CROSS-BORDER SHIPPING SOLUTION

• US 20140058971A1
• Filed: 08/21/2012
• Published: 02/27/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Original Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Inventors: Muppirala, Prakash, Varadan, Madhusudan, Narang, Sanjay
• Application Number:
  US13/591,018
• Publication Number:
  US 20140058971A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/333
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0831 Overseas transactions

Abstract

A cross-border shipping system is described. Information from a cross-border commercial transaction between a seller and a buyer for an item is accessed from an online marketplace. A virtual shipping carrier service is generated for the cross-border commercial transaction using at least one of the shipping carriers transparent to the seller and the buyer. A virtual tracking identifier is generated for the virtual shipping carrier service. The virtual tracking identifier identifies the cross-border commercial transaction and the corresponding shipping carriers.

Claims

1. A cross-border shipping system comprising:

a transaction module configured to access information from a cross-border commercial transaction between a seller and a buyer for an item in an online marketplace;

a virtual shipping carrier service module configured to generate a virtual shipping carrier service for the cross-border commercial transaction using at least one of a plurality of shipping carriers that are transparent to the seller and the buyer;

a storage device configured to store information from the cross-border commercial transaction and from the plurality of shipping carriers; and

a virtual shipping carrier tracking module configured to generate a tracking identifier for the virtual shipping carrier service, the tracking identifier identifying the cross-border commercial transaction and corresponding shipping carriers.

2. The cross-border shipping system of claim 1, wherein the virtual shipping carrier service module is configured to compute a shipping itinerary for the virtual shipping carrier service for the item in the cross-border commercial transaction from a combination of the plurality of shipping carriers, the cross-border commercial transaction comprising an international border commercial transaction or a state border commercial transaction.

3. The cross-border shipping system of claim 2, wherein the virtual shipping carrier service module is configured to optimize the shipping itinerary using a shipping preference.

4. The cross-border shipping system of claim 1, wherein the virtual shipping carrier service module is configured to compute a plurality of shipping itineraries using different combinations of the plurality of shipping carriers.

5. The cross-border shipping system of claim 2, wherein the virtual shipping carrier service module is configured to optimize the shipping itinerary with a fast total shipping time, a lowest total shipping cost, a lowest number of total shipping transits, a shortest total shipping distance, a least amount of shipping carriers, or most energy-efficient shipping carriers.

6. The cross-border shipping system of claim 2, wherein the virtual shipping carrier service module is configured to optimize the shipping itinerary with:

most reliable shipping carriers, most popular route based on the cross-border commercial transaction, or most secure route.

7. The cross-border shipping system of claim 2, wherein the virtual shipping carrier tracking module further comprises:

a shipping itinerary module configured to use the tracking identifier to access the shipping itinerary and to identify shipping carriers corresponding to the shipping itinerary; and

a shipping carrier tracking module configured to access the corresponding shipping carriers for a shipping status, to aggregate shipping tracking details from the shipping carriers, and to generate a shipping status from the virtual shipping carrier service.

8. The cross-border shipping system of claim 2, wherein the virtual shipping carrier tracking module further comprises:

a virtual postage module configured to generate a single computer-readable code corresponding to the shipping itinerary to be identified across the plurality of shipping carriers for postage payment.

9. The cross-border shipping system of claim 1, further comprising:

a shipping carrier communication module configured to communicate with the plurality of shipping carriers to access shipping time and cost estimates, shipping routes, shipping services, and shipping schedules.

10. The cross-border shipping system of claim 1, further comprising:

a duty service module configured to access the cross-border commercial transaction, to generate harmonization codes using details from the cross-border commercial transaction, and to generate electronic customs form based on the harmonization codes and details from the cross-border commercial transaction to the corresponding shipping carriers.

11. The cross-border shipping system of claim 1, further comprising:

a virtual shipping carrier interface module configured to provide a single shipping carrier shipping platform to the buyer and the seller, and to present a plurality of shipping options based on combinations of shipping carriers that are transparent to the buyer and the seller.

12. A computer-implemented method comprising:

accessing information from a cross-border commercial transaction between a seller and a buyer for an item in an online marketplace;

generating a virtual shipping carrier service for the cross-border commercial transaction using at least one of a plurality of shipping carriers that are transparent to the seller and the buyer;

storing information from the cross-border commercial transaction and from the plurality of shipping carriers in a storage device; and

generating, using a processor, a tracking identifier for the virtual shipping carrier service, the tracking identifier identifying the cross-border commercial transaction and corresponding shipping carriers.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 12, further comprising:

computing a shipping itinerary for the virtual shipping carrier service for the item in the cross-border commercial transaction from a combination of the plurality of shipping carriers, the cross-border commercial transaction comprising an international border commercial transaction or a state border commercial transaction.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, further comprising:

optimizing the shipping itinerary using a shipping preference.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 12, further comprising:

computing a plurality of shipping itineraries using different combinations of the plurality of shipping carriers.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, further comprising:

optimizing the shipping itinerary with;

a fast total shipping time, a lowest total shipping cost, a lowest number of total shipping transits, a shortest total shipping distance, a shortest amount of shipping carriers, most energy-efficient shipping carriers, most reliable shipping carriers, a most popular route based on the cross-border commercial transaction, or a most secure route.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, further comprising:

using the tracking identifier to access the shipping itinerary and to identify shipping carriers corresponding to the shipping itinerary;

accessing the corresponding shipping carriers for a shipping status;

aggregating shipping tracking details from the shipping carriers;

generating a shipping status from the virtual shipping carrier service; and

generating a single computer-readable code corresponding to the shipping itinerary to be identified across the plurality of shipping carriers for postage payment.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, further comprising:

accessing the cross-border commercial transaction;

generating harmonization codes using details from the cross-border commercial transaction; and

generating electronic customs form based on the harmonization codes and details from the cross-border commercial transaction to the corresponding shipping carriers.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 12, further comprising:

providing a single shipping carrier shipping platform to the buyer and the seller; and

presenting a plurality of shipping options based on combinations of shipping carriers that are transparent to the buyer and the seller.

20. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a set of instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations, comprising:

accessing information from a cross-border commercial transaction between a seller and a buyer for an item in an online marketplace;

generating a virtual shipping carrier service for the cross-border commercial transaction using at least one of a plurality of shipping carriers that are transparent to the seller and the buyer;

storing information from the cross-border commercial transaction and from the plurality of shipping carriers; and

generating a tracking identifier for the virtual shipping carrier service, the tracking identifier identifying the cross-border commercial transaction and corresponding shipping carriers.