Systems and methods for package sortation and delivery using radio frequency identification technology

• US 20040004119A1
• Filed: 05/16/2003
• Published: 01/08/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/16/2002
• 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: Anderson, Duane, Peters, Robert, Baldassari, Anthony
• Granted Patent: US 7,118,034 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/384
• CPC Class Codes: B07C 3/10 Apparatus characterised by the means used for detection ofthe destination methods or arrangements for reading and recognising printed or written characters or geometric figures G06V30/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 17/00 Methods or arrangements for effecting co-operative working between equipments covered by two or more of main groups G06K1/00 - G06K15/00, e.g. automatic card files incorporating conveying and reading operations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0875 Itemisation or classification of parts, supplies or services, e.g. bill of materials
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/40 Business processes related to the transportation industry shipping G06Q10/083

Abstract

A disclosed method comprises scanning a radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag on a package to generate scanned data, and generating a handling instruction for the package based on the scanned data. The handling instruction can be executed to route the package to a tip position within a hub facility for directing the package to the next location along its route, and/or to pre-load the package in a vehicle for delivery to the package'"'"'s final destination. Related systems and computer-readable media are also disclosed.

Claims

1. (New) A method comprising:

scanning a radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag on a package to generate scanned data; and

generating a handling instruction for the package based on the scanned data.

2. (New) A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the scanning is performed by conveying the package on a belt passed an interrogator that generates scanned data by scanning the RFID tag.

3. (New) A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the handling instruction is executed by a hub control system to convey the package to a tip position for transport to a destination indicated by the scanned data.

4. (New) A method as claimed in claim 3 wherein the hub control system uses a hub master file to determine the tip position for the package based on the scanned data.

5. (New) A method as claimed in claim 4 wherein the scanned data comprises an RFID identifier, and the hub control system cannot generate the handling instruction based on the scanned data, and forwards the RFID identifier to a package information database for use as an index to retrieve package information data to generate the handling instruction.

6. (New) A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the handling instruction comprises a sort handling instruction.

7. (New) A method as claimed in claim 1 further comprising:

sorting the package for delivery to a hub facility based on the scanned data.

8. (New) A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the handling instruction comprises a pre-load handling instruction.

9. (New) A method as claimed in claim 1 further comprising:

sorting the package for delivery to an addressee identified by the scanned data based on the handling instruction.

10. (New) A method as claimed in claim 1 further comprising:

storing the scanned data in a package tracking database.

11. (New) A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the scanned data comprises package information data including an address, further comprising:

validating the address using a street and consignee alias database of an address management system.

12. (New) A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the scanned data comprises package information data for which no valid address can be determined, the method further comprising:

key-entering data based on a shipping label associated with the package to generate the handling instruction.

13. (New) A method as claimed in claim 1 further comprising:

capturing with a camera an image of the package for use by an operator to determine and key-enter a valid address for the package in case the scanned data does not comprise sufficient data to determine the address to which the package is to be shipped.

14. (New) A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the RFID tag is scanned at multiple locations to generate scanned data used by a hub control system to route the package on conveyor belts within a hub facility to a tip position indicated by the scanned data.

15. (New) A method as claimed in claim 14 further comprising:

updating a package tracking database based on the hub control system delivering the package to a tip position in a hub facility.

16. (New) A method as claimed in claim 15 further comprising:

notifying an entity involved in the shipment of the package that the package has been delivered to the tip position.

17. (New) A method as claimed in claim 16 wherein the entity is a shipper of a package.

18. (New) A method as claimed in claim 16 wherein the entity is the addressee of a package.

19. (New) A method as claimed in claim 16 wherein the entity is another hub facility.

20. (New) A method as claimed in claim 15 wherein the handling instruction is generated by using the scanned data to retrieve the handling instruction from a load plan stored in a database.

21. (New) A method as claimed in claim 1 further comprising:

estimating time of delivery of the package based on the scanned data; and

notifying the shipper and/or consignee of the estimated time of delivery of the package.

22. (New) A package sortation system comprising:

at least one conveyor to carry and move at least one package; and

a radio-frequency identification (RFID) interrogator configured to read an RFID tag associated with a package to generate scanned data.

23. (New) A package sortation system as claimed in claim 22 further comprising:

a hub control system configured to receive the scanned data and assign a handling instruction based at least in part on the scanned data, the handling instruction including a sort destination for the package.

24. (New) A package sortation system as claimed in claim 23 further comprising:

a machine controller configured to receive and execute the handling instruction to direct the package moving on the belt conveyor to the sort destination.

25. (New) A package sortation system as claimed in claim 23 wherein the scanned data includes an RFID identifier, the system further comprising:

an indexed data server configured to communicate with the hub control system to receive the RFID identifier, the indexed data server using the RFID identifier to retrieve the handling instruction provided to the hub control system.

26. (New) A package sortation system as claimed in claim 23 further comprising:

a printer configured to receive the handling instruction and generate a label based on the handling instruction, the label applied to the package for use in sorting and directing the package to a destination indicated by the handling instruction.

