Note : Les descriptions sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.
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IDENTIFYING AN ASSET SORT LOCATION
BACKGROUND
For large scale common carriers, it is important to maintain accurate
information
regarding the location of various assets shipped from a variety of origins to
a variety of
destinations. The various assets often undergo multiple sort procedures, and
are moved
from one transportation vehicle to another as each asset moves closer to its
intended
destination.
The sort procedures often require many employees to sort assets arriving in
several
vehicles, and these assets may be placed in several locations corresponding to
their next
stop before reaching an intended destination. The employees may receive some
indication
of the proper sort location for each asset, such as text printed on each asset
or instructions
scrolling across a video screen. The employee may then place the asset in the
proper sort
location after receiving the indication of the proper sort location. In
various circumstances,
the employee may manually identify the location at which the asset is placed,
and thereby
maintain a record of the location of the asset throughout the shipping
process.
However, historical concepts for identifying the location of an asset have
been
cumbersome, requiring sort employees to individually identify the sort
location for each of
a plurality of assets being sorted. For example, a sort employee may be
required to scan
indicia on each asset (e.g., a bar code) and subsequently scan a similar
indicia on the sort
location in order to associate the asset with the sort location.
Alternatively, the sort
employee may be required to first scan indicia on a sort location, and then
scan a similar
indicia on each of one or more assets to be associated with the single sort
location.
Regardless of the scan order (e.g., asset first or sort location first), the
sort employee is
required to scan a new sort location indicia each time an asset is to be
sorted to a second
sort location. Requiring employees to scan multiple indicia significantly
reduces sorting
efficiency and increases the possibility of employee error. Should an employee
fail to scan
the proper sort location indicia before placing an asset at a sort location,
the asset location
may be improperly stored, and such asset may be transported to an incorrect
destination.
Such events may additionally result in improper reporting from data storage
devices.
Such historical systems and methods for maintaining accurate asset location
information for a plurality of sorted assets are thus expensive to implement
and do not
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eliminate possible sort errors. Thus, a need exists for an improved system and
method for
maintaining accurate records of the location of an asset in a sort process.
BRIEF SUMMARY
In one embodiment, a system for associating a sorted asset with a sort
location
includes one or more location devices associated with a sort location, where
each of the
one or more location devices includes one or more memory storage areas and one
or more
processors configured to store location data indicative of the identity of the
sort location
and transmit at least a portion of the location data, and a user device
including one or
memory storage areas and one or more processors, the user device configured to
receive
asset identifier data from an asset indicia, where the asset indicia is
associated with an
asset, store the asset identifier data corresponding to the asset, and upon
being brought
within a communication area associated with the sort location, receive the
transmitted
portion of the location data from the one or more location devices, after
receiving the at
least a portion of the location data transmitted from the one or more location
devices,
transmit the asset identifier data and the location data, and provide for
display, an
indication of an appropriate sort location based on the asset identifier data,
where the
indication of the appropriate sort location is superimposed over the asset in
a display.
In another embodiment a system for associating a sorted asset with a sort
location
includes a user device including one or memory storage areas and one or more
processors,
the user device configured to receive asset identifier data from an asset
indicia, where the
asset indicia is associated with an asset, store the asset identifier data
corresponding to the
asset, provide for display, an indication of an appropriate sort location
based on the asset
identifier data, where the indication of the appropriate sort location is
superimposed over
the asset in a display, and upon being brought within a communication area
associated
with the sort location, transmitting at least a portion of the asset
identifier data, one or
more location devices associated with a sort location, where each of the one
or more
location devices include one or more memory storage areas and one or more
processors
configured to store location data indicative of the identity of the sort
location, receive at
least a portion of the asset identifier data transmitted from the user device,
and after
receiving at least a portion of the asset identifier data transmitted from the
user device,
associate the asset identifier data and the location data.
In yet another embodiment a computer-implemented method for associating a
sorted asset with a sort location, the method including receiving, at a user
device worn by
a user, asset identifier data from an asset, storing at least a portion of the
asset identifier
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data in a memory associated with the user device, providing for display at the
user device,
an indication of an appropriate sort location based on the asset identifier
data, where the
indication of the appropriate sort location is superimposed over the asset in
a display,
determining the location of the user device relative to one or more location
devices
associated with a sort location based on a wireless communication between the
user device
and at least one of the one or more location devices, and after determining
that the user
device is proximate the sort location based on the wireless communication
between the
user device and the at least one of the one or more location devices,
associating the asset
identifier data with sort location data corresponding to the sort location.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS
Reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, which are not
necessarily drawn to scale, and wherein:
Figure 1 schematically depicts a control system according to one or more
embodiments shown and described herein;
Figure 2 schematically depicts the control system shown in Figure 1 according
to
one or more embodiments shown and described herein;
Figure 3 schematically depicts a user device that communicates with the
control
system of Figure 1 according to one or more embodiments shown and described
herein;
Figure 4 schematically depicts the user device of Figure 3 according to one or
more embodiments shown and described herein;
Figure 5 schematically depicts a display in communication with the control
system
of Figure 1 according to one or more embodiments shown and described herein;
Figure 6a schematically depicts a work zone of Figure 5 captured by an
acquisition
device according to one or more embodiments shown and described herein;
Figure 6b schematically depicts an image of the work zone of Figure 6a viewed
on
the display according to one or more embodiments shown and described herein;
Figure 7a schematically depicts the work zone of Figure 5 captured by an
acquisition device according to one or more embodiments shown and described
herein;
Figure 7b schematically depicts an image of the work zone of Figure 7a viewed
on
the display according to one or more embodiments shown and described herein;
Figure 8 schematically depicts a facility which assets are sorted according to
one or
more embodiments shown and described herein;
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Figure 9 schematically depicts a sort location of the facility of Figure 8
according
to one or more embodiments shown and described herein;
Figure 10 schematically depicts a flowchart illustrating operations and
processes
performed by the user device of Figure 3 according to one or more embodiments
shown
and described herein;
Figure 11 schematically depicts a flowchart illustrating operations and
processes
performed by the location device of Figure 1 according to one or more
embodiments
shown and described herein; and
Figure 12 schematically depicts a flowchart illustrating operations and
processes
performed by the control system of Figure 1 according to one or more
embodiments
shown and described herein.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The present invention will now be described more fully hereinafter with
reference
to the accompanying drawings, in which some, but not all embodiments of the
invention
are shown. Indeed, the invention may be embodied in many different forms and
should not
be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these
embodiments
are provided so that this disclosure will satisfy applicable legal
requirements. Like
numbers refer to like elements throughout.
I. Overview
Various embodiments of the present invention are directed to systems and
methods
for associating an asset with a particular sort location. As used herein, an
asset may be a
parcel or group of parcels, a package or group of packages, a box, a crate, a
drum, a box
strapped to a pallet, and/or the like. As described herein, a sort employee
may utilize a
user device comprising an indicia reader (e.g., an RFID tag reader, optical
scanner, and/or
a plurality of indicia readers) to obtain data indicative of the asset
identity. The sort
employee may then transport the asset to a sort location identified for the
asset (e.g.,
printed on the asset, displayed on a video screen, etc.). In various
embodiments, the user
device may display the proper sort location for the asset via a display on the
user device.
As the sort employee nears and/or enters a sort location (e.g., enters a
delivery vehicle,
container, or storage area) and thereby enters an effective transmission range
of one or
more wireless beacons associated with the sort location, the user device may
receive a
signal from the one or more of the wireless beacons indicating the identity of
the sort
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location. In various embodiments the user device determines whether the
received signal
satisfies one or more signal criteria, such as a threshold strength
requirement and/or
whether the user device receives signals from at least a threshold number of
beacons.
Upon a determination that the user device is at least proximate the sort
location associated
with the received signals and the one or more signal criteria are satisfied,
the user device
transmits asset identity data and sort location identity data to a control
system, which
determines, based on stored sort data, whether the sort location is the
appropriate sort
location for the asset. If the control system determines the asset is
proximate the
appropriate sort location, the control system may cause confirmation data to
be sent to the
user device, which may display a confirmation message to the sort employee.
Alternatively, if the control system determines the asset is being placed in
an incorrect sort
location, the control system may cause mistake data to be sent to the user
device, which
may display a mistake message indicating the asset is being placed in an
improper sort
location.
In various embodiments, as the sort employee nears a sort location (e.g., a
delivery
vehicle, container, or storage area) the user device may transmit the received
and stored
data to a receiver associated with the nearby sort location. If the receiver
associated with
the sort location determines the asset is being placed in the appropriate sort
location (e.g.,
based at least in part on data stored by a control system), the receiver may
cause
confirmation data to be sent to the user device, which may display a
confirmation message
to the sort employee. Alternatively, if the receiver associated with the sort
location
determines the asset is being placed in an incorrect sort location, the
receiver may cause
mistake data to be sent to the user device, which may display a mistake
message indicating
the asset is being placed in an improper sort location.
Computer Program Products, Methods, and Computing Entities
Embodiments of the present invention may be implemented in various ways,
including as computer program products that comprise articles of manufacture.
A
computer program product may include a non-transitory computer-readable
storage
medium storing applications, programs, program modules, scripts, source code,
program
code, object code, byte code, compiled code, interpreted code, machine code,
executable
instructions, and/or the like (also referred to herein as executable
instructions, instructions
for execution, computer program products, program code, and/or similar terms
used herein
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interchangeably). Such non-transitory computer-readable storage media include
all
computer-readable media (including volatile and non-volatile media).
In one embodiment, a non-volatile computer-readable storage medium may include
a floppy disk, flexible disk, hard disk, solid-state storage (SSS) (e.g., a
solid state drive
(SSD), solid state card (SSC), solid state module (SSM)), enterprise flash
drive, magnetic
tape, or any other non-transitory magnetic medium, and/or the like. A non-
volatile
computer-readable storage medium may also include a punch card, paper tape,
optical
mark sheet (or any other physical medium with patterns of holes or other
optically
recognizable indicia), compact disc read only memory (CD-ROM), compact disc-
rewritable (CD-RW), digital versatile disc (DVD), Blu-ray disc (BD), any other
non-
transitory optical medium, and/or the like. Such a non-volatile computer-
readable storage
medium may also include read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory
(PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable
programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory (e.g., Serial, NAND, NOR,
and/or the like), multimedia memory cards (MMC), secure digital (SD) memory
cards,
SmartMedia cards, CompactFlash (CF) cards, Memory Sticks, and/or the like.
Further, a
non-volatile computer-readable storage medium may also include conductive-
bridging
random access memory (CBRAM), phase-change random access memory (PRAM),
ferroelectric random-access memory (FeRAM), non-volatile random-access memory
(NVRAM), magnetoresistive random-access memory (MRAM), resistive random-access
memory (RRAM), Silicon-Oxide-Nitride-Oxide-Silicon memory (SONOS), floating
junction gate random access memory (FJG RAM), Millipede memory, racetrack
memory,
and/or the like.
In one embodiment, a volatile computer-readable storage medium may include
random access memory (RAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), static random
access memory (SRAM), fast page mode dynamic random access memory (FPM DRAM),
extended data-out dynamic random access memory (EDO DRAM), synchronous dynamic
random access memory (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random
access
memory (DDR SDRAM), double data rate type two synchronous dynamic random
access
memory (DDR2 SDRAM), double data rate type three synchronous dynamic random
access memory (DDR3 SDRAM), Rambus dynamic random access memory (RDRAM),
Twin Transistor RAM (TTRAM), Thyristor RAM (T-RAM), Zero-capacitor (Z-RAM),
Rambus in-line memory module (RIMM), dual in-line memory module (DIMM), single
in-line memory module (SIMM), video random access memory (VRAM), cache memory
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(including various levels), flash memory, register memory, and/or the like. It
will be
appreciated that where embodiments are described to use a computer-readable
storage
medium, other types of computer-readable storage media may be substituted for
or used in
addition to the computer-readable storage media described above.
As should be appreciated, various embodiments of the present invention may
also
be implemented as methods, apparatus, systems, computing devices, computing
entities,
and/or the like. As such, embodiments of the present invention may take the
form of an
apparatus, system, computing device, computing entity, and/or the like
executing
instructions stored on a computer-readable storage medium to perform certain
steps or
operations. However, embodiments of the present invention may also take the
form of an
entirely hardware embodiment performing certain steps or operations.
Embodiments of the present invention are described below with reference to
block
diagrams and flowchart illustrations. Thus, it should be understood that each
block of the
block diagrams and flowchart illustrations may be implemented in the form of a
computer
program product, an entirely hardware embodiment, a combination of hardware
and
computer program products, and/or apparatus, systems, computing devices,
computing
entities, and/or the like carrying out instructions, operations, steps, and
similar words used
interchangeably (e.g., the executable instructions, instructions for
execution, program
code, and/or the like) on a computer-readable storage medium for execution.
For example,
retrieval, loading, and execution of code may be performed sequentially such
that one
instruction is retrieved, loaded, and executed at a time. In some exemplary
embodiments,
retrieval, loading, and/or execution may be performed in parallel such that
multiple
instructions are retrieved, loaded, and/or executed together. Thus, such
embodiments can
produce specifically-configured machines performing the steps or operations
specified in
the block diagrams and flowchart illustrations. Accordingly, the block
diagrams and
flowchart illustrations support various combinations of embodiments for
performing the
specified instructions, operations, or steps.
