Patent ID: 7266422

Claim:
A method for stacking cases on a pallet, the method comprising the steps of: supplying cases to a buffer in a random order without reordering the cases prior to placement on a pallet; defining rules for selecting a case from the buffer to be placed on the pallet and organizing the rules in a predetermined order; determining physical characteristics of the buffer cases including dimensions of a case base and a case height; determining available positions on the pallet where each buffer case can be placed on the pallet; using the physical characteristics of the buffer cases and applying the rules in the predetermined order to at least a portion of the buffer cases, wherein each rule application includes the steps of implementing a stability criterion for each random case and a three-dimensional region defining the currently available places providing optimal use of space on the pallet and ensuring stability of the stacked cases; identifying a selected buffer case that satisfies any one of the rules, including the stability criterion applicable to that rule, and a corresponding position on the pallet for the selected buffer case; and using an industrial robot, placing the selected buffer case on the pallet at the corresponding position before identifying another one of the buffer case.