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

A method for retrieving items from a customer order from a warehouse so as to fulfill a customer order, comprising

• 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 with an order collection unit, wherein each of the plurality of customer order includes one or more items associated therewith,
• generating in response to the customer order data consolidated order fulfillment data with an order generating unit, and
• receiving the consolidated order fulfillment data and generating pick instructions associated with a pick tour plan or a pick tour from the consolidated order fulfillment data by a pick tour generating subsystem, wherein the pick tour generating subsystem is configured for
• storing a map having data associated therewith that corresponds to a location for each of the items in a warehouse with a map unit,
• generating information associated with a mobile caret for use by a pick agent with a cart building unit, wherein the mobile cart has a plurality of totes associated therewith and wherein each of the plurality of totes includes identification information,
• generating a value sorted tree graph by employing a value sorted tree mapping technique based on the map data and the consolidated order fulfillment data with a graph generating unit, and wherein the value sorted tree graph includes data associating one or more of the items from the plurality of customer orders with a selected location in the warehouse, and
• generating the pick tour plan having the pick instructions bases on the value ordered tree graph and the map data with a pick tour generator, wherein the pick instructions for the pick tour plan correlates items of the customer orders at multiple selected locations in the warehouse with one or more of the plurality of totes in the mobile cart, wherein the cart building unit determines the number of totes for the mobile cart and the identification information associated with each of the plurality of totes based on the pick tour plan,
• 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 with a bulk pick order fulfillment unit, wherein one or more of the plurality of bulk picks can form part of one or more bulk pick tours, wherein the pick tour instructions selectively includes the bulk picks, wherein the bulk pick order fulfillment unit groups selects one of the items of the plurality of customer orders in the consolidated order fulfillment data into the bulk picks based on a plurality of selectable predetermined logical parameters, including the map data and data associated with the items that are common among a selected group of items, so as to optimize a fulfillment process,
• wherein the bulk pick order fulfillment until includes processing hardware that is configured for generating one or more bulk picks having associated therewith a plurality of bulk pick recipes from the data associated with the customer orders and the map data including one or more locations in the warehouse, wherein each of the bulk pick recipes includes a selected quantity of different ones of the one or more items from different ones of the plurality of customer orders that are grouped together, and
• 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 that are stored in one or more of a plurality of storage receptacles of an automated fulfillment system,
• wherein the automated fulfillment system is configured for receiving the pick tour plan or the pick tour and for 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 selecting one or more of the items in the customer order from the one or more carousels.

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, wherein the automated fulfillment system includes a plurality of storage receptacles in communication with a conveyor subsystem, wherein each of the plurality of storage receptacles has a plurality of tubs associated therewith for storing selected items,
• 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 one or more of the plurality of storage receptacles, 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 storage receptacles.