III. Exemplary System Architecture
Generally, embodiments of the present invention relate to concepts for
identifying
an appropriate sort location for an asset, and for facilitating the
appropriate sorting of each
asset. For example, embodiments of the present invention may be used to notify
sort
personnel of the appropriate sort location for an asset. Figure 1 is a
schematic diagram
showing the exemplary communication relationships between components of
various
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embodiments of the present invention. As shown in Figure 1, the system may
include one
or more control systems 100, one or more user devices 110, one or more
location devices
415 associated with a sort location 400, and one or more networks 105. Each of
the
components of the system may be in electronic communication with one another
over the
same or different wireless or wired networks including, for example, a wired
or wireless
Personal Area Network (PAN), Local Area Network (LAN), Metropolitan Area
Network
(MAN), Wide Area Network (WAN), or the like. Additionally, while Figure 1
illustrates
certain system entities as separate, standalone entities, the various
embodiments are not
limited to this particular architecture.
A. Exemplary Control System
Figure 2 provides a schematic of a control system 100 according to one
embodiment of the present invention. As described above, the control system
100 may be
incorporated into a system as one or more components for providing information
regarding the appropriate sort location for each of one or more assets 10
(Figure 5). In
general, the terms computing entity, computer, entity, device, system, and/or
similar words
used herein interchangeably may refer to, for example, one or more computers,
computing
entities, desktops, mobile phones, tablets, phablets, notebooks, laptops,
distributed
systems, gaming consoles (e.g., Xbox, Play Station, Wii), watches, glasses,
key fobs, radio
frequency identification (RFID) tags, ear pieces, scanners, televisions,
dongles, cameras,
wristbands, kiosks, input terminals, servers or server networks, blades,
gateways, switches,
processing devices, processing entities, set-top boxes, relays, routers,
network access
points, base stations, the like, and/or any combination of devices or entities
adapted to
perform the functions, operations, and/or processes described herein. Such
functions,
operations, and/or processes may include, for example, transmitting,
receiving, operating
on, processing, displaying, storing, determining, creating/generating,
monitoring,
evaluating, comparing, and/or similar terms used herein interchangeably. In
one
embodiment, these functions, operations, and/or processes can be performed on
data,
content, information, and/or similar terms used herein interchangeably. The
control system
100 may also comprise various other systems, such as an Address Matching
System
(AMS), an Internet Membership System (IMS), a Customer Profile System (CPS), a
Package Center Information System (PCIS), a Customized Pickup and Delivery
System
(CPAD), a Web Content Management System (WCMS), a Notification Email System
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(NES), a Fraud Prevention System (FPS), and a variety of other systems and
their
corresponding components.
As indicated, in one embodiment, the control system 100 may also include one
or
more communications interfaces 220 for communicating with various computing
entities,
such as by communicating data, content, information, and/or similar terms used
herein
interchangeably that can be transmitted, received, operated on, processed,
displayed,
stored, and/or the like.
As shown in Figure 2, in one embodiment, the control system 100 may include or
be in communication with one or more processing elements 205 (also referred to
as
processors, processing circuitry, and/or similar terms used herein
interchangeably) that
communicate with other elements within the control system 100 via a bus, for
example. As
will be understood, the processing element 205 may be embodied in a number of
different
ways. For example, the processing element 205 may be embodied as one or more
complex
programmable logic devices (CPLDs), microprocessors, multi-core processors,
coprocessing entities, application-specific instruction-set processors
(ASIPs),
microcontrollers, and/or controllers. Further, the processing element 205 may
be embodied
as one or more other processing devices or circuitry. The term circuitry may
refer to an
entirely hardware embodiment or a combination of hardware and computer program
products. Thus, the processing element 205 may be embodied as integrated
circuits,
application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field programmable gate
arrays (FPGAs),
programmable logic arrays (PLAs), hardware accelerators, other circuitry,
and/or the like.
As will therefore be understood, the processing element 205 may be configured
for a
particular use or configured to execute instructions stored in volatile or non-
volatile media
or otherwise accessible to the processing element 205. As such, whether
configured by
hardware or computer program products, or by a combination thereof, the
processing
element 205 may be capable of performing steps or operations according to
embodiments
of the present invention when configured accordingly.
In one embodiment, the control system 100 may further include or be in
communication with non-volatile media (also referred to as non-volatile
storage, memory,
memory storage, memory circuitry and/or similar terms used herein
interchangeably). In
one embodiment, the non-volatile storage or memory may include one or more non-
volatile storage or memory media 210, including but not limited to hard disks,
ROM,
PROM, EPROM, EEPROM, flash memory, MMCs, SD memory cards, Memory Sticks,
CBRAM, PRAM, FeRAM, NVRAM, MRAM, RRAM, SONOS, FJG RAM, Millipede
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memory, racetrack memory, and/or the like. As will be recognized, the non-
volatile
storage or memory media may store databases, database instances, database
management
systems, data, applications, programs, program modules, scripts, source code,
object code,
byte code, compiled code, interpreted code, machine code, executable
instructions, and/or
the like. Such code may include an operating system, an acquisition module, a
sort
location module, a matching module, and a notification module. The terms
database,
database instance, database management system, and/or similar terms used
herein
interchangeably may refer to a structured collection of records or data that
is stored in a
computer-readable storage medium, such as via a relational database,
hierarchical
database, and/or network database.
In one embodiment, the control system 100 may further include or be in
communication with volatile media (also referred to as volatile storage,
memory, memory
storage, memory circuitry and/or similar terms used herein interchangeably).
In one
embodiment, the volatile storage or memory may also include one or more
volatile storage
or memory media 215, including but not limited to RAM, DRAM, SRAM, FPM DRAM,
EDO DRAM, SDRAM, DDR SDRAM, DDR2 SDRAM, DDR3 SDRAM, RDRAM,
TTRAM, T-RAM, Z-RAM, RIMM, DIMM, SIMM, VRAM, cache memory, register
memory, and/or the like. As will be recognized, the volatile storage or memory
media may
be used to store at least portions of the databases, database instances,
database
management systems, data, applications, programs, program modules, scripts,
source
code, object code, byte code, compiled code, interpreted code, machine code,
executable
instructions, and/or the like being executed by, for example, the processing
element 205.
Thus, the databases, database instances, database management systems, data,
applications,
programs, program modules, scripts, source code, object code, byte code,
compiled code,
interpreted code, machine code, executable instructions, and/or the like may
be used to
control certain aspects of the operation of the control system 100 with the
assistance of the
processing element 205 and operating system.
As indicated, in one embodiment, the control system 100 may also include one
or
more communications interfaces 220 for communicating with various computing
entities,
such as by communicating data, content, information, and/or similar terms used
herein
interchangeably that can be transmitted, received, operated on, processed,
displayed,
stored, and/or the like. Such communication may be executed using a wired data
transmission protocol, such as fiber distributed data interface (FDDI),
digital subscriber
line (DSL), Ethernet, asynchronous transfer mode (ATM), frame relay, data over
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service interface specification (DOCSIS), or any other wired transmission
protocol.
Similarly, the control system 100 may be configured to communicate via
wireless external
communication networks using any of a variety of protocols, such as general
packet radio
service (GPRS), Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), Code
Division
Multiple Access 2000 (CDMA2000), CDMA2000 1X (DcRTT), Wideband Code Division
Multiple Access (WCDMA), Time Division-Synchronous Code Division Multiple
Access
(TD-SCDMA), Long Term Evolution (LTE), Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio
Access
Network (E-UTRAN), Evolution-Data Optimized (EVDO), High Speed Packet Access
(HSPA), High-Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA), IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi), 802.16
(WiMAX), ultra wideband (UWB), infrared (IR) protocols, near field
communication
(NFC) protocols, BluetoothTm protocols (e.g., BluetoothTM Smart), wireless
universal
serial bus (USB) protocols, and/or any other wireless protocol.
The control system 100 may include or be in communication with one or more
input elements, such as a keyboard input, a mouse input, a touch
screen/display input,
motion input, movement input, audio input, pointing device input, joystick
input, keypad
input, and/or the like. The control system 100 may also include or be in
communication
with one or more output elements (not shown), such as audio output, video
output,
screen/display output, motion output, movement output, and/or the like.
As will be appreciated, one or more of the control system's 100 components may
be located remotely from other control system 100 components, such as in a
distributed
system. Furthermore, one or more of the components may be combined and
additional
components performing functions described herein may be included in the
control system
100. Thus, the control system 100 can be adapted to accommodate a variety of
needs and
circumstances. As will be recognized, these architectures and descriptions are
provided for
exemplary purposes only and are not limiting to the various embodiments.
B. Exemplary User Device
Figure 3 depicts a user device 110 that a user 5 (Figure 8) may operate. As
used
herein, a user 5 (Figure 8) may be an individual (e.g., sort personnel), group
of individuals,
and/or the like. In various embodiments, a user 5 may operate the user device
110, which
may include one or more components that are functionally similar to those of
the control
system 100. In one embodiment, the user device 110 may be one or more mobile
phones,
tablets, watches, glasses (e.g., Google Glass, HoloLens, Vuzix M-100, SeeThru,
Optinvent
ORA-S, and the like), wristbands, wearable items/devices, head-mounted
displays
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(HMDs) (e.g., Oculus Rift, Sony HMZ-T3W, and the like), the like, and/or any
combination of devices or entities adapted to perform the functions,
operations, and/or
processes described herein. The term user device 110 is intended to refer to
any device
that projects, superimposes, overlays, or otherwise provides an image on a
surface with
respect to a user's viewing angle or line of vision or a user device 110's
angle. The term
user device 110 is intended to also include any other peripheral electronics
and
functionality that may be provided in conjunction with such devices. For
example, a user
device 110 may include speakers, headphones, or other electronic hardware for
audio
output, a plurality of display devices (e.g., the use of two display devices,
one associated
with each of the user's eyes, to enable a stereoscopic, three-dimensional
viewing
environment), one or more position sensors (e.g., gyroscopes, global
positioning system
receivers, and/or accelerometers), beacons for external sensors (e.g.,
infrared lamps), or
the like. In one embodiment, the user device 110 can be used to provide an
augmented
reality environment/area, a mixed reality environment/area, and/or similar
words used
herein interchangeably to a user. The terms augmented/mixed environment/area
should be
understood to refer to a combined environment/area including the physical
environment/area and elements of a virtual environment/area.
As shown in Figure 3, the user device 110 can include an antenna 312, a
transmitter 304 (e.g., radio), a receiver 306 (e.g., radio), and a processing
element 308
(e.g., CPLDs, microprocessors, multi-core processors, coprocessing entities,
ASIPs,
microcontrollers, and/or controllers) that provides signals to and receives
signals from the
transmitter 304 and receiver 306, respectively. The signals provided to and
received from
the transmitter 304 and the receiver 306, respectively, may include signaling
information
in accordance with air interface standards of applicable wireless systems. In
this regard,
the user device 110 may be capable of operating with one or more air interface
standards,
communication protocols, modulation types, and access types. More
particularly, the user
device 110 may operate in accordance with any of a number of wireless
communication
standards and protocols, such as those described above with regard to the
control system
100. In a particular embodiment, the user device 110 may operate in accordance
with
multiple wireless communication standards and protocols, such as UMTS,
CDMA2000,
DcRTT, WCDMA, TD-SCDMA, LTE, E-UTRAN, EVDO, HSPA, HSDPA, Wi-Fi,
WiMAX, UWB, IR, NFC, BluetoothTM Smart, USB, and/or the like. Similarly, the
user
device 110 may operate in accordance with multiple wired communication
standards and
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protocols, such as those described above with regard to the control system 100
via a
network interface 320.
Via these communication standards and protocols, the user device 110 can
communicate with various other entities (e.g., a location device 415) using
concepts such
as Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD), Short Message Service
(SMS),
Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS), Dual-Tone Multi-Frequency Signaling
(DTMF),
and/or Subscriber Identity Module Dialer (SIM dialer). The user device 110 can
also
download changes, add-ons, and updates, for instance, to its firmware,
software (e.g.,
including executable instructions, applications, program modules), and
operating system.
According to one embodiment, the user device 110 may include a location
determining aspect, device, module, functionality, and/or similar words used
herein
interchangeably. For example, the user device 110 may include outdoor
positioning
aspects, such as a location module adapted to acquire, for example, latitude,
longitude,
geocode, course, direction, heading, speed, universal time (UTC), date, and/or
various
other information/data. In one embodiment, the location module can acquire
data,
sometimes known as ephemeris data, by identifying the number of satellites in
view and
the relative positions of those satellites. The satellites may be a variety of
different
satellites, including Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite systems, Department of
Defense
(DOD) satellite systems, the European Union Galileo positioning systems, the
Chinese
Compass navigation systems, Indian Regional Navigational satellite systems,
and/or the
like. Alternatively, the location information may be determined by
triangulating the user
device 110's position in connection with a variety of other systems, including
cellular
towers, Wi-Fi access points, and/or the like. Similarly, the user device 110
may include
indoor positioning aspects, such as a location module adapted to acquire, for
example,
latitude, longitude, geocode, course, direction, heading, speed, time, date,
and/or various
other information/data. Some of the indoor systems may use various position or
location
technologies including RFID tags, indoor beacons or transmitters, Wi-Fi access
points,
cellular towers, nearby computing devices (e.g., smartphones, laptops) and/or
the like. For
instance, such technologies may include the iBeacons, Gimbal proximity
beacons,
Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) transmitters, Near Field Communication (NFC)
transmitters, and/or the like. These indoor positioning aspects can be used in
a variety of
settings to determine the location of someone or something to within inches or
centimeters.
