US Patent 7139637 Order allocation to minimize container stops in a distribution center

An order allocation algorithm maximizes throughput by reducing the number of stops that a container makes in the process of fulfilling a customer order. This is accomplished by first identifying a pod that stocks the largest number of different items in a customer order. Then, a second pod is identified that stocks the largest number of remaining items in the customer order. Ultimately, all items in the customer order are assigned a pod. The collection of pods defines a container path through the distribution center.