Parcel trace system

• US 6,220,509 B1
• Filed: 07/09/1998
• Issued: 04/24/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Byford, Derrick John
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Michael G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): FRANKLIN, JAMARA ALZAIDA
• Application Number:
  US09/113,806
• Time in Patent Office: 1,020 Days
• Field of Search: 705/1, 705/26, 235/375, 707/1, 707/10
• US Class Current: 235/375
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management

Abstract

A parcel trace system for tracing parcels handled by a service provider for a plurality of clients. The system includes relay (30) adapted to communicate with the clients across the Internet and with a server database. The server database stores a plurality of parcel objects, each parcel object including a parcel identifier attribute and a parcel location attribute. The server database further includes a URL attribute for each client. A client database (80) includes a plurality of parcel objects, each object corresponding to a parcel being handled for the client and including a parcel identifier and a parcel location attribute. A client database controller (70) communicates with the relay, and across a second network, possibly the Internet with the client. The relay is responsive to a change in state of the parcel location attribute to relay the change in state of the parcel location attribute to the client database controller across the Internet. The client database controller responds to receipt of the change in state of parcel location to write the change of state to the client database. The client database controller is further responsive to parcel location requests from the client across the second network to return a location and a parcel identifier for any parcels requested by the client.

Claims

1. A parcel trace system for tracing parcels handled by a service provider for a plurality of clients, said system including:

relay means adapted to securely communicate with said clients across a first network and with a server database;

a server database adapted to store a plurality of parcel objects, each parcel object including a parcel identifier attribute and a parcel location attribute, said server database further including a first network address attribute for each specific one of said clients;

and wherein said relay means is responsive to a change in state of said parcel location attribute to automatically and securely relay said change in state of said parcel location attribute across said first network to the specific client for whom said parcel is being handled.

2. A parcel trace system as claimed in claim 1 in which said server database includes a first table comprising a parcel identifier, a network address and a location attribute for each parcel object.

3. A parcel trace system as claimed in claim 1 in which said server database includes a first table comprising a parcel identifier, a network address, a client identifier and a location attribute for each parcel object, and a second table comprising a client identifier and a network address attribute for each client.

4. A parcel trace system as claimed in claim 1 in which said network address attribute is a universal resource location attribute.

5. A parcel trace system for tracing parcels handled by a service provider for a plurality of clients, said system including:

relay means adapted to communicate with said clients across a first network and with a server database;

a server database adapted to store a plurality of parcel objects, each parcel object including a parcel identifier attribute and a parcel location attribute, said server database further including a first network address attribute for said clients;

and wherein said relay means is responsive to a change in state of said parcel location attribute to relay said change in state of said parcel location attribute across said first network to a client for whom said parcel is being handled;

a client database, said client database including a plurality of parcel objects, each object corresponding to a parcel being handled for said client and including a parcel identifier and a parcel location attribute and

a client database controller being adapted to communicate across said first network with said relay means, and across a second network with said client

and wherein said relay means is adapted to relay said change in state of said parcel location attribute to said client database controller across said first network, said client database controller being responsive to receipt of said change in state of parcel location to write said change of state to said client database, said client database controller being further responsive to parcel location requests from said client across said second network to return a location and a parcel identifier for any parcels requested by said client.

6. A parcel trace system as claimed in claim 5 in which said first and second networks are the Internet.

7. A parcel trace system for tracing parcels handled by a plurality of service providers for a client, said system including a client database controller and a client database, said client database including a plurality of parcel objects, each parcel object corresponding to a parcel being handled for said-client and including a parcel identifier and a parcel location attribute, said client database controller being adapted to communicate across a first network with a plurality of relay means, each associated with a respective service provider, and across a second network with said client, each relay means being responsive to a change in state of a parcel location handled by an associated service provider to relay said change in state to said client database controller across said first network, said client database controller being responsive to receipt of said change in state of parcel location to write said change of state to said client database, said client database controller being further responsive to parcel location requests from said client across said second network to return a parcel location and a parcel identifier for any parcels requested by said client.

8. A parcel trace system as claimed in claim 7 in which said server database includes a first table comprising a parcel identifier, a network address and a location attribute for each parcel object.

9. A parcel trace system as claimed in claim 7 in which said server database includes a first table comprising a parcel identifier, a network address, a client identifier and a location attribute for each parcel object, and a second table comprising a client identifier and a network address attribute for each client.

10. A parcel trace system as claimed in claim 7 in which said network address attribute is a universal resource location attribute.