Patent ID: 7686171

Claim:
A materials handling facility configured to fulfill orders, said materials handling facility comprising: one or more modular sorting stations, wherein each modular sorting station comprises two or more modular bins, wherein each modular bin is a single module partitioned into two or more compartments, wherein each compartment is configured to receive an order comprising one or more items picked from stock storage; a control system, comprising: one or more processors; and a memory comprising program instructions, wherein the program instructions are executable by the one or more processors to direct sorting of batches or streams of picked items for orders into the two or more modular bins at each of the one or more modular sorting stations, wherein, to direct sorting at a modular sorting station, the program instructions are executable by the one or more processors to: assign each of two or more orders to a respective and distinct compartment of one of the two or more modular bins at the modular sorting station, wherein at least one of the two or more orders comprises at least two items of different types; receive information indicating a batch or stream of picked items for the two or more orders, wherein the information includes, for each picked item, an item code that indicates the type of the respective item in the control system; for each picked item indicated by the received information: determine a respective one of the two or more orders that includes the picked item according to the type of the item indicated by the received item code for the picked item; and provide an indication at the modular sorting station of the distinct compartment assigned to the respective order that includes the picked item, wherein the indication directs placement of the picked item into the distinct compartment; one or more packing stations each configured to package the orders from the respective compartments of the modular bins for shipment; wherein the program instructions are further executable by the one or more processors to direct conveyance of individual ones of the modular bins from the one or more modular sorting stations to specific ones of the one or more packing stations to package the orders from the respective compartments of the modular bins, wherein, to direct conveyance at a modular sorting station, the program instructions are further executable by the one or more processors to: determine that the respective compartments of a specific modular bin at the modular sorting station have received all items in their respective orders; and provide convey instructions for the specific modular bin at the respective modular sorting station, wherein the convey instructions direct conveyance of the specific modular bin from the respective modular sorting station to a specific packing station.