Patent ID: 7881820

Claim:
A method, comprising: determining a respective expected picking rate for each of a plurality of received inventory items that have yet to be stored in an inventory storage area having a plurality of zones; selecting a corresponding one of the plurality of zones of the inventory storage area for storing each of said received inventory items dependent upon its respective expected picking rate, wherein said plurality of zones is physically arranged within said inventory storage area such that an inner one of said zones is successively and at least partially surrounded by one or more other ones of said zones, wherein a nearest successive zone to the inner zone surrounds the inner zone on at least two sides or along a curved boundary between the inner zone and the nearest successive zone, wherein the nearest successive zone is larger than the inner zone, and wherein said selecting is performed such that respective expected picking rates of members of a given group of said received inventory items to be stored in said inner zone are less than the respective expected picking rates of members of another group of said received inventory items to be stored in the nearest successive zone; and storing each of said received inventory items within said corresponding selected zone.