Apparatus, systems and methods for interfacing with digital scales configured with remote client computer devices

• US 20070299686A1
• Filed: 08/27/2007
• Published: 12/27/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/06/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Stamps.com, Inc., Iship Incorporated (United Parcel Service Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Stamps.com, Inc., Iship Incorporated (United Parcel Service Incorporated)
• Inventors: McLaughlin, Paul, Hu, Sean
• Granted Patent: US 7,774,285 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/407
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 19/4148 for controlling postal rate in articles to be mailed franking apparatus with means for computing G07B17/02
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0834 Choice of carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems

Abstract

The present invention provides apparatus, systems and methods providing a digital scale interface in a global communications shipping management environment so that a shipping management system resident on a server computer device remote from a user client computer device, receive and recognizes a weight of a parcel from the digital scale configured with the remote user client computer device.

Claims

1-18. -18. (canceled)

19. A server-based, Internet-enabled computer system, said server-based, Internet-enabled computer system comprising a computer device programmed to:

provide a set of executable computer program instructions to a browser software program executing on a remote user computer device and accessing the server-based, Internet-enabled computer system, the set of executable computer program instructions configured for installation via the browser software on the remote user computer device, the set of executable computer program instructions configured to;

1) determine for a weighing device configured for communication with the remote user computer device, a set of weighing device configuration information comprising;

(A) a make of the weighing device, (B) a model of the model of the weighing device, and (C) a type of communications port through which the weighing device communicates with the remote user computer device,

2) open a communications port of the remote user computer device, according to the type of communications port, that corresponds to the weighing device,

3) send to the weighing device through the communications port, an at least one weight measurement instruction according to the set of weighing device configuration information for instructing the weighing device to measure a weight of an item,

4) interpret a return data stream from the weighing device according to the set of weighing device configuration information to determine the weight of the item, and

5) provide the weight of the item to the browser software program for communication to the server-based, Internet-enabled computer system; and

receive the weight of the item.

20. The server-based, Internet-enabled computer system of claim 19, said server-based, Internet-enabled computer system further programmed to:

use the weight of the item to calculate at least one shipping rate for shipping the item.

21. The server-based, Internet-enabled computer system of claim 19, said server-based, Internet-enabled computer system further programmed to:

use the weight to calculate at least one shipping rate for shipping the item; and

display the at least one shipping rate on a display device configured with the first remote user computer device.

22. A server-based, Internet-enabled computer system, said server-based, Internet-enabled computer system comprising a computer device programmed to:

detect an indication by a browser-software program executing on a remote user computer device, that an item is to be weighed using a weighing device that is configured for communication with the remote user computer device;

provide a set of executable computer program instructions to the browser software program, for installation on the remote user computer device, the set of executable computer program instructions, as installed on the remote user computer device, operable to;

1) determine for the weighing device, a set of weighing device configuration information comprising;

(A) a make of the weighing device, (B) a model of the model of the weighing device, and (C) a type of communications port through which the weighing device communicates with the remote user computer device,

2) open a communications port of the remote user computer device, according to the type of communications port, that corresponds to the weighing device,

3) send to the weighing device through the communications port, an at least one weight measurement instruction according to the set of weighing device configuration information for instructing the weighing device to measure a weight of the item,

4) interpret a return data stream from the weighing device to determine the weight of the item, and

5) provide the weight of the item to the browser software program for communication to the server-based, Internet-enabled computer system; and

receive the weight of the item.

23. The server-based, Internet-enabled computer system of claim 22, said server-based, Internet-enabled computer system further programmed to:

use the weight of the item to calculate at least one shipping rate for shipping the item.

24. The server-based, Internet-enabled computer system of claim 22, said server-based, Internet-enabled computer system further programmed to:

use the weight to calculate at least one shipping rate for shipping the item; and

display the at least one shipping rate on a display device configured with the first remote user computer device.

25. A server-based computer system, said server-based computer system comprising a computer device programmed to:

provide a set of executable computer program instructions to a browser software program executing on a remote user computer device and accessing the server-based computer system, the set of executable computer program instructions configured for installation via the browser software on the remote user computer device, the set of executable computer program instructions configured to;

1) determine for a weighing device configured for communication with the remote user computer device, a type of communications port and a communications port, through which the weighing device communicates with the remote user computer device, and

2) open the communications port according to the type of communications port.

26. The server-based computer system of claim 25, the set of executable computer program instructions further configured to:

3) determine for the weighing device;

(A) a make of the weighing device, and (B) a model of the model of the weighing device.

27. The server-based computer system of claim 26, the set of executable computer program instructions further configured to:

4) determine for the weighing device an at least one weight measurement instruction according to the make and the model, for instructing the weighing device to measure a weight of an item.

28. The server-based computer system of claim 27, the set of executable computer program instructions further configured to:

4) send to the weighing device through the communications port, the at least one weight measurement instruction.

29. The server-based computer system of claim 28, the set of executable computer program instructions further configured to:

5) interpret a return data stream from the weighing device according to the set of weighing device configuration information to determine the weight of the item.

30. The server-based computer system of claim 29, the set of executable computer program instructions further configured to:

5) provide the weight of the item to the browser software program for communication to the server-based, Internet-enabled computer system.

31. The server-based computer system of claim 31, said server-based computer system further programmed to:

receive the weight of the item.

32. The server-based computer system of claim 31, said server-based computer system further programmed to:

use the weight of the item to calculate at least one shipping rate for shipping the item.

33. The server-based computer system of claim 31, said server-based computer system further programmed to:

use the weight to calculate at least one shipping rate for shipping the item; and

display the at least one shipping rate on a display device configured with the first remote user computer device.

34. The server-based computer system of claim 31, said server-based computer system further programmed to:

use the weight to calculate a first shipping rate for shipping the item via a first delivery service offered by a first carrier; and

use the weight to calculate a second shipping rate for shipping the item via a second delivery service offered by the first carrier.

35. The server-based computer system of claim 34, said server-based computer system further programmed to:

use the weight to calculate a third shipping rate for shipping the parcel via a third delivery service offered by a second carrier.

36. The server-based computer system of claim 35, said server-based computer system further programmed to:

provide the browser software program for display on a display device configured for communication with the remote user computer device, a displayable representation of the first shipping rate, the second shipping rate, and the third shipping rate.