System, method, and article of manufacture for shipping a package privately to a customer

• US 20030208411A1
• Filed: 12/19/2002
• Published: 11/06/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/19/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: United States Postal Service (Government of the United States of America)
• Original Assignee: United States Postal Service (Government of the United States of America)
• Inventors: Pensabene, Phillip A, Rios, Julie F, Troxel, Kerry J, Orbke, Wayne H, Robinson, Jacquelyn M, Estes, Jacquelyn, Ray, Christine R.L., Penn, Maria C
• Granted Patent: US 7,295,997 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/26
• 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 10/0835 Relationships between shipper or supplier and carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/367 involving electronic purses or money safes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/383 Anonymous user system
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0613 Third-party assisted
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0635 Processing of requisition or of purchase orders

Abstract

Methods and systems consistent with the present invention facilitate in sending a package (112) to a customer at a physical address via a shipper (106) while preserving customer privacy. In accordance with an embodiment, an order is received from the customer (102). The order may include a unique identifier corresponding to the customer. A package (110) is sent to the shipper (106) in fulfillment of the order, the package including the unique identifier. Then, the customer'"'"'s physical address is derived from the unique identifier and the package is delivered (112) from the shipper to the customer'"'"'s physical address.

Claims

1. A method for sending a package to a customer at a physical address via a shipper while preserving customer privacy, comprising:

receiving an order from the customer, the order including a unique identifier corresponding to the customer;

sending the package to the shipper in fulfillment of the order, the package including the identifier;

deriving the physical address from the identifier; and

delivering the package from the shipper to the customer at the physical address.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

assigning an electronic account number to the customer using a registration system.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the electronic account number is the identifier.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifier comprises a random number.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifier comprises a bar code.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending a request to a payment company to charge the customer for the order; and

charging a financial account of the customer for the order.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising labeling the package with a label that contains the physical address of the customer.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the labeling stage occurs at one of a delivery unit, a business mail entry unit, a plant, a computer forwarding service unit, or a third party relabeler.

9. A method of sending a package to a customer while preserving customer privacy using a system that includes a merchant computer, shipping computer, and payment computer, comprising:

receiving, at the merchant computer, a purchase request for a product;

sending, to the payment computer, an electronic token corresponding to a customer account and a purchase amount corresponding to the purchase request;

sending, to the shipping computer, a validation request to verify the electronic token;

verifying, at the shipping computer, the electronic token;

converting, after verification, the electronic token into shipping label information, wherein the shipping label information identifies neither a name nor a physical address of the customer;

sending, to the merchant computer, the shipping label information;

printing, at the merchant computer, a first label with the shipping label information;

affixing the first label to the package containing the product;

sending the package to a shipper;

retrieving the name and the physical address of the customer using the shipping label information; and

delivering the package to the customer.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising affixing a second label on the package, the second label including at least one of the name and the physical address of the customer.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein delivering the package to the customer includes delivering the package to the physical address of the customer.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising sending a notification to the customer at the physical address, the notification informing the customer of the package and specifying the location of the package.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the delivering the package to the customer is performed by a call depot at the location identified by the notification.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the delivering the package to the customer is performed by a self-service machine at the location identified by the notification.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein the electronic token is an encrypted data structure, a random number, or an account number corresponding the customer.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein the converting, after verification, the electronic token into shipping label information includes converting, at the shipping computer, the electronic token into the shipping label information.

17. The method of claim 9, wherein the converting, after verification, the electronic token into shipping label information includes converting, at the payment computer, the electronic token into the shipping label information.

18. The method of claim 9, wherein the shipping label information includes a re-labeling location information.

19. A system for sending a package to a customer while preserving customer privacy, the system including:

a merchant computer for selling a plurality of products to the customer;

a client computer for selecting a product from the plurality of products;

a payment computer for requesting shipping information of the customer; and

a shipping computer for providing the shipping information of the customer, wherein the shipping information includes neither a name nor an address of the customer; and

wherein the merchant computer places the shipping information on the package containing the selected product.

20. The system of claim 19, further comprising a delivery computer for retrieving at least one of a name and a physical address of the customer using the shipping information and for placing at least one of the name and the physical address on the package.

21. A computer-readable medium containing instructions for causing a computer to perform a method for sending a package to a customer at a physical address via a shipper while preserving customer privacy, the method comprising:

generating shipping label information for a merchant, wherein the shipping label information includes neither a name nor the physical address of the customer;

converting the shipping label information into the name and the address of the customer after a shipper receives a package from a merchant with the shipping label information; and

providing the name and address of the customer to the shipper for delivery of the package to the customer

22. A registration system including a database for sending a package to a customer while preserving customer privacy, comprising:

means for receiving a registration request from the customer, the registration request including a name, a physical address, and a financial information of the customer;

means for creating an account for the customer in the database based on the registration request; and

means for generating a unique identifier corresponding to the customer;

means for converting the unique identifier into the name and the physical address of the customer using the unique identifier; and

means for providing the name and the address of the customer to the shipper.

23. The registration system of claim 22, further comprising:

means for requesting a digital certificate from a digital certificate authority, and

means for providing the digital certificate to the customer.

24. The registration system of claim 22, wherein the unique identifier is a random number or a barcode.