SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR FACILITATION OF SHIPPING FROM MULTIPLE MERCHANDISE VENDORS
First Claim
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1. A method of facilitating a shipment, comprising:
- receiving a shipping request, wherein the shipping request includes at least a shipping queue having at least one shipping order;
posting the shipping request;
receiving a plurality of shipping bids associated with a plurality of different shipping vendors, the plurality of shipping bids comprising an offer to process all shipping orders in the shipping queue;
determining a winning shipping bid; and
posting the winning shipping bid to a particular shipping vendor, the particular shipping vendor being one of the plurality of shipping vendors.
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Abstract
The invention relates to an improved system and method for providing a service that coordinates shipping from a plurality of merchandise vendors by combining the shipping requirements from a plurality of physical locations into one transaction. The present invention coordinates shipping from a plurality of merchandise vendors in order to streamline shipping, allowing shippers to make fewer trips by combining deliveries, thus reducing costs. In addition, this invention enables separating the cost of shipping from the cost of the product, allowing the consumer to be concerned solely with the product quality and price.
26 Citations
25 Claims
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1. A method of facilitating a shipment, comprising:
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receiving a shipping request, wherein the shipping request includes at least a shipping queue having at least one shipping order; posting the shipping request; receiving a plurality of shipping bids associated with a plurality of different shipping vendors, the plurality of shipping bids comprising an offer to process all shipping orders in the shipping queue; determining a winning shipping bid; and posting the winning shipping bid to a particular shipping vendor, the particular shipping vendor being one of the plurality of shipping vendors. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A system for facilitating a shipment, comprising:
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a customer module operable to receive a shipping queue from a customer, the shipping queue having at least one shipping order, the shipping queue being operable to contain a plurality of shipping orders from a plurality of different merchandise vendors and wherein the shipping module is operable to post a shipping request for the shipping queue; at least two shipping vendor modules associated with a plurality of shipping vendors, the shipping vendor modules being operable to receive the posted shipping request, to determine a plurality of shipping bids for the shipping request, and to report the shipping bids to the customer module; wherein a particular shipping bid from a particular shipping vendor is chosen as the winning shipping bid. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
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24. A system for facilitating a shipment, comprising:
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means for posting a shipping request the shipping request including a shipping queue from a customer, the shipping queue having at least one shipping order, the shipping queue being operable to contain a plurality of shipping orders from a plurality of different merchandise vendors; means for receiving a plurality of shipping bids from a plurality of shipping vendors, the plurality of shipping bids having been posted in response to the shipping request; and means for determining a winning shipping bid, the winning shipping bid being one of the plurality of shipping bids. - View Dependent Claims (25)
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Specification