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The user device 110 may also detect markers and/or target objects. For
example,
the user device 110 may include readers, scanners, cameras, sensors, and/or
the like for
detecting when a marker and/or target object is within its point-of-view (POV)
/ field-of-
view (FOY) of the real world environment/area. For example, readers, scanners,
cameras,
sensors, and/or the like may include RFID readers/interrogators to read RFID
tags,
scanners and cameras to capture visual codes (e.g., text, barcodes, character
strings, Aztec
Codes, MaxiCodes, information/data Matrices, QR Codes, electronic
representations,
and/or the like), and sensors to detect beacon signals transmitted from target
objects or the
environment/area in which target objects are located. For example, in some
embodiments,
the user device 110 may detect signals transmitted from an asset 10 (Figure 5)
and/or from
a location device 415 (Figure 1).
In one embodiment, the user device 110 may include accelerometer circuitry for
detecting movement, pitch, bearing, orientation, and the like of the user
device 110. This
information/data may be used to determine which area of the augmented/mixed
environment/area corresponds to the orientation/bearing of the user device 110
(e.g., x, y,
and z axes), so that the corresponding environment/area of the augmented/mixed
environment/area may be displayed via the display along with a displayed
image. For
example, the user device 110 may overlay an image in a portion of the user's
POV / FOV
of the real world environment/area.
The user device 110 may also comprise or be associated with an asset indicia
reader, device, module, functionality, and/or similar words used herein
interchangeably.
For example, the user device 110 may include an RFID tag reader configured to
receive
information from passive RFID tags and/or from active RFID tags associated
with an asset
10. The user device 110 may additionally or alternatively include an optical
reader
configured for receiving information printed on an asset 10. For example, the
optical
reader may be configured to receive information stored as a bar code, QR code,
or other
machine-readable code. The optical reader may be integral to the user device
110 and/or
may be an external peripheral device in electronic communication with the user
device
110. The optical reader may also or alternatively be configured to receive
information
stored as human readable text, such as characters, character strings, symbols,
and/or the
like. The user device 110 may utilize the asset indicia reader to receive
information
regarding an asset 10 to be sorted.
The user device 110 may also comprise a user interface (that can include a
display
or see-through display 114 coupled to a processing element 308 and/or a user
input device
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318 coupled to a processing element 308). For example, the user interface may
be a user
application, browser, user interface, and/or similar words used herein
interchangeably
executing on and/or accessible via the user device 110 to interact with and/or
cause
display of information, as described herein. The user interface can comprise
any of a
.. number of devices allowing the user device 110 to receive data, such as a
keypad (hard or
soft), a touch display, voice or motion interfaces, or other input device. In
embodiments
including a keypad, the keypad can include (or cause display of) the
conventional numeric
(0-9) and related keys (#, *), and other keys used for operating the user
device 110 and
may include a full set of alphabetic keys or set of keys that may be activated
to provide a
full set of alphanumeric keys. In addition to providing input, the user input
interface can
be used, for example, to activate or deactivate certain functions, such as
screen savers
and/or sleep modes.
The user device 110 can also include volatile storage or memory 322 and/or non-
volatile storage or memory 324, which can be embedded and/or may be removable.
For
example, the non-volatile memory may be ROM, PROM, EPROM, EEPROM, flash
memory, MMCs, SD memory cards, Memory Sticks, CBRAM, PRAM, FeRAM,
NVRAM, MRAM, RRAM, SONOS, FJG RAM, Millipede memory, racetrack memory,
and/or the like. The volatile memory may be RAM, DRAM, SRAM, FPM DRAM, EDO
DRAM, SDRAM, DDR SDRAM, DDR2 SDRAM, DDR3 SDRAM, RDRAM, TTRAM,
T-RAM, Z-RAM, RIMM, DIMM, SIMM, VRAM, cache memory, register memory,
and/or the like. The volatile and non-volatile storage or memory can store
databases,
database instances, database management systems, data, applications, programs,
program
modules, scripts, source code, object code, byte code, compiled code,
interpreted code,
machine code, executable instructions, and/or the like to implement the
functions of the
user device 110. As indicated, this may include a user application that is
resident on the
entity or accessible through a browser or other user interface for
communicating with the
control system 100 (Figure 2), location device 415 (Figure 1), and/or various
other
computing entities.
In another embodiment, the user device 110 may include one or more components
or functionality that are the same or similar to those of the control system
100, as
described in greater detail above. As will be recognized, these architectures
and
descriptions are provided for exemplary purposes only and are not limiting to
the various
embodiments.
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Figure 4 shows an embodiment of an exemplary user device 110 that sends,
receives, and/or displays information related to the asset 10 (Figure 5)
and/or the sort
location 400 (Figure 1). In one embodiment, the user device 110 includes a set
of glasses
112, as described in U.S. Patent 7,063,256, which is hereby incorporated by
reference in
its entirety. The glasses 112 include the display 114, and an information
gathering device
such as an image camera 116. The user device 110 may further include a local
computer
120 having the processing device 308 (Figure 3), the antenna 312 (Figure 3),
the network
interface 320 (Figure 3), the transmitter 304 (Figure 3), the receiver 306
(Figure 3), the
volatile memory 322 (Figure 3), and/or the non-volatile memory 324 (Figure 3).
In some
embodiments, the user device 110 is an optical, wearable display, such as
Google Glass,
available from Google Inc., or HoloLens available from Microsoft Inc.
In other embodiments, the display may be a device separate from the glasses
through which the items may be viewed or, in other embodiments, on which a
representation of the item may be viewed wherein such representation may
include outline
images of the items, symbols that represents the items or characteristic
information about
the items.
In the embodiment shown in Figure 4, the information gathering device is an
image camera 116 that is mounted on the glasses 112. The image camera 116, in
one
embodiment, is a center-view visible light camera that is used to acquire
label images and
may acquire images associated with an asset 5 (Figure 5). The POV/FOV of the
image
camera 116 may correspond to the direction of the user device 110 and
therefore the
POV/FOV of the user 5 (Figure 8). With the POV/FOV, images can be presented to
the
user of target objects (e.g., an asset 10) that are within the
environment/area of the user
device 110. For example, while the user 5 (Figure 8) is going about his daily
work, the
user device 110 can display the corresponding environment/area and images
overlaid on
the same. The displayed image may include images (e.g., stock images of assets
10 or
actual images of assets 10), text (sorting instructions or warnings), video
(e.g., handling
procedures), menus, selection boxes, navigation icons, and/or the like.
The local computer 120 is comprised of a computer including the network
interface 320 (Figure 3) which may determine the orientation and position
determination
of the user 5 (Figure 8) based on images obtained from the image camera 116.
Alternatively, the local computer 120 may determine the orientation and
position of the
user 5 (Figure 8) based on a location module adapted to acquire, for example,
latitude,
longitude, geocode, course, direction, heading, speed, universal time (UTC),
date, and/or
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various other information/data, as described above. The local computer 120
also performs
view-plane computations, which is a process that uses the three-dimensional
position data
for each relevant object, and determines the position and orientation of the
wearer of the
user device 110. The local computer 120 manages the application-provided
display
symbology for each relevant object to determine what is to be displayed in the
display 114
and where to display the information such that it appears superimposed
proximately about
or on an item, such as an asset 10 (Figure 5). The local computer 120
packaging may also
contain a power source (not shown), which may be self-contained such as, for
example,
batteries or other forms of rechargeable, replaceable, reusable or renewable
power sources.
C. Exemplary Acquisition/Display Entity
Figure 5 depicts an acquisition/display entity 115 in communication with the
control system 100, where the acquisition/display entity 115 shows information
associated
with an asset 10 according to one embodiment. In the embodiment depicted in
Figure 5,
the acquisition/display entity 115 may comprise one or more acquisition
devices 410 for
acquiring information/data from an asset 10 and a display 420 for showing
information/data associated with the asset 10, as described in U.S. Patent
Application
14/204,657, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. In one
embodiment,
each asset 10 may include an item/shipment identifier, such as an alphanumeric
identifier.
Such item/shipment identifiers may be represented as text, barcodes, Aztec
Codes,
MaxiCodes, Data Matrices, Quick Response (QR) Codes, electronic
representations, tags,
character strings, and/or the like. The unique item/shipment identifier (e.g.,
123456789)
may be used by the carrier to identify and track the item as it moves through
the carrier's
transportation network. Further, such item/shipment identifiers can be affixed
to items by,
for example, using a sticker (e.g., label) with the unique item/shipment
identifier printed
thereon (in human and/or machine readable form) or an RFID tag with the unique
item/shipment identifier stored therein. As shown, the one or more acquisition
devices 410
may be capable of acquiring data (including item/shipment identifiers) for one
or more
acquisition zones 401 positioned in front of one or more work zones 405. The
acquisition
devices 410 may communicate this data to the control system 100 (Figure 2).
Thus, an
item traveling on a conveying mechanism 402 (e.g., conveyor belt, slide,
chute, bottle
conveyor, open or enclosed track conveyor, I-beam conveyor, cleated conveyor,
and/or the
like) can pass through an acquisition zone 401 prior to entering a intake
location 450.
However, as will be understood by one skilled in the art, the acquisition zone
401 may at
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least partially overlap the intake location 450 such that an asset 10 may
reside in both the
acquisition zone 401 and intake location 450 simultaneously. In various
embodiments, the
acquisition zone 401 and intake location 450 may be substantially the same
size and shape.
However, as will be understood by one skilled in the art, the acquisition zone
401 and
intake location 450 may be of different sizes and/or shapes. In various
embodiments, the
acquisition device 410 can be positioned substantially above the conveying
mechanism
402. However, the acquisition device 410 may be located at any other position
in relation
to the conveying mechanism 402, such as substantially above and adjacent to an
edge of
the conveying mechanism 402.
In certain embodiments, the acquisition device 410 may include or be
associated
with one or more imaging devices configured to capture images (e.g., image
data) of assets
10 (and/or item/shipment identifiers) moving along the conveying mechanism
402. For
example, the acquisition device 410 may include or be associated with a video
camera,
camcorder, still camera, web camera, Single-Lens Reflex (SLR) camera, high-
speed
camera, and/or the like. In various embodiments, the acquisition device 410
may be
configured to record high-resolution image data (e.g., images comprising at
least 480
horizontal scan lines) and/or to capture image data at a high speed (e.g.,
utilizing a frame
rate of at least 60 frames per second). Alternatively, the acquisition device
410 may be
configured to record low-resolution image data (e.g., images comprising less
than 480
horizontal scan lines) and/or to capture image data at a low speed (e.g.,
utilizing a frame
rate less than 60 frames per second). As will be understood by those skilled
in the art, the
acquisition device 410 may be configured to operate with various combinations
of the
above features (e.g., capturing images with less than 480 horizontal scan
lines and
utilizing a frame rate of at least 60 frames per second, or capturing images
with at least
480 horizontal scan lines and utilizing a frame rate less than 60 frames per
second). In
various embodiments, the acquisition device 410 may be configured to capture
image data
of the assets 10 and conveying mechanism 402 of sufficient quality that a user
viewing the
image data on the display 420 can identify each asset 10 represented in the
displayed
image data. For example, in embodiments wherein the conveying mechanism 402
and
assets 10 are moving at a high rate of speed, the acquisition device 410 may
be configured
to capture image data at a high speed. The image data can be captured in or
converted to a
variety of formats, such as Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG), Motion
JPEG
(MJPEG), Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG), Graphics Interchange Format
(GIF),
Portable Network Graphics (PNG), Tagged Image File Format (TIFF), bitmap
(BMP),
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H.264, H.263, Flash Video (FLV), Hypertext Markup Language 5 (HTML5), VP6,
VP8,
and/or the like. In certain embodiments, various features (e.g., text, objects
of interest,
codes, item/shipment identifiers, and/or the like) can be extracted from the
image data.
The acquisition device 410 may additionally include or be associated with one
or
more scanners, readers, interrogators, and similar words used herein
interchangeably
configured for capturing item indicia for each asset 10 (e.g., including
item/shipment
identifiers). For example, the scanners may include a barcode scanner, an RFID
reader,
and/or the like configured to recognize and identify item/shipment identifiers
associated
with each asset 10. In one embodiment, the acquisition device 410 may be
capable of
receiving visible light, infrared light, radio transmissions, and other
transmissions capable
of transmitting information to the acquisition device 410. Similarly, the
acquisition device
410 may include or be used in association with various lighting, such as light
emitting
diodes (LEDs), Infrared lights, array lights, strobe lights, and/or other
lighting mechanisms
to sufficiently illuminate the zones of interest to capture image data for
analysis.
In various embodiments, information associated with items can be presented via
a
display 420. The display 420 may take a variety of forms, such as a Liquid
Crystal Display
(LCD), a Liquid Crystal on Silicon (LCoS) display, an Active Matrix Organic
Light-
Emitting Diode (AMOLED) display, a Digital Light Processing (DLP) display, a
plasma
display, a Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) display, a projected laser, an electronic
ink display,
and/or the like. The display 420 may be in direct communication with the
acquisition
device 410 or may indirectly in communication with the acquisition device
through the
control system 100 (Figure 2). The display 420 may be configured for direct
viewing, rear
projection onto a surface, or front projection onto a surface. For example, in
some
embodiments, the display 420 may project images directly on or proximate to
the assets
10, as described in U.S. Patent 7,090,134, which is incorporated herein in its
entirety.
