Internet-based shipping, tracking and delivery network and system components supporting the capture of shipping document images and recognition-processing thereof initiated from the point of pickup and completed while shipment is being transported to its first scanning point in the network so as to increase velocity of shipping information through network and reduce delivery time

• US 20080172303A1
• Filed: 01/17/2007
• Published: 07/17/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/17/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fedex Corporate Services Incorporated (FedEx Corporation), Metrologic Instruments Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Fedex Corporate Services Incorporated (FedEx Corporation), Metrologic Instruments Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Inventors: Zhu, Xiaoxun, Skaaksrud, Ole-Petter, Gordon, Wayne Luke, Smith, Jeffrey Robert, Dryden, Cameron Dee, Rhodes, Robert Russell
• Granted Patent: US 7,775,431 B2
• 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

Abstract

A global-extensive Internet-based shipping, tracking, and delivery network supporting the capture of shipping document images and recognition-processing thereof initiated from the point of pickup and completed while shipment is transported to the first scanning point in the network so as to significantly reduce delivery time, and enable early clearance of international customs documents, early billing and improved customer service operations over the network.

Claims

1-105. -105. (canceled)

106. An Internet-based shipping, tracking, and delivery network supporting the capture of shipping document images and recognition-processing thereof initiated from a point of shipment pickup and completed while shipments are transported to its first scanning point in said network so as to significantly increase velocity of shipping information through the network, as well as reduce delivery time over the network.

107. The Internet-based shipping, tracking, and delivery network of claim 106, which further comprises digital image capture, processing and transmission processes at the point of pickup so as to expedite the processing of shipping document images and the recognition of shipping information contained therein which is entered in a shipping information database (RDBMS), for access and use at a time when the image package arrives at a first scanning point (e.g. pickup and delivery terminal or sorting and routing hub) in said network.

108. The Internet-based shipping, tracking, and delivery network of claim 107, which comprises a plurality of pickup/delivery vehicles, each being equipped with a mobile image capture and processing (MICAP) system employing a two-dimensional imaging array and an integrated illumination source, with no moving parts.

109. The Internet-based shipping, tracking, and delivery network of claim 108, which allows customs clearance processing to start immediately following shipment pickup, and the capture, processing and transmission of digital images of the original shipping document applied to the shipment.

110. The Internet-based shipping, tracking, and delivery network of claim 108, wherein errors in shipping documents can be addressed before a courier returns to said first scanning point and while the customer is available.

111. The Internet-based shipping, tracking, and delivery network of claim 107, wherein at its first scanning point (e.g. pickup and delivery terminal or sorting and routing hub), the bar-coded shipment tracking number contained in the original shipping document is read using an optical scanning device or an imaging-based bar code reading device, so as to access shipping information stored in said RDBMS corresponding to the shipment.

112. The Internet-based shipping, tracking, and delivery network of claim 108, wherein the electronic data files of captured digital images of shipping documents are automatically encoded with the original shipment tracking number, while the electronic data file is named or titled using the same shipment tracking number.

113. The Internet-based shipping, tracking, and delivery network of claim 108, which further comprises a plurality of image processing application servers and a plurality of human-operated data-keying workstations for expediting the processing of such digital images, the recognition of shipping information graphically encoded with received digital image files (e.g. employing automatic form and character recognition processes, and human intelligence when needed), and storing the extracted shipping information in said RDBMS on the network, while the pickup/delivery vehicle is transporting the package from its point of pickup to its first scanning point in said network.

114. The Internet-based shipping, tracking, and delivery network of claim 113, wherein said scanning point is a place selected from the group consisting of a pickup and delivery terminal and sorting and routing hub in said network.

115. The Internet-based shipping, tracking, and delivery network of claim 108, wherein electronic data files of captured digital images of shipping documents are automatically encoded with both automatically recognized original shipment tracking number(s) as well as shipping information contained in the original shipping manifest, while the electronic file is named or titled using the shipment tracking number.

116. The Internet-based shipping, tracking, and delivery network of claim 106, wherein one or more image processing application servers are deployed to expedite the extraction of shipping information encoded with the headers of received digital image files, and storing the extracted shipping information in said RDBMS on the network, while the pickup/delivery vehicle is transporting the package from its point of pickup to its first scanning point in the network.

117. The Internet-based shipping, tracking, and delivery network of claim 106, wherein if the transmitted image file does not contain recognized shipping information (extracted from the original shipping manifest), due to a failure to recognize by a client-side automated form and character recognition engine at the point of shipment pickup, then the role of said image processing application servers and human-operated data-keying workstations will be to expedite the processing of such digital images, the recognition of shipping information graphically encoded with received digital image files (e.g. employing automatic form and character recognition processes, and human intelligence when needed), and storing the extracted shipping information in said RDBMS on the network.

118. An Internet-based shipping, tracking, and delivery network which makes efficient use of shipment transport time (i.e. measured from the time of shipment pickup to arrival at its first scanning point), wherein digital image capture/processing and shipment transport operations are performed in a parallel manner, namely, the processing digital images of shipping documents, extracting of shipping information graphically represented said digital images, loading extracted shipping information into a shipping information RDBMS, while the shipment is still in transit on a pickup/delivery vehicle to said first scanning point, and thereby facilitating rapid relabeling of a shipment at its first scanning point in said network, early customs clearance of the shipment, and early billing thereof.

119. The Internet-based shipping, tracking, and delivery network of claim 118, after reading the original shipment tracking number at the first scanning point in the network and accessing the RDBMS, a unique network-assigned machine-readable (NAMR) shipping label, comprising an intelligent 2D bar-coded symbol and/or RFID tag (encoded with a unique network-assigned shipment tracking number as well as shipping information abstracted from the original shipping label) is generated, and then applied to the shipment;

and thereafter at subsequent sorting and routing hubs in the network, the intelligent NAMR label is read so as to access shipping information encoded therein and sort and route the package through the network to its intended destination indicated by the shipping information contained in the intelligent NAMR shipping label.

120. The Internet-based shipping, tracking, and delivery network of claim 119, wherein after reading the original shipment tracking number at the first scanning point in the network and accessing the RDBMS, the unique network-assigned machine-readable (NAMR) shipping label, comprising a 1D bar-code symbol and/or RFID tag, encoded with unique network-assigned shipment tracking number, is generated and applied the NAMR shipping label to the shipment;

and thereafter at subsequent sorting and routing hubs in the network, the shipment tracking number contained in the NAMR shipping label is read to access the RDBMS, and shipping information stored in the RDBMS is then used to sort and route the package through the network to its destination indicated in the RDBMS.

121. The Internet-based shipping, tracking, and delivery network of claim 119, wherein after reading the original shipment tracking number at the first scanning point in the network to access the RDBMS therewith, shipping information stored in the RDBMS is used to sort and route the shipment through the network to its intended destination indicated in the RDBMS.

122. The Internet-based shipping, tracking, and delivery network of claim 119, wherein a mobile digital image capture and processing instrument is employed aboard each pickup/delivery vehicle in the network, and which is particularly adapted for rapid digital imaging and processing of customer shipping documents at the point of shipment pickup, as well as the transmission of such digital images to a data collection and processing center on the network, so as to expedite the processing of such digital images, the extraction of shipping information therefrom, and storing of the extracted shipping information in a shipping information RDBMS on the network, all while the pickup/delivery vehicle is transporting the shipment from the point of pickup to the first scanning point in the network, thereby shortening delivery time through the network to its ultimate destination.