SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PROVIDING A PRICE QUOTATION FOR A TRANSPORTATION SERVICE PROVIDING EQUIPMENT SELECTION CAPABILITY

• US 20150371186A1
• Filed: 08/13/2015
• Published: 12/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/01/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canadian National Railway Company
• Original Assignee: Canadian National Railway Company
• Inventors: PODGURNY, Leonard John, ERNESAKS, Anita
• Granted Patent: US 9,336,507 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• 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 10/0834 Choice of carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0875 Itemisation or classification of parts, supplies or services, e.g. bill of materials
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/201 Price look-up processing, e.g. updating
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/202 Interconnection or interaction of plural electronic cash registers [ECR] or to host computer, e.g. network details, transfer of information from host to ECR or from ECR to ECR
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/203 Inventory monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0283 Price estimation or determination
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/10 Tax strategies
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/145 PLU-management
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 999/00 dummy group
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 999/99 : dummy group

Abstract

A method and system for computing the price for shipping goods. The method includes causing a computer to deliver first information to a user prompting the user to enter at the computer information about a rail transportation service for shipment of goods by one or more railcars. Information about a basic pool of railcars is received and filtered based on one or more filtering criteria to produce a filtered pool of railcars. The computer is then caused to deliver second information to the user prompting the user to select at the computer one or more railcars among the filtered pool of railcars for the shipment of goods. A price for the shipment of the goods is then computed at least in part on the basis of the rail transportation service and the one or more characteristics of the railcars in the filtered pool of railcars selected by the user.

Claims

1. (canceled)

2. (canceled)

3. (canceled)

4. (canceled)

5. (canceled)

6. A method for configuring a Graphical User Interface (GUI) by dynamically modifying an input object providing equipment options a user can select for a shipment of goods, and to perform the shipment of goods, the method comprising:

(a) providing a hardware server arrangement including a machine readable storage encoded with software for implementing a GUI configuration function to alter selectable options on a GUI on a remote customer client system;

(b) providing an equipment database storing an inventory of freight railcars, the inventory distinguishing between railcars owned by a customer of a rail transportation company and freight railcars owned by one or more entities other than the customer;

(c) sending signals from the hardware server arrangement to the remote customer client system to direct a first input object implemented by the GUI at the remote customer client system to display to a user at the remote customer client system a first collection of at least two individually selectable freight railcar type options that the user can choose from, the first collection including a first option which identifies a first type of freight railcar to be used for the desired shipment, and a second option which identifies a second type of freight railcar to be used for the desired shipment, which is different from the first type of freight railcar;

(d) receiving at the hardware server arrangement signals from the remote customer client system conveying a selection of a freight railcar type option by the user among the freight railcar type options in the first collection;

(e) processing at the hardware server arrangement the inventory of freight railcars stored in the equipment database to determine if the customer owns one or more freight railcars of a type corresponding to the selection of the freight railcar type option by the user among the freight railcar type options in the first collection;

(f) when the processing indicates that the freight railcars owned by the customer include a freight railcar of the type selected by the user among the freight railcar type options in the first collection, sending signals from the hardware server arrangement to the remote customer client system to configure a second input object implemented by the GUI to display a second collection of at least two individually selectable freight railcar ownership options that the user can choose from, one of the freight railcar ownership options identifying the customer as owner of the freight railcar to be used for the desired shipment, another of the freight railcar ownership options identifying an entity other than the customer as owner of the freight railcar to be used for the desired shipment;

(g) when the processing indicates that the freight railcars owned by the customer does not include a freight railcar of the type selected by the user among the freight railcar type options, sending signals from the hardware server arrangement to the remote customer client system to configure the second input object to display a third collection including at least two individually selectable freight railcar ownership options identifying one or more entities other than the customer as owner of the freight railcar to be used for the desired shipment, the third collection omitting a selectable freight railcar ownership option identifying the customer as owner of the freight railcar to be used for the desired shipment;

(h) in response to reception at the hardware server arrangement of signals from the remote customer client system indicative of;

(i) a selection of a freight railcar ownership option by the user among the freight railcar type options in the second collection or in the third collection; and

(ii) actuation of a control component on the GUI authorizing the shipment;

generating at the hardware server arrangement an active shipping order;

(i) in response to generation of the active shipping order, performing the desired shipment by using a freight railcar of the type selected by the user among the freight railcar type options in the first collection and owned by the entity selected among the freight railcar ownership options in the second collection or in the third collection.

