{"schema_version":"1.0","canonical_url":"https://patentable.app/patents/US-9696706","patent":{"patent_number":"US-9696706","title":"Methods and apparatus for controlling movement of receptacles","assignee":null,"inventors":[],"filing_date":"2016-12-05T00:00:00.000Z","publication_date":"2017-07-04T00:00:00.000Z","cpc_codes":["G05B","G05B"],"num_claims":20,"abstract":"Methods and apparatus for controlling the movement of portable receptacles within a materials handling facility are described. The materials handling facility utilizes at least one linear induction motor (LIM) to move the portable receptacles having conductive elements from a first location to a second location within the facility. The LIMs may be configured such that most, if not all, of the movement of the receptacles is controlled by the application of energy from the LIMs to the conductive elements of the receptacles. This energy may cause the receptacles to move from one LIM to another LIM, where each LIM in sequence can apply force to the receptacle to pass it to the next LIM in the sequence. In some implementations, the portable receptacles are configured such that at least a base portion of the receptacle includes a conductive element to interact with the LIMs, while maintaining an overall light-weight configuration."},"analysis":{"summary":null,"layman_explanation":null,"technical_analysis":null,"business_analysis":null,"faqs":null,"topics":[],"tech_cluster":null},"seo":{"title":"Methods and apparatus for controlling movement of receptacles","description":"Methods and apparatus for controlling the movement of portable receptacles within a materials handling facility are described. The materials handling facility utilizes at least one linear induction mo","keywords":[]},"attribution":{"source":"Patentable","source_url":"https://patentable.app","canonical_url":"https://patentable.app/patents/US-9696706","license":"CC-BY-4.0-like","license_terms":"AI-generated analysis on this page (summary, layman_explanation, technical_analysis, business_analysis, faqs) may be reused with attribution and a visible link back to the canonical URL above. Patent abstracts, claims, and bibliographic data are USPTO public domain.","required_link":"https://patentable.app/patents/US-9696706","citation_suggestion":"Patentable. \"Methods and apparatus for controlling movement of receptacles\" (US-9696706). https://patentable.app/patents/US-9696706","copyright_holder":"Nomic Interactive Technology LLC"},"links":{"html":"https://patentable.app/patents/US-9696706","json":"https://patentable.app/api/llm-context/US-9696706","site":"https://patentable.app","llms_txt":"https://patentable.app/llms.txt"},"generated_at":"2026-06-06T07:03:09.019Z"}