Common carrier system

• US 20020178023A1
• Filed: 03/11/2002
• Published: 11/28/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 10/10/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Inttra
• Original Assignee: Inttra Incorporated (E2open Parent Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Schutt, Michael, Eskesen, Thomas M., Bjerre, Poul
• Granted Patent: US 7,761,387 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0834 Choice of carriers

Abstract

An on-line system and method for buyers and sellers of international container transportation services is disclosed. Specifically, the system offers importing and exporting customers the opportunity to request and select specific service patterns offered by participating carriers in the booking of full container shipments. The system includes user interfaces that allow a shipper to track and trace containers across multiple carriers and an event notifications system, which notifies the user when an event has or has not occurred.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a common carrier interface enabling a user to create a booking request, submit the booking request to any entity registered with the system and receive confirmation of the booking request from the any entity.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the booking request is created from a template stored on the common carrier system, wherein the template was created by the user prior to the creation of the booking request.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the booking request is created from a previously drafted booking stored on the common carrier system, wherein the drafted booking was created by the user or any other user prior to the creation of the booking request.

4. The system according to claim 3, wherein the previously drafted booking was a confirmed booking request that was confirmed by at least one of the registered entities prior to the user or the any other user creating the booking request.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein the booking request includes a section which enables the user to request a container be transported, wherein the container is transported from an inland origin to a vessel, the container is loaded onto the vessel, the container is transported by the vessel to an intermit location, the container is discharged from the vessel and the container is delivered to an inland destination.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein the user and the registered entity negotiated shipping costs prior to the user submitting the booking request.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein the user and the registered entity never negotiated shipping costs prior to the user submitting the booking request.

8. The system according to claim 7, wherein the user is a new customer of the registered entity.

9. A system comprising:

a common carrier interface enabling a user to create a booking request, submit the booking request to any entity registered with the system and receive confirmation of the booking request from the any entity, wherein the system, responsive to confirmation from the registered entity to the user and registered entity data, enables the user to track and trace a container.

10. The system according to claim 9, wherein the user is capable of tracking and tracing multiple containers transported by multiple registered entities using the common carrier system.

11. The system according to claim 9, wherein the registered entities transport goods for the user.

12. The system according to claim 10, wherein the registered entities transport goods for the user.

14. The system according to claim 13, wherein the user determines when the system should notify the user of an event.

15. The system according to claim 14, wherein the event is a non-event.

16. The common carrier system according to claim 15, wherein the common carrier system notifies the user of the non-event after a predetermined time period has lapsed and the event has not occurred, wherein the user determines the predetermined time period.

13. A system comprising:

a common carrier interface enabling a user to create a booking request, submit the booking request to any entity registered with the system and receive confirmation of the booking request from the any entity, wherein the system, responsive to confirmation from the registered entity to the user and registered entity data, generates event notification messages.