change over time, the packaging suite manager  109  may be employed to periodically resize the packaging  113  used in the packaging suite  116  for the materials handling facility  103 . This is done so that the sizes of the packaging  113  of the packaging suite  16  are optimized for the current items shipped from the materials handling facility  103 . The packaging suite manager  109  ( FIG. 1 ) may be employed to calculate the sizes of the packaging  113  of the packaging suite  116  based upon shipping volumes  126  that are stored in a memory for a predetermined period of time in the past  166  or the future  169 . 
     For example, the packaging suite manager  109  may be employed to periodically calculate the sizes of the packaging  113  of the packaging suite  116  every three months or other time period in the past  166 . The sizes calculated may be transmitted to the packaging supplier  139  to obtain packaging in new sizes for the packaging suite  116  of the materials handling facility  103 . Alternatively, it may be possible to obtain the shipping volumes  126  from orders for goods to be shipped in the future  169 . Such packaging sizes  136  may be provided to a packaging supplier  139  or a packaging machine  143  ( FIG. 1 ) to generate the packaging  113  of the packaging suite  116  in a “just-in-time” scenario. 
     Turning then to  FIG. 5 , shown is a flowchart that provides one example of at least one component operation of the packaging suite manager  109  according to an embodiment of the present invention. Alternatively, the flow chart of  FIG. 5  may be viewed as depicting steps of an example of a method implemented in a computer system, for example, to determine optimum sizes of packaging  113  ( FIG. 1 ) in a packaging suite  116  ( FIG. 1 ) employed in a materials handling facility  103  ( FIG. 1 ). The functionality of the packaging suite manager  109  as depicted by the example flow chart of  FIG. 5  may be implemented, for example, in an object oriented design or in some other programming architecture. Assuming the functionality is implemented in an object oriented design, then each block represents functionality that may be implemented in one or more methods that are encapsulated in one or more objects. The packaging suite manager  109  may be implemented using any one of a number of programming languages such as, for example, C, C++, or other programming languages. 
     Beginning with box  203 , the packaging suite manager  109  accesses the shipping volumes  126  stored in a memory to be used to calculate the sizes of the packaging  113  of the packaging suite  116  employed by the materials handling facility  103  as described above. In this respect, the packaging suite manager  109  may receive an input from a user that indicates the shipping volumes  126  to be accessed based, for example, on dates on which the respective packages  123  were shipped. Alternatively, the packaging suite manager  109  may be configured to automatically access the shipping volumes  126  associated with packages  123  shipped during a predefined period of time, etc. 
     Then, in box  206 , the packaging suite manager  109  receives the possible packaging sizes as an input entered in by a user. Alternatively, the possible packaging sizes may be stored in a memory and accessed by the packaging suite manager  109 , where such possible packaging sizes were stored in the memory by a user on a previous occasion. Next, in box  209  the packaging suite manager  109  receives the desired number of different packaging sizes in the packaging suite  116  as is entered by a user. Alternatively, the desired number of different packaging sizes may be stored in a memory and accessed by the packaging suite manager  109 , where the desired number of different packaging sizes were stored in the memory by a user on a previous occasion. 
     Then, in box  213 , the packaging suite manager  109  calculates the packaging sizes for the packaging suite  116  to be employed by the materials handling facility  103 . This may be done, for example, by employing a so-called “P-median” solver that is adapted to obtain the optimum sizes of packaging  113  in the packaging suite  116 . 
     A P-median solver may be employed, for example, to locate fulfillment centers relative to customers. In such a scenario, there is a cost between each pairing between a customer and a fulfillment center given that there is a predefined number of fulfillment centers that an organization may wish to operate in a specific geographical area. A P-median solver may then be used to find an optimal location of fulfillment centers such that shipping costs to customers is minimized. Stated another way, for a given a number of customers located at specific locations, a number of possible fulfillment centers, a fulfillment cost between each paired customer and fulfillment center, and given a total number of fulfillment centers one may wish to open, a P-median solver may be used to determine which fulfillment centers should be opened such that the overall fulfillment cost is minimized. 
