METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR ACQUIRING DETAILED DELIVERY TRACKING

• US 20140222710A1
• Filed: 11/13/2013
• Published: 08/07/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/07/2013
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Descartes Systems (USA) LLC (The Descartes Systems Group Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Progressive Computer Services, Inc. (The Descartes Systems Group Incorporated)
• Inventors: WHEELOCK, Perry Lee, WEISS, Howard J., SWEET, Nicholas, ALLRED, Chandra Mari, BECKER, Martin Allen
• Application Number:
  US14/078,574
• Publication Number:
  US 20140222710A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/333
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0833 Tracking
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]

Abstract

Systems and methods for carton- and item-level tracking of deliveries to retail locations in a supply chain are described. A central shipment management system receives over a network, from one or more retail distribution centers associated with a plurality of retail locations, advanced shipping notice information describing one or more shipments of pluralities of cartons to a pool. The central computer system also receives, from the retailer or distribution center, product information including category and description information for items contained in a shipment to at least one retail location of the retailer. The received advance shipping notice information and the product information are processed. The processing applies one or more business logic rules to determine an estimated delivery date of the shipment to the at least one retail location. A portal accessible over the network by associates of the retail location is provided. The portal displays the item and carton information and the estimated delivery date associated with the item and carton information. Information regarding deliveries is updated based upon information from the pool provider.

Claims

1. A method for tracking deliveries comprising:

sending, from a retail location to a shipment management system, a first request for delivery status information; and

receiving, at said retail location, from said shipment management system, first delivery status information comprising;

first information regarding cartons to be delivered to said retail location in a first delivery, first information regarding items within each carton, and a delivery window,

wherein said first information regarding cartons to be delivered to said retail location in said first delivery is derived, by said shipment management system, at least in part, from a first advance shipping notice received by said shipment management system from a first warehouse management system.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said first information regarding items within each carton comprises at least one of:

SKUs of items within each carton, or, a category of items within each carton.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving, at said retail location, from said shipment management system, second delivery status information comprising second information regarding cartons to be delivered to said retail location in a first delivery,

wherein said second information regarding cartons to be delivered to said retail location in said first delivery is derived, by said shipment management system, at least in part, from a second advance shipping notice received by said shipment management system from a second warehouse management system.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said first delivery status information further comprises a delivery status.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein said delivery status comprises information indicative of whether a first shipment related to said first advance shipping notice and comprising cartons to be delivered to said retail location in said first delivery, has been received at a pool shipment location.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein said delivery status comprises information indicative of whether said first delivery has left a pool shipment location.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein said information regarding items within each carton to be delivered to said retail location in said first delivery is derived, by said shipment management system, at least in part, from a product file comprising information regarding mappings from SKU numbers to product descriptions or categories.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein selecting a user interface element related to a carton in said information regarding cartons to be delivered causes display of SKUs of items contained within the selected carton.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein a user interface display of information related cartons to be delivered comprises a list of carton categories and a quantity of cartons for each of the listed carton categories.

10. A system for tracking deliveries comprising:

a memory for storing program code and data;

a network interface for receiving and transmitting data;

a processor for executing program code for;

sending, from a retail location to a shipment management system, a first request for delivery status information; and

receiving at said retail location, from said shipment management system, first delivery status information comprising;

first information regarding cartons to be delivered to said retail location in a first delivery, first information regarding items within each carton, and a delivery window,

wherein said first information regarding cartons to be delivered to said retail location in said first delivery is derived, by said shipment management system, at least in part, from a first advance shipping notice received by said shipment management system from a first warehouse management system.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein said first information regarding items within each carton comprises at least one of:

SKUs of items within each carton, or, a category of items within each carton.

12. The system of claim 10 wherein said processor further executes program code for:

receiving, at said retail location, from said shipment management system, second delivery status information comprising second information regarding cartons to be delivered to said retail location in a first delivery,

wherein said second information regarding cartons to be delivered to said retail location in said first delivery is derived, by said shipment management system, at least in part, from a second advance shipping notice received by said shipment management system from a second warehouse management system.

13. The system of claim 10 wherein said first delivery status information further comprises a delivery status.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein said delivery status comprises information indicative of whether a first shipment, related to said first advance shipping notice and comprising cartons to be delivered to said retail location in a first delivery, has been received at a pool shipment location.

15. The system of claim 10 wherein said delivery status comprises information indicative of whether said first delivery has left a pool shipment location.

16. The system of claim 10 wherein said information regarding items within each carton to be delivered to said retail location in said first delivery is derived, by said shipment management system, at least in part, from a product file comprising information regarding mappings from SKU numbers to product descriptions or categories.

17. The system of claim 10 wherein selecting a user interface element related to a carton in said information regarding cartons to be delivered causes display of SKUs of items contained within the selected carton.

18. The system of claim 10 wherein a user interface display of information related cartons to be delivered comprises a list of carton categories and a quantity of cartons for each of the listed carton categories.

19. A method of facilitating transfer of packages comprising:

accepting input of information related to a package transfer request into a user interface provided by a shipment management system;

transmitting said information related to a package transfer request to said shipment management system;

receiving data comprising information for producing a label from said shipment management system in response to said submitted package transfer request;

transmitting a request for status of said package transfer; and

displaying a status of said package transfer using a user interface provided by said shipment management system.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein said information related to a package transfer request comprises at least one of:

identifying information for a destination retail location, a transfer identifier, a number of cartons, and a category.