Walmart has been granted a patent for a product distribution conveyor system that efficiently controls the movement of products in a distribution facility. The system includes conveyor control circuits, feed conveyor systems, lane systems, routing systems, and sensor systems to optimize throughput and distribution to retail stores. GlobalData’s report on Walmart gives a 360-degree view of the company including its patenting strategy. Buy the report here.
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According to GlobalData’s company profile on Walmart, Transaction splitting was a key innovation area identified from patents. Walmart's grant share as of May 2024 was 21%. Grant share is based on the ratio of number of grants to total number of patents.
Product distribution conveyor system for retail store product balancing
A recently granted patent (Publication Number: US12012292B2) discloses a product distribution conveyor system for a distribution facility. The system includes a conveyor control circuit, product feed conveyor systems, conveyor lane systems, routing systems, and sensor systems. The conveyor control circuit is responsible for controlling the movement of products along the feed conveyor and lane conveyors, ensuring products are loaded into delivery vehicles through bay doors associated with each conveyor lane system. The system also includes association rules to balance the distribution of products among retail stores by subdividing conveyor lane systems and assigning retail stores to specific lane subdivisions to minimize deviations in product volumes.
Furthermore, the system incorporates sensor systems such as bar code readers, RFID tag readers, and image processing systems to detect product identifying information. The conveyor control circuit confirms the product information, assigns products to the appropriate conveyor lane system associated with the intended retail store, and controls the movement of products based on this information. Additionally, the system includes scheduling control circuits to balance workloads of workers based on predicted lane volumes and historical data, ensuring efficient distribution of products to retail stores. Overall, the patented system offers a comprehensive solution for optimizing product distribution through a distribution conveyor system, enhancing efficiency and minimizing deviations in product volumes across different conveyor lane systems and retail stores.
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GlobalData, the leading provider of industry intelligence, provided the underlying data, research, and analysis used to produce this article.
GlobalData Patent Analytics tracks bibliographic data, legal events data, point in time patent ownerships, and backward and forward citations from global patenting offices. Textual analysis and official patent classifications are used to group patents into key thematic areas and link them to specific companies across the world’s largest industries.
