System and method for controlling the transport of articles

• US 20060190360A1
• Filed: 02/24/2005
• Published: 08/24/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kandysystems Ltd. (International Distributions Services plc)
• Original Assignee: e-Courier, Inc. (Fintrax Group Holdings Ltd.)
• Inventors: Bregman, Jay Phillip, Ghiani, Gianpaolo, Musmanno, Roberto, Guccione, Massimo, Allason, Thomas Edward Michael, Fiorita, Gianluca, Attanasio, Andrea L.
• Granted Patent: US 7,828,202 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/28
• 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

Abstract

A system and method for controlling the transport of articles comprises in one embodiment one or more communication devices for receiving and transmitting data, at least one primary server in communication with the primary server for allocating couriers for the collection and delivery of articles, a program for controlling the server, and at least one remote interface for placing orders for the collection and delivery of the articles, wherein the program, upon the execution of an order, compares stored historical travel times from one geographic location to another with actual travel times from one geographic location to another to thereby provide updated estimates for the collection time and delivery time of articles provided in subsequent orders.

Claims

1. A system for controlling the transport of articles, said control system comprising:

one or more communication devices for receiving and transmitting data, said communication devices in the possession of one or more couriers;

at least one primary server for allocating couriers for the collection and delivery of a plurality of articles, said primary server in communication with said communication devices, said primary server having a program for controlling said server;

one or more secondary servers in communication with said primary server and said communication devices; and

at least one remote interface for placing orders for the collection and delivery of a plurality of articles;

wherein said program, upon the execution of an order, compares stored historical travel times from one geographic location to another with actual travel times from one geographic location to another to thereby provide updated estimates for the collection time and delivery time of articles provided in subsequent orders.

2. A transport control system according to claim 1, wherein said program operates with said primary server to select a suitable courier for a given order based upon a plurality of variables.

3. A transport control system according to claim 2, wherein at least one of said secondary servers directs an order to one of said communication devices in possession of the selected courier upon acceptance of the order by the selected courier.

4. A transport control system according to claim 1, wherein said communication devices transmit and receive voice and data information.

5. A transport control system according to claim 1, wherein said communication devices communicate with a global positioning network.

6. A transport control system according to claim 1, wherein said communication devices transmit present geographic location to said primary server over a network.

7. A transport control system according to claim 1, wherein said primary server stores data related to historical travel time from one geographic location to another.

8. A transport control system according to claim 1, wherein said primary server hosts a neural network that operates with said program to accomplish adaptive learning during the selection of a suitable courier.

9. A transport control system according to claim 1, wherein said program:

compares stored historical travel times from one geographic location to another with collected actual travel times upon execution of an order; and

updates the stored historical travel times to reflect variations between the historical travel times and the actual travel times.

10. A transport control system according to claim 1, wherein at least one of said secondary servers generates cost estimates for delivering article from one geographic location to another.

11. A transport control system according to claim 1, wherein at least one of said secondary servers stores orders placed by customers.

12. A transport control system according to claim 1, wherein at least one of said secondary servers generates information regarding the status of one or more orders, said status information accessible by a user over a network.

13. A transport control system according to claim 1, wherein at least one of said secondary servers generates a display depicting the current geographic location and status of the couriers.

14. A transport control system according to claim 1, wherein at least one of said secondary servers facilitates communication between said primary server, said remote interface, and said mobile communication devices.

15. A transport control system according to claim 1, wherein at least one of said secondary servers hosts a website.

16. A transport control system according to claim 1, wherein said communication devices, said primary server, and said secondary servers exchange one or more messages, said messages being related to an order placed by a customer.

17. A transport control system according to claim 16, wherein a first of said one or more messages comprises an offer of the order for acceptance by a courier.

18. A transport control system according to claim 17, wherein said first message is communicated from said primary server to one of said communication devices.

19. A transport control system according to claim 16, wherein a second of said one or more messages comprises an acceptance or a rejection by a courier of the offer of the order.

20. A transport control system according to claim 19, wherein said second message is communicated from said communication device in possession of the courier to one of said secondary servers.

21. A transport control system according to claim 16, wherein a third of said one or more messages comprises order information necessary for the collection and delivery of the article.

22. A transport control system according to claim 21, wherein said third message is communicated from one of said secondary servers to one of said communication devices in possession of a courier.

23. A transport control system according to claim 16, wherein a fourth of said one or more messages comprises the time and date of collection of the article to be delivered.

24. A transport control system according to claim 23, wherein said fourth message is communicated from said communication device in possession of the courier to said primary server.

25. A transport control system according to claim 16, wherein a fifth of said one or more messages comprises the time and date of delivery of the article.

26. A transport control system according to claim 25, wherein said fifth message is communicated from said communication device in possession of the courier to said primary server.

27. A transport control system according to claim 1, further comprising a central processing facility having a plurality of local interfaces for communicating with said primary server.

28. A method of controlling the transport of articles, said method comprising the steps of:

collecting one or more orders for delivery of one or more articles, the orders comprising an origin and a destination of the articles to be delivered;

selecting a suitable courier based upon a plurality of variables, the selection accomplished by at least one server having a program for selecting couriers based on a plurality of variables; and

performing the delivery of the articles.

29. A controlling method according to claim 28, wherein the step of collecting comprises receiving an order from a remote location over a network.

30. The controlling method according to claim 29, wherein the order is transmitted from a remote interface to the server.

31. The controlling method according to claim 29, wherein the order is transmitted from a telephone over the public switched telephone network to a central processing facility for placement into the server.

32. The controlling method according to claim 28, wherein the step of selecting a suitable courier comprises identifying the geographical locations of one or more communication devices in possession of one or more couriers;

wherein the communication devices are in communication with the server.

33. The controlling method according to claim 32, wherein the step of selecting a suitable courier further comprises communicating the geographical locations of the communication devices to the server.

34. The controlling method according to claim 28, wherein the step of performing the delivery of the articles comprises exchanging one or more messages between the communication devices and the server, the messages being related to an order placed by a customer.

35. The controlling method according to claim 34, wherein a first of the one or more messages comprises an offer of the order for acceptance by a courier.

36. The controlling method according to claim 35, wherein the first message is communicated from the server to the communication device in possession of the selected courier.

37. The controlling method according to claim 34, wherein a second of the one or more messages comprises an acceptance or a rejection by the selected courier of the offer of the order.

38. The controlling method according to claim 37, wherein the second message is communicated from the communication device in possession of the selected courier to the server.

39. The controlling method according to claim 34, wherein a third of the one or more messages comprises order information necessary for the collection and delivery of the article.

40. The controlling method according to claim 39, wherein the third message is communicated from the server to the communication device in possession of the selected courier.

41. The controlling method according to claim 28, further comprising the steps of:

collecting the article to be delivered; and

exchanging one or more messages between the communication devices and the server, the messages being related to the collection of an article.

42. The controlling method according to claim 41, wherein a first of the one or more messages comprises the time and date of collection of the article to be delivered.

43. The controlling method according to claim 42, wherein the first message is communicated from the communication device in possession of the selected courier to the server.

44. The controlling method according to claim 28, further comprising the steps of:

delivering the article; and

exchanging one or more messages between the communication devices and the server, the messages being related to the delivery of an article.

45. The controlling method according to claim 44, wherein a first of the one or more messages comprises the time and date of delivery of the article.

46. The controlling method according to claim 45, wherein the first message is communicated from the communication device in possession of the selected courier to the server.

47. The controlling method according to claim 28, further comprising the step of repositioning couriers to account for an increase in the number of orders in a particular geographic location.