Patent ID: 8468106

Claim:
A method for automated palletizing packages to form stable package stacks, comprising the steps of: in a processor, determining an initial configuration of packages to be stacked, and virtually generating said initial configuration in said processor; in said processor, virtually generating a plurality of follow-up configurations that each add multiple packages to said initial configuration; in said processor, automatically assessing each of said follow-up configurations with respect to at least one stability criterion selected from the group consisting of differences between respective heights of said adjacent uppermost packages, occurrences of towers formed by a package supported only by one directly underlying package, and occurrences of overbuildings formed by a package being supported by at least two directly underlying packages, to identify a follow-up configuration among said plurality of follow-up configurations that best satisfies said stability criterion; making a representation of said best of said follow-up configurations available at an output of the processor in a form for guiding stacking of said packages in said stack; and repeatedly virtually generating and assessing said follow-up configurations in said processor until a termination criterion is satisfied.