System and method for weighing and tracking freight
First Claim
1. A system for weighing and tracking freight comprising:
- identification information associated with each of a plurality of pieces of freight, the identification information being adapted to follow the piece of freight as it is transported by a freight carrier from an origin to a destination;
a lift truck equipped for lifting and moving a piece of freight;
a weighing device associated with the lift truck for obtaining the weight of the freight;
a scanner accessible to an operator of the lift truck for scanning the identification information associated with the piece of freight;
a base computer cooperating with the scanner for receiving the identification information for the piece of freight and cooperating with the weighing device for receiving the weight of the piece of freight; and
a database associated with said base computer for receiving and storing the weight data and identification information for the freight.
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0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
In a freight shipment system and method, the lift trucks used by the freight carrier for handling and loading freight shipments are equipped with a weighing device capable of weighing each piece of freight handled by the lift truck. The lift truck operator also has a scanner for scanning coded identification information associated with each piece of freight. As each piece of freight is handled by the lift truck, the coded identification information for that piece of freight is captured along with the weight of the load. This information is transmitted to a computer system where it can be used for real-time invoicing. The system can also obtain dimensional information about the volume of the piece of freight.
134 Citations
26 Claims
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1. A system for weighing and tracking freight comprising:
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identification information associated with each of a plurality of pieces of freight, the identification information being adapted to follow the piece of freight as it is transported by a freight carrier from an origin to a destination;
a lift truck equipped for lifting and moving a piece of freight;
a weighing device associated with the lift truck for obtaining the weight of the freight;
a scanner accessible to an operator of the lift truck for scanning the identification information associated with the piece of freight;
a base computer cooperating with the scanner for receiving the identification information for the piece of freight and cooperating with the weighing device for receiving the weight of the piece of freight; and
a database associated with said base computer for receiving and storing the weight data and identification information for the freight. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A system for weighing and tracking freight comprising:
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a lift truck equipped for lifting and moving a piece of freight;
a weighing device associated with the lift truck for obtaining the weight of the freight;
a scanner accessible to an operator of the lift truck for scanning the identifying information associated with the piece of freight;
an image scanner configured for scanning a piece of freight held by said lift truck and for obtaining dimensional data for the piece of freight;
a base computer cooperating with the scanner for receiving the identifying information for the piece of freight, cooperating with the weighing device for receiving the weight of the piece of freight, and cooperating with the image scanner for receiving dimensional data for the piece of freight; and
a database associated with said base computer for receiving and storing the weight data, the identifying information and the dimensional data for the freight. - View Dependent Claims (10)
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11. A system for weighing and tracking freight comprising:
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identification information associated with each of a plurality of pieces of freight, the identification information being intended to follow the piece of freight as it is transported by a freight carrier from an origin to a destination;
a lift truck equipped for lifting and moving a piece of freight;
a weighing device associated with the lift truck for obtaining the weight of the freight;
a handheld device accessible to an operator of the lift truck, the handheld device being communicatively connected to the weighing device for receiving weight data for the piece of freight, and the handheld device including a scanner for scanning the identification information associated with the piece of freight;
a base computer cooperating with the scanner for receiving the identification information for the piece of freight and cooperating with the weighing device for receiving the weight of the piece of freight; and
a database associated with said base computer for receiving and storing the weight data and identification information for the freight. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A method for weighing and tracking freight comprising:
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equipping a lift truck with a weighing device capable of obtaining the weight of each piece of freight handled by the lift truck;
scanning coded identifying information associated with a piece of freight in connection with the handling of the piece of freight by the lift truck;
using the weighting device to obtain weight data for the piece of freight handled by the lift truck;
obtaining dimensional data for the piece of freight handled by the lift truck; and
storing the thus obtained weight data, dimensional data and identifying information for the piece of freight. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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25. A method for weighing and tracking freight comprising:
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equipping a lift truck with a weighing device capable of obtaining the weight of each piece of freight handled by the lift truck;
providing the operator of the lift truck with a wireless handheld scanning device;
scanning coded identifying information associated with a piece of freight with the wireless handheld scanning device in connection with the handling of the piece of freight by the lift truck;
using the weighting device to obtain weight data for the piece of freight handled by the lift truck; and
wirelessly transmitting the identifying information and the weight data to a remote receiving site. - View Dependent Claims (26)
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Specification