Patent ID: 7751928

Claim:
A method, comprising: a plurality of agents moving along respective paths through an inventory storage area of a materials handling facility; while moving through said inventory storage area, a portion of said plurality of agents respectively selecting one or more of a plurality of items stored within said inventory storage area, wherein each one of said plurality of items is specified in a corresponding customer order; and multiple ones of said plurality of agents conveying said selected items to one or more corresponding processing areas of the materials handling facility in order to fulfill said corresponding customer orders, wherein during conveying of a particular one of said selected items by a particular one of said agents, said particular agent has physical possession of said particular selected item; during said conveying of said selected items, said multiple ones of said plurality of agents exchanging at least some of said selected items one or more times among said multiple ones of said plurality of agents prior to said at least some of said selected items being delivered to any processing area by any agent, wherein exchanging said particular selected item comprises transferring physical possession of said particular selected item between at least two of said agents.