REDUCING PAYLOAD SIZE OF MACHINE-READABLE DATA BLOCKS IN SHIPMENT PREPARATION PACKING LISTS

• US 20140324724A1
• Filed: 07/03/2014
• Published: 10/30/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Descartes Systems Group Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Z-Firm LLC (The Descartes Systems Group Incorporated)
• Inventors: Zimberoff, Rafael, Uslontsev, Alexander, Tugushev, Stanislav
• Granted Patent: US 10,410,163 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/330
• 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 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/40 Business processes related to the transportation industry shipping G06Q10/083

Abstract

Example embodiments provide a Shipment Preparation System (“SPS”), which facilitates the preparation of shipments, such as by producing shipping labels. In one embodiment, the SPS is configured to receive shipment preparation information from a bar code or other machine-readable data block in a packing list. The shipment preparation information identifies a uniform resource identifier (“URI”) that identifies a code module that is remote from the SPS. The SPS determines the URI based on the shipment preparation information, such as by performing a local lookup or requesting the URI from a URI shortening service. The SPS then uses the URI to communicate with the code module in order to obtain information for the preparation of the shipment (e.g., obtaining a destination shipping address) and/or for transmission of information about the preparation of the shipment (e.g., posting an indication that a shipment is ready for pick up).

Claims

1. A method in a shipment preparation computing system, comprising:

facilitating preparation of a shipment of an order, by;

receiving shipment preparation information from a bar code in a packing list, the shipment preparation information identifying a network resource identifier that identifies a first code module that is remote and separate from the shipment preparation computing system, wherein the shipment preparation information identifies the network resource identifier by including a name that is associated by a second code module with the network resource identifier;

retrieving, based on the name, the network resource identifier from the second code module;

communicating, using the network resource identifier identified by the received shipment preparation information from the bar code, with the first code module to obtain information for the preparation of the shipment of the order; and

communicating, using the network resource identifier identified by the received shipment preparation information from the bar code, with the first code module to cause the first code module to persistently store in a data repository status information about the preparation of the shipment of the order; and

initiating the shipment of the order based on the shipment preparation information received from the bar code in the packing list.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the shipment preparation computing system includes the second code module, and wherein the second code module manages a data structure that is based on a settings file stored on non-volatile storage of the shipment preparation computing system.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein retrieving the network resource identifier includes looking up the name in the data structure to locate an associated uniform resource identifier that identifies the first code module.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the second code module is remote and separate from the shipment preparation computing system, and wherein retrieving the network resource identifier includes communicating with the second code module to retrieve the network resource identifier.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein communicating with the second code module includes transmitting the name to the second code module.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the name is part of a shortened uniform resource identifier that is included in the shipment preparation information, the shortened uniform resource identifier identifying the second code module.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein the second code module is a uniform resource identifier shortening service that is configured to associate the name with a uniform resource identifier that identifies the first code module, and to respond to a request that includes the name with an HTTP redirect to the uniform resource identifier that identifies the first code module.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

decompressing the shipment preparation information received from the bar code.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

decrypting the shipment preparation information received from the barcode.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein decrypting the shipment preparation information includes receiving a decryption key shared with first code module.

11. A computer-readable storage medium including instructions that, when executed, cause a shipment preparation computing system to perform a method comprising:

facilitating preparation of a shipment of an order, by;

receiving shipment preparation information from a machine-readable data block in a packing list, the shipment preparation information identifying a network resource identifier that identifies a first code module that is remote and separate from the shipment preparation computing system, wherein the shipment preparation information identifies the network resource identifier by including a name that is associated by a second code module with the network resource identifier;

retrieving, based on the name, the network resource identifier from the second code module;

communicating, using the network resource identifier identified by the received shipment preparation information from the machine-readable data block, with the first code module to obtain information for the preparation of the shipment of the order; and

communicating, using the network resource identifier identified by the received shipment preparation information from the machine-readable data block, with the first code module to cause the first code module to persistently store in a data repository status information about the preparation of the shipment of the order; and

initiating the shipment of the order based on the shipment preparation information received from the machine-readable data block in the packing list.

12. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10 wherein the network resource identifier is a uniform resource identifier that identifies shipment information and post-back information, and further comprising:

posting information about the preparation of the shipment of the order to the first code module, based at least in part on the post-back information.

13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 12 wherein the uniform resource identifier has a scheme name and scheme data, the scheme name identifying a shipping protocol and configured to cause the shipment preparation computing system to execute a shipment preparation module and to provide the scheme data to the shipment preparation module, the scheme data identifying the shipment information and the post-back information.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11 wherein the obtained information for the preparation of the shipment of the order is structured according to a shipping protocol that defines a syntax for shipment preparation information and corresponding item shipment actions taken by a computing system that complies with the shipping protocol, wherein the obtained information includes one or more property names that specify one or more item shipment actions and that are expressed according to the defined syntax for shipment preparation information defined by the shipping protocol, and further comprising:

performing the specified one or more item shipment actions expressed according to the defined syntax for shipment preparation information defined by the shipping protocol.

15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14 wherein the specified item shipment actions include an instruction to obtain from the remote code module a destination shipping address, an instruction to replace a field in the shipment information with a data item associated with the shipment of the order, and an instruction to transmit to the remote code module the status information about the preparation of the shipment of the order.

16. A computing system for facilitating preparation of a shipment of an order by a shipment preparation computing system, comprising:

a processor;

a memory;

instructions that are stored in the memory and that are configured, when executed by the processor, to;

prepare a packing list that includes a bar code that includes shipment preparation information identifying a network resource identifier that identifies a first code module that is remote and separate from the shipment preparation computing system, wherein the shipment preparation information identifies the network resource identifier by including a name that is associated by a second code module with the network resource identifier;

electronically transmit the packing list to the shipment preparation computing system, thereby causing the shipment preparation computing system to retrieve, based on the name, the network resource identifier from the second code module;

receive information about the preparation of the shipment of the order from the shipment preparation computing system; and

persistently store in a data repository the information about the preparation of the shipment of the order.

17. The computing system of claim 16, further comprising the second code module, wherein the second code module is configured to:

associate the name with a uniform resource identifier that identifies the first code module; and

respond to a request that includes the name with an HTTP redirect to the uniform resource identifier that identifies the first code module.

18. The computing system of claim 16, wherein the second code module is a third-party uniform resource identifier shortening service.

19. The computing system of claim 18, wherein the third-party uniform resource identifier shortening service is at least one of:

bit.ly, goo.gl, and/or tinyurl.com.

20. The computing system of claim 16, wherein the second code module is a Domain Name System server.

21. The computing system of claim 16, wherein the second code module is a Lightweight Directory Access Protocol directory service.

22. The computing system of claim 16, wherein the instructions are further configured to encrypt and/or compress the shipment preparation information in the bar code.