DELIVERY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

• US 20040225507A1
• Filed: 09/16/2002
• Published: 11/11/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/03/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Haier US Appliance Solutions, Inc. DBA GE Appliances (Haier Group Company)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: STOUT, TERRY RAY, HUME, JEFFREY ALLEN, SMITH, TIMOTHY JAY, ELLINGTON, GREGORY TODD
• Granted Patent: US 7,457,761 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/025 Coordination of plural reservations, e.g. plural trip segments, transportation combined with accommodation
• 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 30/018 Certifying business or products

Abstract

The method of managing the delivery of an order from at least one supplier to a respective delivery agent, and from the delivery agent to a respective buyer, given a requested order date and the respective buyers address, consisting of the steps including: determining a first potential arrival date of the order at a respective delivery agents location based on the order request date and the buyer'"'"'s address; calculating the capacity of the delivery agent to ship the order based the first potential arrive date request; and finally, determining when there is sufficient capacity to ship the order to the buyer'"'"'s address.

Claims

1. A method of managing a delivery schedule of an order using a system configured with a server which includes a goods delivery system, the system including at least one computing unit networked to the server, the order being delivered from at least one supplier to a respective delivery agent, and from the delivery agent to a respective buyer, wherein the order comprises order information, said method comprising the steps of;

calculating a first potential arrival date of the order to a respective delivery agent'"'"'s location using the server system based on the order request date and the buyr'"'"'s address;

determining the ability of the respective delivery agent to ship the order based on the first potential arrival date request; and

determining a delivery date to the buyer when there is sufficient delivery agent capacity to ship the order to the buyer'"'"'s address.

2. The method of managing the delivery schedule as recited in claim 1, wherein the step of calculating a first potential arrival date of the order further comprises the step of selecting the first potential arrival date from a supplier ship schedule based on the day the order is placed plus a fixed delay.

3. The method of managing the delivery schedule as recited in claim 2, wherein the step of determining the ability of the respective delivery agent to ship further comprises the step of calculating the number of slots to be shipped from a work unit matrix.

4. The method of managing the delivery schedule as recited in claim 3, further comprises the step of multiplying each item in the order by a work unit selected from a work unit matrix to determine the number of slots for each order.

5. The method of managing the delivery schedule as recited in claim 3, wherein the step of determining when there is sufficient capacity to ship the order further comprising the step of determining the first available date to completely ship the order to the buyer based on a capacity matrix and based on the number of available delivery slots.

6. The method of managing the delivery schedule as recited in claim 4, further comprising the step of updating the electronic manifest indicating the order ship date and the additional capacity utilized.

7. The method of managing the delivery schedule as recited in claim 3, further comprising the step of getting the zip code to which the order is to be delivered and the brand of the respective good in the order.

8. The method of managing the delivery schedule as recited in claim 7, further comprising the step of getting a respective supplier ship schedule based on the zip code and brand of good ordered.

9. The method of managing the delivery schedule as recited in claim 8, further comprising the step of selecting a delivery agent and a respective capacity matrix based on the zip code of the order.

10. The method of managing the delivery schedule as recited in claim 9, further comprising the step of determining the first potential ship date to the buyer'"'"'s address based on the capacity of the delivery agent and the delivery schedule of the delivery agent.

11. The method of managing the delivery schedule as recited in claim 1, further comprising the step of allowing order changes to be made based on the users security level clearance.

12. The method of managing the delivery schedule as recited in claim 1, further comprising the step of updating the electronic manifest with status information.

13. The method of managing the delivery schedule as recited in claim 12, further comprising the step of running said delivery management schedule when a reschedule has been requested.

14. The method of managing the delivery schedule as recited in claim 1, wherein said order information comprises data selected from the group including, the order date, the model number, the quantity of items, the brand of the item, the service to be selected, the requested delivery date, the buyer'"'"'s delivery address, the security level clearance, and status information.

16. The method of managing the delivery schedule as recited in claim 10, wherein the step of calculating a first potential arrival date of the order further comprises the step of selecting the first potential arrival date from a supplier ship schedule based on the day the order is placed plus a fixed delay.

17. The method of managing the delivery schedule as recited in claim 16, wherein the step of determining the ability of the respective delivery agent to ship further comprises the step of calculating the number of slots to be shipped from a work unit matrix.

18. The method of managing the delivery schedule as recited in claim 17, further comprises the step of multiplying each item in the order by a work unit selected from a work unit mat to determine the number of slots for each order.

19. The method of managing the delivery schedule as recited in claim 17, wherein the step of determining when there is sufficient capacity to ship the order further comprising the step of determining the first available date to completely ship the order to the buyer based on a capacity matrix and based on the number of available delivery slots.

