On-time delivery, tracking and reporting
First Claim
1. An article of manufacture including a computer usable medium having computer readable program code embodied therein for maintaining customer order and delivery information for customers, the computer readable program code being configured to:
- store ship/dock information for respective customers to indicate whether the customers consider delivery dates for particular products to be ship dates or dock dates;
store desired advance delivery times for individual customers;
create a customer order entry for a particular customer, the customer order entry including a customer-requested delivery date supplied by the particular customer;
calculate a customer-preferred ship date for the customer order entry based at least in part upon the customer-requested delivery date;
communicate the calculated customer-preferred ship date to an order scheduler;
is obtain a targeted ship date for the customer order entry from the order scheduler; and
calculate a customer expected delivery date by adding data representing anticipated shipping delay to the targeted ship date, taking into consideration whether the customer defines delivery dates to be ship dates or dock dates, and by also adding the customer'"'"'s desired advance delivery time to the targeted ship date.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A computer system is programmed for setting and reporting product delivery dates. The invention includes a step of maintaining a customer preferences database having delivery and reporting preferences for individual customers. The preferences include preferred early and late delivery limits, preferred performance measurement species, and desired advance delivery times. The invention further includes a step of creating a customer order entry for a particular customer. The customer order entry includes a customer-requested delivery date supplied by the customer. A customer-preferred ship date is calculated for the customer order entry based at least in part upon the customer-requested delivery date and at least in part upon the particular customer'"'"'s specified desired advance delivery time. The customer order entry is then routed to an order scheduler. The computer system shows the order scheduler the calculated customer-preferred ship date and obtains a targeted ship date for the customer order entry from the order scheduler. The system is programmed to then calculate a targeted ship date window based upon the targeted ship date and the particular customer'"'"'s preferred early and late delivery limits. On-time product delivery statistics are generated for individual customers in accordance with the individual customers'"'"' specified preferred performance measurement species.
138 Citations
21 Claims
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1. An article of manufacture including a computer usable medium having computer readable program code embodied therein for maintaining customer order and delivery information for customers, the computer readable program code being configured to:
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store ship/dock information for respective customers to indicate whether the customers consider delivery dates for particular products to be ship dates or dock dates; store desired advance delivery times for individual customers; create a customer order entry for a particular customer, the customer order entry including a customer-requested delivery date supplied by the particular customer; calculate a customer-preferred ship date for the customer order entry based at least in part upon the customer-requested delivery date; communicate the calculated customer-preferred ship date to an order scheduler; is obtain a targeted ship date for the customer order entry from the order scheduler; and calculate a customer expected delivery date by adding data representing anticipated shipping delay to the targeted ship date, taking into consideration whether the customer defines delivery dates to be ship dates or dock dates, and by also adding the customer'"'"'s desired advance delivery time to the targeted ship date. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A method of setting and reporting product delivery dates comprising:
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storing, in a computer usable medium, preferences for individual customers, said preferences including preferred early and late delivery limits, and data indicating whether the customer defines delivery dates to be ship dates or dock dates; creating a customer order entry, in a computer usable medium, for a particular customer, said customer order entry including a customer-requested delivery date supplied by said particular customer; calculating a customer-preferred ship date for the customer order entry based at least in part upon the customer-requested delivery date; routing the customer order entry to an order scheduler; showing the order scheduler the calculated customer-preferred ship date; obtaining a targeted ship date for the customer order entry from the order scheduler; calculating a targeted ship date window based upon the targeted ship date and the particular customer'"'"'s preferred early and late delivery limits; and calculating a customer expected delivery date by adding data representing anticipated shipping delay to the targeted ship date, and taking into consideration whether the customer defines delivery dates to be ship dates or dock dates. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. An article of manufacture including a computer usable medium having computer readable program code embodied therein to:
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store preferences for individual customers, said preferences including preferred early and late delivery limits, and data for individual customers to indicate whether the customers consider delivery dates for particular products to be ship dates or dock dates; create a customer order entry for a particular customer, said customer order entry including a customer-requested delivery date supplied by said particular customer; calculate a customer-preferred ship date for the customer order entry based at least in part upon the customer-requested delivery date and at least in part upon the customer preferences for the particular customer; show the calculated customer-preferred ship date to an order scheduler; input a targeted ship date for the customer order entry from the order scheduler; calculate a customer expected delivery date by adding data representing anticipated shipping delay to the targeted ship date, taking into consideration whether the customer defines delivery dates to be ship dates or dock dates; and determine whether a particular product delivery is on time, based upon the particular customer'"'"'s preferred early and late delivery limits. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. An article of manufacture including a computer usable medium having computer readable program code embodied therein to:
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determine and store data representing a customer'"'"'s early and late delivery limits for deliveries; determine and store whether the customer defines delivery date as shipped date or received date for deliveries; determine and store whether the customer includes weekends and holidays in evaluating whether a delivery is on-time; determine and store how performance is measured by the customer; determine and store the customer'"'"'s desired advance delivery time; determine and store whether the customer considers a partial shipment in determining on-time delivery; determine and store the customer'"'"'s preferred reporting period; receive an order from the customer for a particular delivery, and receive a requested delivery date; calculate the customer'"'"'s preferred ship date as being the customer'"'"'s requested delivery date minus the customer'"'"'s desired advance delivery; send the customer'"'"'s preferred ship date to a human order scheduler; receive a targeted ship date from the human order scheduler; calculate a customer expected delivery date by adding data representing anticipated shipping delay to the targeted ship date, taking into consideration whether the customer defines delivery dates to be ship dates or dock dates, and by also adding the customer'"'"'s desired advance delivery time to the targeted ship date; receive the actual delivery date for the particular delivery; generate delivery statistics according to th e customer'"'"'s reporting period, taking into consideration how performance is measured by the customer, whether the customer defines delivery dates to be ship dates or dock dates, and whether the customer includes weekends and holidays in evaluating whether a delivery is on-time; and record reasons for deliveries which were not on time.
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21. A method of setting and reporting product delivery dates the method comprising:
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storing in a computer usable medium, for individual customers, preferred early and late delivery limits, preferred performance measurement species, and desired advance delivery times; storing, in a computer usable medium, reporting periods for individual customers; creating a customer order entry for a particular customer, said customer order entry including a customer-requested delivery date supplied by said particular customer; calculating a customer-preferred ship date for the customer order entry based at least in part upon the customer-requested delivery date and at least in part upon the particular customer'"'"'s specified desired advance delivery time; routing the customer order entry to an order scheduler; showing the order scheduler the calculated customer-preferred ship date; obtaining a targeted ship date for the customer order entry from the order scheduler; storing ship/dock flags for individual customers to indicate whether said customers consider delivery dates for particular products to be ship dates or dock dates; calculating a customer expected delivery date by adding data representing anticipated shipping delay to the targeted ship date, taking into consideration whether the particular customer considers a delivery date to be a ship date or dock date, and by also adding the customer'"'"'s desired advance delivery time to the targeted ship date; storing days-in-week variables for individual customers; storing partial shipment allowed flags for individual customers; obtaining actual dock dates for individual product deliveries; and generating on-time product delivery statistics for individual customers in accordance with the individual customers'"'"' specified preferred performance measurement species and based upon that customer'"'"'s specified reporting periods.
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Specification