METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR FACILITATING SHIPMENT OF PACKAGES
First Claim
1. A computer program product for processing shipment and return of a package containing items from a Sender to a Recipient, and including one or more computer readable instructions embedded on a computer readable medium and configured to cause one or more computer processors to perform the steps of:
- electronically storing package data, for the package, and including item data, for the items in the package, in a database, before shipment occurs;
electronically retrieving shipment tracking data, for tracking shipment of the package from the Sender to the Recipient and return of one or more items of the items of the package from the Recipient to the Sender, from a shipping mechanism;
electronically adding the shipment tracking data to the database;
electronically correlating the package data in the database with the shipment tracking data for the package;
electronically determining whether the package requires customs clearance and, if so, electronically generating the appropriate customs documentation or data transmission to a customs broker;
permitting an authorized user to query the database for processing the shipment of the package from the Sender to the Recipient and the return from the Recipient to the Sender of the one or more items of the items of the package; and
rendering data for display to an authorized user, based on a query of the database for shipping parameters of the package from the Sender to the Recipient and return from the Recipient to the Sender of the one more items of the items of the package.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A method and apparatus for facilitating the shipment of a package or packages, each package containing one or more items, from a Sender to a Recipient, via one of a number of shippers. The apparatus includes a database for storing shipper data, a processor for processing the data in the database, a Sender'"'"'s terminal for selectively receiving and sending shipment information to and from the processing system, a first communications link for selectively enabling communication between the database/processor and the Sender'"'"'s terminal, a second communications link for selectively communicating between the database/processor and the shipper of the package(s), and a third communications link for selectively communicating between the database/processor and customs facilitation entities such as customs brokers. The Internet may be used as at least one of the communication links, and the database may be made available through a Web site.
81 Citations
36 Claims
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1. A computer program product for processing shipment and return of a package containing items from a Sender to a Recipient, and including one or more computer readable instructions embedded on a computer readable medium and configured to cause one or more computer processors to perform the steps of:
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electronically storing package data, for the package, and including item data, for the items in the package, in a database, before shipment occurs; electronically retrieving shipment tracking data, for tracking shipment of the package from the Sender to the Recipient and return of one or more items of the items of the package from the Recipient to the Sender, from a shipping mechanism; electronically adding the shipment tracking data to the database; electronically correlating the package data in the database with the shipment tracking data for the package; electronically determining whether the package requires customs clearance and, if so, electronically generating the appropriate customs documentation or data transmission to a customs broker; permitting an authorized user to query the database for processing the shipment of the package from the Sender to the Recipient and the return from the Recipient to the Sender of the one or more items of the items of the package; and rendering data for display to an authorized user, based on a query of the database for shipping parameters of the package from the Sender to the Recipient and return from the Recipient to the Sender of the one more items of the items of the package. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A computer implemented system for processing shipment and return of a package containing items from a Sender to a Recipient, the system comprising:
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a database configured to store package data, for the package, and including item data, for the items in the package, before shipment occurs; a shipping mechanism configured to retrieve shipment tracking data, for tracking shipment of the package from the Sender to the Recipient and return of one or more items of the items of the package from the Recipient to the Sender; a computer processor configured to add the shipment tracking data to the database; the computer processor configured to correlate the package data in the database with the shipment tracking data for the package; the computer processor configured to determine whether the package requires customs clearance and, if so, to generate the appropriate customs documentation or data transmission to a customs broker; the computer processor configured to permit an authorized user to query the database for processing the shipment of the package from the Sender to the Recipient and the return from the Recipient to the Sender of the one or more items of the items of the package; and the computer processor configured to render data for display to an authorized user, based on a query of the database for shipping parameters of the package from the Sender to the Recipient and return from the Recipient to the Sender of the one more items of the items of the package. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36)
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Specification