System and method for providing a price quotation for a transportation service

• US 20080201274A1
• Filed: 03/07/2008
• Published: 08/21/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/01/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Canadian National Railway Company
• Original Assignee: Canadian National Railway Company
• Inventors: Ernesaks, Anita, Podgurny, Leonard John
• Application Number:
  US12/073,663
• Publication Number:
  US 20080201274A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/400
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/083 Shipping
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08345 Pricing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0283 Price estimation or determination
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]

Abstract

A method and system for computing the price for the transportation of goods on a route are provided where the route has at a first segment and a second segment adjacent the first segment. The goods are transported on the first segment by a mode of transportation other than a train and are transported on the second segment by a train. A computer is caused to deliver information to a user prompting the user to enter at the computer information conveying one or more characteristics of the first segment. The computer is also caused to deliver information to the user prompting the user to enter at the computer information conveying one or more characteristics of the second segment. A price for the transportation of the goods on the route is then computed at least in part on the basis of the characteristics of the first segment entered by the user and the characteristics of the second segment entered by the user.

Claims

1. ) A computer readable storage medium containing a program element for execution by a CPU for computing a price for the transportation of goods on a route having at a first segment and a second segment adjacent the first segment, the goods being transported on the first segment by a mode of transportation other than a train, the goods being transported on the second segment by a train, said program element comprising:

a) a first program component for causing a computer to deliver information to a user prompting the user to enter at the computer information conveying one or more characteristics of the first segment;

b) a second program component for causing the computer to deliver information to the user prompting the user to enter at the computer information conveying one or more characteristics of the second segment;

c) a third program component for computing a price for the transportation of the goods on the route at least in part on the basis of the characteristics of the first segment entered by the user and the characteristics of the second segment entered by the user.

2. ) A method for computing the price for the transportation of goods on a route having at a first segment and a second segment adjacent the first segment, the goods being transported on the first segment by a mode of transportation other than a train, the goods being transported on the second segment by a train, comprising:

a) causing a computer to deliver information to a user prompting the user to enter at the computer information conveying one or more characteristics of the first segment;

b) causing the computer to deliver information to the user prompting the user to enter at the computer information conveying one or more characteristics of the second segment;

c) computing a price for the transportation of the goods on the route at least in part on the basis of the characteristics of the first segment entered by the user and the characteristics of the second segment entered by the user.

3. ) A method for providing a quote for the price for the transportation of goods on a route having at a first segment and a second segment adjacent the first segment, the goods being transported on the first segment by a mode of transportation other than a train, the goods being transported on the second segment by a train, comprising:

a) displaying information at a client system prompting the user to enter at the client system information conveying one or more characteristics of the first segment;

b) sending to a server system the information entered by the user conveying one or more characteristics of the first segment;

c) displaying information at the client system prompting the user to enter at the client system information conveying one or more characteristics of the second segment;

d) sending to the server system the information entered by the user conveying one or more characteristics of the second segment;

e) receiving at the client system from the server system information about the price for the transportation of the goods on the route computed at least in part on the basis of the characteristics of the first segment entered by the user and the characteristics of the second segment entered by the user;

f) displaying at the client system to the user the information about the computed price for the transportation of the goods on the route.

4. ) A server system for computing a quote for the price for the transportation of goods on a route having at a first segment and a second segment adjacent the first segment, the goods being transported on the first segment by a mode of transportation other than a train, the goods being transported on the second segment by a train, said server system containing a program element for execution by a CPU, said program element comprising:

a) a first program component for causing a remote client system to deliver information to a user prompting the user to enter at the remote client system information conveying one or more characteristics of the first segment;

b) a second program component for causing the remote client system to deliver information to the user prompting the user to enter at the computer information conveying one or more characteristics of the second segment;

c) a third program component for computing a price for the transportation of the goods on the route at least in part on the basis of the characteristics of the first segment entered by the user and the characteristics of the second segment entered by the user.

5. ) A client-server system for computing a quote for the price for the transportation of goods on a route having at a first segment and a second segment adjacent the first segment, the goods being transported on the first segment by a mode of transportation other than a train, the goods being transported on the second segment by a train, comprising:

a) a client system;

b) a server system, said client system and said server system operative to exchange messages over a data network;

c) a first program component for execution on said server system for sending messages to said client system for causing said client system to deliver information to a user prompting the user to enter at the remote client system information conveying one or more characteristics of the first segment;

d) a second program component for execution on said server system for causing the remote client system to deliver information to the user prompting the user to enter at the computer information conveying one or more characteristics of the second segment;

e) said client system being operative to send to said server system messages to communicate to said server the information entered by the user and conveying one or more characteristics of the first segment and one or more characteristics of the second segment;

f) a third program element executed at said server system for computing a price for the transportation of the goods on the route at least in part on the basis of the characteristics of the first segment entered by the user and the characteristics of the second segment entered by the user.