Patent ID: 7110855

Claim:
A method of processing orders in a warehouse, the method comprising the steps of: providing a first pick module in a first pick zone with a first plurality of stored items and a first picking station; providing a second pick module in a second pick zone with a second plurality of stored items and a second picking station; releasing a first order including at least one item from each of the first and second pick modules and thereby causing a) the at least one item in the first pick module to be retrieved and delivered to the first picking station and b) the at least one item in the second pick module to be retrieved and delivered to the second picking station; directing first and second totes simultaneously and serially to the first and second pick zones; determining whether the first tote is at the first pick zone and, upon determining that the first tote is at the first pick zone, picking the at least one item from the first picking station and placing the at least one item from the first picking station in the first tote; determining whether the first tote is at the second pick zone and, upon determining that the first tote is at the second pick zone, picking the at least one item from the second picking station and placing the at least one item from the second picking station in the first tote; releasing a second order including at least a third item from one of the first and second pick modules and thereby causing the third item from the one of the first and second pick modules to be retrieved and delivered to the picking station associated with the one of the first and second pick modules; and determining whether the second tote is at the pick zone associated with the one of the first and second pick modules and, upon determining that the second tote is at the pick zone associated with the one of the first and second pick modules, picking the third item from the picking station associated with the one of the first and second pick modules and placing the third item from the picking station associated with the one of the first and second pick modules in the second tote, wherein the step of releasing a first order comprises downloading an order for processing at each of the first and second pick modules, wherein the step of providing a first pick module comprises providing a first pick module with first automated equipment comprising a first carousel, the first automated equipment receiving a first processing command in response to the downloading of the first order, and the step of causing the at least one item in the first pick module to be retrieved and delivered to the first picking station comprises causing the first carousel to retrieve and deliver the at least one item in the first pick module to the first picking station as an incident of receiving the first processing command.