Systems and methods for mail piece interception, rescue tracking, and confiscation alerts and related services
First Claim
1. A computer-implemented method for providing mail piece interception/rescue services for multiple carriers, the method being implemented by a vendor computer system associated with a vendor, the vendor computer system being external to a carrier computer system associated with a carrier and comprising one or more processors executing computer program instructions that, when executed, perform the method, the method comprising:
- determining, by the vendor computer system, a projected route or delivery schedule for a mail piece, the mail piece to be sent using the carrier and a delivery service from an origin to a destination;
monitoring, by the vendor computer system, the carrier'"'"'s tracking events for the mail piece;
determining, by the vendor computer system, based on the monitoring, one or more variances of the carrier'"'"'s tracking events for the mail piece from the projected route or delivery schedule for the mail piece;
generating, by the vendor computer system, based on the one or more variances and the projected route or delivery schedule, a variance report message and provide the variance report message to a user, the variance report message comprising (i) indications of variances from the projected route or delivery schedule, (ii) identifying information for the mail piece and (iii) a hyperlink associated with the mail piece and with an interception/rescue service;
responsive to a user-activation of the variance report message'"'"'s hyperlink via a user device of the user, causing, by the vendor computer system, user interface input fields in the user device'"'"'s browser to become automatically pre-populated with the identifying information from the variance report message, the user interface input fields in the user device'"'"'s browser being automatically pre-populated for an interception/rescue request to be submitted from the user device'"'"'s browser; and
responsive to a submission of the interception/rescue request from the user device'"'"'s browser, using, by the vendor computer system, an application program interface of the carrier to file the interception/rescue request with the carrier computer system.
6 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Exemplary embodiments of the present invention would project a route and a delivery schedule for relevant mail pieces and would monitor carrier-recorded tracking events for those mail pieces to determine whether or not actual tracking events are following the projected route and the projected schedule, and/or whether or not issues that might impact their delivery and/or their delivery schedule, may have arisen along their projected route; such exemplary embodiments would provide an alert to the relevant user(s) and/or other authorized parties and/or relevant carrier(s) and would facilitate user interaction by the relevant user(s) and/or parties to provide intercept and/or rescue and/or confiscation instructions; exemplary embodiments would facilitate automatic interfaces with the relevant carriers and delivery services for the subject mail piece to resolve rescue, item loss, insurance coverage, postage refund, intervention and/or confiscation instructions and issues.
40 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A computer-implemented method for providing mail piece interception/rescue services for multiple carriers, the method being implemented by a vendor computer system associated with a vendor, the vendor computer system being external to a carrier computer system associated with a carrier and comprising one or more processors executing computer program instructions that, when executed, perform the method, the method comprising:
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determining, by the vendor computer system, a projected route or delivery schedule for a mail piece, the mail piece to be sent using the carrier and a delivery service from an origin to a destination; monitoring, by the vendor computer system, the carrier'"'"'s tracking events for the mail piece; determining, by the vendor computer system, based on the monitoring, one or more variances of the carrier'"'"'s tracking events for the mail piece from the projected route or delivery schedule for the mail piece; generating, by the vendor computer system, based on the one or more variances and the projected route or delivery schedule, a variance report message and provide the variance report message to a user, the variance report message comprising (i) indications of variances from the projected route or delivery schedule, (ii) identifying information for the mail piece and (iii) a hyperlink associated with the mail piece and with an interception/rescue service; responsive to a user-activation of the variance report message'"'"'s hyperlink via a user device of the user, causing, by the vendor computer system, user interface input fields in the user device'"'"'s browser to become automatically pre-populated with the identifying information from the variance report message, the user interface input fields in the user device'"'"'s browser being automatically pre-populated for an interception/rescue request to be submitted from the user device'"'"'s browser; and responsive to a submission of the interception/rescue request from the user device'"'"'s browser, using, by the vendor computer system, an application program interface of the carrier to file the interception/rescue request with the carrier computer system. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A system for providing mail piece interception/rescue services for multiple carriers, the system comprising:
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a vendor computer system associated with a vendor, the vendor computer system being external to a carrier computer system associated with a carrier and comprising one or more processors programmed with computer program instructions that, when executed, cause the vendor computer system to; determine a projected route or delivery schedule for a mail piece, the mail piece to be sent using the carrier and a delivery service from an origin to a destination; monitor tracking events for the mail piece, the tracking events being recorded by the carrier for the mail piece; determine, based on the monitoring, one or more variances of the tracking events for the mail piece from the projected route or delivery schedule for the mail piece; generate, based on the one or more variances and the projected route or delivery schedule, a variance report message and provide the variance report message to a user, the variance report message comprising (i) indications of variances from the projected route or delivery schedule, (ii) identifying information for the mail piece and (iii) a hyperlink associated with the mail piece and with an interception/rescue service; responsive to a user-activation of the hyperlink in the variance report message via a user device of the user, cause user interface input fields of a browser of the user device to become automatically pre-populated with the identifying information from the variance report message, the user interface input fields in the browser of the user device being automatically pre-populated for a first request to be submitted from the browser of the user device, the first request being a request related to intercepting or rescuing the mail piece; and responsive to a submission of the first request from the user device'"'"'s browser, use an application program interface of the carrier to file the first request with the carrier computer system. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification