Proof of presence and confirmation of parcel delivery systems and methods

• US 20050006470A1
• Filed: 06/18/2004
• Published: 01/13/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2003
• 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: Estep, Dennis, Mrozik, Walter R., Ridley, David T., Deckman, Robert L., Funari, Andrew Paul
• Granted Patent: US 7,341,186 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/385
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06028 using bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management

Abstract

The present invention involves systems and methods of linking a unique identifier with a package identifier to provide confirmation of the delivery of the package to a certain location or individual. The unique identifier may be associated with a location or an individual. In one embodiment, it is a barcode and the package identifiers are barcodes as well. The barcodes are scanned by a service provider using a hand-held data acquisition and storage device thereby linking the unique identifier to the package identifiers. The information is transferred from the hand-held device to a database where it is used to compile reports for and provide information to the service provider, the shipper, and the recipient of the packages. The invention may be incorporated into an inventory management system such that when confirmation of actual delivery has been received, the recipient will release payment to its vendors.

Claims

1. A system for confirming the delivery of one or more items by a delivery service to a delivery location, comprising:

at least one machine-readable unique location indicia located at the delivery location;

a machine-readable unique item indicia associated with each of the one or more items;

a data acquisition and storage device having a scanning element and capable of transferring information, wherein the at least one machine-readable unique location indicia is scanned by the scanning element and each of the machine-readable unique item indicia are scanned by the scanning element and the location indicia is linked to each of the item indicia; and

a server, to which information about said location indicia and said linked item indicia is transferred from said data acquisition and storage device and made accessible over a network via the server.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one machine-readable unique location indicia is comprised of at least one barcode.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one machine-readable unique location indicia is comprised of at least one RFID transponder tag.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the machine-readable unique item indicia associated with each of the one or more items is comprised of a barcode.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the machine-readable unique item indicia associated with each of the one or more items is comprised of a RFID transponder tag.

6. A system for confirming the delivery of at least one item to a delivery location by a service provider, comprising:

at least one machine-readable unique location indicia located at said delivery location;

a machine-readable unique item indicia associated with each item;

a data acquisition and storage device having a scanning element and capable of transferring information, wherein the at least one machine-readable unique location indicia is scanned by the scanning element and each of the machine-readable unique item indicia are scanned by the scanning element; and

a server, to which information about said location indicia and said linked item indicia is transferred from the data acquisition and storage device and the location indicia is linked to each of the item indicia and made accessible over a network via the server.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the at least one machine-readable unique location indicia is comprised of at least one barcode.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the at least one machine-readable unique location indicia is comprised of at least one RFID transponder tag.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein the machine-readable unique item indicia associated with each of the one or more items is comprised of a barcode.

10. The system of claim 6, wherein the machine-readable unique item indicia associated with each of the one or more items is comprised of a RFID transponder tag.

11. The system of claim 6, wherein the at least one machine-readable unique location indicia located at said delivery location is further comprised of a placard having at least one machine-readable unique location indicia thereon.

12. A system for confirming the delivery of one or more parcels by a delivery service to a delivery location, comprising:

a placard having at least a first unique barcode and a second unique barcode located thereon, wherein said placard is located at the delivery location;

a package tracking barcode associated with each of the one or more parcels;

a data acquisition and storage device having a scanning element and capable of transferring information, wherein at a first delivery during a business day at the delivery location the first unique barcode is scanned by the scanning element and each of the package tracking barcodes associated with the parcels delivered in the first delivery and the first unique barcode is linked to each of the package tracking barcodes of the parcels in the first delivery and where at a second delivery during the business day at the delivery location the second unique barcode is scanned by the scanning element and each of the package tracking barcodes associated with the parcels delivered in the second delivery and the second unique barcode is linked to each of the package tracking barcodes of the parcels in the second delivery; and

a server, to which information about said first unique barcode and its linked package tracking codes and information about said second unique barcode and its linked package tracking codes is transferred from the data acquisition and storage device and made accessible over a network via the server.

