Cargo reservation system and method
First Claim
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4. A method for allocating cargo transport space to members of a cargo club, comprising:
- providing a plurality of units of cargo transport space available during a predetermined time period on a recurring periodic basis;
assigning a portion of the plurality of units to each of the members for use during the predefined time period;
reserving at least one unit of cargo transport space on behalf of a member in a particular predefined time period;
reducing the total number of units available to the member, for the particular predefined time period, by the number of units reserved on behalf of the member; and
automatically crediting each member with a numerical quantity representative of the assigned portion of the plurality of units at the beginning of a new predefined time period.
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Abstract
A cargo reservation system and method is provided wherein interested parties are united together in the form of a club to purchase cargo transportation units or rights in a cargo space. The level of membership is based on the amount of cargo transportation units an interested individual has purchased in the club. A member is given the opportunity to reserve their total amount of cargo transportation units on a first come first serve basis without individual club members having to negotiate or bid on the price of the freight services.
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Citations
25 Claims
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4. A method for allocating cargo transport space to members of a cargo club, comprising:
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providing a plurality of units of cargo transport space available during a predetermined time period on a recurring periodic basis;
assigning a portion of the plurality of units to each of the members for use during the predefined time period;
reserving at least one unit of cargo transport space on behalf of a member in a particular predefined time period;
reducing the total number of units available to the member, for the particular predefined time period, by the number of units reserved on behalf of the member; and
automatically crediting each member with a numerical quantity representative of the assigned portion of the plurality of units at the beginning of a new predefined time period. - View Dependent Claims (5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A method for providing cargo transport space to members of a group, comprising the steps of:
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recruiting the members for shipping cargo;
arranging for available bulk cargo transport, over a plurality of predetermined time periods;
allocating the cargo transport space available for each predetermined time period, as a plurality of cargo units; and
apportioning to each member of the group, a portion of said plurality of cargo units, each member being entitled to the use of the portion during each of the plurality of predetermined time periods. - View Dependent Claims (1, 2, 3, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 19, 20, 21)
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15-1. The method of claim 10, wherein, during the apportioning step, the cargo units apportioned to each member are not assigned for specific dates of transport.
- 17. The method of claim 16, wherein each member reserves specific dates of transport for at least a portion of the apportioned portion, during a specific predetermined time period.
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22. A method for reserving cargo transportation space by a member of a cargo club, wherein each member of the cargo club is allocated the use of a set quantity of units of cargo space on a recurring periodic basis, each of the set quantity of units not being limited to a particular transport date, the method comprising the steps of:
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accessing a cargo reservation system including a database which includes information on the set quantity of units of cargo space allocated to the member in each predetermined time period and information on a quantity of units of cargo space not yet reserved on behalf of the member during a particular time period; and
reserving a quantity of units of cargo transportation space on a particular transport date for the benefit of the member, the quantity of units reserved being limited by information contained in the database. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25)
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Specification