The display 420 may be fixed in a particular location, it may be movable to
various
locations, or it may be wearable by a user. In various embodiments, the
display 420 may
display images using a black-and-white display, a grey-scale display, and/or a
color
display. The displayed information may be correlated to the specific assets
10, or may be
general information unrelated to the specific assets 10. The displayed
information, for
instance, may be in the form of sorting instructions informing a user located
near the
intake location 450 how each asset 10 should be processed or handled, the
source of an
asset 10, and/or the like. Alternatively, the displayed information may
comprise
information regarding the volume of assets 10 on the conveying mechanism, or
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information regarding upcoming scheduled user breaks (e.g., a lunch break). As
will be
recognized, a variety of other approaches and techniques can be used to adapt
to various
needs and circumstances. Similar to the controller system 100 described above,
in one
embodiment, the acquisition/display entity 115 may also include one or more
communications interfaces for communicating with various computing entities,
such as by
communicating data, content, information, and/or similar terms used herein
interchangeably that can be transmitted, received, operated on, processed,
displayed,
stored, and/or the like. Such communication may be executed using a wired data
transmission protocol, such as FDDI, DSL, Ethernet, ATM, frame relay, DOCSIS,
or any
.. other wired transmission protocol. Similarly, the acquisition/display
entity 115 may be
configured to communicate via wireless external communication networks using
any of a
variety of protocols, such as GPRS, UMTS, CDMA2000, lxRTT, WCDMA, TD-
SCDMA, LTE, E-UTRAN, EVDO, HSPA, HSDPA, Wi-Fi, WiMAX, UWB, IR protocols,
NFC protocols, BluetoothTM protocols, wireless USB protocols, and/or any other
wireless
protocol.
As will be understood by those skilled in the art, the system may include more
than
one acquisition device 410 and/or display 420. In various embodiments, one or
more
additional acquisition devices may be used to capture additional image data at
one or more
additional acquisition zones located on the conveying mechanism 402 or an
additional
.. conveying mechanism. Such additional acquisition devices may be located,
for example,
after the flow of items along the conveying mechanism 402 is disturbed (e.g.,
the flow of
assets 10 is culled, merged with an additional flow of assets 10, or diverted
to an
additional conveying mechanism). Alternatively, one or more additional
acquisition
devices may be located along the conveying mechanism 402 after the intake
location 450,
.. such that the one or more additional acquisition devices may capture
updated image data
after one or more of the assets 10 may have been removed from the conveying
mechanism
402. In various embodiments, the one or more additional acquisition devices
may include
components substantially similar to the acquisition device 410. For example,
the one or
more additional acquisition devices may include or be associated with one or
more
.. imaging devices and one or more scanners, readers, interrogators, and
similar words used
herein interchangeably, as described above in regards to the acquisition
device 410.
However, the one or more additional acquisition devices may include fewer
components
than acquisition device 410. For example, the one or more additional
acquisition devices
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may not include a scanner, reader, interrogator, or similar words used herein,
and may be
configured to receive item identifiers from the acquisition device 410.
In various embodiments, one or more additional displays may be located such
that
they are visible from one or more additional work zones (e.g., an additional
work zone
.. located on the conveying mechanism after the intake location 450). The one
or more
additional displays may be substantially similar to the display 420. For
example, the one
or more additional displays may be configured to display image data to an
additional user
sorting items at an additional sorting location. The one or more additional
displays may be
configured to display the image data captured by the acquisition device 410,
or may be
configured to present the updated image data captured by one or more
additional
acquisition devices.
Figures 6a and 6b and Figures 7a and 7b show exemplary schematics showing the
intake location 450 and a display 420 at particular points in time. As shown
in Figure 6a,
the intake location 450 contains four assets 10 moving along the conveying
mechanism
402 with a certain orientation. At the same time, the display 420 may be
configured to
present captured image data (e.g., video) containing representations of the
same four assets
10 with corresponding display features 451 as shown in Figure 6b. In the
embodiment
depicted in Figure 6b, the display features 451 may be utilized to convey
additional
information to a user 5 (Figure 8) related to the asset 10. For example, as
shown in Figure
6b, the display features 451 indicate different designations for each of the
assets 10,
depicted as "3A," "4A," and "4B," which may indicate different sort locations
400 (Figure
8) to which each of the assets 10 are to be placed.
Figure 7a shows a second exemplary schematic of an intake location 450;
however
as shown in Figure 7a, only one asset 10 is completely within the intake
location 450 and
two assets 10 are partially within the intake location 450. The corresponding
display 420,
shown in Figure 7b, presents captured image data of the one full item and two
partial items
corresponding to each of the items 450 at least partially within the intake
location 450 and
corresponding display features 451 located on or near each asset 450a.
Alternatively, the
display 420 may incorporate a predetermined delay (e.g., 20 seconds), prior to
presenting
the image data (e.g., video) via the display 420.
D. Exemplary Location Device
In various embodiments, one or more sort locations 400 may be associated with
one or more location devices 415 configured for identifying one or more assets
10 being
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sorted to each sort location 400. As non-limiting examples, such sort
locations 400 may
include one or more vehicles (e.g., aircraft, tractor-trailer, cargo
container, local delivery
vehicles, and/or the like), pallets, identified areas within a building, bins,
chutes, conveyor
belts, shelves, and/or the like. The one or more location devices 415 may be
attached to a
.. sort location 400 or located within a sort location 400. Alternatively the
one or more
location devices 415 may be located adjacent to a sort location 400 or
otherwise proximate
the sort location 400. In various embodiments, a location device 415 may be
located
proximate to an area designated to store the sort location 400. For example,
when the sort
location 400 includes a delivery vehicle, a location device 415 may be located
above each
of a plurality of parking areas designated for one or more delivery vehicles.
In various embodiments, the one or more location devices 415 may include
components functionally similar to the control system 100 and/or the user
device 110. As
noted above in referencing the control system 100, the term "computing entity"
may refer
to, for example, one or more computers, computing entities, desktops, mobile
phones,
tablets, phablets, notebooks, laptops, distributed systems, gaming consoles
(e.g., Xbox,
Play Station, Wii), watches, glasses, key fobs, RFID tags, ear pieces,
scanners, televisions,
dongles, cameras, wristbands, kiosks, input terminals, servers or server
networks, blades,
gateways, switches, processing devices, processing entities, set-top boxes,
relays, routers,
network access points, base stations, the like, and/or any combination of
devices or entities
.. adapted to perform the functions, operations, and/or processes described
herein. Like the
user device shown schematically in Figure 3, the location device 415 can
include an
antenna, a transmitter (e.g., radio), a receiver (e.g., radio), and a
processing element (e.g.,
CPLDs, microprocessors, multi-core processors, coprocessing entities, ASIPs,
microcontrollers, and/or controllers) that provides signals to and receives
signals from the
.. transmitter and receiver, respectively.
The signals provided to and received from the transmitter and the receiver,
respectively, may include signaling information in accordance with air
interface standards
of applicable wireless systems. In this regard, the location device 415 may be
capable of
operating with one or more air interface standards, communication protocols,
modulation
types, and access types. More particularly, the location device 415 may
operate in
accordance with any of a number of wireless communication standards and
protocols, such
as those described above with regard to the control system 100. In a
particular
embodiment, the location device 415 may operate in accordance with multiple
wireless
communication standards and protocols, such as UMTS, CDMA2000, 1 xRTT, WCDMA,
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TD-SCDMA, LTE, E-UTRAN, EVDO, HSPA, HSDPA, Wi-Fi, WiMAX, UWB, IR,
NFC, BluetoothTM, USB, and/or the like. Similarly, the location device 415 may
operate in
accordance with multiple wired communication standards and protocols, such as
those
described above with regard to the control system 100 via a network interface.
Via these communication standards and protocols, the location device 415 can
communicate with various other entities (e.g., the user device 110) using
concepts such as
USSD, SMS, MMS, DTMF, and/or SIM dialer. The location device 415 can also
download changes, add-ons, and updates, for instance, to its firmware,
software (e.g.,
including executable instructions, applications, program modules), and
operating system.
According to one embodiment, the location device 415 may include a location
determining aspect, device, module, functionality, and/or similar words used
herein
interchangeably. For example, the location device 415 may include outdoor
positioning
aspects, such as a location module adapted to acquire, for example, latitude,
longitude,
geocode, course, direction, heading, speed, UTC, date, and/or various other
information/data. In one embodiment, the location module can acquire data,
sometimes
known as ephemeris data, by identifying the number of satellites in view and
the relative
positions of those satellites. The satellites may be a variety of different
satellites, including
LEO satellite systems, DOD satellite systems, the European Union Galileo
positioning
systems, the Chinese Compass navigation systems, Indian Regional Navigational
satellite
systems, and/or the like. Alternatively, the location information may be
determined by
triangulating the location device 415's position in connection with a variety
of other
systems, including cellular towers, Wi-Fi access points, and/or the like.
Similarly, the
location device 415 may include indoor positioning aspects, such as a location
module
adapted to acquire, for example, latitude, longitude, geocode, course,
direction, heading,
speed, time, date, and/or various other information/data. Some of the indoor
systems may
use various position or location technologies including RFID tags, indoor
beacons or
transmitters, Wi-Fi access points, cellular towers, nearby computing devices
(e.g.,
smartphones, laptops) and/or the like. For instance, such technologies may
include the
iBeacons, Gimbal proximity beacons, BLE transmitters, NFC transmitters, and/or
the like.
These indoor positioning aspects can be used in a variety of settings to
determine the
location of someone or something to within inches or centimeters.
The location device 415 can also include volatile storage or memory and/or non-
volatile storage or memory, which can be embedded and/or may be removable. For
example, the non-volatile memory may be ROM, PROM, EPROM, EEPROM, flash
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memory, MMCs, SD memory cards, Memory Sticks, CBRAM, PRAM, FeRAM,
NVRAM, MRAM, RRAM, SONOS, FJG RAM, Millipede memory, racetrack memory,
and/or the like. The volatile memory may be RAM, DRAM, SRAM, FPM DRAM, EDO
DRAM, SDRAM, DDR SDRAM, DDR2 SDRAM, DDR3 SDRAM, RDRAM, TTRAM,
T-RAM, Z-RAM, RIMM, DIMM, SIMM, VRAM, cache memory, register memory,
and/or the like. The volatile and non-volatile storage or memory can store
databases,
database instances, database management systems, data, applications, programs,
program
modules, scripts, source code, object code, byte code, compiled code,
interpreted code,
machine code, executable instructions, and/or the like to implement the
functions of the
location device 415. As indicated, this may include a user application that is
resident on
the entity or accessible through a browser or other user interface for
communicating with
the control system 100, user device 110, and/or various other computing
entities.
In another embodiment, the location device 415 may include one or more
components or functionality that are the same or similar to those of the
control system 100
or user device 110, as described in greater detail above. As will be
recognized, these
architectures and descriptions are provided for exemplary purposes only and
are not
limiting to the various embodiments.
E. Exemplary Sort Location
Referring to Figure 9, an exemplary sort location 400 is schematically
depicted. As
described above, the sort location 400 may include may include one or more
vehicles (e.g.,
aircraft, tractor-trailer, cargo container, local delivery vehicles, and/or
the like), pallets,
identified areas within a building, bins, chutes, conveyor belts, shelves,
and/or the like. In
the embodiment depicted in Figure 9, the sort location 400 includes a
plurality of shelves
450 onto which the assets 10 may be placed. While Figure 9 depicts the
plurality of
shelves 450 as being stacked in a vertical direction, it should be understood
that the
shelves 450 may be arranged in any suitable configuration to hold the assets
10. Each of
the shelves 450 include one or more visual indicators 452 positioned on or
proximate to
the shelves 450. The visual indicators 452 may assist in identifying an
appropriate position
for placement of the asset 10 within the sort location, as described in U.S.
Patent
9,156,628, which is incorporated herein in its entirety. In particular, a user
5 (Figure 8)
may utilize the indicia reader of the user device 110 to scan, read, or
otherwise receive
asset identifier data from the asset 10 to identify, in cooperation with the
control system
100, an appropriate position for placement of the asset 10 within the sort
location 400.
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The control system 100 may determine the appropriate position for placement of
the asset 10 within the sort location 400 based on a variety of factors. For
example and
without limitation, the control system 100 may determine the appropriate
position for
placement of the asset 10 within the sort location 400 based on the
destination of the assets
.. 10. When the sort location 400 includes a vehicle, such as a delivery
truck, the assets 10
may be placed within the sort location 400 based on the order in which the
assets 10 will
be unloaded and delivered. In some embodiments, the control system 100 may
identify an
asset 10 designated for special or expedited handling (sometimes referred to
as a "hot
pull") based on the asset identifier data, and the control system 100 may
determine
placement of the asset 10 to facilitate easy access to the asset 10 in the
sort location 400 to
allow expedited handling. In some embodiments, the control system 100 may
utilize an
algorithm based on the attributes of the asset (such as the size and/or shape
of the asset 10)
to determine the placement of the asset 10 within the sort location 400 to
optimize space
and stability of the assets 10 within the sort location. One example of an
algorithm to
determine the placement of assets within the sort location 400 is described in
U.S. Patent
5,908,283, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
When the control system 100 identifies the appropriate position for the asset
10
within the sort location 400, the control system 100 may command one or more
of the
visual indicators 452 to provide a visual indication (e.g., by illuminating
the visual
indicator 452) of the appropriate location for the asset 10. Once the asset 10
is positioned
in the appropriate location on the shelf 450, the user 5 (Figure 8) may
utilize the user
device 110 to send a signal to the control system 100 that the asset 10 has
been placed in
the appropriate location. Alternatively, the sort location 400 may include a
user interface,
such as a keyboard, a touchscreen, or the like, that the user 5 may
communicate with the
control system 100 that the asset 10 has been placed in the appropriate
location. In some
embodiments, the sort location 400 may include one or more sensors, such as a
light
sensor, proximity sensor, or the like, configured to detect the presence of an
asset 10
within the sort location 400, and the sensors may send a signal to the control
system 100
when the asset 10 has been placed into the appropriate location.
