Method and system for order fulfilment

Abstract

A method of fulfilling an order comprising at least one product is provided. The method includes receiving an order comprising at least one product, determining a suitable case from a plurality of available cases for holding the at least one product, said determining being a function of one or more characteristics of each product of the at least one product and one or more characteristics of the plurality of available cases; forwarding information identifying the suitable case to a case former; providing a case blank corresponding to said suitable case to said case former; erecting a suitable case from said case blank corresponding to said suitable case with said case former; and prior to the loading said suitable case with said at least one product, labelling said suitable case with at least one label.

1 . A method of fulfilling an order, said order comprising at least one product, said method comprising:
 receiving an order comprising at least one product;   determining a suitable case from a plurality of available cases for holding said at least one product, said determining being a function of one or more characteristics of each said product of said at least one product and one or more characteristics of said plurality of available cases;   forwarding information identifying the suitable case to a case former;   providing a case blank corresponding to said suitable case to said case former;   erecting a suitable case from said case blank corresponding to said suitable case with said case former; and   prior to loading said suitable case with said at least one product, labelling said suitable case.   
     
     
         2 . A method as claimed in  claim 1  further comprising: after receiving said order:
 accessing a memory providing information relating to said one or more characteristics of each product of said at least one product; 
 accessing a memory providing information relating to said one or more characteristics of each of said plurality of available cases; 
 and wherein said determining said suitable case derived from said information relating to said one or more characteristics of each product of said at least one product and said information relating to said one or more characteristics of each of said plurality of available cases. 
 
     
     
         3 . A method as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said one or more characteristics of each product comprises the size of each product and said characteristics of said plurality of available cases includes the size of each of said plurality of available cases. 
     
     
         4 . (canceled) 
     
     
         5 . A method as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said method comprises accessing a memory providing dimensions of each product of said at least one product and accessing a memory providing dimensions of each of said plurality of available cases. 
     
     
         6 . (canceled) 
     
     
         7 . A method as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said determining a suitable case for holding said at least one product is determined as a function of dimensions of each said product and dimensions of available cases. 
     
     
         8 . (canceled) 
     
     
         9 . A method as claimed in  claim 7 , wherein said suitable case is determined by a computing device operating a product packaging utility configured to determine a suitable case. 
     
     
         10 . A method as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said case blank for said suitable case is provided to said case former from one of a plurality of magazines, and wherein each of said plurality of magazines comprises case blanks corresponding to a different case size of said plurality of available case sizes. 
     
     
         11 . A method as claimed in  claim 1 , further comprising forwarding information to a labelling device and wherein said case blank is labelled by said labelling device prior to or during the erection of said suitable case from said case blank. 
     
     
         12 . A method as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein at least one physically separate label is applied with said labelling device and wherein said at least one label contains information providing a list of each product to be loaded into said suitable case. 
     
     
         13 - 14 . (canceled) 
     
     
         15 . A method as claimed in  claim 12 , wherein said label contains information relating to the location of each product on said list of products in a product storage facility. 
     
     
         16 . (canceled) 
     
     
         17 . A method as claimed in  claim 12 , further comprising scanning said label with a label scanner, wherein said scanning causes a shipping destination and a list of each product to be loaded into said suitable case to be retrieved from a memory. 
     
     
         18 . A method as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said at least one product comprises a plurality of products and said method further comprises generating a case packaging spatial arrangement for said plurality of products in said suitable case based on dimensions of the suitable case and dimensions of each product of the plurality of products to be loaded into said suitable case. 
     
     
         19 . A method as claimed in  claim 1  further comprising after erecting and labelling said suitable case, loading said suitable case with each said at least one product. 
     
     
         20 . (canceled) 
     
     
         21 . A method as claimed in  claim 1  further comprising generating a case packaging diagram based on dimensions of the suitable case and the dimensions of each product to be loaded into said suitable case and delivering said case packaging diagram to said picker and wherein said picker loads each said product using said case packaging diagram provided by said at least one label applied to said suitable case. 
     
     
         22 . A method as claimed in  claim 21 , wherein said case packaging diagram is provided in an electronic format that is reviewed by said picker using a scanning device adapted to scan said at least one label and display said case packaging diagram. 
     
     
         23 - 24 . (canceled) 
     
     
         25 . A method as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said case blank is a tubular blank comprising a plurality of panels and flaps interconnected to provide a generally flattened tubular configuration, where said plurality of panels comprise a first panel and a second panel interconnected to said first panel, said second panel being rotatable relative to said first panel, and wherein said erecting said suitable case from said case blank comprises:
 (a) orienting said case blank in a generally flat orientation with said first and second panels being generally parallel to each other;   (b) engaging said first panel;   (c) engaging said second panel and rotating a second panel of said blank from said first orientation to a second orientation that is generally orthogonal to said first panel to open said tubular blank.   
     
