System and method for providing a price quotation for a transportation service based on equipment ownership

• US 20030163330A1
• Filed: 02/01/2002
• Published: 08/28/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/01/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canadian National Railway Company
• Original Assignee: Canadian National Railway Company
• Inventors: Ernesaks, Anita, Podgurny, Leonard John
• Granted Patent: US 7,363,234 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/083 Shipping
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0834 Choice of carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08345 Pricing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0283 Price estimation or determination
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces

Abstract

A method and system for computing the price of a railway transportation service for the shipping goods is provided. A computer delivers first information to a user prompting the user to enter at the computer information about a rail route for shipment of goods by one or more railcars. A price for the shipment of the goods is then computed at least in part on the basis of the information about the rail route and the ownership of the one or more railcars. The computer displays to the user the price for the shipment of the goods or, alternatively, the price for the shipment of the goods is provided to the user via other ways such as e-mail, snail-mail or fax.

Claims

1. ) A computer readable storage medium containing a program element for execution by a CPU, said program element comprising:

a) a first program element component for causing a computer to deliver first information to a user, the first information prompting the user to enter at the computer information about a rail route for shipment of goods by one or more railcars;

b) a second program element component for computing a price for the shipment of the goods at least in part on the basis of;

i) the information about the rail route;

ii) ownership of the one or more railcars.

2. ) A method for computing the price of shipping goods, comprising:

a) causing a computer to deliver first information to a user, the first information prompting the user to enter at the computer information about a rail route for shipment of goods by one or more railcars;

b) computing a price for the shipment of the goods at least in part on the basis of;

i) the information about the rail route;

ii) ownership of the one or more railcars.

3. ) A method for requesting a quote for a price of shipping goods by rail, comprising:

a) displaying first information at a client system prompting a user to enter at the client system information about a rail route for shipment of goods by one or more railcars;

b) displaying a second information at the client system prompting the user to enter at the client system information about ownership of the one or more railcars;

c) sending to a server system the information about the rail route for shipment of goods by one or more railcars and the information about ownership of the one or more railcars;

d) receiving at the client system from the server system information about the price for the shipment of the goods and displaying to the user at the client system the information about the price for the shipment of the goods.

4. ) A server system for computing a quote for a price of shipping goods by rail, said server system containing a program element for execution by a CPU, said program element comprising:

a) a first program element component for causing a client system connected to the server via the Internet to display first information to a user, the first information prompting the user to enter at the client system information for transmission to said server system about a rail route for shipment of goods by one or more railcars;

b) a second program element component for computing a price for the shipment of the goods at least in part on the basis of;

i) the information about the rail route;

ii) ownership of the one or more railcars.

5. ) A client-server system for computing a quote for a price of shipping goods by rail, comprising;

a) a client system;

b) a server system, said client system and said server system operative to exchange messages over a data network;

c) a first program element component executed on said server system for sending messages to said client system for causing said client system to display first information to a user, the first information prompting the user to enter at said client system information about a rail route for shipment of goods by one or more railcars;

d) said client system being operative to send messages to said server to communicate to said server the information about the rail route;

e) a second program element component executed on said server for computing a price for the shipment of the goods at least in part on the basis of;

i) the information about the rail route;

ii) ownership of the one or more railcars.