Patent ID: 8718814

Claim:
A materials handling system, comprising: a plurality of portable storage units located in a stock storage area, wherein each portable storage unit of the plurality of portable storage units comprises one or more locations for storing one or more types of items; one or more mobile robotic devices; one or more stations, wherein each of said one or more stations is configured for both induction and stowage operations, wherein an induction operation at a given one of said one or more stations comprises placing, into a conveyance mechanism, an item removed from one of said plurality of portable storage units at said given station, wherein a stowage operation at same said given station comprises placing a different item into one of said plurality of portable storage units, wherein each station is located proximate to a portion of the conveyance mechanism; and a control system configured to: direct one of the one or more robotic devices to transport a particular portable storage unit of the plurality of portable storage units from the stock storage area to a particular station of the one or more stations; direct induction of one or more single units of items from one or more locations of the particular portable storage unit into the conveyance mechanism, while the particular portable storage unit is located at the particular station; and direct stowage of received stock comprising one or more types of items to one or more indicated locations of the particular portable storage unit while the particular portable storage unit is located at the same particular station.