Node-Enabled Shipping Without a Shipping Label Using Elements of a Wireless Node Network

• US 20150154541A1
• Filed: 09/17/2014
• Published: 06/04/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/29/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Federal Express Corporation (FedEx Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fedex Corporate Services Incorporated (FedEx Corporation)
• Inventors: Skaaksrud, Ole-Petter
• Granted Patent: US 11,734,644 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 60/00256 Delivery operations
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 25/02 Packaging agricultural or horticultural products
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 25/02 Internal fittings of containers made by folding or erecting blanks made of paper B65D5/44
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 25/102 Straps, bands, strings or other elongate elements
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3407 specially adapted for specific applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3453 Special cost functions, i.e. other than distance or default speed limit of road segments
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/362 received from an external device or application, e.g. PDA, mobile phone or calendar application
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2205/01 specially adapted for specific applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0289 of multiple transceivers, e.g. in ad hoc networks
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/14 Determining absolute distances from a plurality of spaced points of known location
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0022 characterised by the communication link data switching networks in general H04L12/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0088 characterized by the autonomous decision making process, e.g. artificial intelligence, predefined behaviours using knowledge based models G06N5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/021 specially adapted to land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/226 Communication links with the remote-control arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/43 Control of position or course in two dimensions
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/81 Handing over between on-board automatic and on-board manual control
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0712 the arrangement being capable of triggering distinct operating modes or functions dependent on the strength of an energy or interrogation field in the proximity of the record carrier active means for hindering electromagnetic reading or writing G06K19/07336
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10366 the interrogation device being adapted for miscellaneous applications
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/083 Shipping
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0832 Special goods or special handling procedures, e.g. handling of hazardous or fragile goods
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0833 : Tracking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0835 : Relationships between shipper or supplier and carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08355 : Routing methods
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0836 : Recipient pick-ups
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0838 : Historical data
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 : Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/14 : specially adapted for billing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/22 : Payment schemes or models
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/308 : using the Internet of Things
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/321 : using wearable devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/325 : using wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40 : Authorisation, e.g. identification of payer or payee, verification of customer or shop credentials; Review and approval of payers, e.g. check credit lines or negative lists
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0267 : Wireless devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 : based on user profile or attribute
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0261 : System arrangements wherein the object is to detect trespassing over a fixed physical boundary, e.g. the end of a garden
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0269 : System arrangements wherein the object is to detect the exact location of child or item using a navigation satellite system, e.g. GPS
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/60 : for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/65 : stored on portable record carriers, e.g. on smartcards, RFID tags or CD
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 : for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 : for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 80/00 : ICT specially adapted for facilitating communication between medical practitioners or patients, e.g. for collaborative diagnosis, therapy or health monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3822 : specially adapted for use in vehicles H04B1/3827 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/61 : for local area broadcast, e.g. instore broadcast
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/71 : Wireless systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/026 : using e-messaging for transporting management information, e.g. email, instant messaging or chat
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0813 : characterised by the conditions triggering a change of settings
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0823 : characterised by the purposes of a change of settings, e.g. optimising configuration for enhancing reliability for optimising operational conditions of wireless networks H04W24/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/10 : Active monitoring, e.g. heartbeat, ping or trace-route
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/22 : Alternate routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 : Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 : Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 : in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 : specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/303 : Terminal profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 : specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 : Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 : Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/10 : Scheduling measurement reports ; Arrangements for measurement reports
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 : Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 : using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/025 : using location based information parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 : Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/38 : for collecting sensor information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/60 : Subscription-based services using application servers or record carriers, e.g. SIM application toolkits
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 : Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0212 : managed by the network, e.g. network or access point is master and terminal is slave
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/04 : TPC
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 : Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/003 : locating network equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/006 : with additional information processing, e.g. for direction or speed determination
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 : Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/18 : Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/24 : Transfer of terminal data
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 : in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Methods and systems are described for preparing a node-enabled shipment of an item to be shipped using a wireless node network having at least a node and a server. A user access device, such as a laptop computer, smartphone, or tablet, may capture an identification of the node to be related to the item. The user access device enters shipping information related to the item and linked with an identification of the node. The shipping information is stored on the node, and then the node is combined with the item to be shipped. A system may include a node and a server, where the node is specially-adapted via programming to emit the identification of the node to the user access device, receive shipping information from the device, store the shipping information on the node, and then upload the shipping information to the server.