20. The method of managing the delivery schedule as recited in claim 18, further comprising the step of updating the electronic manifest with said actual ship date and the respective additional capacity utilized.

21. The method of managing the delivery schedule as recited in claim 17, further comprising the step of getting the zip code to which the order is to be delivered and the braid of the respective good in the order.

22. The method of making the delivery schedule as recited in claim 21, further comprising the step of getting a respective supplier ship schedule based on the zip code and brand of good ordered.

23. The method of managing the delivery schedule as recited in claim 22, further comprising the step of selecting a delivery agent and a respective capacity matrix based on the zip code of the order.

24. The method of managing the delivery schedule as recited in claim 23, further comprising the step of determining the first potential ship date to the buyer'"'"'s address based on the capacity of the delivery agent and the delivery schedule of the delivery agent.

15. A method of managing a delivery schedule of an order using a system configured with a server which includes a goods delivery system, the system including at least one computing unit networked to the server, the order being delivered from at least one supplier to a respective delivery agent, and from the delivery agent to a respective buyer, wherein the order comprises order information, said method comprising the steps of:

calculating a first potential arrival date of the order to a respective delivery agent'"'"'s location using the server system based on the order request date and the buyer'"'"'s address;

determining the ability of the respective delivery agent to ship the order within a set of potential delivery dates based on the first potential arrival date request and the first date a respective delivery agent is prepared to ship the goods; and

selecting the actual delivery date from said set of potential delivery dates.

25. The method of managing the delivery schedule as recited in claim 15, wherein said order information comprises data selected from the group including, the order date, the model number, the quantity of items, the brand of the item, the service to be selected, the requested delivery date, the buyer'"'"'s delivery address, the security level clearance, and status information.

26. A computer program storage medium readable by a computer system and encoding a computer program of instructions for executing a computer process for managing deliveries of a goods delivery system, the system employed to deliver an order from at least one supplier to a respective delivery agent, and from the delivery agent to a respective buyer, given order information, said computer process comprising the steps of:

determining a first potential arrival date of the order to a respective delivery agent'"'"'s location, based on the order request date and the buyer'"'"'s address;

determining the ability of the respective delivery agent to ship the order based on the first potential arrival date request; and

determining a delivery date to the buyer when there is sufficient delivery agent capacity to ship the order to the buyer'"'"'s address.

36. The computer process as recited in claim 26, further comprising the step of allowing order changes to be made based on the users security level clearance.

37. The computer process as recited in claim 36, further comprising the step of updating the electronic manifest with status information.

38. The computer process as recited in claim 37, further comprising the step of running said delivery management schedule when a reschedule has been requested.

39. The computer process as recited in claim 26, wherein said order information comprises data selected from the group including, the order date, the model number, the quantity of items, the brand of the item, the service to be selected, the requested delivery date, the buyer'"'"'s delivery address, the security level clearance, and status information.

27. The computer process as recited in clam 26, further comprises the step of calculating a first potential arrival date of the order wherein the step of calculating a first potential arrival date of the order further comprises the step of selecting the first potential arrival date from a supplier ship schedule based on the day the order is placed plus a fixed delay.

28. The computer process as recited in claim 27, wherein the step of determining the ability of the respective delivery agent to ship further comprises the step of calculating the number of slots to be shipped from a work unit matrix.

29. The computer process as recited in claim 28, further comprises the step of multiplying each item in the order by a work unit selected from a work unit matrix to determine the number of slots for each order.

30. The computer process as recited in claim 29, wherein the step of determining when there is sufficient capacity to ship the order further comprising the step of determining the fist available date to completely ship the order to the buyer based on a capacity matrix and based on the number of available delivery slots.

31. The computer process as recited in claim 29, further comprising the step of updating the electronic manifest indicating the order ship date and the additional capacity utilized.

32. The computer process as recited in claim 28, further comprising the step of getting the zip code to which the order is to be delivered and the brand of the respective good in the order.

33. The computer process as recited in claim 32, further comprising the step of getting a respective supplier ship schedule based on the zip code and brand of good ordered.

34. The computer process as recited in claim 33, further comprising the step of selecting a delivery agent and a respective capacity matrix based on the zip code of the order.

35. The computer process as recited in claim 34, further comprising the step of determining the first potential ship date to the buyer'"'"'s address based on the capacity of the delivery agent and the delivery schedule of the delivery agent.

40. An apparatus for managing the delivery of an order from at least one supplier to a respective delivery agent, and from the delivery agent to a respective buyer, given order information, said apparatus comprising:

means for determining a first potential arrival date of the order to a respective delivery agent'"'"'s location, based on the order request date and the buyer'"'"'s address;

means for determining the ability of the respective delivery agent to ship the order based on the first potential arrival date request;

meals for determining a delivery date to the buyer when there is sufficient delivery agent capacity to ship the order to the buyer'"'"'s address; and

means for updating an electronic manifest indicating the order ship date and the additional capacity utilized.