7. A method as defined in claim 6, including:

(a) receiving at the hardware server arrangement from the remote customer client system client signals conveying client credentials;

(b) processing the client credentials with the hardware server arrangement to identify a client account associated with the client credentials among a plurality of client accounts.

8. A method as defined in claim 7, wherein the processing at the hardware server arrangement of the inventory of freight railcars includes distinguishing freight railcars associated with the identified client account and which are owned by the customer from freight railcars that are not owned by the customer.

9. A method as defined in claim 7, wherein the hardware server arrangement stores a plurality of active shipping orders, the method including searching the plurality of active shipping orders to identify a subset of shipping orders associated with the customer account and sending signals from the hardware server arrangement to the remote customer client system to direct the GUI to display the subset of shipping orders.

10. A method as defined in claim 6, wherein the first freight railcar type option in the first collection is in the group of freight railcar types consisting of boxcar, flatbed car, hopper car, tanker car and gondola car.

11. A method as defined in claim 7, wherein the second freight railcar type option in the first collection is in the group of freight railcar types consisting of boxcar, flatbed car, hopper car, tanker car and gondola car.

12. A method as defined in claim 6, wherein when the processing by the hardware server indicates that the set of freight railcars owned by the customer includes a freight railcar of the type selected by the user among the freight railcar type options in the first collection, the another of the freight railcar ownership options identifying the rail transportation company as owner of the freight railcar to be used for the desired shipment.

13. A method as defined in claim 6, wherein when the processing by the hardware server arrangement indicates that the freight railcars owned by the customer include a freight railcar of the type selected by the user among the freight railcar type options in the first collection, the another of the freight railcar ownership options identifying a rail transportation company different from the rail transportation company that will initiate the desired shipment.

14. A method as defined in claim 6, including sending signals from the hardware server arrangement to the remote customer client system to configure a third input object implemented by the GUI at the remote customer client system to display a fourth collection having at least two individually selectable route options that the user can choose from between an origin of the desired shipment and a destination of the desired shipment, the method further including receiving at the hardware server arrangement signals from the remote customer client system indicative of a selection of a route option by the user among the route options in the fourth collection, the method further including performing the desired shipment of goods according to the route option selected by the user among the route options in the fourth collection.

15. A method as defined in claim 6, including sending signals from the hardware server arrangement to the remote customer client system for presenting the user via the graphical user interface with a plurality of service options that the user can chose from, the method further including performing the one or more services chosen by the user via the graphical user interface among the plurality of service options on the freight railcar used for the desired shipment.

16. A method as defined in claim 15, wherein the plurality of service options include at least one service option selected in the group consisting of cleaning the freight railcar, loading the freight railcar, unloading the freight railcar, refrigerating the freight railcar and switching the freight railcar.

17. A method as defined in claim 6, including computing at the hardware server arrangement a price for the shipment by using as a factor the entity selected among the freight railcar ownership options in the second collection or in the third collection, as the owner of the freight railcar to be used for the shipment.

18. A method as defined in claim 17, including sending signals conveying the computed price from the hardware server arrangement to the remote customer client system to cause the GUI to display the computed price.

19. A method as defined in claim 6, wherein the equipment database is part of the hardware server arrangement.

20. A method as defined in claim 6, wherein the equipment database stores information associating freight railcar types with respective default services that can be performed on the freight railcar.

21. A method as defined in claim 20, including processing at the hardware server arrangement the inventory of freight railcars in the equipment database on the basis of the selection of the freight railcar type option by the user among the freight railcar type options in the first collection to derive a list of default services that can be performed on the freight railcar to be used for the desired shipment.

