DETERMINING DELIVERY WINDOWS FOR ITEM DELIVERY BASED ON CUSTOMER AND/OR ITEM LOCATION

• US 20150294262A1
• Filed: 03/20/2015
• Published: 10/15/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/21/2014
• Status: Active Application

• Current Assignee: United Parcel Service Of America Incorporated (United Parcel Service Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: United Parcel Service Of America Incorporated (United Parcel Service Incorporated)
• Inventors: Ganesh, Bala, Nelson, Leslie
• Application Number:
  US14/664,202
• Publication Number:
  US 20150294262A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/083 Shipping

Abstract

Systems, methods, apparatus, and computer program products are provided for programmatically determining/identifying one or more delivery windows in which an item is available to be delivered and allowing customer selection of one of the delivery windows. One example embodiment may include a method comprising receiving customer location information indicative of a customer location and determining one or more time frames from a plurality of time frames in which delivery of the item is available based on the customer location. The method may also comprise allowing an authenticated customer access to each of one or more features of a carrier system via login information/data associated with the retailer system.

Claims

1. A method for determining a delivery time frame for an item to be delivered, the method comprising:

receiving customer location information indicative of a customer location, the customer location information selected from the group consisting of entered information, customer profile information, or address information associated with a customer computing entity; and

determining one or more time frames from a plurality of carrier time frames in which delivery of the item is available based on the customer location.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether the item is available for delivery to the customer location and, in an instance in which the item is available for delivery to the customer location, determining the item location and the customer location, wherein the determination of the one or more time frames is dependent on the item location and the customer location.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

querying a carrier system to determine one or more delivery timeframes among the plurality of carrier time frames; and

receiving the one or more time frames in which delivery is available.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

receiving an indication of the item and an item location; and

providing the one or more time frames, each of the one or more time frames configured for selection, in response to reception of the customer location information and the indication of the item.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

determining the one or more time frames before, during, or subsequent to a selection of the item, placement of the item in a shopping cart, a checkout process, or shipping of the item.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

querying a set of one or more pre-established rules to deter mine a customer authentication associated with each of one or more authentication levels, the pre-established rules having been established by a carrier system; and

receiving the customer authentication associated with each of the one or more authentication levels.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, at a carrier system from a retailer system, an indication notifying the carrier system of whether a customer has been authenticated by the retailer system;

in an instance in which the indication notifying the carrier system of the authentication of the customer is received, allowing access to each of one or more features of the carrier system via login information associated with the retailer system.

8. The method according to claim 7, further comprising:

in an instance in which the indication notifying the carrier system of non-authentication of the customer is received, allowing access to a subset of features of the carrier system; and

enabling an activation process requiring login, identification, or customer information associated with the carrier system; and

initiating a full activation and validation process requiring complete login, identification, or customer information associated with the carrier system.

9. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

receiving selection of one time frame of the one or more time frames before, during, or subsequent to a selection of the item, placement of the item in a shopping cart, a checkout process, or shipping of the item;

confirming selection of the one time frame; and

updating shipping information correspondingly for delivery with the selected time frame.

10. An apparatus for determining a delivery time frame for an item to be delivered comprising at least one processor and at least one memory including program code, the at least one memory and the program code configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus to at least:

receive customer location information indicative of a customer location, the customer location information selected from the group consisting of entered information, customer profile information, or address information associated with a customer computing entity; and

determine one or more time frames from a plurality of carrier time frames in which delivery of the item is available based on the customer location.

11. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the memory stores computer-readable instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to:

determine whether the item is available for delivery to the customer location and, in an instance in which the item is available for delivery to the customer location, determining the item location and the customer location, wherein the determination of the one or more time frames is dependent on the item location and the customer location.

12. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the memory stores computer-readable instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to:

query a carrier system to determine one or more delivery timeframes among the plurality of time frames; and

receive the one or more time frames in which delivery is available.

13. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the memory stores computer-readable instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to:

receive an indication of an item and an item location; and

provide the one or more time frames, each of the one or more time frames configured for selection, in response to reception of the customer location information and the indication of the item.

14. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the memory stores computer-readable instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to:

determine the one or more time frames before, during, or subsequent to a selection of the item, placement of the item in a shopping cart, a checkout process, or shipping of the item.

15. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the memory stores computer-readable instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to:

query a set of one or more pre-established rules to deter mine a customer authentication associated with each of one or more authentication levels, the pre-established rules having been established between a carrier system and a retailer system; and

receive the customer authentication associated with each of the one or more authentication levels.

16. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the memory stores computer-readable instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to:

receive, at a carrier system from a retailer system, an indication notifying the carrier system of whether a customer has been authenticated by the retailer system;

in an instance in which the indication notifying the carrier system of the authentication of the customer is received, allow access to each of one or more features of the carrier system via login information associated with the retailer system.

17. The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the memory stores computer-readable instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to:

in an instance in which the indication notifying the carrier system of non-authentication of the customer is received, allow access to a subset of features of the carrier system; and

enable an activation process requiring login, identification, or customer information associated with the carrier system; and

initiate a full activation and validation process requiring complete login, identification, or customer information associated with the carrier system.

18. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the memory stores computer-readable instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to:

receive selection of one time frame of the one or more time frames before, during, or subsequent to a selection of the item, placement of the item in a shopping cart, a checkout process, or shipping of the item;

confirm selection of the one time frame; and

update shipping information correspondingly for delivery with the selected time frame.

19. A computer program product comprising at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable program code portions stored therein, the computer-readable program code portions comprising for:

receiving customer location information indicative of a customer location, the customer location information selected from the group consisting of entered information, customer profile information, or address information associated with a customer computing entity; and

determining one or more time frames from a plurality of carrier time frames in which delivery of the item is available based on the customer location.

20. The computer program product according to claim 19, wherein the computer-executable program code instructions further comprise program code instructions for:

determining whether the item is available for delivery to the customer location and, in an instance in which the item is available for delivery to the customer location, determining the item location and the customer location, wherein the determination of the one or more time frames is dependent on the item location and the customer location.

21. The computer program product according to claim 19, wherein the computer-executable program code instructions further comprise program code instructions for:

querying a carrier system to determine one or more delivery timeframes among the plurality of time frames; and

receiving the one or more time frames in which delivery is available.

22. The computer program product according to claim 19, wherein the computer-executable program code instructions further comprise program code instructions for:

receiving an indication of an item and an item location; and

providing the one or more time frames, each of the one or more time frames configured for selection, in response to reception of the customer location information and the indication of the item.

23. The computer program product according to claim 19, wherein the computer-executable program code instructions further comprise program code instructions for:

determining the one or more time frames before, during, or subsequent to a selection of the item, placement of the item in a shopping cart, a checkout process, or shipping of the item.

24. The computer program product according to claim 19, wherein the computer-executable program code instructions further comprise program code instructions for:

querying a set of one or more pre-established rules to deter mine a customer authentication associated with each of one or more authentication levels, the pre-established rules having been established between a carrier system and a retailer system; and

receiving the customer authentication associated with each of the one or more authentication levels.

25. The computer program product according to claim 19, wherein the computer-executable program code instructions further comprise program code instructions for:

receiving, at a carrier system from a retailer system, an indication notifying the carrier system of whether a customer has been authenticated by the retailer system;

in an instance in which the indication notifying the carrier system of the authentication of the customer is received,

allowing access to each of one or more features of the carrier system via login information associated with the retailer system.

26. The computer program product according to claim 25, wherein the computer-executable program code instructions further comprise program code instructions for:

in an instance in which the indication notifying the carrier system of non-authentication of the customer is received, allowing access to a subset of features of the carrier system; and

enabling an activation process requiring login, identification, or customer information associated with the carrier system; and

intiating a full activation and validation process requiring complete login, identification, or customer information associated with the carrier system.

27. The computer program product according to claim 19, wherein the computer-executable program code instructions further comprise program code instructions for:

receiving selection of one time frame of the one or more time frames before, during, or subsequent to a selection of the item, placement of the item in a shopping cart, a checkout process, or shipping of the item;

confirming selection of the one time frame; and

updating shipping information correspondingly for delivery with the selected time frame.