How a Robot System Finds and Picks Specific Items from Mixed Storage
Target's patent describes a robotic system that travels through a warehouse to find a specific item on a shelf with many different products, temporarily holding other items it picks up by mistake before returning them.
Original patent title: “Autonomous picking from mixed pallets”
Target's patent describes a robotic system that travels through a warehouse to find a specific item on a shelf with many different products, temporarily holding other items it picks up by mistake before returning them. Granted to Target Brands in 2021 with 15 claims, and it is expected to expire in 2039.
Coverage
What does this patent actually cover?
This patent describes an "order picking system" that uses a moving "vehicle" (which could be a human-operated forklift or an automated robot, according to claimsclaimsThe numbered statements at the end of a patent that legally define what the inventor owns.Read more → 2 and 3) to carry a "mobile articulating robot" (a robot arm) and its tools. The robot has an "end effector" (a gripper or suction cup) to grab items. It also carries an "item type identification system" (like a barcode scanner, RFID reader, or camera, per claims 4-6) to figure out what each item is. Crucially, the system includes "mobile temporary storage" and a "designated area" for items it successfully picks. When instructed to find a specific item from a shelf with many different products (a "mixed inventory storage location"), the system travels there, picks an item, identifies it, and if it's not the right one, puts it in the temporary storage (claimclaimA numbered sentence at the end of a patent that legally defines what the inventor owns. The most important section.Read more → 1, step v). It continues picking and identifying until it finds the correct item, which it places in the designated area (claim 1, step viii). Then, it returns any temporarily stored items back to their original spot (claim 1, step ix) before moving on. For example, if it needs a specific brand of cereal from a pallet of mixed groceries, it might pick up a box of pasta, put it aside temporarily, then pick up the cereal, keep it, and finally put the pasta back where it found it.
The gap
What does this patent NOT cover?
- Does not cover systems where the robot does not return the temporarily stored item to its original location.
- Does not cover systems that only pick items from storage locations containing only one type of item.
- Does not cover systems where the item identification system is not mobile with the robot and vehicle.
- Does not cover systems where the temporary storage is not mobile with the robot and vehicle.
- Does not cover human workers picking items, even if they use a vehicle, as the claimsclaimsThe numbered statements at the end of a patent that legally define what the inventor owns.Read more → specify a 'mobile articulating robot' for picking.
These exclusions are unique to PatentBrief — derived from the actual claim language, not patent-office boilerplate.
Key facts
What made this novel
The truly novel part is the system's ability to temporarily store an incorrect item it picks from a mixed pallet, continue searching for the correct item, and then return the incorrect item to its original spot. This avoids leaving items misplaced or requiring human intervention to sort them out.
The Patent Drawing
Schematic visualization of the patent's claim structure. Hand-drawn diagrams in progress for each landmark patent.
Where you've seen this
Real-world examples
Automated warehouse picking robots
E-commerce fulfillment centers
Automated grocery picking systems
Target's own distribution centers
Why it matters
The bigger picture
This patent aims to make warehouse order fulfillment much faster and more efficient. By automating the tricky task of picking a single specific item from a pallet loaded with many different kinds of products, it significantly reduces the need for human workers to perform this repetitive and time-consuming job. This automation helps companies like Target manage inventory and fulfill customer orders more quickly, especially for online shopping.
Filed
June 12, 2019
Granted
August 31, 2021
Market context
Who's building on this
Companies in this space
Major e-commerce companies like Amazon (through Amazon Robotics) and Walmart are heavily investing in warehouse automation and robotic picking systems. Logistics technology companies such as Berkshire Grey, Locus Robotics, and Geek+ are developing and deploying similar mobile robotic solutions for order fulfillment in warehouses and distribution centers globally. Target, the assigneeassigneeThe entity that owns the patent — usually the inventor's employer or a company.Read more →, continues to integrate automation into its supply chain.
Market impact
This type of automation has a significant impact on the efficiency and speed of order fulfillment, especially for e-commerce. It allows companies to process more orders with fewer human labor hours, reducing operational costs and enabling faster delivery times. The ability to handle mixed pallets specifically addresses a complex challenge in warehouse logistics, pushing the industry towards more flexible and intelligent robotic solutions.