22. A method as defined in claim 21, including configuring the GUI on the remote customer client system to display one or more selectable options for services to be performed on the freight railcar to be used for the shipment, including deriving the one or more selectable options for services from the list of default services derived by the processing of the inventory of freight railcars.

23. A method as defined in claim 6, including providing a routing database storing information on routes that can be used for the desired shipment.

24. A method for configuring a Graphical User Interface (GUI) by dynamically modifying an input object that provides options to a user to select equipment for performing a shipment of goods, and to perform the shipment of goods:

(a) providing a hardware server arrangement including machine readable storage encoded with;

(i) non-transitory configurator software to alter selectable options on a GUI implemented on a remote customer client system, the remote customer client system communicating with the hardware server arrangement over a data network;

(ii) non-transitory filtering software;

(iii) an equipment database storing data identifying a supply of freight railcars of different types and owned by different parties;

(b) receiving at the hardware server arrangement from the remote customer client system;

(i) signals conveying credentials of a customer of the rail transportation company;

(ii) signals conveying a desired type of freight rail car the customer desires to use for shipping the goods;

(c) filtering with the filtering software data in the equipment database on the basis of the credentials and the desired type of freight railcar, to identify among the supply of freight railcars, freight railcars of the desired type and owned by the customer;

(d) in response to identification by the filtering of a freight railcar of the desired type and owned by the customer in the supply of freight railcars, sending signals from the hardware server arrangement to the remote customer client system for remotely configuring an input object on the GUI to display at least two freight railcar ownership options that the customer can chose from, one of the freight railcar ownership options identifying the customer as owner of the freight railcar to be used for the shipment;

(e) in response to reception at the hardware server arrangement of signals form the remote customer client system indicative of;

(i) selection of a freight railcar ownership option by the user among the at least two freight railcar ownership options;

(ii) actuation of a control component on the GUI authorizing the shipment;

(f) generating at the hardware server arrangement an active shipping order;

(g) in response to generation of the active shipping order, performing the desired shipment by using a freight railcar owned by the entity selected among the freight railcar ownership options.

25. A method as defined in claim 24, including the step of configuring with the configurator software the input object to omit from the freight railcar ownership options that the customer can chose from, an option identifying the customer as owner of the freight railcar to be used for the shipment, in response to non-identification by the filtering of a freight railcar of the desired type and owned by the customer in the supply of freight railcars.

26. A method as defined in claim 24, wherein the method includes configuring the input object such that the another freight railcar ownership options identifies an entity other than the customer as owner of the freight railcar to be used for the shipment.

27. A method as defined in claim 26, wherein the entity other than the customer is a rail transportation company performing the desired shipment.

28. A method as defined in claim 27, wherein the rail transportation company is a first rail transportation company, the at least two railcar ownership options including an option identifying a second rail transportation company different from the first rail transportation company as owner of the freight railcar to be used for the desired shipment.

29. A method as defined in claim 24, wherein the input object is a first input object, the method including sending signals from the hardware server arrangement to the remote customer client system to direct a second input object implemented by the GUI to present the user with at least two route options between an origin of the desired shipment and a destination of the desired shipment, the method further including receiving at the hardware server arrangement signals from the remote customer client system indicative of a selection of a route option by the customer among the route options presented by the second input object, the method further including performing the desired shipment according to the route option selected by the customer.

30. A method as defied in claim 29 including receiving signals at the hardware server arrangement from the remote customer client system conveying an origin of the shipment and a destination of the shipment, processing the signals by the hardware server arrangement to derive a plurality of route options between the origin of the shipment and the destination of the shipment and sending the signals to the remote customer client system to direct the second input object to display the plurality of route options derived by the processing.

31. A method as defined in claim 24, including sending signals from the hardware server arrangement to the remote customer client system for displaying on the GUI a plurality of service options that the user can chose from, the method further including performing the one or more services chosen by the user via the GUI on the freight railcar used for the desired shipment.

32. A method as defined in claim 31, wherein the plurality of service options include at least one service option selected in the group consisting of cleaning the freight railcar, loading the freight railcar, unloading the freight railcar, refrigerating the freight railcar and switching the freight railcar.