13. A method of providing indication of the delivery location of one or more parcels by a delivery service, said method comprising:

providing at least one unique machine-readable location indicia at the delivery location;

providing a unique machine-readable package indicia on each of the one or more parcels;

scanning the unique machine-readable location indicia at the delivery location;

scanning each of the unique machine-readable package indicia on each of the one or more parcels;

linking the unique machine-readable location indicia to each of the unique machine-readable package indicia;

delivering said one or more parcels at said delivery location; and

making said information about said delivery accessible over a network;

wherein said information includes information about the unique machine-readable location indicia and each of the unique machine-readable package indicia linked to the unique machine-readable location indicia.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein scanning the unique machine-readable location indicia at the delivery location and scanning each of the unique machine-readable package indicia on each of the one or more parcels is performed by a data acquisition and storage device having an associated scanning element.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein linking the unique machine-readable location indicia to each of the unique machine-readable package indicia is performed electronically by the data acquisition and storage device.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein linking the unique machine-readable location indicia to each of the unique machine-readable package indicia is performed electronically by a computing device separate from the data acquisition and storage device.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein providing at least one unique machine-readable location indicia at the delivery location and providing a unique machine-readable package indicia on each of the one or more parcels is performed by providing at least one unique barcode at the delivery location and a unique barcode on each of the one or more parcels.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein providing at least one unique machine-readable location indicia at the delivery location and providing a unique machine-readable package indicia on each of the one or more parcels is performed by providing at least one RFID transponder tag at the delivery location and a RFID transponder tag on each of the one or more parcels.

19. The method of claim 13, wherein providing at least one unique machine-readable location indicia at the delivery location and providing a unique machine-readable package indicia on each of the one or more parcels is performed by providing at least one RFID transponder tag at the delivery location and a unique barcode on each of the one or more parcels.

20. The method of claim 13, wherein providing at least one unique machine-readable location indicia at the delivery location and providing a unique machine-readable package indicia on each of the one or more parcels is performed by providing at least one unique barcode at the delivery location and a RFID transponder tag on each of the one or more parcels.

21. A method of providing indication of the delivery location of at least two parcels by a delivery service, said method comprising:

providing at least two unique machine-readable location indicia at the delivery location;

wherein said at least two unique machine-readable location indicia are comprised of a primary unique machine-readable location indicia and a secondary machine-readable location indicia;

providing at least two sets of parcels for delivery at the delivery location, a first set of parcels that is comprised of at least one parcel having a unique machine-readable package indicia on each of the first set of parcels and a second set of parcels that is comprised of at least one parcel having a unique machine-readable package indicia on each of the second set of parcels;

delivering the first set of parcels at the delivery location during a first delivery during a business day by;

scanning the primary unique machine-readable location indicia at the delivery location and scanning each of the unique machine-readable package indicia on each of the first set of parcels; and

linking the primary unique machine-readable location indicia to each of the unique machine-readable package indicia on each of the first set of parcels;

delivering the second set of parcels at the delivery location during a second delivery during the business day by;

scanning the secondary unique machine-readable location indicia at the delivery location and scanning each of the unique machine-readable package indicia on each of the second set of parcels; and

linking the secondary unique machine-readable location indicia to each of the unique machine-readable package indicia on each of the second set of parcels; and

making information about said first and second delivery accessible over a network;

wherein said information includes information about the primary unique machine-readable location indicia and each of the unique machine-readable package indicia of the first set of parcels that is linked to the primary unique machine-readable location indicia and includes information about the secondary unique machine-readable location indicia and each of the unique machine-readable package indicia of the second set of parcels that is linked to the secondary unique machine-readable location indicia.

22. A method of determining the location where one or more shipped parcels are received, comprising:

providing one or more unique location identifiers that are associated with at least one delivery location;

linking at least one of the one or more unique location identifiers that may be obtained only while at the delivery location where at least one of the one or more shipped parcels are received with a unique package identifier for each parcel of the one or more shipped parcels that are delivered at the delivery location thereby indicating the delivery location where the packages was delivered, and

making available information about shipped parcels that have had their unique package identifier linked to a location identifier accessible over a network.

