METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR EFFECTIVE DISTRIBUTION AND DELIVERY OF GOODS ORDERED ON THE WORLD-WIDE-WEB

• US 20070276741A1
• Filed: 08/09/2007
• Published: 11/29/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Pyxis Mobil, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Mars Incorporated
• Inventors: Rabinovitch, Kevin, Willcocks, Neil, Collins, Thomas, Izzo, Henry, Chimel, Mark, Tuttrup, Robert
• Application Number:
  US11/836,420
• Publication Number:
  US 20070276741A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/26
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/203 Inventory monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0605 Supply or demand aggregation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing

Abstract

An apparatus and method for delivering goods ordered by a plurality of customers, in which a plurality of customers place orders for goods from a vendor, the vendor fulfills its orders by combining into a single shipping order the goods ordered by a plurality of customers who are geographically close to a single local pick-up point, and the vendor causes the single shipping order to be sent to a local pick-up point.

Claims

1-34. -34. (canceled)

35. :

A method for delivering goods ordered by a plurality of customers, comprising;

enabling a plurality of customers to place orders for one or more goods from a vendor maintaining a server on a network; and

for each of the one or more goods in an order placed by a given customer, the vendor server determining whether the good is currently available at a local pick-up point geographically close to the given customer, and treating each such good separately depending on whether the good is currently available at the local pick-up point, as follows;

(i) in a case where the good is currently available at the local pick-up point, the vendor server ear-marking that good for the given customer, and

(ii) in a case where the good is not currently available at the local pick-up point, the vendor server fulfilling the order of the given customer by causing the good to be shipped to the local pick-up point in a single shipping order in combination with one or more goods ordered by others from among the plurality of customers who are also geographically close to the local pick-up point.

36. :

A method according to claim 35, wherein the orders are placed via the Internet.

37. :

A method according to claim 35, further comprising notifying a customer when an order is available for pick-up.

38. :

A method for designating local receipt of items ordered from a vendor at a remote location, comprising;

enabling a customer to place an order for one or more items via a sever maintained by a vendor on a network;

enabling the customer to provide to the vendor a customer location via the vendor server;

enabling the customer to choose a local pick-up point from among local pick-up points offered by the vendor;

for each of the one or more items, the vendor server determining whether the item is currently available at the chosen local pick-up point, and treating each such item separately depending on whether the item is currently available at the chosen local pick-up point, as follows;

(i) in a case where the item is currently available at the chosen local pick-up point, the vendor server ear-marking that item for the customer, and

(ii) in a case where the item is not currently available at the chosen local pick-up point, the vendor server fulfilling the order by causing the item to be shipped to the chosen local pick-up point; and

upon receipt of the multiple items at the local pick-up point, providing notification to the customer that the order is available for pick-up.

39. :

A method according to claim 38, wherein the network is the Internet.

40. :

A method according to claim 38, further comprising enabling the customer to select from among options relating to the local pick-up point, customized based on at least one of;

a type of item ordered and a pick-up capability of the customer.

41. :

A method for delivering goods ordered by a plurality of customers, comprising;

enabling a plurality of customers to place orders for one or more goods from a plurality of vendors via servers maintained by the vendors on a network;

for each of the one or more goods in an order placed by a given customer, each vendor fulfilling the order by determining via the respective vendor server if the good is currently available at a local pick-up point geographically close to the given customer, and, treating each such good separately depending on whether the good is currently available at the local pick-up point, as follows;

(i) in a case where the good is currently available at the local pick-up point, the respective vendor server ear-marking that good for the given customer, and

(ii) in a case where the good is not currently available at the local pick-up point, causing the good to be shipped to the local pick-up point in a single shipping order in combination with goods ordered by those from among the plurality of customers who are geographically close to respective local pick-up points.

42. :

A method according to claim 41, wherein the orders are placed via the Internet.

43. :

A method according to claim 41, further comprising enabling a customer to select from among options relating to a pick-up point, customized based on at least one of;

a type of good ordered and a pick-up capability of the customer.

44. :

A computer-readable medium storing computer code that when executed causes a computer to perform a method for controlling delivery of goods, wherein the method comprises;

receiving orders for one or more goods from a plurality of customers;

determining, for each of the one or more goods, whether the good is currently available at a local pick-up point geographically close to the ordering customer, and treating each such good separately depending on whether the good is currently available at the local pick-up point, as follows;

(i) in a case where the good is currently available at the local pick-up point, ear-marking that good for the ordering customer, and

(ii) fulfilling the ordering customer'"'"'s order by, in a case where the good is not currently available at the local pick-up point, causing the good to be shipped to the local pick-up point in a single shipping order in combination with goods ordered by those from among the plurality of customers who are geographically close to respective local pick-up points.

45. :

A computer-readable medium according to claim 44, wherein the network is the Internet.

46. :

A computer-readable medium according to claim 44, wherein the method further comprises enabling a customer to select from among options relating to a pick-up point, customized based on at least one of;

a type of good ordered and a pick-up capability of the customer.