IV. Exemplary Control System Configuration
In various embodiments, the control system 100 may comprise a plurality of
modules, each module configured to perform at least a portion of the functions
associated
with the methods described herein. For example, the control system 100 may
comprise an
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acquisition module, a sort location module, a matching module, and a
notification module.
Although described herein as being individual components of the control system
100, the
various modules may operate on a combination of one or more devices (e.g., the
user
device 110, the location device 415, and/or the control system 100), such that
each device
performs the functions of one or more modules.
A. Acquisition Module
In various embodiments, the acquisition module may be configured to obtain
asset
identifier data regarding an asset 10 to be sorted. In various embodiments,
the asset
identifier data may comprise a unique asset identifier such as a tracking
number or code,
and data defining the one or more appropriate sort locations 400 for the asset
10 as it
moves between an origin and a destination, and/or the like.
As a non-limiting example, the acquisition module may be configured to obtain
data from the user device 110 (Figures 3 and 4) and/or the acquisition device
410 (Figure
5). In various embodiments, the data received from the user device 110
(Figures 3 and 4)
and/or the acquisition device 410 (Figure 5) may include the entirety of the
asset identifier
data and therefore the acquisition module need only receive asset identifier
data from the
user device 110 (Figures 3 and 4) and/or the acquisition device 410 (Figure
5). However,
in various embodiments, the data received from the user device 110 (Figures 3
and 4)
and/or the acquisition device 410 (Figure 5) may comprise only a portion of
the asset
identifier data, and the acquisition module may be configured to obtain the
remainder of
the asset identifier data from one or more other sources. As a non-limiting
example, the
acquisition module may be configured to search one or more databases in
communication
with the control system 100 for asset identifier data corresponding to the
data received
from the user device 110 (Figures 3 and 4) and/or the acquisition device 410
(Figure 5).
.. The acquisition module may additionally be configured to receive and store
at least a
portion of the asset identifier data corresponding to the asset 10 that is
stored in one or
more databases.
In various embodiments, the acquisition module may be configured to transmit
at
least a portion of the asset identifier data to one or more devices (e.g., the
user device 110,
the location device 415, the display 420, and/or the control system 100)
and/or one or
more modules (e.g., the sort location module, the matching module, and/or the
notification
module). Moreover, upon receiving the asset identifier data regarding an asset
10 to be
sorted, the acquisition module may be configured to link or otherwise
associate the user
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device 110 and the asset identifier data. As will be described in greater
detail herein, the
user device 110 may be associated with the asset identifier data by storing at
least a
portion of the asset identifier data in a memory associated with the user
device 110.
B. Sort location module
The sort location module may be configured to receive asset identifier data
from
the acquisition module. The sort location module is configured to ascertain
the appropriate
sort location 400 and/or the appropriate position within the sort location 400
for the asset
based at least in part on the asset identifier data. In certain embodiments,
the sort
location module may be configured to determine the appropriate sort location
400 based at
10 least in
part on the asset identifier data and sort location data that is associated
with the
each of the plurality of sort locations 400.
In various embodiments, each of the plurality of sort locations 400 may be
identified by sort location data, which may include a unique sort location
identifier. The
unique sort location identifier may comprise a unique character string
individually
identifying each of the plurality of sort locations 400. In various
embodiments, the sort
location data may define any subsequent processing to be performed on assets
10 within
each sort location 400, and may comprise the unique sort location identifier
for each of the
plurality of sort locations 400 the assets 10 will pass through. In various
embodiments, the
sort location module may determine whether the processing to be performed on
assets 10
in each of the plurality of sort locations 400 (as defined in the sort
location data) will move
the asset 10 closer to its final destination. In various embodiments, the sort
location
module may determine whether the processing steps to be performed on the
assets 10 in
each of the sort locations 400 complies with the service level (e.g., Same Day
shipping,
Next Day Air, Second Day Air, 3 Day Select, Ground shipping, and/or the like)
corresponding to the asset 10. As a non-limiting example, the sort location
module may
determine the appropriate sort location for an asset 10 to be delivered to 123
Main Street,
Atlanta, Georgia is a delivery vehicle that will deliver other assets 10 to
the same address
or nearby addresses (e.g., along the same delivery route). As a second non-
limiting
example, the sort location module may determine the appropriate sort location
for an asset
10 to be delivered to 345 Broad Street, Los Angeles, California via Next Day
Delivery is a
pallet to be loaded onto a plane destined for Los Angeles, California.
After determining the appropriate sort location 400 and/or the appropriate
position
for the asset 10 within the sort location 400, the sort location module may be
configured to
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transmit data defining the appropriate sort location 400 and/or the
appropriate position for
the asset 10 within the sort location 400 to one or more devices (e.g., the
user device 110,
the display 420, the visual indicator 452, the location device 415, and/or the
control
system 100) and/or modules (e.g., the matching module and/or the notification
module).
C. Matching Module
The matching module may be configured to receive asset identifier data from
the
acquisition module and/or the sort location module, and may be configured to
receive data
defining the appropriate sort location from the sort location module.
Moreover, the
matching module may be configured to receive data indicating the user device
110 (and
consequently the asset 10) is proximate a first sort location 400. In various
embodiments
and referring to Figure 5, the user device 110 and/or one or more location
devices 415 may
determine that the user device 110 is within a communication area 405
corresponding to
the one or more location devices 415, and is therefore proximate to the first
sort location
400 corresponding to the one or more location devices 415. As a non-limiting
example,
each of the one or more location devices 415 may be embodied as a wireless
beacon
broadcasting a signal indicating the identity of the associated sort location.
In various
embodiments, each sort location may be associated with a plurality of such
location
devices 415. The user device 110 may be configured to receive the wireless
signals
broadcast from the plurality of location devices 415 and determine whether the
received
signal satisfies one or more signal criteria. For example, the user device 110
may
determine whether the signal received from each of the plurality of location
devices 415
satisfies a predetermined signal strength threshold and/or may determine
whether wireless
signals are received from at least a minimum number of location devices 415
broadcasting
data regarding a single sort location. Upon a determination that the signal
received from
the plurality of location devices 415 satisfies each of the signal criteria,
the user device
110 may transmit asset identity data and sort location identity data to the
matching module
to determine whether the user device 110 is proximate the appropriate sort
location for the
asset.
Upon determining the user device 110 is proximate a first sort location 400,
at least
one of the user device 110 and the one or more location devices 415 may
transmit data
indicating the user device 110 is proximate the first sort location 400 to the
matching
module. The data indicating that the user device 110 is proximate the first
sort location
400 may also be indicative of the identity of the first sort location 400
(e.g., the data may
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comprise the unique sort location identifier corresponding to the first sort
location 400).
The matching module may be configured to determine whether the first sort
location 400
is the appropriate sort location based at least in part on the received data
defining the
appropriate sort location.
In various embodiments, the matching module may be configured to transmit data
indicating whether the first sort location 400 is the appropriate sort
location to one or more
devices (the user device 110 and/or the one or more location devices 415)
and/or one or
more modules (e.g., the notification module). For example, upon a
determination that the
proximate sort location 400 is the appropriate sort location, the matching
module may
generate and transmit confirmation data to the notification module for
additional
processing. Alternatively, upon a determination that the proximate sort
location 400 is not
the appropriate sort location, the matching module may generate and transmit
mistake data
to the notification module for additional processing.
In various embodiments, the matching module may additionally be configured to
link and/or associate the asset identifier data and the sort location
identifier data
corresponding to the sort location 400 at which the asset is deposited. As a
non-limiting
example, the asset identifier data may be updated to reflect the link between
the asset
identifier data and the sort location identifier data. Alternatively, the sort
location
identifier data may be updated to reflect each of the assets associated with
the sort location
400. As described herein, the matching module may be configured to link the
asset
identifier data and the sort location identifier data upon the occurrence of a
triggering
event, as will be described in greater detail herein.
To link and/or associate the asset identifier data and the sort location
identifier data
corresponding to the sort location 400 at which the asset it deposited, the
matching module
may receive at least a portion of the asset identifier data and at least a
portion of the
location data and associate these data in, for example, one or more databases.
As
previously noted, however, the matching module may be configured to associate
the asset
identifier data and the sort location data by updating at least one of the
asset identifier data
or the sort location data to reflect the association. Again, the updated data
may be stored in
one or more databases.
D. Notification Module
In various embodiments, the notification module may receive data indicating
whether the first sort location 400 is the appropriate sort location from the
matching
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module. As described herein, the notification module may cause one or more
alerts to be
generated in order to notify the user 5 (e.g., sort personnel) whether the
asset 10 should be
deposited in the first sort location 400. For example, the notification module
may be
configured to transmit confirmation data and/or mistake data to the user
device 110, the
display 420, and/or the one or more location devices 415 in order to cause at
least one of
the devices to generate an alert discernible by the user 5 (e.g., sort
personnel) indicative of
the appropriate sort location for the asset 10.
In various embodiments, the notification module may cause the user device 110
to
display a confirmation message upon a determination that the first sort
location 400 is the
appropriate sort location. As non-limiting examples, the confirmation message
may
indicate that the first sort location 400 is the appropriate sort location, or
the confirmation
message may indicate that an asset has been deposited at the appropriate sort
location 400.
Alternatively, the notification module may cause a light located near the
first sort location
400 to illuminate upon a determination that the first sort location 400 is the
appropriate
sort location 400. As yet another non-limiting example, the notification
module may cause
the user device 110 to display a message upon a determination that the first
sort location
400 is not the appropriate sort location 400. Similarly, the notification
module may cause a
light located near the first sort location 400 to illuminate upon a
determination that the
proximate sort location 400 is not the appropriate sort location. In various
embodiments,
the notification module may cause one or more sounds to be generated, one or
more lights
to illuminate, one or more mechanical assemblies to move, and/or other
processes
discernible by a user 5 to operate and thus indicate to the user 5 whether the
first sort
location 400 is the appropriate sort location.
Moreover, the notification module may be configured to generate an alert after
associating asset identifier data with location data. The notification module
may be
configured to generate an alert to inform the user 5 (e.g., sort personnel) or
other users
regarding asset identifier data being associated with location data. As a non-
limiting
example, the notification module may be configured to cause a message to be
displayed
via the user device 110 and/or the display 420 in order to notify the user 5
that asset
identifier data corresponding to an asset 10 has been associated with location
data
corresponding to a sort location. Thus, the notification module may facilitate
a
determination that asset identifier data has been incorrectly associated with
location data,
and may therefore facilitate the correction of an inappropriate association.
For example,
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based upon the generated alert, the user 5 may determine that the asset
identification data
was incorrectly associated with a location data corresponding to a first sort
location 400.
V. Exemplary System Operation
As will be described in greater detail herein, the various entities
illustrated in
Figure 1 may operate to provide a user 5 (e.g., sort personnel) information
regarding the
appropriate sort location to deposit an asset 10.
A. Exemplary User Device Operation
Figure 8 illustrates an exemplary environment in which assets 10 are moved
from
an intake location 450 (e.g., an unsorted location) to one or more sort
locations 400. In
various embodiments, a user 5 (e.g., sort personnel) may utilize a user device
110 as
described herein while transporting assets 10 from an intake location 450 to
one or more
sort locations 400. As described herein, the user device 110 may be configured
for
receiving information regarding a particular asset 10 to be sorted, and for
informing the
user 5 whether the asset 10 is being sorted to the appropriate sort location.
Figure 10 illustrates exemplary steps carried out by the user device 110
according
to various embodiments of the present invention. As illustrated in Figure 10,
the user
device 110 and/or the acquisition device 410 may be configured to receive
asset identifier
data associated with an asset 10 to be sorted at Block 501. In various
embodiments, the
user 5 may utilize the indicia reader of the user device 110 to scan, read, or
otherwise
receive asset identifier data from the asset 10. Alternatively or
additionally, the acquisition
device 410 may scan, read, or otherwise receive asset identifier data from the
asset 10. As
noted herein, the asset identifier data may be printed or otherwise affixed to
the asset 10 to
be sorted. In various embodiments, the user device 110 and/or the acquisition
device 410
may receive asset identifier data by, for example, reading an RFID tag
associated with the
asset 10, reading a bar code, QR code, character string, and/or symbol printed
on the asset
10 or otherwise associated with the asset 10, and/or otherwise obtaining asset
identifier
data regarding the asset 10 to be sorted. The user device 110 may be
configured to store
the asset identifier data in a memory associated with the user device for
later retrieval and
use.
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As noted above, in various embodiments, the asset identifier data may comprise
a
unique asset identifier, such as a tracking code or other unique identifier.
Alternatively or
additionally, the asset identifier data may comprise origin identifying data
(e.g., origin
address, shipper identity, and/or the like), destination identifying data
(e.g., destination
address, recipient identity, and/or the like), service level data (e.g., Same
Day shipping,
Next Day Air, Second Day Air, 3 Day Select, Ground shipping, and/or the like),
and/or the
like. As described above, the asset identifier data may additionally include
indications
designating an asset 10 for special or expedited handling. Moreover, in
various
embodiments, the asset identifier data may comprise more detailed data
regarding the asset
10 to be sorted, such as sort locations 400 for each intermediate shipping
point. In various
embodiments, the asset identifier data may be updated at various times during
the shipping
process. For example, after determining an appropriate sort location 400 for
the asset 10 to
be sorted (a process described in greater detail herein), the asset identifier
data may be
updated to reflect the appropriate sort location 400. The asset identifier
data 400 may
additionally be updated to reflect the appropriate position of the asset 10
within the sort
location 400. Alternatively, the asset identifier data may be fixed after
being created, such
that it is not updated with new and/or alternative information during
shipment.
