Systems and methods for end-to-end fulfillment and supply chain management

• US 20020133387A1
• Filed: 06/29/2001
• Published: 09/19/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2000
• 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: Giordano, Ken, Johnson, Cynthia L., Zach, Tim, Fastie, Will, Bowers, Jay, McPherson, Kevin, Rickles, Harvey, Wilson, Arnaud J.
• Granted Patent: US 7,987,107 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/8
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0631 Resource planning, allocation, distributing or scheduling for enterprises or organisations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06311 Scheduling, planning or task assignment for a person or group
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08355 Routing methods
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0836 Recipient pick-ups

Abstract

A supply chain management system facilitates the efficient allocation and shipment of items. At least one customer having a geographical location associated therewith communicates with at least one client. The at least one client generates an order on behalf of the customer, where the order includes item data corresponding to at least one item and location data corresponding to the customer geographical location. A promising engine is in communication with the at least one client and with a plurality of warehouses in the system. The promising engine identifies a shipping warehouse from the plurality of warehouses based in part upon the location data corresponding to the customer geographical location, where the shipping warehouse is the nearest warehouse to the customer geographical location that has an ability to ship the at least one item to the at least one customer within a specified timeframe.

Claims

1. A supply chain management system that facilitates the efficient allocation and shipment of items, comprising:

at least one customer, wherein the at least one customer has a customer geographical location associated therewith;

at least one client, wherein the at least one client is associated with the at least one customer, and wherein the at least one client generates an order including item data corresponding to at least one item and location data corresponding to the customer geographical location;

a plurality of warehouses, wherein at least one warehouse of the plurality of warehouses is located separately from at least one other warehouse of the plurality of warehouses, and wherein each of the plurality of warehouses is located at a respective geographical distance from the customer geographical location; and

a promising engine, in communication with the at least one client and the plurality of warehouses, wherein the promising engine identifies a shipping warehouse from the plurality of warehouses based in part upon the location data corresponding to the customer geographical location,

wherein the shipping warehouse is the nearest warehouse to the customer geographical location that has an ability to ship the at least one item to the at least one customer within a specified timeframe.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein promising engine selects a shipping warehouse from the plurality of warehouses based exclusively upon the nearest warehouse to the customer geographical location that has an ability to ship the at least one item to the at least one customer within a specified timeframe, and wherein the nearest warehouse to the customer geographical location is identified based in part on the location data.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the shipping warehouse is the nearest warehouse to the customer geographical location that has the at least one item in inventory.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the specified timeframe is established by the at least one customer.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one client supplies at least one of the plurality of warehouses with the at least one item.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the client is in communication with the promising engine via a wide area network.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the location data is selected from the group consisting of a zip code, state, region, or city and state.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising a carrier associated with the promising engine for shipping the at least one item to the at least one customer.

9. A method for facilitating the efficient allocation and shipment of items, comprising:

generating at least one order, wherein the at least one order includes item data corresponding to at least one item and location data corresponding to a customer geographical location;

reviewing the at least one order to identify a shipping warehouse from a plurality of warehouses based in part upon the location data corresponding to the customer geographical location, and

determining whether the shipping warehouse has sufficient inventory to ship the at least one item to the consumer.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising instructing the shipping warehouse to ship the at least one item to the customer.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the shipping warehouse is the nearest warehouse to the customer'"'"'s geographical location that has an ability to ship the at least one item to the at least one customer within a specified timeframe.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the shipping warehouse selected based upon a relationship with the nearest warehouse to the customer'"'"'s geographical location and the shipping warehouse has an ability to ship the at least one item to the at least one customer within a specified timeframe.

13. The method of claim 9, further comprising transmitting the at least one order from a client to a promising engine, where the promising engine reviews the at least one order.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the transmission of the at least one order from the client to the promising engine is via the Internet.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein item data comprises customer shipment terms.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the customer shipment terms include a delivery date.

17. The method of claim 9, further comprising responding to the customer to notify the customer that the at least one item will be shipped to the customer.

18. The method of claim 9, wherein the shipping warehouse ships items in the order that instructions to ship items are received.