AUTONOMOUS COMMUNICATION IN SHIPPING

• US 20110320377A1
• Filed: 07/21/2011
• Published: 12/29/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/10/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: United Parcel Service Incorporated
• Original Assignee: United Parcel Service Of America Incorporated (United Parcel Service Incorporated)
• Inventors: Olsen, John A. III, Bradley, David L., Jenkins, Rhesa M.
• Granted Patent: US 10,318,912 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/339
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/00 Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/083 Shipping
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0833 Tracking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0835 Relationships between shipper or supplier and carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0836 Recipient pick-ups
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 2017/00379 Calculation of different sending options for a mail piece

Abstract

The invention provides a system and method for the autonomous wireless communication between a service provider device and a customer device. The customer device may notify the service provider device whether the customer has work to be performed by the service provider. The service provider device may provide information to the customer about work to be performed by the service provider. In one embodiment, a shipping service is notified autonomously about items that a customer has for pick up and shipment. The shipping service is also capable of wirelessly transferring information to a customer device about items to be delivered to that customer.

Claims

1. A method for determining whether a service provider needs to make a schedule pickup of an item at a customer location comprising the steps of:

identifying, using a service provider computing device, a customer location and an associated one or more network addresses that correspond one or more customer computing devices at the customer location;

establishing electronic communication with a customer computing device using a service provider computing device; and

after establishing electronic communication with a customer computing device, receiving data from the customer computing device (i) indicating that a customer has an item to be picked up at the customer location and (ii) comprising information about the item to be picked up from the customer location.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the identifying step comprises:

causing a display on the service provider computing device of a plurality of location identifiers, wherein each location identifier (a) identifies a customer location and (b) is associated with one or more network addresses that correspond respectively to one or more customer computing devices at the customer location.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the identifying step further comprises receiving a user input selecting the customer location.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the service provider computing device is a mobile device used by an agent proximate the customer location.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein establishing electronic communication with the customer computing device comprises polling the customer computing device.

6. The method of claim 3 further comprising receiving an acknowledgement from the customer computing device in response to polling the customer computing device.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising identifying at least a portion of a street address for the customer location associated with the location identifier.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the network address is a Media Access Control (MAC) address.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising determining global positioning system (GPS) coordinates for the customer location associated with location identifier.

10. A computer system comprising at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the processor, to cause the computer system to at least:

identify a customer location and an associated one or more network addresses that correspond one or more customer computing devices at the customer location;

establishing electronic communication with a customer computing device; and

after establishing electronic communication with a customer computing device, receiving data from the customer computing device (i) indicating that a customer has an item to be picked up at the customer location and (ii) comprising information about the item to be picked up from the customer location.

11. The computer system of claim 10, wherein the memory and computer program code are further configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus to:

cause a display on the service provider computing device of a plurality of location identifiers, wherein each location identifier (a) identifies a customer location and (b) is associated with one or more network addresses that correspond respectively to one or more customer computing devices at the customer location.

12. The computer system of claim 10, wherein the memory and computer program code are further configured to, with the processor, cause the computer system to receive a user input selecting the customer location as part of the identify step.

13. The computer system of claim 12, wherein the computer system comprises a mobile device used by an agent proximate the customer location.

14. The computer system of claim 10, wherein the memory and computer program code are further configured to, with the processor, cause the computer system to poll the customer computing device to establish electronic communication with the customer computing device.

15. The computer system of claim 14, wherein the memory and computer program code are further configured to, with the processor, cause the computer system to receive an acknowledgement from the customer computing device in response to polling the customer computing device.

16. The computer system of claim 10, wherein the memory and computer program code are further configured to, with the processor, cause the computer system to identify at least a portion of a street address for the customer location associated with the location identifier.

17. The computer system of claim 10, wherein the network address is a Media Access Control (MAC) address.

18. The computer system of claim 10, wherein the memory and computer program code are further configured to, with the processor, cause the computer system to determine global positioning system (GPS) coordinates for the customer location associated with location identifier.