41. A method of managing a delivery schedule of a multiple brand order using a system configured with a server which includes a goods delivery system, the system including at least one computing unit networked to the server, the order being delivered from at least two suppliers to a respective delivery agent, and from the delivery agent to a respective buyer, wherein the order comprises order information, said method comprising the steps of:

calculating a first potential arrival date of the order to a respective delivery agent'"'"'s location using the server system based on the order request date and the buyer'"'"'s address;

determining the ability of the respective delivery agent to ship the multiple brand order from the at least two suppliers based on the first potential arrival date request; and

determining a delivery date to the buyer when there is sufficient delivery agent capacity to ship the order to the respective buyer'"'"'s address.

42. The method of managing the delivery schedule as recited in claim 41, wherein the step of calculating a first potential arrival date of the order further comprises the step of selecting the first potential arrival date from each of said supplier ship schedules based on the day the order is placed plus a fixed delay.

43. The method of managing the delivery schedule as recited in claim 42, wherein the step of determining the ability of the respective delivery agent to ship further comprises the step of calculating the number of slots to be shipped from a work unit matrix.

44. The method of managing the delivery schedule as recited in claim 43, further comprises the step of multiplying each item in the order by a work unit selected from a work wait matrix to determine the number of slots for each order.

45. The method of managing the delivery schedule as recited in claim 43, wherein the step of determining when there is sufficient capacity to ship the order further comprising the step of determining the first available date to completely shi the order to the respective buyer based on a respective capacity matrix and based on the number of available delivery slots.

46. The method of managing the delivery schedule as recited in claim 44, further comprising the step of updating an electronic manifest indicating the order ship date and the additional capacity utilized.

47. The method of managing the delivery schedule as recited in claim 43, further comprising the step of getting each zip code to which a portion of the order is to be delivered and the brand of the respective good in the order.

48. The method of managing the delivery schedule as recited in claim 47, further comprising the step of getting a respective supplier ship schedule based on the zip code and brand of good ordered.

49. The method of managing the delivery schedule as recited in claim 48, further comprising the step of selecting a delivery agent and a respective capacity matrix based on the respective zip code of the order.

50. The method of managing the delivery schedule as recited in claim 49, further comprising the step of determining the first potential ship date to the respective buyers address based on the capacity of the delivery agent and the delivery schedule of the delivery agent.

51. A method of managing a delivery schedule of a multiple brand order using a system configured with a server which includes a goods delivery system, the system including at least one computing unit networked to the server, the order being delivered from at least two suppliers to a respective delivery agent, and from the delivery agent to a buyer, wherein the order comprises order information, said method comprising the steps of:

calculating a first potential arrival date of the order to a respective delivery agent'"'"'s location using the server system based on the order request date and the buyer'"'"'s address;

determining the ability of the delivery agent to ship the order based on the first potential arrival date request; and

determining a delivery date to the buyer when there is sufficient delivery agent capacity to ship the order to the buyer'"'"'s address.

52. The method of managing the delivery schedule as recited in claim 51, wherein the step of calculating a first potential arrival date of the order further conprises the step of selecting the first potential arrival date from a respective supplier'"'"'s ship schedule based on the day the order is placed plus a fixed delay.

53. The method of managing the delivery schedule as recited in claim 52, wherein the step of determining the ability of the delivery agent to ship further comprises the step of calculating the number of slots to be shipped from a work unit matrix.

54. The method of managing the delivery schedule as recited in claim 53, further comprises the step of multiplying each item in the order by a work unit selected from a work unit matrix to determine the number of slots for each order.

55. The method of managing the delivery schedule as recited in claim 53, wherein the step of determining when there is sufficient capacity to ship the order further comprising the step of determining the first available date that to completely ship the order to the buyer based on a capacity matrix and based on the number of available delivery slots.

56. The method of managing the delivery schedule as recited in claim 54, further comprising the step of updating an electronic manifest indicating the order ship date and the additional capacity utilized.

57. The method of managing the delivery schedule as recited in claim 53, further comprising the step of getting the zip code to which the order is to be delivered and the brand of the respective good in the order.

58. The method of managing the delivery schedule as recited in claim 57, further comprising the step of getting a respective supplier ship schedule based on the zip code and brand of good ordered.

59. The method of managing the delivery schedule as recited in claim 58, further comprising the step of selecting a delivery agent and a respective capacity matrix based on the zip code of the order.

60. The method of managing the delivery schedule as recited in claim 59, further comprising the step of determining the first potential ship date to the buyer'"'"'s address based on the capacity of the delivery agent and the delivery schedule of the delivery agent.