# How Warehouses Sort Items with Magnetic Levitation Shuttles > This patent describes a warehouse system that uses magnetic levitation shuttles to quickly sort individual items for customer orders, guided by a control system that directs shuttles based on item type and order needs. - **Patent:** US 12077385 - **Original title:** Systems and methods for high-speed warehouse order sortation - **Owner:** Target Brands - **Granted:** 2024 - **Status:** Active - **Times cited:** 1 - **Field:** ecommerce, logistics, robotics, automation, mechanical, software ## What it does This patent describes a warehouse system designed to sort items quickly for customer orders. It features a "conveyance system" with many "shuttles" that carry individual items (Claim 1). Workers at "manual decantation stations" load items onto these shuttles. The shuttles travel along pathways using "magnetic levitation," meaning they float above the surface without touching it, and each shuttle can move independently (Claim 1). A "control system" tells each shuttle where to go based on the item it carries and the order it belongs to (Claim 1). For example, if a shuttle carries an item for a specific order, the control system directs it to the correct "automated order sortation system" or even a "manual order sortation system" (Claims 3, 4, 6). The system can also link two or more shuttles together, or "gang" them, to transport larger or heavier items (Claim 1). ## What it does NOT cover - Does not cover warehouse sorting systems that use wheels, belts, or other non-magnetic levitation methods for moving items. - Does not cover systems where items are loaded onto shuttles entirely automatically without any human involvement at a decantation station. - Does not cover systems where shuttles cannot travel independently or be linked together to carry larger items. - Does not cover sorting systems that lack a central control system to direct shuttles based on item type and order requirements. - Does not cover systems that only use a single type of sortation (e.g., only automated or only manual) without routing items to different types. ## The clever bit The clever bit is the combination of independent magnetic levitation shuttles that can also be "ganged together" for larger items, all precisely controlled to route items based on their type and destination order. This allows for flexible, high-speed, and space-efficient sorting that adapts to varying item sizes and order complexities. ## Real-world examples 1. Amazon fulfillment centers 2. Walmart distribution centers 3. Target's own warehouse operations 4. Automated storage and retrieval systems (AS/RS) 5. E-commerce logistics hubs ## Why it matters Efficient warehouse automation is crucial for modern retail and e-commerce, allowing companies to fulfill orders faster and at a lower cost. This patent offers a system to streamline the complex process of sorting individual items into specific customer orders. By using high-speed magnetic levitation and intelligent routing, it aims to significantly expedite order fulfillment and store replenishment processes, which directly impacts customer satisfaction and operational expenses for large retailers. ## Frequently asked questions ### What does How Warehouses Sort Items with Magnetic Levitation Shuttles cover? This patent describes a warehouse system that uses magnetic levitation shuttles to quickly sort individual items for customer orders, guided by a control system that directs shuttles based on item type and order needs. ### Who owns patent US 12077385? Target Brands owns this patent, granted in 2024. ### When does this patent expire? This patent is expected to expire on May 27, 2041, when the invention enters the public domain. ### What is patent US 12077385 cited by? This patent has been cited by 1 later patents that build on its ideas. ### What problem does this patent solve? Efficient warehouse automation is crucial for modern retail and e-commerce, allowing companies to fulfill orders faster and at a lower cost. This patent offers a system to streamline the complex process of sorting individual items into specific customer orders. By using high-speed magnetic levitation and intelligent routing, it aims to significantly expedite order fulfillment and store replenishment processes, which directly impacts customer satisfaction and operational expenses for large retailers. ### What does this patent NOT cover? Does not cover warehouse sorting systems that use wheels, belts, or other non-magnetic levitation methods for moving items. **Full plain-English explainer:** https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/12077385/systems-and-methods-for-high-speed-warehouse-order-sortation **Original patent:** https://patents.google.com/patent/US12077385 --- _Source: PatentBrief — https://patentbrief.org. Patent facts are from public records; the plain-English explanation is PatentBrief's._ ## Related patents Semantically similar inventions in the PatentBrief corpus: - [How Robots and Mobile Shelves Fulfill Orders in Warehouses](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/10947045/warehousing-and-order-fulfillment-systems-and-methods) — Target's patent describes an automated warehouse system where mobile robots bring shelves and shipping containers to a central robot that picks items directly into orders, all without human hands. - [Automated System for Emptying and Sorting Items from Shipping Containers](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/11648589/systems-and-methods-to-enhance-the-utilization-of-order-sortation-systems) — This patent describes an automated system for quickly emptying items from shipping containers, like totes, by inverting them onto a conveyor belt for scanning and sorting into customer orders. - [How Warehouses Plan Pallet Stacks for Incoming Shipments](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/11767169/warehousing-systems-and-methods) — This patent describes an automated warehouse system that plans how to stack incoming items onto pallets to perfectly fit available storage racks, and automatically sorts out incorrect items. - [How Amazon Tracks Warehouse Workers' Hands Using Radio Waves](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/9881277/amazon-robotics-kiva-systems) — A system that uses radio frequency signals to track the exact 3D position of a warehouse worker's hand to ensure they pick or place items in the correct bins. - [How to Build a Shock-Absorbing Shipping Box](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/11993444/starship-mars-base-alpha) — A design for a shipping box that uses special tabs and accordion-style folds to keep an inner product compartment suspended away from the outer box walls, protecting fragile items from impacts.