Systems and methods for synchronized delivery

• US 10,706,384 B1
• Filed: 01/05/2016
• Issued: 07/07/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 02/07/2013
• 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: Bolton, Chris, Brill, Steven D., Collins, Matthew, Creasy, Anthony, Dotterweich, Andrew, Guerrisi, Joseph, Kettleson, Daniel, Mulholland, Michael, Gillen, Robert J., Loppatto, Greg, Hernandez, John, Butler, Butch, Lord, Scott
• Primary Examiner(s): Robinson, Akiba K
• Application Number:
  US14/988,136
• Time in Patent Office: 1,645 Days
• Field of Search: 705332
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0835 Relationships between shipper or supplier and carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08355 Routing methods
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0837 Return transactions

Abstract

Various embodiments provide systems and methods for facilitating synchronized delivery of shipments/items scheduled to be delivered to multiple serviceable points located nearby one another. Various embodiments identify nearby serviceable points based on an identification of serviceable points being located within a common geofenced area. Accordingly, a geofence is defined surrounding a geographical area comprising a plurality of serviceable points. The geofence is associated with a record for a serviceable point located within the geofenced area, wherein the record comprises a physical address and a geocode for the serviceable point. Thereafter, shipping data for a shipment to be delivered to the serviceable point is received, and is compared to a database of shipments to determine whether a second shipment is to be delivered to a second serviceable point located within the same geofenced area.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

detecting, via one or more Global Positioning System (GPS) devices, a geocode for each serviceable point of a plurality of serviceable points, the geocode corresponds to a latitude and longitude coordinate of the each serviceable point;

based at least in part on the latitude and longitude coordinate of the each serviceable point, defining a geofence surrounding a geographic area that comprises the plurality of serviceable points, the plurality of serviceable points comprising a first serviceable point, the geofence being a processor-defined virtual boundary that surrounds a representation of the geographic area;

associating, in computer memory, the geofence with a record for the first serviceable point, the record being an instance of a data structure in the computer memory, the record for the first serviceable point comprising (a) a physical address for the first serviceable point (b) a first geocode for the first serviceable point, and (c) data identifying the plurality of serviceable points and an indication that the plurality of serviceable points are within the geofence;

receiving, over a computer network, first electronic shipping data indicating that a first shipment is to be delivered to the first serviceable point;

responsive to receiving first electronic shipping data indicating that the first shipment is to be delivered to the first serviceable point, determining that a second shipment is to be delivered within the geofence based at least in part on analyzing the geocode detected via the one or more GPS devices and the determining, via analyzing the record, that the second serviceable point of the second shipment matches one of the plurality of serviceable points; and

based at least in part on the determining that the second shipment is to be delivered within the geofence, determining that the first shipment and the second shipment are available to be shipped during a same time period for synchronized delivery.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein (a) the record for the first serviceable point further comprises a physical address for each of the plurality of serviceable points and (b) determining whether a second shipment is to be delivered to a second serviceable point within the geofence further comprises searching a plurality of shipment records to determine whether at least one of the plurality shipment records comprises a physical address that corresponds to a physical address for one of the plurality of serviceable points.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

identifying a physical address for the second serviceable point of the plurality of serviceable points; and

searching a plurality of shipment records to determine whether at least one of the plurality shipment records comprises an address that corresponds to the physical address for the second serviceable point.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein (a) the record for the first serviceable point further comprises a geocode for each of the plurality of serviceable points and (b) determining whether a second shipment is to be delivered to a second serviceable point within the geofence further comprises searching a plurality of shipment records to determine whether at least one of the plurality shipment records comprises a geocode that corresponds to a geocode for one of the plurality of serviceable points.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

identifying a geocode for the second serviceable point of the plurality of serviceable points; and

searching a plurality of shipment records to determine whether at least one of the plurality shipment records comprises a geocode that corresponds to the geocode for the second serviceable point.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein searching the plurality of shipment records is limited to shipment records with a particular geographic descriptor.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the geofence is defined surrounding a common ingress and egress point.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising determining whether the second serviceable point is an excluded serviceable point.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising providing an indication of the synchronized delivery for the first serviceable point and the second serviceable point.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising electronically modifying the second electronic shipping data for the second shipment to modify the delivery service level for the second shipment.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising providing an incentive for the synchronized delivery of the first shipment and the second shipment.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the first shipment is being transported by a first carrier and the second shipment is being transported by a second carrier.