23. A method of inventory reconciliation, comprising:

shipping one or more packages containing inventory items by a service provider to one or more delivery locations, wherein each of the one or more packages have a unique package identifier and each delivery location has at least one unique delivery location identifier;

recording the inventory items that are shipped to each delivery location in an inventory accounting for each delivery location along with the unique package identifier of the one or more packages that contain the inventory items shipped to each delivery location;

receiving from the service provider information about the delivery location that each of the one or more packages are delivered, wherein said information includes each the one or more unique delivery location identifiers and the unique package identifier of each package that is delivered to each of the one or more delivery locations; and

updating the inventory accounting for each delivery location with the information from the service provider that indicates an actual delivery location for each of the one or more packages that were shipped.

24. A method of providing on a computer indication of the delivery location of one or more parcels by a delivery service, said method comprising:

providing at least one unique machine-readable location indicia at the delivery location;

providing a unique machine-readable package indicia on each of the one or more parcels;

scanning the unique machine-readable location indicia at the delivery location with a scanning element associated with a data acquisition and storage device;

scanning each of the unique machine-readable package indicia on each of the one or more parcels with the scanning element associated with the data acquisition and storage device;

electronically linking the unique machine-readable location indicia to each of the unique machine-readable package indicia with the data acquisition and storage device;

delivering said one or more parcels at said delivery location; and

transferring said information about said delivery from the data acquisition and transfer device to a computer having a memory, storing said information in the memory and making said information about said delivery accessible over a network connected to said computer;

wherein said information includes information about the unique machine-readable location indicia and each of the unique machine-readable package indicia linked to the unique machine-readable location indicia.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein providing at least one unique machine-readable location indicia at the delivery location and providing a unique machine-readable package indicia on each of the one or more parcels is performed by providing at least one unique barcode at the delivery location and a unique barcode on each of the one or more parcels.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein providing at least one unique machine-readable location indicia at the delivery location and providing a unique machine-readable package indicia on each of the one or more parcels is performed by providing at least one RFID transponder tag at the delivery location and a RFID transponder tag on each of the one or more parcels.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein providing at least one unique machine-readable location indicia at the delivery location and providing a unique machine-readable package indicia on each of the one or more parcels is performed by providing at least one RFID transponder tag at the delivery location and a unique barcode on each of the one or more parcels.

28. The method of claim 25, wherein providing at least one unique machine-readable location indicia at the delivery location and providing a unique machine-readable package indicia on each of the one or more parcels is performed by providing at least one unique barcode at the delivery location and a RFID transponder tag on each of the one or more parcels.

29. A method of providing on a computer indication of the delivery location of one or more parcels by a delivery service, said method comprising:

providing at least one unique machine-readable location indicia at the delivery location;

providing a unique machine-readable package indicia on each of the one or more parcels;

scanning the unique machine-readable location indicia at the delivery location with a scanning element associated with a data acquisition and storage device;

scanning each of the unique machine-readable package indicia on each of the one or more parcels with the scanning element associated with the data acquisition and storage device;

delivering said one or more parcels at said delivery location;

transferring said information about said delivery from the data acquisition and transfer device to a computer having a memory; and

electronically linking the unique machine-readable location indicia to each of the unique machine-readable package indicia with the computer;

storing said information in the memory and making said information about said delivery accessible over a network connected to said computer;

wherein said information includes information about the unique machine-readable location indicia and each of the unique machine-readable package indicia linked to the unique machine-readable location indicia.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein providing at least one unique machine-readable location indicia at the delivery location and providing a unique machine-readable package indicia on each of the one or more parcels is performed by providing at least one unique barcode at the delivery location and a unique barcode on each of the one or more parcels.

31. The method of claim 29, wherein providing at least one unique machine-readable location indicia at the delivery location and providing a unique machine-readable package indicia on each of the one or more parcels is performed by providing at least one RFID transponder tag at the delivery location and a RFID transponder tag on each of the one or more parcels.

32. The method of claim 29, wherein providing at least one unique machine-readable location indicia at the delivery location and providing a unique machine-readable package indicia on each of the one or more parcels is performed by providing at least one RFID transponder tag at the delivery location and a unique barcode on each of the one or more parcels.

33. The method of claim 29, wherein providing at least one unique machine-readable location indicia at the delivery location and providing a unique machine-readable package indicia on each of the one or more parcels is performed by providing at least one unique barcode at the delivery location and a RFID transponder tag on each of the one or more parcels.