Universal identifier systems in supply chain logistics
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A system for tracking packages shipped via one or more carriers, comprised of:
- a package visibility front-end that communicates with an interface over a network;
a visibility engine that communicates with said package visibility front-end, wherein said visibility engine is configured to capture user information from said interface, provide a tracking notification to one or more users, process user information and package-tracking information, and communicate with at least one of the carriers'"'"', a vendor'"'"'s or said one or more user'"'"'s systems;
one or more carrier databases and at least one of a subscription database or a package visibility database;
wherein said subscription database is a database where at least user and account administration data is stored, said package visibility database is a storage area where at least information about inbound and outbound packages to said one or more users is stored, and said one or more carrier databases that store at least package level detail information about packages in transit, said package level detail information of certain one or more packages in transit including one or more universal identifiers (UIDs) that are each associated with an authorized entity; and
wherein said system receives at least one valid universal identifier via said interface as a portion of said user information and said system and provides at least a portion of said package level detail information about said certain one or more packages that are associated with said at least one valid universal identifier via said interface and said authorized entity associated with at least one universal identifier is not a shipper and not a recipient of the certain one or more packages.
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Abstract
The present invention is generally directed to systems and methods to provide a user with visibility to certain packages that are transported by one or more carriers and that have a universal identifier included in each package'"'"'s package level detail information. The universal identifier may be used to access the package level detail information in each package by the parties to a shipping transaction and by third-parties that are not the shipper, recipient or intended recipient of the packages.
74 Citations
33 Claims
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1. A system for tracking packages shipped via one or more carriers, comprised of:
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a package visibility front-end that communicates with an interface over a network;
a visibility engine that communicates with said package visibility front-end, wherein said visibility engine is configured to capture user information from said interface, provide a tracking notification to one or more users, process user information and package-tracking information, and communicate with at least one of the carriers'"'"', a vendor'"'"'s or said one or more user'"'"'s systems;
one or more carrier databases and at least one of a subscription database or a package visibility database;
wherein said subscription database is a database where at least user and account administration data is stored, said package visibility database is a storage area where at least information about inbound and outbound packages to said one or more users is stored, and said one or more carrier databases that store at least package level detail information about packages in transit, said package level detail information of certain one or more packages in transit including one or more universal identifiers (UIDs) that are each associated with an authorized entity; and
wherein said system receives at least one valid universal identifier via said interface as a portion of said user information and said system and provides at least a portion of said package level detail information about said certain one or more packages that are associated with said at least one valid universal identifier via said interface and said authorized entity associated with at least one universal identifier is not a shipper and not a recipient of the certain one or more packages. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. A system for tracking one or more packages comprised of:
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an on-line transactions module accessible via an on-line transactions website via the Internet by one or more buyers and one or more sellers to conduct buy/sell transactions, wherein said buy/sell transactions comprise said sellers offering items for sale under a set of seller rules and said buyers may buy said items under a set of buyer rules and shipping transactions via one or more carriers for items sold by a buyer to a seller may be arranged through the on-line transactions website for a selected carrier;
a universal identification module, wherein shipping transactions that are arranged through the on-line transactions website have at least one unique universal identifier associated with the on-line transactions website that is assigned to package level detail information maintained by the selected carrier for each package shipped from the seller subsequent to said buy/sell transactions;
a tracking and reporting module, wherein each package shipped via the selected carrier and having the unique universal identifier is tracked and a status for each package is reported to an authorized operator of the on-line transactions website having knowledge of the unique universal identifier. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A universal identifier used in the shipment of one or more packages via one or more carriers, said universal identifier comprised of:
a string of alphabetical, numeric, alphanumeric characters or symbols of varying length that may be encoded into a machine-readable format, wherein said universal identifier is included in package level detail information of one or more packages as such package level detail information is maintained by at least one of the one or more carriers transporting the one or more packages and where the universal identifier may be used to obtain at least a portion of the package level detail information about the one or more packages regardless of the location the one or more packages are shipped to or from, shippers of the one or more packages, or recipients of the one or more packages. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A system for tracking packages having one or more universal identifiers, said system comprised of:
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at least one carrier database, wherein the carrier database stores package information about one or more packages that are in transit in a carrier system, including the universal identifier associated with each package;
a visibility engine in communication with the carrier database, wherein the visibility engine is configured to review said package information and to identify the one or more packages having a certain universal identifier; and
a user computer in communication with said visibility engine via a network, wherein the user computer is configured to receive shipping information associated with the one or more packages having the certain universal identifier, including at least a portion of said package information. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27)
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28. A system that allows a first user to receive information about one or more packages that are inbound and outbound via one or more carriers from users other than the first user, said system comprised of:
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a carrier database that stores shipping information for packages that are in transit in a carrier system;
a visibility engine in communication with the carrier database, wherein the visibility engine is configured to create an inbound subscription and an outbound subscription for the first user; and
a first user computer in communication with the visibility engine, wherein said visibility engine is configured to provide at least a portion of said shipping information for packages to the first user via the first user computer in accordance with the inbound or the outbound subscriptions. - View Dependent Claims (29, 30, 31, 32, 33)
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Specification