Trailer utilization systems, methods, computer programs embodied on computer-readable media, and apparatuses

• US 10,304,028 B2
• Filed: 03/24/2015
• Issued: 05/28/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2008
• 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: Siris, Marc
• Primary Examiner(s): Iwarere, Oluseye
• Assistant Examiner(s): Danzig, Reva R
• Application Number:
  US14/667,418
• Publication Number:
  US 20150199644A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,526 Days
• Field of Search: 2354621, 705 28, 705335, 705400
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0835 Relationships between shipper or supplier and carriers

Abstract

The disclosed systems, methods, apparatuses, and computer programs embodied on computer-readable media may enable a shipping carrier to determine the utilization of a trailer in a delivery network by receiving and aggregating disparate types and sources of shipping information, including, for example, package billing data from a customer order, scan data from the loading and unloading of packages transported by the trailer, dimensional data received from dimensional scans of packages at carrier shipping hubs, and/or trailer data including the volume of the trailer. Utilization may be determined for each trailer in a carrier delivery network or for a subset of trailers in the network. The determined utilizations may be used to determine the parameters for an optimized delivery network, which may include the addition, elimination, and/or modification of the delivery schedule. Network optimization may be an iterative process that may be continually performed using continually updated trailer utilization statistics.

Claims

1. A method for generating a modified route assigned to a trailer based on a percentage utilization of the trailer, the method comprising:

receiving, over a wired or wireless computer network and at a processor associated with a server computing device of a shipping carrier, a first electronic communication from a dimensional package scanner comprising scanned data generated by the dimensional package scanner, the scanned data indicative of one or more packages assigned to a trailer;

linking, by the processor, the scanned data with trailer data to link the one or more packages with the trailer, wherein the trailer data is indicative of physical characteristics of the trailer;

generating, by the processor, based at least in part on the trailer data and the linked scan data, dimensional data comprising one or more dimensions of each package assigned to the trailer;

determining, by the processor, the utilization of the trailer based at least in part on the dimensional data for each of the packages assigned to the trailer by;

generating a weight estimate of each package assigned to the trailer based at least on obtaining information from a first sensor of the dimensional package scanner;

receiving data indicative of a historical average relationship between package weight and package volume;

generating a volume estimate of each package assigned to the trailer, wherein the volume of at least one package is determined based at least in part on the first sensor and the received data indicative of the historical average relationship between package weight and package volume;

determining a total volume of the packages assigned to the trailer;

dividing the total volume by the available volume associated with the trailer to determine the percent utilization of the trailer;

causing, by the processor, display, via a display device and over the wired or wireless computer network, of data indicative of the utilization of the trailer;

transmitting, by the processor over the wired or wireless computer network and to a network optimization server, data indicative of the utilization of the trailer; and

modifying, by the processor, a route assigned to the trailer based on the determined percent utilization of the trailer.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving the data indicative of the one or more packages assigned to a trailer as the one or more packages are scanned at a hub.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving one or more actual dimensions from a customer at the time of shipment of a corresponding package.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving one or more estimated dimensions from a customer at the time of shipment of a corresponding package.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more dimensions of each package assigned to the trailer comprise height, width, and length.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving the actual weight of each package assigned to the trailer from a customer at the time of shipment.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining the utilization of each of a plurality of trailers used in a delivery network.

8. A computer-implemented method comprising:

establishing an electronic communication between a trailer utilization server machine and a dimensional package scanner over a wired or wireless communication network, the dimensional package scanner includes at least one or more of;

a prism, a laser, and a sensor to obtain multidimensional scan data of one or more packages, the multidimensional scan data including at least one or more of;

length, width, and height of the one or more packages;

receiving, by the trailer utilization server machine over the wired or wireless communication network, the multidimensional scan data generated by the dimensional package scanner and indicative of the one or more packages assigned to a trailer, wherein the received data is stored in a memory device and comprises (1) the multidimensional scan data received from the dimensional package scanner associating the one or more packages with the trailer and (2) trailer data generated by a trailer database computing entity and indicative of physical characteristics of the trailer;

linking, by the trailer utilization server machine, the multidimensional scan data stored in the memory device and corresponding to each of the one or more packages assigned to the trailer with the trailer data stored in the memory;

determining, by the trailer utilization server machine and based at least in part on the trailer data and the linked multidimensional scan data, a weight of each package assigned to the trailer;

generating, by the trailer utilization server machine and based at least on a portion of the multidimensional scan data, dimensional data identifying one or more dimensions of each package assigned to the trailer;

receiving, by the trailer utilization server machine, data indicative of a historical average relationship between package weight and package volume;

determining, by the trailer utilization server machine, a volume of each package assigned to the trailer, wherein the volume of at least one package is determined based at least in part on the received data indicative of the historical average relationship between package weight and package volume;

determining, by the trailer utilization server machine, a total volume of the packages assigned to the trailer;

determining, by the trailer utilization server machine, the utilization of the trailer based at least in part on the total volume of the packages assigned to the trailer;

transmitting, by the over the wired or wireless communication network and by the trailer utilization server machine, data indicative of the utilization of the trailer to a network optimization server, wherein the network optimization server modifies a route assigned to the trailer based on the determined percent utilization of the trailer; and

by the trailer utilization server machine, causing display, over the wired or wireless communication network and via a display device, of data indicative of the utilization of the trailer.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the data indicative of one or more packages assigned to a trailer is received from a scanner as the one or more packages are scanned at a hub.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the one or more dimensions of each package assigned to the trailer comprise one or more actual dimensions received from a customer computing device at the time of shipment of the corresponding package.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the one or more dimensions of each package assigned to the trailer comprise one or more estimated dimensions received from a customer computing device at the time of shipment of the corresponding package.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the one or more dimensions of each package assigned to the trailer comprise height, width, and length.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein determining the utilization further comprises:

dividing by the network entity the total volume by an available volume associated with the trailer to determine the percent utilization of the trailer.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the weight of each package assigned to the trailer comprises an actual weight received from a customer computing device at the time of shipment of the corresponding package.

15. The method of claim 8, wherein the weight of each package assigned to the trailer comprises an estimated weight received from a customer computing device at the time of shipment of the corresponding package.

16. The method of claim 8, wherein the volume of a package assigned to the trailer is determined based at least in part on a historical average package volume based on a weight of the package.

17. The method from claim 8 further comprising determining by the trailer utilization server machine the utilization of each of a plurality of trailers used in a delivery network.