     For example, let us consider a set I={1 . . . n} of potential locations for p facilities, a set J={1 . . . m} of customers, and n,m,matrix(g ij ) of transportations costs for satisfying the demands of the customers from the facilities. The P-median problem is to locate the p facilities at locations of I in order to minimize the total transportation cost for satisfying the demand of the customers. Each customer is supplied from the closest open facility based upon the following equation: 
     
       
         
           
             
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     Given the foregoing, a P-median solver may also be employed to determine the optimal sizes of the packaging  113  in the packaging suite  116 . Specifically, a P-median solver is set up similar as described above, except that the locations of customers are replaced with the shipping volumes  126 , the possible locations of the fulfillment centers are replaced by the possible packaging sizes, and the cost of shipping between a given fulfillment center and a given customer is replaced by the empty space calculated by subtracting a given shipping volume  126  from the interior volume of a package  123  in which the items associated with the shipping volume  126  are transmitted times the quantity of shipping volumes  126 . 
     The total number of fulfillment centers to be located is replaced by the total number of different sizes of packaging  113  that are to be included in a given packaging suite  116 . Thus, by employing a P-median solver, the optimal sizes of packaging  113  for a given packaging suite  116  employed by a materials handling facility  103  may be determined. 
     Next, in box  216 , the packaging suite manager  109  may be configured to send an order or directive for packaging  116  to a packaging supplier  139  so that the materials handling facility  103  can have the most up to date sizes of packaging  113  in the packaging suite  116 . Thus, the packaging suite manager  109  may be employed to optimize the sizes of the packaging  113  in the packaging suite  116  so as to attempt to minimize the wasted volume of the packages  123  sent from the materials handling facility  103  to the shipping destinations  119 . 
     The packaging suite manager  109  may be run as often as is reasonably possible to make appropriate changes in the sizes of the packaging  113  of the packaging suite  116 . The actual time period between calculations of new packaging sizes may depend upon the need lead time between ordering new packaging  113  for the packaging suite  116  and actually receiving the new packaging  113  from the packaging supplier  139 . In some cases, it may be necessary to replace a subset of the sizes in a given packaging suite  116 , where the packaging suite manager  109  may be rerun frequently (i.e. every day, etc.) to determine if any one or more sizes of packaging  113  in the packaging suite  116  should be adjusted. 
     With reference to  FIG. 6 , shown is one example of a computer system  106   a  that may comprise, for example a computer, server, or like system. The computer system  106   a  may comprise one of the materials handling facility management systems  106  according to an embodiment of the present invention. The computer system  106   a  may include one or more processor circuits having a processor  233  and a memory  236 , both of which are coupled to a local interface  239 . In this respect, the local interface  239  may comprise, for example, a data bus with an accompanying control/address bus as can be appreciated. Where the computer system  106   a  comprises a server, such a server may comprise a server computer as can be appreciated. 
     Stored on the memory  236  and executable by the processor  233  are various components such as an operating system  243  and the packaging suite manager  109 . Also, the shipping volumes  126  may be stored in the memory  236  as can be appreciated. In addition, it is understood that many other systems or components may be stored in the memory  236  and executable by the processors  233 . Also, such components may reside in a memory that is external from the computer system  106   a  as can be appreciated. 
     As set forth above, the operating system  243  and packaging suite manager  109  are stored in the memory  236  and are executable by the processor  233 . In this respect, the term “executable” refers to a program file that is in a form that can ultimately be run by the processor  233 . Examples of executable programs may be, for example, a compiled program that can be translated into machine code in a format that can be loaded into a random access portion of the memory  236  and run by the processor  233 , or source code that may be expressed in proper format such as object code that is capable of being loaded into a random access portion of the memory  236  and executed by the processor  233 . An executable program may be stored in any portion or component of the memory  236  including, for example, random access memory, read-only memory, a hard drive, compact disk (CD), floppy disk, or other memory components. 
     The memory  236  is defined herein as both volatile and nonvolatile memory and data storage components. Volatile components are those that do not retain data values upon loss of power. Nonvolatile components are those that retain data upon a loss of power. Thus, the memory  236  may comprise, for example, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), hard disk drives, floppy disks accessed via an associated floppy disk drive, compact discs accessed via a compact disc drive, magnetic tapes accessed via an appropriate tape drive, and/or other memory components, or a combination of any two or more of these memory components. In addition, the RAM may comprise, for example, static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), or magnetic random access memory (MRAM) and other such devices. The ROM may comprise, for example, a programmable read-only memory (PROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or other like memory device. 
     In addition, the processor  233  may represent multiple processors and the memory  236  may represent multiple memories that operate in parallel. In such a case, the local interface  239  may be an appropriate network that facilitates communication between any two of the multiple processors, between any processor and any one of the memories, or between any two of the memories, etc. The processor  233  may be of electrical, optical, or of some other construction as can be appreciated by those with ordinary skill in the art. 
     The operating system  243  is executed to control the allocation and usage of hardware resources such as the memory and processing time in the computer system  106   a . In this manner, the operating system  243  serves as the foundation on which applications depend as is generally known by those with ordinary skill in the art. 
     Although the functionality of the packaging suite manager  109  is generally described above as being embodied in software or code executed by general purpose hardware, as an alternative the same may also be embodied in dedicated hardware or a combination of software/general purpose hardware and dedicated hardware. If embodied in dedicated hardware, the functionality of the packaging suite manager  109  can be implemented as a circuit or state machine that employs any one of or a combination of a number of technologies. These technologies may include, but are not limited to, discrete logic circuits having logic gates for implementing various logic functions upon an application of one or more data signals, application specific integrated circuits having appropriate logic gates, programmable gate arrays (PGA), field programmable gate arrays (FPGA), or other components, etc. Such technologies are generally well known by those skilled in the art and, consequently, are not described in detail herein. 
     The flow chart of  FIG. 5  shows one example of an implementation of the functionality of the packaging suite manager  109 . If embodied in software, each block may represent a module, segment, or portion of code that comprises program instructions to implement the specified logical function(s). The program instructions may be embodied in the form of source code that comprises human-readable statements written in a programming language or machine code that comprises numerical instructions recognizable by a suitable execution system such as a processor in a computer system or other system. The machine code may be converted from the source code, etc. If embodied in hardware, each block may represent a circuit or a number of interconnected circuits to implement the specified logical function(s). 
     Although the flow chart of  FIG. 5  shows a specific order of execution, it is understood that the order of execution may differ from that which is depicted. For example, the order of execution of two or more blocks may be scrambled relative to the order shown. Also, two or more blocks shown in succession in  FIG. 5  may be executed concurrently or with partial concurrence. In addition, any number of counters, state variables, warning semaphores, or messages might be added to the logical flow described herein, for purposes of enhanced utility, accounting, performance measurement, or providing troubleshooting aids, etc. It is understood that all such variations are within the scope of the various embodiments of the present invention. 
     Also, where the functionality of the packaging suite manager  109  is expressed in the form of software or code, it can be embodied in any computer-readable medium for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system such as, for example, a processor in a computer system or other system. In this sense, the functionality may comprise, for example, statements including instructions and declarations that can be fetched from the computer-readable medium and executed by the instruction execution system. In the context of the present invention, a “computer-readable medium” can be any medium that can contain, store, or maintain the network page for use by or in connection with the instruction execution system. The computer readable medium can comprise any one of many physical media such as, for example, electronic, magnetic, optical, or semiconductor media. More specific examples of a suitable computer-readable medium would include, but are not limited to, magnetic tapes, magnetic floppy diskettes, magnetic hard drives, or compact discs. Also, the computer-readable medium may be a random access memory (RAM) including, for example, static random access memory (SRAM) and dynamic random access memory (DRAM), or magnetic random access memory (MRAM). In addition, the computer-readable medium may be a read-only memory (ROM), a programmable read-only memory (PROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or other type of memory device. 
     It should be emphasized that the above-described embodiments of the present invention are merely possible examples of implementations, merely set forth for a clear understanding of the principles of the invention. Many variations and modifications may be made to the above-described embodiment(s) of the invention without departing substantially from the spirit and principles of the invention. All such modifications and variations are intended to be included herein within the scope of this disclosure and the present invention and protected by the following claims.