13. A system comprising one or more memory storage areas and one or more computer processors, the system configured to:

receive, via one or more Global Positioning System (GPS) devices, a geocode for a plurality of serviceable points, the geocode corresponds to a latitude and longitude coordinate of each serviceable point of the plurality of serviceable points;

based at least in part on the latitude and longitude coordinate of the each serviceable point, define a geofence surrounding a geographic area that comprises the plurality of serviceable points, the plurality of serviceable points comprising a first serviceable point, the geofence being a processor-defined virtual boundary that surrounds a representation of the geographic area;

associate, in computer memory, the geofence with a record for the first serviceable point, the record being an instance of a data structure in the computer memory, the record for the first serviceable point comprising (a) a physical address for the first serviceable point (b) a first geocode for the first serviceable point, the geocode and (c) data identifying the plurality of serviceable points;

responsive to the associating, in computer memory, of the geofence with the record for the first serviceable point, receive first electronic shipping data indicating that a first shipment is to be delivered to the first serviceable point; and

responsive to receiving first electronic shipping data indicating that the first shipment is to be delivered to the first serviceable point, determine whether a second shipment is to be delivered within the geofence based at least in part on the receiving, via the one or more GPS devices, of the geocode and the determining, via analyzing the record, that a second serviceable point of the second shipment is one of the plurality of serviceable points within the record.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the system is further configured to:

identify a physical address for the second serviceable point of the plurality of serviceable points; and

search a plurality of shipment records to determine whether at least one of the plurality shipment records comprises an address that corresponds to the physical address for the second serviceable point.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the system is further configured to:

identify a geocode for the second serviceable point of the plurality of serviceable points; and

search a plurality of shipment records to determine whether at least one of the plurality shipment records comprises a geocode that corresponds to the geocode for the second serviceable point.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein searching the plurality of shipment records is limited to shipment records with a particular geographic descriptor.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the system is further configured to provide an indication of the synchronized delivery for the first serviceable point and the second serviceable point.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein the system is further configured to electronically modify the second electronic shipping data for the second shipment to modify the delivery service level for the second shipment.

19. A computer program product comprising at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable program code portions stored therein, the computer-readable program code portions comprising:

an executable portion configured to receive, via one or more location determining devices, a geocode for a plurality of serviceable points, the geocode corresponds to a latitude and longitude coordinate of each serviceable point of the plurality of serviceable points;

an executable portion configured to based at least in part on the latitude and longitude coordinate of the each serviceable point, define a geofence surrounding a geographic area that comprises a plurality of serviceable points, the plurality of serviceable points comprising a first serviceable point, the geofence being a processor-defined virtual boundary that surrounds a representation of the geographic area;

an executable portion configured to associate, in computer memory, the geofence with a record for the first serviceable point, the record being an instance of a data structure in the computer memory, the record for the first serviceable point comprising (a) a physical address for the first serviceable point and (b) a first geocode for the first serviceable point;

an executable portion configured to receive, over a computer network, first electronic shipping data indicating that a first shipment is to be delivered to the first serviceable point;

an executable portion configured to, responsive to receiving first electronic shipping data indicating that the first shipment is to be delivered to the first serviceable point and based at least in part on the receiving, via the one or more GPS devices, of the geocode, determine whether a second shipment to be delivered to a second serviceable point is one of the plurality of serviceable points surrounded by the geofence; and

based at least in part on the determining, an executable portion configured to cause the first shipment and the second shipment to be shipped during a same time period for synchronized delivery.

20. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein the computer-readable program code portions further comprise:

an executable portion configured to identify a physical address for the second serviceable point of the plurality of serviceable points; and

an executable portion configured to search a plurality of shipment records to determine whether at least one of the plurality shipment records comprises an address that corresponds to the physical address for the second serviceable point.

21. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein the computer-readable program code portions further comprise:

an executable portion configured to identify a geocode for the second serviceable point of the plurality of serviceable points; and

an executable portion configured to search a plurality of shipment records to determine whether at least one of the plurality shipment records comprises a geocode that corresponds to the geocode for the second serviceable point.

22. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein searching the plurality of shipment records is limited to shipment records with a particular geographic descriptor.

23. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein the computer-readable program code portions further comprise an executable portion configured to provide an indication of the synchronized delivery for the first serviceable point and the second serviceable point.

24. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein the computer-readable program code portions further comprise an executable portion configured to electronically modify the second electronic shipping data for the second shipment to modify the delivery service level for the second shipment.