After receiving asset identifier data regarding the asset 10 to be sorted, the
user
device 110 and/or the acquisition device 410 may be configured to transmit the
asset
identifier data to the control system 100 at Block 502. The control system 100
may be
configured to determine an appropriate sort location for the asset 10 based at
least in part
on the asset identifier data. The control system 100 may be configured to
transmit data
identifying the appropriate sort location to the user device 110 and/or the
acquisition
device 410, and the user device may be configured to receive data indicative
of the
appropriate sort location from the control system 100 at Block 503. In various
embodiments, the asset identifier data may be updated to reflect the
appropriate sort
location 400. The control system 100 may be configured to update the asset
identifier data
stored within an asset identifier database. Alternatively, after receiving the
appropriate sort
location 400 from the control system 100, the user device 110 may be
configured to
update the asset identifier data stored within a memory associated with the
user device
110. Similarly, after receiving the appropriate sort location 400 from the
control system
100, the acquisition device 410 may be configured to update the asset
identifier data stored
within a memory associated with the acquisition device 410.
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In various embodiments, the user device 110 may be configured to inform the
user
(e.g., sort personnel) of the appropriate sort location 400 for the asset 10
at Block 504.
Alternatively or additionally, the display 420 may be configured to inform the
user 5 of
the appropriate sort location 400 for the asset 10 at Block 504. As a non-
limiting example,
5 the user
device 110 may cause display of the appropriate sort location via the display
114
to the user 5 (e.g., sort personnel) or may audibly inform the user 5 of the
appropriate sort
location for the asset 10. In one embodiment, the display 114 of the user
device 110 (e.g.,
glasses) may display an indication of the appropriate sort location 400 shown
superimposed over or positioned proximate to the asset 10. For example, upon
receiving
the appropriate sort location 400 from the control system 100, the user device
110 may
display an indication of the sort location 400 on the display 114. In such
embodiments, the
user device 110 may display the indication of the sort location 400 on the
display 114
regardless of the FOV of the user device 110. Alternatively, in some
embodiments, the
presentation of the indication of the sort location 400 on the display 114 may
be dependent
upon a detected FOV of the user device 110. For example, as described above,
the user
device 110 may detect an asset 10 within its FOV. Upon detecting an asset 10
within the
FOV of the user device 110, the local computer 120 of the user device 110 may
generate
an augmented reality (AR) image or layer for presentation on the display 114.
The AR
image or layer may be based on the detection of the asset 10 by the user
device 110 and
the received appropriate sort location 400 from the control system 100. The
user device
110 may then display the AR image or layer on the display 114 such that the
sort location
400 is overlaid over or positioned proximate to the asset 10 when the asset 10
is within the
FOV of the user device 110.
In embodiments including the display 420 (Figure 5), the indication of the
appropriate sort location may be shown on the display 420 and/or projected
onto the asset
10. The displayed sort location 400 may comprise a sort location identifier,
such as a
symbol, character string, and/or the like. Additionally, in various
embodiments,
information indicative of the appropriate sort location may be printed on the
asset 10 (e.g.,
directly onto a surface of the asset 10, onto a sticker or other label secured
to the asset 10,
and/or the like). In various embodiments, the user device 110 and/or the
display 420 may
not display the appropriate sort location for the asset 10, and accordingly
the user 5 may
rely on the information printed on the asset 10 to determine the appropriate
sort location.
Accordingly, in such embodiments, after receiving asset identifier data as
illustrated in
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Block 501 of Figure 10, the user device may be configured to thereafter await
receipt of
sort location data as illustrated in Block 505.
The user 5 (e.g., sort personnel) may transport the asset 10 and the user
device 110
to a sort location 400. As the user 5 nears the sort location 400 (e.g.,
enters the
communication area 405 corresponding to the sort location 400), the user
device 110 may
establish a wireless communication connection with one or more location
devices 415
associated with the sort location 400 and receive sort location data from the
one or more
location devices 415 at Block 505. For example, the user device 110 and
location devices
415 may be configured to establish a communication connection when the user
device 110
is within a predetermined communication area 405, which may be defined as an
area
within a predetermined distance of each of the one or more location devices
415 (e.g., via
BluetoothTM, NFC, Wi-Fi, and/or the like). Such communication connection may
be a one-
way communication connection in which signals are broadcast from each of the
one or
more location devices 415 to the user device 110. Such predetermined distance
may be
.. established based on the effective communication range of the wireless
communication
protocol utilized. As a non-limiting example, the user device 110 and each
location device
415 may be configured to communicate using a BluetoothTM Smart communication
protocol with an effective communication range of approximately 8 feet,
although other
communication protocols with other effective ranges may be used. Therefore,
the user
device 110 and each of the one or more location devices 415 may be configured
to
establish a communication connection whenever the user device 110 is within
the effective
communication range of the utilized communication protocol. Alternatively, the
size,
shape, and location of the communication area 405 may be established based on
other
factors, such as the distance between sort locations 400, the distance between
the intake
location 450 and the one or more sort locations 400, and/or the like. The
communication
area 405 may be defined as an area within a geofenced area, and the user
device 110 and
the one or more location devices 415 may establish a communication connection
after the
user device 110 enters the communication area 405. In various embodiments, the
user
device 110 is configured to maintain a communication connection with a
plurality of
location devices 415 concurrently.
As a non-limiting example, each sort location 400 may be associated with a
plurality of location devices 415 embodied as wireless beacons each configured
to
broadcast data indicating the identity of the associated sort location. Such
location devices
415 may be located proximate to the sort location 400, and may be arranged
such that the
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effective communication range of each of the plurality of the location devices
415
overlaps within the associated sort location 400 to establish the
communication area 405.
As the user device 110 is moved proximate the sort location, the user device
110 receives
the signals broadcast by one or more of the location devices 415 at Block 505.
At Block
506 the user device 110 may determine whether the received signals satisfy one
or more
signal criteria in order to validate the identity of the proximate sort
location. For example,
the user device 110 may determine whether the signal strength received from
each of the
one or more location devices 415 satisfies a predetermined signal strength
threshold (e.g.,
the signal strength threshold may define a minimum signal strength). Moreover,
the user
device 110 may determine whether a signal is received from a minimum number of
location devices 415 associated with a particular sort location. As yet
another example, the
user device 110 may determine whether a signal indicating that the user device
is
proximate to sort location 400 from at least 3 location devices 415 each
broadcasting the
identity of the sort location 400. In various embodiments, the user device 110
may
determine whether two or more signal criteria are satisfied (e.g., the signal
strength
threshold and the minimum number of location devices 415). Such criteria may
impede
false positive determinations that the user device 110 is proximate a
particular sort
location. For example, as a user approaches a plurality of sort locations, the
user device
110 may receive weak signals from at least one location device 415 associated
with each
of a plurality of sort locations. By ensuring that the signal strength of the
signal received
from a particular location device 415 satisfies a predetermined threshold,
weak signals
received from location devices 415 associated with distant sort locations may
be
disregarded. Moreover, by ensuring that signals are received from a minimum
number of
location devices 415 associated with a particular sort location, the user
device 110 may
.. ensure that it is positioned within or proximate a single sort location,
rather than between
two or more sort locations. In various embodiments, the user device 110 may be
configured to periodically (e.g., every 5 seconds) and/or continuously
determine whether
the one or more signal criteria are satisfied.
Upon determining that the signals received by the user device 110 satisfy the
one
or more signal criteria, the user device 110 may transmit the sort location
identity data
received from the one or more location devices 415 and the asset identity data
to the
control system 100 at Block 506. The control system 100 may then determine
whether the
user device 110 is proximate the appropriate sort location for the asset. The
control system
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100 may be configured to transmit an indication of whether the user device 110
is
proximate the appropriate sort location to the user device 110.
Alternatively, after the user device 110 enters the communication area 405,
the
user device 110 may be configured to transmit the asset identifier to the
location devices
415. In various embodiments wherein the asset identifier data comprises data
regarding the
appropriate sort location for the asset 10, the location devices 415 may be
configured to
transmit data indicating whether the user device 110, and consequently the
user 5 and asset
10, is proximate the appropriate sort location (e.g., within the communication
area 405) to
the user device 110. In various embodiments, the one or more location devices
415 may be
configured to transmit at least a portion of the asset identifier data to the
control system
100, which may be configured to determine whether the user device 110 is
proximate the
appropriate sort location. The control system 100 may be configured to
transmit an
indication of whether the user device 110 is proximate the appropriate sort
location to the
one or more location devices 415, which may be configured to transmit an
indication of
whether the user device is proximate the appropriate sort location to the user
device 110.
Referring again to Figure 5, upon a determination that the user device 110 is
proximate an
incorrect sort location 400 (e.g., within a communication area 405
corresponding to a final
delivery vehicle that does not travel to the asset's 10 destination address)
at Block 508, at
least one of the control system 100 and/or the one or more location devices
415 may be
configured to transmit mistake data to the user device 110, and the user
device 110 may be
configured to receive the mistake data at Block 512. Upon receiving the
mistake data, the
user device 110 may be configured to generate a mistake message to inform the
user 5
(e.g., sort personnel) that the asset 10 is proximate an incorrect sort
location 400 at Block
513. Alternatively or additionally, the display 420 may be configured to
display a mistake
message to inform the user 5 that the asset 10 is proximate to an incorrect
sort location 400
at Block 513. As a non-limiting example, the user device 110 may be configured
to cause
display of a mistake message via the display 114, emit a warning sound, and/or
otherwise
warn the user 5 that the user device 110 is proximate an incorrect sort
location 400. Thus,
as a non-limiting example, mistake data may be generated if the user 5
approaches an
incorrect sort location and/or enters an incorrect sort location. As indicated
at Block 514,
the user device 110 may unlink the asset identifier data and the user device
110 such that
the asset identifier data is cleared from the memory of the user device 110
such that the
asset identifier data is no longer stored in the memory of the user device 110
upon the
occurrence of a triggering event. Such triggering event may be, for example,
reading,
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scanning, or otherwise receiving asset identifier data (e.g., via the indicia
reader device)
while the user device 110 is in the communication area 405, losing connection
between
one or more location devices 415 and the user device 110 (e.g., upon a
determination that
the wireless communication connection between the plurality of location
devices 415 and
the user device 110 no longer satisfy the signal criteria), after receiving
asset identifier
data regarding a second asset 10, and/or otherwise after a triggering event.
In various
embodiments, the user device 110 may be configured to reset, or otherwise
dissociate the
asset identified data from the user device 110 upon the occurrence of a
triggering event.
Accordingly, in the event that the user device 110 is located proximate an
incorrect sort
location, the user may be required to rescan the indicia associated with the
asset 10 to
relink the asset identified data with the user device 110 before transporting
the asset 10 to
the appropriate sort location.
At Block 515, the user 5 (e.g., sort personnel) may transport the asset 10 out
of the
communication area 405 corresponding to the incorrect sort location 400, and
may
transport the asset 10 to the appropriate sort location. After removing the
asset 10 (and
consequently the user device 110) from the communication area 405 associated
with the
incorrect sort location 400, and after the user device 110 unlinks the asset
identifier data
from the user device 110, the process reverts to Block 501. However, in
various
embodiments, the user device 110 may be configured to associate the asset
identifier data
with sort location data at Block 515, and the process may end. As a non-
limiting example,
the user device 110 may be configured to associate the asset identifier data
with the sort
location identifier data upon the occurrence of a triggering event. Such
triggering event
may be, for example, reading, scanning, or otherwise receiving asset
identifier data (e.g.,
via the indicia reader device) while the user device 110 is in the
communication area 405,
losing connection between one or more location devices 415 and the user device
110 (e.g.,
upon a determination that the wireless communication connection between the
plurality of
location devices 415 and the user device 110 no longer satisfy the signal
criteria), after
receiving asset identifier data regarding a second asset 10, and/or otherwise
after a
triggering event. In various embodiments, the user device 110 may be
configured to reset,
or otherwise dissociate the asset identifier data from the user device 110
upon the
occurrence of a triggering event.
The user device 110 may also or alternatively be configured to reset and/or
unlink
the asset identifier data after a predetermined amount of time after receiving
the mistake
data; after scanning, reading, or otherwise receiving the asset identifier
data regarding the
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asset 10 (e.g., via the indicia reader) while the user device 110 is located
within the
communication area 405, after receiving asset identifier data regarding a
second asset 10;
and/or otherwise after a triggering event. The user device 110 may be utilized
to receive
asset identifier data regarding a subsequent asset 10 to be sorted, and the
process is
repeated.
Referring again to Block 508, the process may proceed after transmission of
the
asset identifier data and/or sort location identifier data to the one or more
location devices
415 and/or control system 100 (illustrated as Block 507) with reference to
Blocks 509-511
if the user 5 approaches the appropriate sort location. Upon a determination
that the user
device 110 is proximate and/or within the appropriate sort location (e.g.,
within the
communication area 405 corresponding to the appropriate sort location), the
control
system 100 and/or the one or more location devices 415 may be configured to
transmit
confirmation data to the user device 110 indicating the user device 110 is
proximate the
appropriate sort location for the asset 10, and the user device 110 may be
configured to
receive the confirmation data at Block 509. Upon receiving the confirmation
data, the user
device 110 may be configured to generate a confirmation message to inform the
user 5
(e.g., sort personnel) that the asset 10 is near the appropriate sort location
400 at Block
510. Alternatively or additionally, the display 420 may be configured to
display a
confirmation message to inform the user 5 that the asset 10 is near the
appropriate sort
location 400 at Block 510. As a non-limiting example, the user device 110 may
be
configured to cause display of a confirmation message via the display 114,
emit a
confirmation sound, and/or otherwise provide the user 5 with confirmation that
the user
device 110 is proximate the appropriate sort location.
