Systems and methods for providing personalized delivery services

• US 10,134,002 B2
• Filed: 06/07/2013
• Issued: 11/20/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/21/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: United Parcel Service Of America Incorporated (United Parcel Service Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: United Parcel Service Of America Incorporated (United Parcel Service Incorporated)
• Inventors: Klingenberg, Robert, Rizzo, Joe, Shroff, Sumeet Pradeep
• Primary Examiner(s): Frenel, Vanel
• Application Number:
  US13/913,198
• Publication Number:
  US 20130297526A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,992 Days
• Field of Search: 705333, 705330, 705337, 705 28, 705 2681, 235384, 340450
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/083 Shipping
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0832 Special goods or special handling procedures, e.g. handling of hazardous or fragile goods
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0833 Tracking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0835 Relationships between shipper or supplier and carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0838 Historical data
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/203 Inventory monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing

Abstract

Systems and methods are disclosed for providing personalized delivery services by a carrier providing a package delivery service. For example, a consignee may indicate a delivery preference to be applied to delivery of a package, such as indicating a specific location where the package is to be left upon delivery, if the consignee is not present to accept the package. In one embodiment, the consignee may be notified by the carrier of the scheduled delivery of the package, and may be linked to the carrier'"'"'s web site to indicate a delivery preference. Alternatively, the delivery preference may be indicated by the consignee proactively accessing the web site. After conveying a delivery preference, the carrier'"'"'s systems communicate the delivery preference at the appropriate time to a portable computing device which informs the delivery personnel of the consignee'"'"'s delivery preference. Other embodiments allow the consignor to indicate delivery preferences.

Claims

1. A method for linking electronic shipping information stored in an item database to an electronic consignee profile record stored in a consignee profile database to provide web-based access to electronic shipping information, the method comprising:

storing, by a computing system, an electronic consignee profile record corresponding to the consignee in a consignee profile database that comprises a plurality of electronic consignee profile records, wherein (a) the electronic consignee profile record comprises a collection of consignee information comprising an address to which items can be delivered, (b) the electronic consignee profile record provides the corresponding consignee with access to electronic shipping information for items to be delivered by the carrier to the consignee via a web-based interface using access credentials, (c) the electronic consignee profile record is stored in a consignee profile database comprising a plurality of electronic consignee profile records, (d) each of the plurality of electronic consignee profile records is identifiable by address matching, and (e) each of the plurality of electronic consignee profile records comprises a unique consignee profile identifier;

receiving, by the computing system, electronic shipping information for an item to be delivered to the consignee, wherein the electronic shipping information (a) comprises an address on a label to which the item is to be delivered, the label affixed to the exterior of the first item by a consignor, (b) is electronically captured from a scan of the item by scanning equipment, and (c) is stored in an item database;

querying, by the computing system, the consignee profile database to identify the electronic consignee profile record for the consignee of the item from the plurality of electronic consignee profile records by matching the address of the electronic shipping information captured from a scan of the item and stored in the item database to the address of the electronic consignee profile record for the consignee stored in the consignee profile database;

responsive to identifying the electronic consignee profile record in the consignee profile database by matching the address, linking, by the computing system, the electronic shipping information for the item stored in the item database with the electronic consignee profile record stored in the consignee profile database;

after linking the electronic shipping information for the item stored in the item database with the electronic consignee profile record stored in the consignee profile database, providing, by the computing system, the consignee with access to at least a portion of the electronic shipping information for the item via the web-based interface using access credentials;

receiving, by the computing system as input via the web-based interface, at least one instruction for delivering the item to be delivered by the carrier to the consignee, wherein (a) the at least one instruction (i) comprises information for delivering the item at the address for the consignee and (ii) is stored in the item database and (b) the at least one instruction is provided via the interface (i) after shipment of the item to the consignee and (ii) prior to a first delivery attempt of the item by the carrier; and

causing transmission, by the computing system, of the at least one instruction to a portable computing device for display by the portable computing device to delivery personnel for delivering the item in accordance with the at least one instruction.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving, via the portable computing device, the at least a portion of the at least one delivery instruction; and

causing display, via the portable computing device, of the at least a portion of the at least one delivery instruction to delivery personnel proximate the delivery location.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one instruction is a default instruction for deliveries of future packages.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one instruction is a default instruction for a designated timeframe.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

