SYSTEMS, DEVICES AND METHODS FOR INTEGRATED DISPLAY AND MANAGEMENT OF TRANSPORTATION RESOURCES

• US 20130110739A1
• Filed: 11/02/2011
• Published: 05/02/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/02/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Walmart Apollo, LLC (WalMart Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Wal-Mart Stores Texas LLC (WalMart Inc.)
• Inventors: Hill, Blake, Wilson, Ann, Liedka, Nicole, Hopkins, James A.
• Granted Patent: US 9,460,410 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/333
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0631 Resource planning, allocation, distributing or scheduling for enterprises or organisations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/083 Shipping

Abstract

Exemplary embodiments provide transportation management systems, devices and methods that allow display and management of transportation resources and operations in an integrated manner. Exemplary embodiments may provide, for example, a single dynamic and interactive interface for executing inbound transportation operations (procurement or pickup), outbound transportation operations (delivery or shipment), and operations in which multiple transportation resources are matched to one another.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for allowing management of transportation resources, the method comprising:

rendering, using a computer, a map of a geographical region on a user interface;

rendering on the map, using the computer, representations of a set of one or more available transportation resources at representations of current geographical locations of the one or more transportation resources;

rendering on the map, using the computer, representations of one or more unassigned loads at representations of current geographical locations of the one or more loads;

receiving user input selecting, directly on the map, representations of a first set of one or more transportation resources and representations of a first set of one or more loads, and defining, directly on the user interface, a transportation operation in which the first set of transportation resources is assigned to transport the first set of loads from one or more geographical pickup locations to one or more geographical destination locations; and

executing code to perform the transportation operation based on the user input on the user interface.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

automatically updating the current geographical locations of the one or more transportation resources and the one or more loads on the map.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising, upon definition of the transportation operation in which the first set of transportation resources is assigned to transport the first set of loads:

automatically updating a status of the first set of transportation resources to indicate that the first set of transportation resources is unavailable; and

automatically updating a status of the first set of loads to indicate that the first set of loads is assigned for transportation.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

upon selection of the first set of transportation resources, automatically recommending the first set of loads suitable for transportation using the first set of transportation resources.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the first set of loads is recommended based on the current geographical locations of the first set of transportation resources.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the first set of loads is recommended based on a type, a volume capacity and/or a size capacity of the first set of transportation resources.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

upon selection of the first set of loads, automatically recommending the first set of transportation resources suitable for transporting the first set of loads.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the first set of transportation resources is recommended based on the current geographical locations and/or the geographical destination locations of the first set of loads.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the first set of transportation resources is recommended based on a type, a volume and/or a size of the first set of loads.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein performance of the transportation operation comprises:

transmitting a message to a transportation management entity to transport the first set of loads using the first set of transportation resources to the one or more destination addresses.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein defining the transportation operation comprises:

dragging and dropping, on the map, the representations of the first set of transportation resources onto the representations of the first set of loads.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein defining the transportation operation comprises:

dragging and dropping, on the map, representations of the first set of loads onto representations of the first set of transportation resources.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving user input selecting, directly on the map, representations of the one or more geographical destination locations for transporting the first set of loads.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein two or more of the transportation resources are represented on the map using different types of representations and/or different colored representations.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein two or more of the loads are represented on the map using different types of representations and/or different colored representations.

16. A computer system for allowing management of transportation resources, the system comprising:

a display device for displaying a user interface, the user interface presenting;

a map of a geographical region,

representations of one or more available transportation resources rendered on the map at representations of current geographical locations of the one or more transportation resources, and

representations of one or more unassigned loads rendered on the map at representations of current geographical locations of the one or more loads; and

a processor programmed to;

receive user input selecting, directly on the map, representations of a first set of one or more transportation resources and representations of a first set of one or more loads, and defining, directly on the user interface, a transportation operation in which the first set of transportation resources are assigned to transport the first set of loads from a geographical pickup location to a geographical destination location, and

execute code to perform the transportation operation based on the user input on the user interface.

17. The computer system of claim 16, wherein the processor is further programmed to:

automatically update, on the map, the current geographical locations of the one or more transportation resources and the one or more loads.

18. The computer system of claim 16, wherein the processor is further programmed to, upon definition of the transportation operation in which the first set of transportation resources is assigned to transport the first set of loads:

automatically update a status of the first set of transportation resources to indicate that the first set of transportation resources is unavailable; and

automatically update a status of the first set of loads to indicate that the first set of loads is assigned for transportation.