     
         26 - 31 . (canceled) 
     
     
         32 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein at least one product comprises a plurality of products, said method further comprising:
 determining a plurality of suitable cases from said plurality of available cases for holding the said plurality of products, said determining being a function of at least one characteristic of each said product of said plurality of products and of at least one characteristic of said plurality of available cases;   forwarding information identifying the plurality of suitable cases to one or more case formers, said one or more case formers comprising said case former;   providing case blanks corresponding to each of said plurality of suitable cases to said at least one case former;   said at least one carton former erecting said plurality of suitable cases from said case blanks corresponding to each of said plurality of suitable cases with said one or more case formers;   prior to loading each of said suitable cases formed from said case blanks with said one or more case formers, labelling each of said suitable cases.   
     
     
         33 - 48 . (canceled) 
     
     
         49 . A method as claimed in  claim 21 , wherein said case packaging arrangement is provided as a diagram. 
     
     
         50 - 55 . (canceled) 
     
     
         56 . A system for fulfilling an order according to the method of  claim 1 , said system comprising:
 an order fulfilment processor operable to perform said receiving said order; said determining a suitable case and said forwarding information;   a first case blank magazine and a second case blank magazine, said first and second case blank magazines each holding at least one case blank, with the at least one case blank in the first magazine and the second magazine each having a case blank characteristic;   a case former operable to: (i) receive said information identifying the suitable case from said order fulfilment processor: (ii) select and receive a case blank from said case blank feeding apparatus for said suitable case from one of said first and second magazines; and (iii) erect said suitable case from said case blank;   a case blank feeding apparatus operable to selectively provide a case from each of said first case blank magazines to said case former;   a labelling device operable to label said case blank of said suitable case prior to loading said case with at least one product.   
     
     
         57 . (canceled) 
     
     
         58 . A system as claimed in  claim 56 , wherein said case former is operable for forming a container from a plurality of tubular blanks, each tubular blank comprising a plurality of panels and flaps interconnected to provide a generally flattened tubular configuration, wherein said plurality of panels comprise a first panel, and a second panel interconnected to said first panel, said second panel being rotatable relative to said first panel, said case former comprises:
 a first engagement device for engaging said first panel of each said blank;   a second engagement device for engaging said second panel of each said blank, said second engagement device being located on a panel rotating apparatus operable to rotate said second panel of each said bank from a first orientation wherein said first panel is generally parallel to said first panel, to a second orientation wherein second panel is oriented at an angle to said first panel, such that said generally flattened tubular blank may be reconfigured from a generally flattened configuration to an open configuration.   
     
     
         59 - 65 . (canceled) 
     
     
         66 . A system for fulfilling an order, said order comprising a plurality of products, said plurality of products each having a product characteristic, said system comprising:
 An order fulfilment processor;   A plurality of case blank magazines each holding a plurality of available case blanks, with the plurality of available case blanks in each of said plurality of magazines having a case blank characteristic;   A carton former operable to erect a case from a case blank of each of said plurality of case blank magazines;   A case blank feeding apparatus operable to selectively feed a case blank from each of said plurality of case blank magazines to said case former;   A labelling device operable to label each of said cases prior to loading each case with at least one product;   
       wherein said order fulfilment processor is operable to (a) receive an order comprising a plurality of products; (b) determine at least one suitable case for holding said plurality of products as a function of said product characteristic of said plurality of products and said case blank characteristics of each of said case blank in said plurality of case blank magazines; and (c) forward information identifying a suitable case to a case former; 
       and wherein said case former is operable to: (i) receive said information identifying a suitable case from said order fulfilment processor: (ii) select and receive a case blank from said case blank feeding apparatus corresponding to said suitable case from one of said available case blanks in one of said plurality of case blank magazines; and (iii) erect said suitable case from said case blank; 
       and wherein said labelling device is operable to label said case blank of said suitable case prior to or after said case former has erected said suitable case from said case blank. 
     
     
         67 . (canceled) 
     
     
         68 . A system as claimed in  claim 66 , wherein said case former is operable for forming a container from a plurality of tubular blanks, each tubular blank comprising a plurality of panels and flaps interconnected to provide a generally flattened tubular configuration, wherein said plurality of panels comprise a first panel, and a second panel interconnected to said first panel, said second panel being rotatable relative to said first panel, said case former comprises:
 a first engagement device for engaging said first panel of each said blank;   a second engagement device for engaging said second panel of each said blank, said second engagement device being located on a panel rotating apparatus operable to rotate said second panel of each said bank from a first orientation wherein said first panel is generally parallel to said first panel, to a second orientation wherein second panel is oriented at an angle to said first panel, such that said generally flattened tubular blank may be reconfigured from a generally flattened configuration to an open configuration.   
     
     
         69 - 112 . (canceled)