Patent ID: 8032391

Claim:
A computer-implemented method for dynamically determining a bulk packing strategy for packing a plurality of items for shipment, comprising: dynamically determining, using a processor of a computer, a plurality of items which are available for shipment; determining, using the processor of the computer, an item type for each of the available items; using each distinct item type to consult updateable stored information associated therewith, using the processor of the computer, the updateable stored information specifying whether items of that item type are candidates for bulk packing and, for each item type that is a candidate for bulk packing, a first quantity that indicates how many of the items of that item type to pack in a full bulk pack and a second quantity that indicates a lower limit on how many of the items of that item type to pack in a partial bulk pack; using the first quantity and the second quantity to determine, using the processor of the computer, for each of the item types for which the consulted information specifies that items of the item type are candidates for bulk packing, how many of the available items of the item type to pack in full bulk packs, how many of the available items of the item type to pack in partial bulk packs, and determining to pack any remaining quantity of the available items of the item type as single packs; and determining, using the processor of the computer, to pack as single packs any of the available items for which the consulted information associated with the item type of the available item specifies that items of the item type are not candidates for bulk packing.