System and method for providing a price quotation for a transportation service providing selective price adjustment capabilities

• US 20030163332A1
• Filed: 02/01/2002
• Published: 08/28/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/01/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Canadian National Railway Company
• Original Assignee: Canadian National Railway Company
• Inventors: Ernesaks, Anita, Podgurny, Leonard John
• Application Number:
  US10/060,405
• Publication Number:
  US 20030163332A1
• 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 10/08345 Pricing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0235 constrained by time limit or expiration date
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0236 Incentive or reward received by requiring registration or ID from user
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions

Abstract

A method and system for computing the price for shipping goods by rail is provided. A computer delivers first information to a user prompting the user to enter at the computer information about a rail transportation service for shipment of goods. A price for the shipment of the goods is then computed at least in part on the basis of the information about the rail transportation service and at least one discount data element. The system makes use of a database of promotional events mapping discount eligibility criteria to discount data elements. Entries where the rail transportation service satisfies the discount eligibility criteria are identified and the corresponding discount data elements are used to compute the price for the shipment of the goods.

Claims

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

a) a first program 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 transportation service for shipment of goods;

b) a second program 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 transportation service;

ii) at least one discount data element.

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

a) a first program 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 transportation service for shipment of goods;

b) a second program component operative to interact with a database of promotional events, the database of promotional events including a plurality of entries, each entry mapping information identifying discount eligibility criterion to a discount data element, said second program component being operative for;

i) identifying at least one entry in the database of promotional events associated to a certain discount eligibility criterion and to a certain discount data element, the rail transportation service satisfying the certain discount eligibility criterion;

ii) extracting the certain discount data element associated with the entry identified in i);

c) a third program 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 transportation service;

ii) the certain discount data element.

3. ) 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 transportation service for shipment of goods;

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

i) the information about the rail transportation service;

ii) at least one discount data element.

4. ) 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 transportation service for shipment of goods;

b) interacting with a database of promotional events, the database of promotional events including a plurality of entries, each entry mapping information identifying discount eligibility criterion to a discount data element, the interacting including;

i) identifying at least one entry in the database of promotional events associated to a certain discount eligibility criterion and to a certain discount data element, the rail transportation service satisfying the certain discount eligibility criterion;

ii) extracting the certain discount data element associated with the entry identified in i);

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

i) the information about the rail transportation service;

ii) the certain discount data element.

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

a) a first program 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 transportation service for shipment of goods;

b) a second program component operative to interact with a database of promotional events, the database of promotional events including a plurality of entries, each entry mapping information identifying discount eligibility criterion to a discount data element, said second program component being operative for;

i) identifying at least one entry in the database of promotional events associated to a certain discount eligibility criterion and to a certain discount data element, the rail transportation service satisfying the certain discount eligibility criterion;

ii) extracting the certain discount data element associated with the entry identified in i);

c) a third program 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 transportation service;

ii) the certain discount data element.

6. ) A client-server system for computing a quote for a price for 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 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 transportation service for shipment of goods;

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

e) a second program component executed on said server for interacting with a database of promotional events, the database of promotional events including a plurality of entries, each entry mapping information identifying discount eligibility criterion to a discount data element, said second program component being operative for;

i) identifying at least one entry in the database of promotional events associated to a certain discount eligibility criterion and to a certain discount data element, the rail transportation service satisfying the certain discount eligibility criterion;

ii) extracting The certain discount data element associated with the entry identified in i);

f) a third program 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 transportation service;

ii) the certain discount data element.