Arranging for shipment of a package without generating a shipping label

• US 10,540,629 B2
• Filed: 06/03/2019
• Issued: 01/21/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/2012
• 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: Gillen, Robert J., Lewis, Mark S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Haupt, Kristy A
• Application Number:
  US16/429,707
• Publication Number:
  US 20190287050A1
• Time in Patent Office: 232 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 17/00 Digital computing or data processing equipment or methods, specially adapted for specific functions information retrieval, database structures or file system structures therefor G06F16/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06009 with optically detectable marking G06K19/063, G06K19/08 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10722 Photodetector array or CCD scanning
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10861 sensing of data fields affixed to objects or articles, e.g. coded labels postal sorting B07C3/14, conveying articles B65G47/48
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10881 constructional details of hand-held scanners
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/083 Shipping
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1093 Calendar-based scheduling for persons or groups

Abstract

Methods, systems, apparatuses, and computer program products are provided for arranging for shipping a package without the customer needing to generate or apply a shipping label, or any other information, to the package. In one embodiment, a system may comprise a carrier server and a carrier device. The carrier server may receive and store a smart code and shipping information associated with the package, which it may link together. The carrier device may capture the smart code from the package and send a request, including the smart code, to the carrier server for related shipping information. The carrier server may receive the request from the carrier device, retrieve the shipping information based on the smart code, and send the shipping information to the carrier device. The carrier device may receive the shipping information and generate a shipping label for the package based on the shipping information.

Claims

1. A system comprising one or more computing devices, the one or more computing devices comprising at least one processor and at least one memory that includes computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code is configured to, with the processor, cause the one or more computing devices to:

receive shipping information, the shipping information associated with a shipment of a package, the shipping information entered at a user device associated with a user;

link the shipping information to a smart code that identifies the package, the smart code is located on the package, the package does not include a shipping label that is generated by the user; and

based at least in part on the linking of the shipping information to the smart code, facilitate shipment of the package to a destination address or drop-off location associated with the user.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more computing devices are further caused to transmit the shipping information to a carrier device to enable the carrier device to generate a particular shipping label for the package in response to the linking of the shipping information to the smart code.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more computing devices are further cause to:

receive a request from the user device to schedule pick-up of the package, wherein the request comprises an indication of a location of the package; and

arrange for dispatch of a carrier vehicle to the location to pickup the package.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the smart code comprises an encoded version of the smart code, and wherein the one or more computing devices are further caused to determining the smart code by decoding the encoded version of the smart code.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the shipping information is utilized to generate a particular shipping label for the package without associating further information with the item.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more computing devices are further caused to:

identify one or more carrier drop-off locations proximate a determined geographic location of a mobile device for providing the item to a carrier at a particular drop-off location of the one or more carrier drop-off locations.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more computing devices are further caused to:

receive a request from the user device to schedule pick-up of the package, wherein the request comprises an indication of a location of the item to enable the one or more computing devices to arrange for dispatch of a vehicle to the location to pick up the item.

8. A carrier device comprising at least one processor and at least one memory that includes computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code is configured to, with the processor, cause the carrier device to:

capture a smart code located on a package, wherein the package does not include a shipping label that is generated by a shipper;

verify a validity of the captured smart code;

send a request for shipping information input or selected by a user device associated with the shipper; and

in response to sending the request, receiving the shipping information associated with the captured smart code to facilitate a shipment of the package.

9. The carrier device of claim 8, wherein the carrier device is further caused to generate a particular shipping label for the package based on the captured smart code and shipping information.

10. The carrier device of claim 8, wherein the carrier device is further caused to cause a particular shipping label to be printed to an external printing device based on wireless or wired communication between the carrier device and the external printing device.

11. The carrier device of claim 8, wherein the carrier device is further caused to print a particular shipping label at a printing device integrated into the carrier device based on the captured smart code and the shipping information, and wherein the particular shipping label is configured to be applied to the package in response to the printing.

12. The carrier device of claim 11, wherein the carrier device is further caused to link the smart code with a tracking number located on the printed shipping label in order to track the package through a delivery operation.

13. The carrier device of claim 11, wherein the carrier device is further caused to disassociate the shipping information from the smart code in response to the printing of the shipping label.

14. The carrier device of claim 8, wherein the carrier device is further caused to initiate billing for the shipment of the package based on information included in the shipping information input or selected by the user device.

15. A method comprising:

capturing a smart code located on a package, wherein the package does not include a shipping label that is generated by a shipper;

verify a validity of the captured smart code;

send a request for shipping information that is input or selected by a user device associated with the shipper; and

in response to the sending of the request, receiving the shipping information associated with the captured smart code to facilitate a shipment of the package.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising generating a particular shipping label for the package based on the captured smart code and shipping information.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising causing a particular shipping label to be printed to an external printing device based on wireless or wired communication between a carrier device and the external printing device.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising link the smart code with a tracking number located on the printed shipping label in order to track the package through a delivery operation.

19. The method of claim 15, further comprising printing a particular shipping label at a printing device integrated into a carrier device based on the captured smart code and the shipping information, and wherein the particular shipping label is configured to be applied to the package in response to the printing.

20. The method of claim 15, further comprising initiating billing for the shipment of the package based on information included in the shipping information input or selected by the user device.