storing notification preferences for providing information to the consignee regarding the package to be delivered to the consignee, the notification preferences (a) identifying at least one communication format and at least one corresponding electronic destination address to be used in providing the information to the consignee and (b) comprising a time period prior to the first delivery attempt of the package in which a message providing the information is to be transmitted to the at least one corresponding electronic destination address;

generating a message providing the information regarding the package to be delivered to the consignee; and

transmitting the message to the at least one corresponding electronic destination address prior to the first delivery attempt of the package to the consignee based at least in part on the notification preferences.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the at least one communication format is selected from the group consisting of an email message, a short message service message, an automated voice telephone call message, a facsimile message, a hosted web site message, and an instant messaging.

7. A system for linking in electronic shipping information stored in an item database to an electronic consignee profile record stored in a consignee profile database to provide web-based access to electronic shipping information, the system comprising a carrier computing system comprising at least one processor and at least one memory:

wherein the carrier computing system is configured to;

store an electronic consignee profile record corresponding to the consignee in a consignee profile database that comprises a plurality of electronic consignee profile records, wherein (a) the electronic consignee profile record comprises a collection of consignee information comprising an address to which items can be delivered, (b) the electronic consignee profile record provides the corresponding consignee with access to electronic shipping information for items to be delivered by the carrier to the consignee via a web-based interface using access credentials, (c) the electronic consignee profile record is stored in a consignee profile database comprising a plurality of electronic consignee profile records, (d) each of the plurality of electronic consignee profile records is identifiable by address matching, and (e) each of the plurality of electronic consignee profile records comprises a unique consignee profile identifier;

receive electronic shipping information for an item to be delivered to the consignee, wherein the electronic shipping information (a) comprises an address on a label to which the item is to be delivered, the label affixed to the exterior of the first item by a consignor, (b) is electronically captured from a scan of the item by scanning equipment, and (c) is stored in an item database;

query the consignee profile database to identify the electronic consignee profile record for the consignee of the item from the plurality of electronic consignee profile records by matching the address of the electronic shipping information captured from a scan of the item and stored in the item database to the address of the electronic consignee profile record for the consignee stored in the consignee profile database;

responsive to identifying the electronic consignee profile record in the consignee profile database by matching the address, link the electronic shipping information for the item stored in the item database with the electronic consignee profile record stored in the consignee profile database;

after linking the electronic shipping information for the item stored in the item database with the electronic consignee profile record stored in the consignee profile database, provide the consignee with access to at least a portion of the electronic shipping information for the item via the web-based interface using access credentials;

receive, as input from the web-based interface, at least one instruction for delivering the item to be delivered by the carrier to the consignee, wherein (a) the at least one instruction (i) comprises information for delivering the item at the address for the consignee and (ii) is stored in the item database and (b) the at least one instruction is provided via the interface (i) after shipment of the item to the consignee and (ii) prior to a first delivery attempt of the item by the carrier; and

transmit the at least one instruction to a portable computing device for display by the portable computing device to delivery personnel for delivering the item in accordance with the at least one instruction.

8. The system of claim 7 further comprising the portable computing device comprising at least one processor and at least one memory, wherein the portable computing device is configured to:

receive the at least a portion of the at least one instruction, and

cause of the at least a portion of the at least one instruction to delivery personnel proximate the delivery location.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the at least one instruction is a default instruction for deliveries of future items.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the at least one instruction is a default instruction for a designated timeframe.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein the carrier computing system is further configured to:

store notification preferences for providing information to the consignee regarding the item to be delivered to the consignee, the notification preferences (a) comprising at least one communication format and at least one corresponding electronic destination address to be used in providing the information to the consignee and (b) comprising a time period prior to the first delivery attempt of the item in which a message providing the information is to be transmitted to the at least one corresponding electronic destination address,

generate a message providing the information regarding the item to be delivered to the consignee, and

transmit the message to the at least one corresponding electronic destination address prior to the first delivery attempt of the item to the consignee based at least in part on the notification preferences.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the at least one communication format is selected from the group consisting of an email message, a short message service message, an automated voice telephone call message, a facsimile message, a hosted web site message, and an instant message.