In various embodiments, after receiving the confirmation data, the user device
110
may be configured to associate the asset identifier data with a sort location
identifier.
Alternatively, the asset identifier data may be transmitted to the control
system 100, which
may be configured to associate the asset identifier data with the sort
location data.
After receiving the confirmation data and/or after another triggering event,
the user
device 110 may be configured to dissociate, unlink, delete, clear, or
otherwise remove the
asset identifier data regarding the recently sorted asset 10 from the active
memory of the
user device 110 at Block 511. The user device 110 may be configured to unlink
the asset
identifier data after the user device 110 determines that the one or more
signal criteria are
no longer satisfied, after a predetermined amount of time after receiving the
confirmation
data; after scanning, reading, or otherwise receiving the asset identifier
data regarding the
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asset 10 (e.g., via the indicia reader) while the user device 110 is located
within the
communication area 405; after receiving asset identifier data regarding a
second asset 10;
after receiving user input via the user device 110; and/or otherwise after a
triggering event.
The user device 110 may be utilized to receive asset identifier data regarding
a subsequent
asset 10 to be sorted, and the process may be repeated.
The user device 110 may have any of a variety of configurations. For example,
the
user device 110 may not transmit or receive data (e.g., asset identifier data)
from the
control system 100, and may instead only transmit and receive data from one or
more
location devices 415. Moreover, the user device 110 may not generate and/or
display
appropriate sort location data, and instead the user 5 (e.g., sort personnel)
may be required
to ascertain the appropriate sort location for an asset 10 without a reminder
or other
indication from the user device 110. Alternatively, the appropriate sort
location may be
printed on the asset 10 in human readable form such that the user 5 (e.g.,
sort personnel)
may determine the appropriate sort location based on information printed on or
otherwise
physically associated with the asset 10.
As yet another alternative, the user device 110 need not establish a new
connection
with one or more proximate location devices 415 each time the user device
enters a
connection area 405. In various embodiments, the user device 110 may maintain
connections with each of the plurality of location devices 415 associated with
each of the
plurality of sort locations 400. Upon a determination that the user device 110
enters the
connection area 405, the user device may be configured to transmit asset
identifier data to
the one or more location devices 415 associated with the connection area,
and/or the user
device 110 may be configured to transmit the asset identifier data and sort
location
identified data indicative of the identity of the proximate sort location to
the control
system 100. For example, such determination may be made based at least in part
on the
location of the user device 110 relative to a geofence surrounding the sort
location and/or
one or more location devices 415, the communication signal strength, and/or
the like.
Thus, although the user device 110 may maintain active connections with each
of the
plurality of location devices 415, the various system components (e.g., the
user device
110, the one or more location devices 415, and/or the control system 100) may
be
configured to determine the appropriate one or more location devices 415 to
receive asset
identifier data from the user device 110 based at least in part on the
location of the user
device.
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In various embodiments, the user device 110 may be configured to associate the
asset identifier data and the location data prior to a determination whether
the first sort
location 400 is the appropriate sort location for the asset 10. Alternatively,
the user device
110 may be configured to associate the asset identifier data and the location
data without
determining whether the first sort location 400 is the appropriate sort
location for the asset
10. In these and other embodiments, the user device 110 may be configured to
receive
location data from one or more location devices 415 regarding the associated
sort location
400 after entering the associated communication area 405. After receiving the
location
data from the one or more location devices 415, the user device 110 may be
configured to
associate the location data and the asset identifier data. In various
embodiments, the user
device 110 may be configured to transmit the associated location data and
asset identifier
data to one or more databases for storage. Alternatively, the user device 110
may be
configured to transmit an indication regarding the association between the
asset identifier
data and the location data to a control system 100, which may be configured to
update data
stored in one or more associated databases to reflect the association between
the asset
identifier data and the location data.
The user device 110 may be further configured to generate one or more alerts
regarding the association between the asset identifier data and the location
data. The user
device 110 may be configured to generate an alert to inform the user 5 (e.g.,
sort
personnel) or other users regarding asset identifier data being associated
with location
data. As a non-limiting example, the user device 110 may be configured to
cause a
message to be displayed in order to notify the user 5 that asset identifier
data
corresponding to an asset 10 has been associated with location data
corresponding to a sort
location. Thus, the user device 110 may facilitate a determination that asset
identifier data
has been incorrectly associated with location data, and may therefore
facilitate the
correction of an inappropriate association. For example, based upon the
generated alert,
the user 5 may determine that the asset identification data was incorrectly
associated with
a location data corresponding to a first sort location 400.
B. Exemplary Location Device Operation
In various embodiments, each sort location may be associated with a plurality
of
location devices 415 embodied as wireless beacons each configured to broadcast
data
indicative of the identity of the associated sort location 400 such that the
user device 110
may receive such broadcast data. Accordingly, each location device 415 may be
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configured to establish a one-way communication connection with a user device
110 such
that each of the location devices 415 may transmit data, but not receive data
from the user
device 110. For example, each location device 415 may be configured to
transmit data
indicative of the identity of the sort location 400 to the user device 110
upon the user
device entering the broadcast area of the location device 415. The user device
110 may
then be configured to transmit the sort location identity data and/or the
asset identity data
indicative of the identity of the asset being transported by the user to the
control system
100 for additional processing.
Alternatively, each location device 415 may be configured to transmit and/or
receive data from the user device 110 and/or the control system 100. Figure 11
illustrates
exemplary steps carried out by a location device 415 according to various
embodiments of
the present invention. As illustrated in Figure 11, each location device 415
may receive
asset identifier data at Block 601. The asset identifier data may be
transmitted to one or
more location devices 415 from a user device 110. As previously described, the
asset
identifier data may comprise a unique asset identifier, such as a tracking
code or other
unique identifier. Alternatively or additionally, the asset identifier data
may comprise
origin identifying data (e.g., origin address, shipper identity, and/or the
like), destination
identifying data (e.g., destination address, recipient identity, and/or the
like), service level
data (e.g., Same Day shipping, Next Day Air, Second Day Air, 3 Day Select,
Ground
shipping, and/or the like), and/or the like. As described above, the asset
identifier data may
additionally include indications designating an asset 10 for special or
expedited handling.
Moreover, in various embodiments, the asset identifier data may comprise more
detailed
data regarding the asset 10 to be sorted, such as sort locations 400 for each
intermediate
shipping point between the origin and destination of the asset 10. In various
embodiments,
the asset identifier data may be updated at various times during the shipping
process. For
example, after determining an appropriate sort location for the asset 10 to be
sorted (a
process described in greater detail herein), the asset identifier data may be
updated to
reflect the appropriate sort location. Alternatively, the asset identifier
data may be fixed
after being created, such that it is not updated with new and/or alternative
information
during shipment.
In various embodiments, each location device 415 may be configured to receive
asset identifier data from a user device 110 after establishing a
communication connection
with the user device 110. In various embodiments, a connection (e.g., a two-
way
communication connection) between the location device 415 and the user device
110 may
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only be established upon the user device 110 entering the communication area
405
associated with the location device 415. As a non-limiting example, the size,
shape, and
location of the communication area 405 may be based on any number of factors,
such as,
for example, the effective communication range of the communication protocol
utilized.
Alternatively or additionally, the size, shape, and location of the
communication area 405
may be based on other factors, such as the distance between sort locations
400, and/or the
distance between the intake location 450 (e.g., an unsorted location) and the
sort locations
400. As previously noted, the location device 415 may be configured to
initiate a
connection with a user device 110 only after the user device enters the
predetermined
communication area 405 defined by, for example, a geofence.
In various embodiments, the location device 415 may be configured to transmit
at
least a portion of the received asset identifier data to the control system
100 at Block 602.
The control system 100 may be configured to determine the appropriate sort
location for
the asset 10 based at least in part on the asset identifier information
received from the
location device 415. Alternatively, the location device 415 may be configured
to
determine whether the sort location 400 associated with the location device is
the
appropriate sort location for the asset 10. As a non-limiting example, where
the asset
identifier data comprises data indicating an appropriate sort location, the
location device
415 may be configured to compare the appropriate sort location indicated by
the asset
identifier data and the sort location 400 associated with the location device
415 to
determine whether there is a match. As indicated at Block 603, the remaining
steps to be
completed may be selected based at least in part on a determination of whether
the
location device 415 corresponds to the appropriate sort location 400.
Upon a determination that the sort location 400 associated with the location
device
415 is not the determined appropriate sort location, the location device is
configured to
receive mistake data at Block 607. As indicated herein, the mistake data may
indicate that
the user device 110 is proximate the incorrect sort location 400.
Alternatively, the location
device 415 may be configured to generate mistake data based upon a
determination that
the user device 110 is proximate an incorrect sort location 400 for the asset
10.
At Block 608, the location device 415 may be configured to transmit the
mistake
data to the user device 110. As indicated herein, the user device 110 may be
configured to
generate an indication discernible by the user 5 that the proximate sort
location 400 (i.e.,
the sort location associated with the location device 415) is not the
determined appropriate
sort location for the asset 10. The user 5 (e.g., sort personnel) may then
continue
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transporting the asset 10 (and consequently the user device 110) to another
sort location
400 at Block 609, and the process ends at Block 611. In various embodiments,
the process
may begin again for a second (or subsequent) set of one or more location
devices 415
upon the user device 110 entering a second (or subsequent) communication area
405
associated with the second set of one or more location devices 415.
Alternatively, the user
5 (e.g., sort personnel) may deposit the asset 10 at the sort location 400
associated with the
location device 415, and the location device may associate the asset
identifier data with
sort location identifier data at Block 610. As a non-limiting example, the
location device
415 may associate the asset identifier data with the sort location identifier
data upon the
occurrence of a triggering event. As non-limiting examples, such triggering
event may
include determining that the communication signal between the user device 110
and the
one or more location devices 415 does not satisfy the signal criteria;
receiving asset
identifier data from the user device 110 while the user device is located
within the
communication area 405; determining that the user device 110 remains in the
communication area 405 for a predetermined amount of time; receiving user
input (e.g.,
pressing a specific key on the user device 110); and/or the like.
Referring again to Block 603, the process may proceed after transmission of
the
asset identifier data to the control system 100 (illustrated as Block 602)
with reference to
Blocks 604-606 if the user 5 approaches the appropriate sort location. Upon a
determination that the sort location 400 associated with the location device
415 is the
appropriate sort location, the location device may be configured to receive
confirmation
data at Block 604. As indicated herein, the confirmation data may indicate
that the user
device 110 is proximate the appropriate sort location. Alternatively, the
location device
415 may be configured to generate confirmation data based upon a determination
that the
user device 110 is proximate the appropriate sort location for the asset 10.
At Block 605, the location device 415 may be configured to transmit the
confirmation data to the user device 110 and/or the display 420. As indicated
herein, the
user device 110 and/or the display 420 may be configured to generate an
indication
discernible by the user 5 that the proximate sort location 400 (i.e., the sort
location 400
associated with the location device 415) is the determined appropriate sort
location for the
asset 10. The user 5 (e.g., sort personnel) may then deposit the asset 10 at
the appropriate
sort location. At Block 606, the location device 415 may associate the asset
identifier data
with sort location identifier data upon the occurrence of a triggering event.
As non-
limiting examples, the triggering event may be the expiration of a
predetermined amount
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of time after receiving or generating confirmation data, the reception of
asset identifier
data while the user device 110 is within the communication area 405, the
reception of user
input via the user device 110, and/or the like.
The location device 415 may have any of a variety of different configurations.
As a
non-limiting example, the location device 415 may not transmit or receive data
(e.g., asset
identifier data and/or data identifying the appropriate sort location) from
the control
system 100. Instead, the location device 415 may be configured to communicate
(e.g.,
broadcast) the identity of the sort location 400 associated with the location
device to the
user device 110, and the user device 110 and/or the control system 100 may be
configured
to determine whether the sort location 400 is the appropriate sort location.
Moreover, the
location device 415 may not be configured to associate asset identifier data
with sort
location identifier data. In various embodiments, the location device 415 may
be
configured to only transmit indications to the user device 110 upon a
determination that
the user device 110 is proximate an incorrect sort location 400. As yet
another alternative,
the location device 415 may be configured to provide indications directly to
the user 5
regarding whether the associated sort location 400 is the appropriate sort
location. As a
non-limiting example, the location device 415 may cause a sound to be emitted
from an
associated output device, or may cause a light to be illuminated based on the
determination
of whether the associated sort location 400 is the appropriate sort location
for the asset 10.
In various embodiments, the location device 415 may be configured to associate
the asset identifier data and the location data prior to a determination
whether the first sort
location 400 is the appropriate sort location for the asset 10. Alternatively,
the location
device 415 may be configured to associate the asset identifier data and the
location data
without determining whether the first sort location 400 is the appropriate
sort location for
the asset 10. In these and other embodiments, the location device 415 may be
configured
to receive asset identifier data from a user device 110 regarding an asset
after the user
device 110 enters the communication area 405 associated with the location
device 415.
After receiving the asset identifier data from the user device 110, the
location device 415
may be configured to associate the location data and the asset identifier
data. In various
embodiments, the location device 415 may be configured to transmit the
associated
location data and asset identifier data to one or more databases for storage.
Alternatively,
the location device 415 may be configured to transmit an indication regarding
the
association between the asset identifier data and the location data to a
control system 100,
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which may be configured to update data stored in one or more associated
databases to
reflect the association between the asset identifier data and the location
data.