27. (New) A package sortation system as claimed in claim 23 wherein the scanned data includes an RFID identifier, the system further comprising:

a server storing a package information database and configured to receive and use the RFID identifier to retrieve package information data from the package information database, the server providing the package information data to the hub control system for use in generating the handling instruction.

28. (New) A package sortation system as claimed in claim 23 wherein the scanned data includes package information data used by the hub control system to generate the handling instruction.

29. (New) A package sortation system as claimed in claim 23 wherein the hub control system uses a package service level and at least part of the package destination address determined from the scanned data to assign the handling instruction.

30. (New) A package sortation system as claimed in claim 23 wherein the sort destination associated with a handling instruction is determined by information from a hub master file based on the scanned data.

31. (New) A package sortation system as claimed in claim 23 wherein the hub control system comprises a hub operating application configured to receive a load plan and control the movement of packages based at least in part on the load plan, the system further comprising:

an indexed data server in communication with the hub operating application, the indexed data server configured to receive the RFID identifier and to use the RFID identifier to obtain package information from a package information database;

a sort destination server in communication with the indexed data server to determine a sortation destination of a package;

one or more sort position scanners configured to track the location of packages; and

the machine controller in communication with the one or more sort position scanners and the sort destination controller configured direct the package to the sortation destination.

32. (New) A system for performing a pre-load operation, the system comprising:

a dispatch planning system configured to generate a dispatch plan;

a flexible data capture system configured to obtain information about packages to be pre-loaded, the flexible data capture system including an RFID interrogator configured to read an RFID tag associated with a package to generate scanned data; and

a pre-load assist system configured to match the scanned data to the dispatch plan and assign a handling instruction for routing the package to its destination.

33. (New) A system as claimed in claim 32 further comprising:

a printer configured to print a label that contains the handling instruction, the label applied to a respective one of the packages for use in routing the package to its destination.

34. (New) A system as claimed in claim 32 further comprising:

an address management system configured to validate address information from the dispatch plan and the packages.

35. (New) A system as claimed in claim 32 wherein the scanned data comprises an RFID identifier and the flexible data capture system uses the RFID identifier as an index into a package information system to obtain information about the package.

36. (New) A system as claimed in claim 32 wherein the scanned data comprises an RFID identifier and the flexible data capture system uses the RFID identifier as an index into a package information system to obtain a destination address and service level for the package, and the pre-load assist system is configured to match the package destination address and service level to the dispatch plan to assign the handling instruction.

37. (New) A system as claimed in claim 32 wherein the pre-load assist system is further configured to monitor the assignment of work to a load and generate a load manifest for the load.

38. (New) A system as claimed in claim 32 further comprising:

an enhanced delivery information acquisition device (DIAD) download system configured to transfer the load manifest to a DIAD unit.

39. (New) A system as claimed in claim 32 further comprising:

a server executing a package notification application to receive the load manifest, estimate the time at which each unit of work will be completed and notify a shipper and/or consignee of the work and time estimate.

40. (New) A system as claimed in claim 39 wherein the package notification application is configured to compare the load manifest against the dispatch plan to determine the sequence in which the work associated with the load will be performed;

and the package notification application is also configured to use work measurement information to estimate the time at which the work assigned to a load will be performed; and

the package notification application is further configured to notify at least one of a shipper and a consignee of the estimate of time when the work will be performed.

41. (New) A system as claimed in claim 39 wherein the package notification application is additionally configured to aggregate packages bound for a consignee, and send a single notification to the consignee with information including an estimated delivery time for each of the aggregated inbound packages.

42. (New) A system as claimed in claim 39 wherein the package notification application is additionally configured to aggregate packages bound for a consignee, and send a single notification to the consignee with information including estimated work for each of the aggregated inbound packages.

43. (New) A system as claimed in claim 39 wherein the package notification application is additionally configured to aggregate packages sent by a single shipper, and send a single notification to the shipper with data indicating an estimated delivery time for each of the aggregated packages.

44. (New) A computer-readable medium having a computer program executable by a computer to scan at least one radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag on a respective package to generate scanned data for use in routing the package to a sort destination.

45. (New) A computer-readable medium as claimed in claim 44 wherein the scanned data comprises an RFID identifier.

46. (New) A computer-readable medium as claimed in claim 44 wherein the scanned data comprises package information data indicating the destination of the package.

47. (New) A computer-readable medium having a computer program executable by a computer to receive scanned data from a radio-frequency identification (RFID) interrogator generated by scanning an RFID tag on the package, and to generate a handling instruction to transport the package to a sort destination, based on scanned data.

48. (New) A computer-readable medium as claimed in claim 47 wherein the handling instruction can be executed by a hub control system to convey the package to a tip position for transport to a destination indicated by the scanned data.

49. (New) A method as claimed in claim 47 wherein the scanned data comprises an RFID identifier, and the computer program is executed to forward the RFID identifier to a package information database for use as an index to retrieve package information data to generate the handling instruction.