Patent ID: 8234006
Filing Date: 2012-07-31
Classification: G06Q

Abstract:
1. A method, comprising the steps of: generating, in at least one computer system, a manifest that directs a picking of a plurality of items from a plurality of inventory locations in a materials handling facility, each of the items being associated with a corresponding one of a plurality of groups of items; determining, in the at least one computer system, a plurality of sets of potential sort bin assignments for each group of items; ranking, in the at least one computer system, the groups of items; selecting, in the at least one computer system, for each group of items in ranked order, one of the respective sets of potential sort bin assignments as the selected subset of the sort bins for the respective group of items, the sort bins being located in a sorting station in the materials handling facility; generating, in the at least one computer system, a sort bin assignment for each of the items, each sort bin assignment specifying a corresponding one of the selected subset of the sort bins, the selected subset of the sort bins being designated to coalesce together the group of items that includes the respective item for further processing, each sort bin assignment based at least in part on a dimension associated with the respective sort bin and at least one attribute associated with the respective item; and storing, in the at least one computer system, the sort bin assignments for use in sorting the items.