METHODS FOR COORDINATING THE DELIVERY OF PARCELS BY TRAVELERS

• US 20140236856A1
• Filed: 02/15/2013
• Published: 08/21/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/15/2013
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Jakhongir Baykhurazov
• Original Assignee: Jakhongir Baykhurazov
• Inventors: Baykhurazov, Jakhongir
• Application Number:
  US13/769,190
• Publication Number:
  US 20140236856A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/336
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0835 Relationships between shipper or supplier and carriers

Abstract

Methods for coordinating the delivery of parcels by travelers, which may include providing shipment data servers storing traveler records associated with potential travelers, receiving from senders traveler queries including desired destination entries associated with locations to which senders desires to send parcels, selecting traveler records including arrival location data consistent with the desired destination data, and providing to the sender contact data associated with suitable travelers. Some examples may include providing shipment data servers storing parcel records associated with potential senders, receiving from potential travelers parcel queries including arrival location entries, selecting parcel records including desired destination data consistent with the arrival location data, and providing to potential travelers contact data associated with suitable parcels. Some examples may include receiving parcels from senders, receiving desired destination locations from senders, receiving payment from senders, providing parcels to travelers, and providing to travelers at least portions of the payment.

Claims

1. A method for coordinating the delivery of parcels by a traveler, comprising:

providing a shipment data server storing one or more traveler records, each traveler record associated with a potential traveler and including;

an arrival location entry including arrival location data associated with an arrival location to which the potential traveler intends to travel; and

a traveler contact entry including traveler contact data, the traveler contact data providing an address for a sender to direct electronic communications to contact the potential traveler;

receiving from the sender a traveler query including a desired destination entry, the desired destination entry including desired destination data associated with a desired destination location to which the sender desires to send a parcel;

selecting, with a processor executing computer executable instructions, traveler records including arrival location data consistent with the desired destination data to define a set of suitable travelers; and

providing to the sender, in response to the traveler query, the traveler contact data associated with the travelers in the set of suitable travelers.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the traveler is under no obligation to deliver the parcel due to a pre-existing relationship with a parcel delivery service.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein:

one or more traveler records define a departure location entry including departure location data associated with a departure location from which the potential traveler intends to travel;

the traveler query includes a desired departure location entry, the desired departure location entry including desired departure location data associated with a desired departure location from which the sender desires to send the parcel; and

the traveler data associated with the travelers in the set of suitable travelers define departure location data consistent with the desired departure location data.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising providing user interface data configured to be communicated to a computer system operated by the sender and instruct the computer system to display a user interface on a display unit of the computer system operated by the sender, the user interface including:

a desired departure input configured to receive desired departure location data from the sender; and

a desired destination input configured to receive desired destination data from the sender; and

a traveler table simultaneously displaying traveler data associated with one or more queried traveler records.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein:

one or more traveler records define an arrival time entry including arrival time data associated with an arrival time at which the potential traveler is scheduled to arrive at the destination;

the traveler query includes a desired arrival time entry, the desired arrival time entry including desired arrival time data associated with a desired arrival time at which the sender desires to send the parcel to be received; and

the traveler data associated with the travelers in the set of suitable travelers define arrival time data consistent with the desired arrival time data.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein:

one or more traveler records define an departure time entry including departure time data associated with a departure time at which the potential traveler is scheduled to leave a departure location;

the traveler query includes a desired departure time entry, the desired departure time entry including desired departure time data associated with a desired departure time at which the sender desires the parcel to be sent; and

the traveler data associated with the travelers in the set of suitable travelers define departure time data consistent with the desired departure time data.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising communicating electronically to the sender an estimated parcel location associated with the parcel when the parcel is possessed by the traveler.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising tracking the estimated parcel location by receiving from a mobile electronic device possessed by the traveler data acquired with a location sensing device of the mobile electronic device.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising tracking the estimated parcel location by electronically accessing and translating published schedule data associated with a common carrier with whom the traveler intended to travel.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving payment data from the sender; and

directing a fee, in a manner directed by the payment data, to a selected traveler upon successful delivery of the parcel.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving recipient contact information from the sender; and

communicating the recipient contact information to a selected traveler, the selected traveler selected by the sender from the set of suitable travelers.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising holding the parcel for at the arrival location.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the shipment data server includes one or more traveler account records, each traveler account record associated with a potential traveler and includes traveler rating data associated with the sender'"'"'s level of satisfaction with the traveler'"'"'s performance;

and

further comprising;

receiving from the sender a sender rating associated with a selected traveler after the selected traveler has delivered the parcel; and

adjusting the traveler rating data in response to the sender rating.

14. A method for assisting parcel transport, comprising:

providing a shipment data server storing one or more parcel records, each parcel record associated with a potential sender desiring to ship a parcel and including;

a desired destination entry including desired destination data associated with a destination to which the sender desires to send the parcel; and

a sender contact entry including sender contact data, the sender contact data providing an address at which a potential traveler may contact the sender;

receiving from the potential traveler a parcel query including an arrival location entry, the arrival location entry including arrival location data associated with an arrival location to which the potential traveler intends to travel;

selecting, with a processor executing computer executable instructions, parcel records including desired destination data consistent with the arrival location data to define a set of suitable parcels; and

providing to the potential traveler, in response to the parcel query, the sender contact data associated with the parcels in the set of suitable parcels.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising providing user interface data configured to be communicated to a computer system operated by the sender and to instruct the computer system to display a user interface on a display unit of the computer system operated by the sender, the user interface including a parcel table simultaneously displaying parcel data associated with one or more queried parcel records.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein:

one or more parcel records include a parcel information entry including parcel data, the parcel data including physical characteristic data denoting, at least, a weight of the parcel and geometric dimensions of the parcel; and

the parcel table displays the parcel data associated with each queried parcel record.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein:

one or more sender records include a parcel information entry including parcel data, the parcel data corresponding to physical characteristics of the parcel;

the parcel query includes an excess capacity entry including excess capacity data associated with physical characteristics of a potential parcel that the potential traveler is willing to transport; and

the queried parcel records define parcel data associated with parcels with physical characteristics smaller than the potential parcel.

18. A method for assisting parcel transport, comprising:

receiving a parcel from a sender;

receiving from the sender a desired destination location to which the sender desires to send the parcel;

receiving from the sender a payment for delivery of the parcel;

providing the parcel to a traveler; and

providing to the traveler at least a portion of the payment for delivering the parcel upon receiving confirmation that the parcel was satisfactorily delivered.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising hosting a courier connecting service location at or near a transportation hub;

and

wherein the parcel is provided, at or near the courier connecting service location, to the traveler and from the courier connecting service location.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising hosting a courier connecting service location at a transportation hub;

and

wherein the parcel is received, at the transportation hub, from the sender and by the courier connecting service location.