The location device 415 may be further configured to generate one or more
alerts
regarding the association between the asset identifier data and the location
data. The
location device 415 may be configured to generate an alert to inform the user
5 (e.g., sort
personnel) or other users regarding asset identifier data being associated
with location
data. As a non-limiting example, the location device 415 may be configured to
cause a
message to be displayed via the user device 110 and/or the display 420 in
order to notify
the user 5 that asset identifier data corresponding to an asset 10 has been
associated with
location data corresponding to a sort location. Thus, the location device 415
may facilitate
a determination that asset identifier data has been incorrectly associated
with location data,
and may therefore facilitate the correction of an inappropriate association.
For example,
based upon the generated alert, the user 5 may determine that the asset
identification data
was incorrectly associated with a location data corresponding to a first sort
location 400.
C. Exemplary Control System Operation
Figure 12 illustrates exemplary steps carried out by the control system 100
according to various embodiments of the present invention. As illustrated in
Figure 12, the
control system 100 may receive asset identifier data at Block 701. As
indicated herein, the
asset indicator data may be received from the user device 110 and/or the one
or more
location devices 415.
The asset identifier data may comprise a unique asset identifier, such as a
tracking
code or other unique identifier. Alternatively or additionally, the asset
identifier data may
comprise origin identifying data (e.g., origin address, shipper identity,
and/or the like),
destination identifying data (e.g., destination address, recipient identity,
and/or the like),
service level data (e.g., Same Day shipping, Next Day Air, Second Day Air, 3
Day Select,
Ground shipping, and/or the like), and/or the like. As described above, the
asset identifier
data may additionally include indications designating an asset 10 for special
or expedited
handling. Moreover, in various embodiments, the asset identifier data may
comprise more
detailed data regarding the asset 10 to be sorted, such as sort locations 400
for each
intermediate shipping point. In various embodiments, the asset identifier data
may be
updated at various times during the shipping process. For example, after
determining an
appropriate sort location for the asset 10 to be sorted (a process described
in greater detail
herein), the asset identifier data may be updated to reflect the appropriate
sort location.
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Alternatively, the asset identifier data may be fixed after being created,
such that it is not
updated with new and/or alternative information during shipment.
At Block 702, the control system 100 may be configured to determine the
appropriate sort location 400 for the asset 10 and/or the appropriate position
within the
sort location for the asset 10. In various embodiments, the determination of
the appropriate
sort location for the asset 10 may be based at least in part on the received
asset identifier
data. Moreover, the control system 100 may utilize sort location data
corresponding to
each of the sort locations 400 to determine whether any subsequent processing
to be
performed on assets 10 at each sort location 400 will move the asset 10 closer
to its final
destination. As a non-limiting example, the control system 100 may determine
the
appropriate sort location for an asset 10 to be delivered to 123 Main Street,
Atlanta,
Georgia is the delivery vehicle that will deliver other assets 10 to 123 Main
Street, Atlanta,
Georgia. As a second non-limiting example, the control system 100 may
determine the
appropriate sort location for an asset 10 to be delivered to 345 Broad Street,
Los Angeles,
California via Next Day Delivery is a pallet to be loaded onto a plane
destined for Los
Angeles, California. As yet another alternative, the control system 100 may be
configured
to identify a sort location 400 previously assigned to the asset 10.
Referring again to Figure 12, at Block 703 the control system 100 may be
configured to transmit data identifying the appropriate sort location to the
user device 110.
As noted herein, the user device 110 and/or the display 420 may be configured
to generate
an indication discernible by the user 5 (e.g., sort personnel) regarding the
appropriate sort
location for the asset 10. However, as noted herein, each asset 10 may have
information
indicative of an appropriate sort location printed thereon, and accordingly
the control
system 100 may not transmit appropriate sort location data to the user device
110 and/or
the display 420 for display to the user 5.
The control system 100 may be configured to receive sort location data from
the
user device 110 and/or the location device 415 upon the user device entering
the
communication area 405 corresponding to the location device 415 at Block 704.
At Block
705, the control system 100 may subsequently compare the appropriate sort
location and
the sort location data received at Block 704 to determine whether the user
device 110 is
proximate the appropriate sort location. As indicated at Block 706, the
remaining steps to
be completed may be selected based at least in part on a determination of
whether the
location device 415 corresponds to the appropriate sort location.
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Upon a determination that the user device 110 is proximate an incorrect sort
location 400, the control system 100 may generate mistake data at Block 710.
Upon
generating the mistake data, the control system 100 may transmit the mistake
data to the
user device 110, the display 420, and/or the location device 415 at Block 711.
As indicated
herein, the user device 110, the display 420, and/or the location device 415
may be
configured to generate a message discernible by the user 5 (e.g., sort
personnel) indicating
the user device 110 is proximate an incorrect sort location 400. In various
embodiments,
the control system 100 may be configured to associate the asset identifier
data with the
sort location data corresponding to the sort location 400 at Block 712. In
various
embodiments, the control system 100 may be configured to associate the asset
identifier
data with the sort location data upon the occurrence of a triggering event.
Exemplary
triggering event may comprise, reading, scanning, or otherwise receiving asset
identifier
data (e.g., via the indicia reader device) while the user device 110 is in the
communication
area 405, receiving asset identifier data regarding a second asset 10,
receiving user input
via the user device 110, and/or the like.
At Block 713, the user 5 may continue transporting the asset 10 (and
consequently
the user device 110) to another sort location 400. The process may return to
Block 701 and
repeat the recited steps. In various embodiments, the user may be required to
rescan the
indicia of the asset with the user device 110, and accordingly the control
system 100 may
receive the asset identifier data from the user device 110 as illustrated in
Block 701.
Alternatively, the user 5 (e.g., sort personnel) may deposit the asset 10 at
the incorrect sort
location 400, and process may end.
Referring again to Block 706, the process may proceed after comparing the sort
location data and the appropriate sort location data for the asset 10
(illustrated as Block
705) with reference to Blocks 707-709 if the user 5 approaches the appropriate
sort
location. Upon a determination that the user device 110 is proximate the
appropriate sort
location, the control system 100 may be configured to generate confirmation
data at Block
707. The control system 100 may be configured to then transmit the
confirmation data to
user device 110 and/or the location device 415 at Block 708. As indicated
herein, the user
device 110, the display 420, and/or the location device 415 may generate a
message
discernible by the user 5 (e.g., sort personnel) indicating that the user
device 110 is
proximate the appropriate sort location for the asset 10.
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At Block 708, the control system 100 may be configured to associate the asset
identifier data with the sort location data corresponding to the sort location
400. In various
embodiments, the control system 100 may be configured to associate the asset
identifier
data with the sort location data upon the occurrence of a triggering event.
Such triggering
event may be, for example, a determination that the user device 110 is no
longer in
communication with the one or more location devices 415 (e.g., upon a
determination that
the communication connection between the user device 110 and one or more
location
devices 415 does not meet the signal criteria), reading, scanning, or
otherwise receiving
asset identifier data (e.g., via the indicia reader device) while the user
device 110 is in the
communication area 405, after receiving asset identifier data regarding a
second asset 10,
and/or otherwise after a triggering event.
In various embodiments, the control system 100 may be configured to associate
the
asset identifier data and the location data prior to a determination whether
the first sort
location 400 is the appropriate sort location for the asset 10. Alternatively,
the control
system 100 may be configured to associate the asset identifier data and the
location data
without determining whether the first sort location 400 is the appropriate
sort location for
the asset 10. In these and other embodiments, the control system 100 may be
configured to
receive asset identifier data and location data from a location device 415
and/or a user
device 110. After receiving the asset identifier data and the location data,
the control
system 100 may be configured to associate the location data and the asset
identifier data.
In various embodiments, the control system 100 may be configured to transmit
the
associated location data and asset identifier data to one or more databases
for storage.
The control system 100 may be further configured to generate one or more
alerts
regarding the association between the asset identifier data and the location
data. The
control system 100 may be configured to generate an alert to inform the user 5
(e.g., sort
personnel) or other users regarding asset identifier data being associated
with location
data. As a non-limiting example, the control system 100 may be configured to
cause a
message to be displayed via the user device 110 in order to notify the user 5
that asset
identifier data corresponding to an asset 10 has been associated with location
data
corresponding to a sort location. Thus, the control system 100 may facilitate
a
determination that asset identifier data has been incorrectly associated with
location data,
and may therefore facilitate the correction of an inappropriate association.
For example,
based upon the generated alert, the user 5 may determine that the asset
identification data
was incorrectly associated with a location data corresponding to a first sort
location 400.
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VI. Exemplary Use
Referring again to Figure 8, shown is a schematic of an example sort facility
in
which assets 10 are moved by a user 5 (e.g., sort personnel) from an intake
location 450
(e.g., a conveyor belt moving unsorted assets 10 into the sort facility) to
one of a plurality
of sort locations 400.
As shown in Figure 8, a user 5 may remove an asset 10 from an intake location
450
and scan, read, or otherwise obtain an asset indicia from the asset 10 using
the user device
110. The user device 110 may receive and store asset identifier data based at
least in part
on the information received from the asset indicia. The user 5 may then
transport (e.g.,
carry) the asset 10 and the user device 110 away from the intake location 450
and to one
of the plurality of sort locations 400. As the user 5 nears a sort location
400, and thus
enters the communication area 405, the user device 110 may receive sort
location
identifier data from one or more location devices 415 associated with the
proximate sort
location 400 (illustrated by the dashed line connecting the user device 110
and location
device 415 in Figure 4). Upon receipt of sort location identifier data from
one or more
location devices 415, the user device 110 may determine whether the signals
received
from the one or more location devices 415 satisfy signal criteria. For
example, the user
device 110 may determine whether the signal received from each of the
plurality of
location devices 415 satisfies a predetermined signal strength threshold
and/or may
determine whether wireless signals are received from at least a minimum number
of
location devices 415 broadcasting data regarding a single sort location. Upon
a
determination that the signal received from the plurality of location devices
415 satisfies
each of the signal criteria, the user device 110 may transmit asset identity
data and sort
location identity data to the control system 100 to determine whether the user
device 110
is proximate the appropriate sort location for the asset.
Alternatively, upon entering the communication area 405, the user device 110
may
transmit the stored asset identifier data to the one or more location devices
415 (illustrated
by the dashed line connecting the user device 110 and location device 415 in
Figure 4). As
yet another alternative, at least one of the user device 110 or the location
device 415 may
transmit asset identifier data and/or location data to the control system 100
(illustrated by
the dashed lines connecting the user device 110 to the control system 100 and
location
device 415 to the control system in Figure 3). At least one device (e.g., the
user device
110, location device 415, and/or the control system 100) may determine the
appropriate
sort location for the asset 10, and may compare the sort location identifier
data
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corresponding to the proximate sort location 400 and the appropriate sort
location. Upon a
determination that the proximate sort location 400 is not the appropriate sort
location, the
user device 110 and/or the location device 415 may be configured to generate
an alert to
notify the user 5 that the asset 10 should not be placed at the proximate sort
location 400.
Upon a determination that the proximate sort location 400 is the appropriate
sort
location, the user device 110 and/or the location device 415 may be configured
to generate
an alert to notify the user 5 that the asset 10 should be placed at the
proximate sort location
400. The user device 110 may then be configured to await a triggering event
before
preparing to receive asset identifier data regarding a second asset 10 to be
sorted. As a
non-limiting example, the triggering event may be a determination by the user
device 110
that the communication signal between the user device 110 and the one or more
location
devices 415 no longer satisfies the signal criteria. As another example, the
user 5 may
scan, read, or otherwise obtain the asset indicia for the asset 10 while the
user device 110
remains in the connection area 405, and/or may supply a user input via the
user device
110. Alternatively, the triggering event may be the expiration of a predefined
period of
time after the user device 110 receives data indicating that the proximate
sort location 400
is the appropriate sort location for the asset 10. As yet another example
triggering event,
the user device 110 may be configured to prepare to receive asset identifier
data regarding
a second asset 10 only after scanning, reading, or otherwise obtaining an
asset indicia
corresponding to the second asset 10. In various embodiments, the user device
110 may be
configured to clear the asset identifier data regarding the asset 10 from the
user device
memory upon the occurrence of the triggering event.
Moreover, in various embodiments, at least one device (e.g., the user device
110,
the location device 415, and/or the control system 100) may be configured to
associate the
location data and the asset identifier data. After the user device 110 enters
the
communication area 405, the at least one device may be configured to associate
the
location data corresponding to the sort location associated with the
communication area
405 with the asset identifier data corresponding to the asset 10 linked or
associated with
the user device 110. In various embodiments, the at least one device may be
configured to
associate the location data and the asset identifier data upon the occurrence
of a triggering
event. Additionally or alternatively, the at least one device may be
configured to associate
the location data and the asset identifier data after determining that the
proximate sort
location 400 (e.g., the sort location corresponding to the communication area
405 in which
the user device 110 is present) is the appropriate sort location for the asset
10.
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After depositing the asset 10 at a sort location 400, the user 5 may return to
the
intake location 450 with the user device 110 and begin the above described
method for a
second asset 10 to be sorted.
V. Conclusion
Many modifications and other embodiments of the inventions set forth herein
will come to mind to one skilled in the art to which these inventions pertain
having the
benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing descriptions and the
associated
drawings. For example, various embodiments may be configured to associate a
plurality
of assets with a particular sort location. In such embodiments, a sort
employee may scan a
plurality of asset identifiers (e.g., sequentially) before transporting the
plurality of items to
a sort location. Thereafter, the plurality of assets may be associated with
the proximate
sort location according to the features and methods described herein.
Therefore, it is to be
understood that the inventions are not to be limited to the specific
embodiments disclosed
and that modifications and other embodiments are intended to be included
within the
scope of the appended claims. Although specific terms are employed herein,
they are used
in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation.
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