19. The computer system of claim 16, wherein the processor is further programmed to:

upon selection of the representations of the first set of transportation resources, automatically recommend the first set of loads suitable for transportation using the first set of transportation resources.

20. The computer system of claim 19, wherein the first set of loads is recommended based on the current geographical locations of the first set of transportation resources.

21. The computer system of claim 19, wherein the first set of loads is recommended based on a type, a volume capacity and/or a size capacity of the first set of transportation resources.

22. The computer system of claim 16, wherein the processor is further programmed to:

upon selection of the first set of loads, automatically recommend the first set of transportation resources suitable for transporting the first set of loads.

23. The computer system of claim 22, wherein the first set of transportation resources is recommended based on the current geographical locations and/or the geographical destination location of the first set of loads.

24. The computer system of claim 22, wherein the first set of transportation resources is recommended based on a type, a volume and/or a size of the first set of loads.

25. The computer system of claim 16, wherein performance of the transportation operation comprises:

transmitting a message to a transportation management entity to transport the first set of loads using the first set of transportation resources to the destination address.

26. The computer system of claim 16, wherein defining the transportation operation comprises:

dragging and dropping, on the map, the representations of the first set of transportation resources onto the representations of the first set of loads.

27. The computer system of claim 16, wherein defining the transportation operation comprises:

dragging and dropping, on the map, representations of the first set of loads onto the representations of the first set of transportation resources.

28. The computer system of claim 16, wherein the processor is further programmed to:

receive user input selecting, directly on the map, a representation of the geographical destination location for the first set of loads.

29. The computer system of claim 16, wherein two or more of the transportation resources are represented on the map using different types of representations and/or different colored representations.

30. The computer system of claim 16, wherein two or more of the loads are represented on the map using different types of representations and/or different colored representations.

31. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing computer-executable instructions for performing a method for allowing management of transportation resources, the method comprising:

rendering, using a computer, a map of a geographical region on a user interface;

rendering on the map, using the computer, representations of a set of one or more available transportation resources at representations of current geographical locations of the one or more transportation resources;

rendering on the map, using the computer, representations of one or more unassigned loads at representations of current geographical locations of the one or more loads;

receiving user input selecting, directly on the map, representations of a first set of one or more transportation resources and representations of a first set of one or more loads, and defining, directly on the user interface, a transportation operation in which the first set of transportation resources is assigned to transport the first set of loads from one or more geographical pickup locations to one or more geographical destination locations; and

executing code to perform the transportation operation based on the user input on the user interface.

32. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 31, wherein the method further comprises:

automatically updating the current geographical locations of the one or more transportation resources and the one or more loads on the map.

33. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 31, wherein the method further comprises, upon definition of the transportation operation in which the first set of transportation resources is assigned to transport the first set of loads:

automatically updating a status of the first set of transportation resources to indicate that the first set of transportation resources is unavailable; and

automatically updating a status of the first set of loads to indicate that the first set of loads is assigned for transportation.

34. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 31, wherein the method further comprises:

upon selection of the first set of transportation resources, automatically recommending the first set of loads suitable for transportation using the first set of transportation resources.

35. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 34, wherein the first set of loads is recommended based on the current geographical locations of the first set of transportation resources.

36. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 34, wherein the first set of loads is recommended based on a type, a volume capacity and/or a size capacity of the first set of transportation resources.

37. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 31, wherein the method further comprises:

upon selection of the first set of loads, automatically recommending the first set of transportation resources suitable for transporting the first set of loads.

38. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 37, wherein the first set of transportation resources is recommended based on the current geographical locations and/or the one or more geographical destination locations of the first set of loads.

39. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 37, wherein the first set of transportation resources is recommended based on a type, a volume and/or a size of the first set of loads.

40. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 34, wherein performance of the transportation operation comprises:

transmitting a message to a transportation management entity to transport the first set of loads using the first set of transportation resources to the one or more destination addresses.

41. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 34, wherein defining the transportation operation comprises:

dragging and dropping, on the map, the representations of the first set of transportation resources onto the representations of the first set of loads.

42. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 34, wherein defining the transportation operation comprises:

dragging and dropping, on the map, representations of the first set of loads onto representations of the first set of transportation resources.

43. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 34, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving user input selecting, directly on the map, representations of the one or more geographical destination locations for transporting the first set of loads.

44. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 34, wherein two or more of the transportation resources are represented on the map using different types of representations and/or different colored representations.

45. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 34, wherein two or more of the loads are represented on the map using different types of representations and/or different colored representations.