Multi-line system and method for retrieving and fulfilling items in a customer order

Abstract

The customer order fulfillment system includes an order collection unit for collecting information associated with a plurality of customer orders having items and generating customer order data. Each of the plurality of customer order includes one or more items associated therewith. An order generating unit for receiving the customer order data and generating in response consolidated order fulfillment data, a pick tour generating subsystem for receiving the consolidated order fulfillment data and in response thereto generating pick tour instructions associated with a pick tour, and a bulk pick order fulfillment unit for grouping together similar ones of the items associated with the plurality of customer orders to form a plurality of bulk picks. An automated fulfillment system receives the consolidated order fulfillment data from the order generating unit and automatically selects one or more of the items from one or more carousels, employing the pick tour or the bulk pick.

We claim: 
     
         1 . A customer order fulfillment system, comprising
 an order collection unit for collecting information associated with a plurality of customer orders from a plurality of customers and generating customer order data that includes data associated with each of the plurality of customer orders and the plurality of customers, wherein each of the plurality of customer order includes one or more items associated therewith,   an order generating unit for receiving the customer order data from the order collection unit and generating in response thereto consolidated order fulfillment data,   a pick tour generating subsystem for receiving the consolidated order fulfillment data from the order generating unit and in response thereto generating pick instructions associated with a pick tour or a pick tour plan from the consolidated order fulfillment data,   a bulk pick order fulfillment unit for receiving the consolidated order fulfillment data from the order generating unit and grouping together similar ones of the items associated with the plurality of customer orders to form a plurality of bulk picks, wherein one or more of the plurality of bulk picks can form part of one or more bulk pick tours, and   an automated fulfillment system for receiving the consolidated order fulfillment data from the order generating unit and for automatically selecting one or more of the items in the customer order from one or more carousels,   wherein the automated fulfillment system is configured for receiving the pick tour plan or the pick tour and for automatically selecting the items in the customer order set forth in the pick tour plan or the pick tour from the one or more carousels, and is configured for receiving one or more of the plurality of bulk picks for automatically selecting one or more of the items in the customer order from the one or more carousels.