Claim 1 — Plain English
What this patent covers
This patent describes an "order picking system" that uses a moving "vehicle" (which could be a human-operated forklift or an automated robot, according to claims 2 and 3) to carry a "mobile articulating robot" (a robot arm) and its tools. The robot has an "end effector" (a gripper or suction cup) to grab items. It also carries an "item type identification system" (like a barcode scanner, RFID reader, or camera, per claims 4-6) to figure out what each item is. Crucially, the system includes "mobile temporary storage" and a "designated area" for items it successfully picks. When instructed to find a specific item from a shelf with many different products (a "mixed inventory storage location"), the system travels there, picks an item, identifies it, and if it's not the right one, puts it in the temporary storage (claim 1, step v). It continues picking and identifying until it finds the correct item, which it places in the designated area (claim 1, step viii). Then, it returns any temporarily stored items back to their original spot (claim 1, step ix) before moving on. For example, if it needs a specific brand of cereal from a pallet of mixed groceries, it might pick up a box of pasta, put it aside temporarily, then pick up the cereal, keep it, and finally put the pasta back where it found it.
The clever bit
The truly novel part is the system's ability to temporarily store an incorrect item it picks from a mixed pallet, continue searching for the correct item, and then return the incorrect item to its original spot. This avoids leaving items misplaced or requiring human intervention to sort them out.
What it does not cover
- Does not cover systems where the robot does not return the temporarily stored item to its original location.
- Does not cover systems that only pick items from storage locations containing only one type of item.
- Does not cover systems where the item identification system is not mobile with the robot and vehicle.
- Does not cover systems where the temporary storage is not mobile with the robot and vehicle.
- Does not cover human workers picking items, even if they use a vehicle, as the claims specify a 'mobile articulating robot' for picking.
Patent timeline
Application submitted to the patent office
Application published, typically 18 months after filing
Patent officially issued
Patent enters public domain
PatentBrief Score
Impact Score
Moderate
Citation count
0/40
No citations yet
Claim breadth
10/20
Broad claimsclaimsThe numbered statements at the end of a patent that legally define what the inventor owns.Read more →
Recency
10/20
Granted 5–10 years ago
Assignee scale
20/20
Major company or institution
PatentBrief Impact Score — based on citation count, claim breadth, recency, and assignee scale. Not a legal assessment.
Heuristic Value Estimate
What this patent might be worth
$16K – $52K
Midpoint $32K · 12.7 yr remaining · industry ×0.9
Heuristic only — blends forward/backward citation counts, claim scope, time remaining, litigation history, and CPC-derived industry baseline. Real valuations need a professional appraisal.
Claim text not yet imported for this patent
The original legal language
Original claims
15 claims as filed with the patent office.
Concepts involved
Citations
Patent lineage
Cite this patent
Lisso, G., & Mutarelli, G. (2021). How a Robot System Finds and Picks Specific Items from Mixed Storage (U.S. Patent No. 11,107,174). U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/11107174/autonomous-picking-from-mixed-pallets
Auto-generated from the patent record. Double-check author order and the issue date against the official USPTO document before submitting.
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Common Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
What does How a Robot System Finds and Picks Specific Items from Mixed Storage cover?
Target's patent describes a robotic system that travels through a warehouse to find a specific item on a shelf with many different products, temporarily holding other items it picks up by mistake before returning them.
Who owns patent US 11107174?
Target Brands owns this patent, granted in 2021.
When does this patent expire?
This patent is expected to expire on June 12, 2039, when the invention enters the public domain.
What problem does this patent solve?
This patent aims to make warehouse order fulfillment much faster and more efficient. By automating the tricky task of picking a single specific item from a pallet loaded with many different kinds of products, it significantly reduces the need for human workers to perform this repetitive and time-consuming job. This automation helps companies like Target manage inventory and fulfill customer orders more quickly, especially for online shopping.
What does this patent NOT cover?
Does not cover systems where the robot does not return the temporarily stored item to its original location.
Same assignee
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