Claims

1. A method for preparing a node-enabled shipment of an item to be shipped using a wireless node network having at least a node and a server, the method comprising:

capturing, by a user access device, an identification of the node to be related to the item;

entering shipping information into the user access device, the shipping information being related to the item, and the shipping information being linked with the identification of the node;

storing the shipping information on the node; and

combining the item to be shipped and the node.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the node comprises one from a group consisting of an ID node, a master node, and a sensor node.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the node comprises a mobile master node having at least one sensor onboard the master node for gathering environmental information about an environment near the master node.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of capturing the identification of the node further comprises detecting an electronic identification of the node.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of capturing the identification of the node further comprises viewing a readable identifier of the node.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of capturing the identification of the node further comprises scanning a machine-readable identifier of the node.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of combining the item to be shipped and the node further comprises placing the node within an interior of a package for the item to be shipped.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of combining the item to be shipped and the node further comprises securely fixing the node to an interior surface of a package for the item to be shipped.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of combining the item to be shipped and the node further comprises embedding the node as part of a package for the item to be shipped.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of combining the item to be shipped and the node further comprises securely fixing the node to an exterior surface of a package for the item to be shipped.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising uploading the shipping information to the server.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the uploading step further comprises transmitting the shipping information to the server to pre-associate the shipping information for the node with another node in the network related to a person that will handle a logistics transaction for the item to be shipped.

13. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of fixing an external notification to a package for the item to be shipped, the external notification providing notice that the package is a node shipment.

14. A non-transitory computer-readable medium containing instructions which when executed on a processor performs a method for preparing a node-enabled shipment of an item to be shipped using a wireless node network having at least a node and a server, the method comprising:

capturing, by a user access device, an identification of the node to be related to the item;

receiving shipping information into the user access device, the shipping information being related to the item and the shipping information being linked with the identification of the node;

storing the shipping information on the node; and

issuing a message to combine the item to be shipped and the node.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the node comprises one from a group consisting of an ID node, a master node, and a sensor node.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the node comprises a mobile master node having at least one sensor onboard the master node for gathering environmental information about an environment near the master node.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the step of capturing the identification of the node further comprises detecting an electronic identification of the node.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the step of capturing the identification of the node further comprises viewing a readable identifier of the node.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the step of capturing the identification of the node further comprises scanning a machine-readable identifier of the node.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the method further comprises uploading the shipping information to the server.

21. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 20, wherein the uploading step further comprises transmitting the shipping information to the server to pre-associate the shipping information for the node with another node in the network related to a person that will handle a logistics transaction for the item to be shipped.

22. A system for preparing a node-enabled shipment of an item to be shipped using a wireless node network, comprising:

a node comprising

a node processing unit,

a node memory storage coupled to the node processing unit, the node memory storage maintaining code for execution by the node processing unit, and

a communication interface coupled to the node processing unit and operative to communicate with a user access device; and

a server is operative to communicate with the node via the communication interface;

wherein the node processing unit, when executing the code maintained on the node memory storage, is operative to

emit an identification of the node to a user access device, the identification of the node to be related to the item by the user access device,

receive shipping information from the user access device, the shipping information being related to the item and the shipping information being linked with the identification of the node, and

store the shipping information on the node when the node and the item to be shipped are combined for shipping, and

upload the shipping information to the server.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the node comprises one from a group consisting of an ID node, a master node, and a sensor node.

24. The system of claim 22, wherein the node comprises a mobile master node having at least one sensor onboard the master node for gathering environmental information about an environment near the master node.

25. The system of claim 22, wherein the identification of the node further comprises an electronic identification of the node emitted by a short-range transmission from the node.

26. The system of claim 22, wherein the uploading step further comprises transmitting the shipping information to the server to pre-associate the shipping information for the node with another node in the network related to a person that will handle a logistics transaction for the item to be shipped.

27. The system of claim 22, wherein the server is operative to receive the shipping information from the node.

28. The system of claim 22, wherein the server is operative to receive the shipping information from the user access device.