Freight information management method and freight management system using electronic tags

• US 6,304,856 B1
• Filed: 04/07/1999
• Issued: 10/16/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Tsushima, Isao, Ono, Toshiyuki, Taniguchi, Kazuhiko, Kimijima, Norihiro, Ota, Izumi, Soga, Shuji
• Primary Examiner(s): Hafiz, Tariq R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): NORMAN, MARC E
• Application Number:
  US09/287,099
• Time in Patent Office: 923 Days
• Field of Search: 705/28, 705/7, 705/8, 705/29
• US Class Current: 705/28
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063 Operations research, analysis or management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0631 Resource planning, allocation, distributing or scheduling for enterprises or organisations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06315 Needs-based resource requirements planning or analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06316 Sequencing of tasks or work
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0633 Workflow analysis
• 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 10/087 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 20/203 Inventory monitoring

Abstract

A collection request inputted at a consignor destination system is recorded on an electronic tag attached to freight and sent to a collection management system so as to be received. During collection of freight, information concerning collection is recorded on the electronic tag by means of a terminal unit and the collection information is sent to the collection management system. An in-base station freight information management system informs a freight information overall management system of the collection information and information concerning freight passing through the base station. The freight information overall management system acquires a transport history of the freight on the basis of the information sent from the in-base station freight information management system, calculates a delivery schedule of the freight and informs it to each in-base station freight information management system.

Claims

1. A freight information management method using electronic tags in a freight information management system having a consignor destination system installed at a consignor destination, base station system respectively provided at a plurality of base stations of a dealer in delivering freight collected from said consignor destination to a consignee, a consignee destination system provided at a consignee destination, a freight information overall management system connected with said base station systems, and an electronic tag attached to the freight to be delivered and being capable of electronically storing freight information necessary for delivery,

wherein in said consignor destination system, inputting of collection request information including freight information concerning the freight to be delivered, consignor information concerning the consignor and consignee information concerning the consignee is received, said collection request information is stored in storage means, said collection request information is transmitted to a collection management system provided in a base station system of a base station serving as a departure store so as to be precedently registered in said electronic tag attached to said freight, freight numbers for identifying individual freight goods are read and stored, a base station serving as an arrival store is determined on the basis of said consignee information, and arrival store information, and arrival store information indicative of the determined base station and said collection request information are written into said electronic tag,

said collection management system receives said collection request information, determines a terminal unit used for collection of the request freight, and transmits consignee information contained in said collection request information to said terminal unit,

said terminal unit stores said consignor information, records collection record information including person in charge, work date and work index on said electronic tag during acceptance of said freight, reads said collection request information from said electronic tag, and transmits, as collection register information, said collection record information and said collection request information to said collection management system, and

said collection management system transmits said received collection register information to said freight information overall management system;

wherein when said freight is lot freight in which a plurality of freight goods are constituted as one lot, a basic electronic tag in which said freight number is precedently registered and a lot electronic tag in which said freight number is not registered are prepared as said electronic tag,

said consignor destination system registers, in the course of register of the collection request information into said electronic tag, said collection request information including the number of the lot freight goods and arrival store information, into said lot electronic tag, and

said terminal unit registers said collection record information into each of said basic electronic tag and lot electronic tag.

2. A freight information management method using electronic tags according to claim 1,

wherein during the unloading process at each base station, said base station system reads information held in an electronic tag of unloaded freight and when recognizing from information in the read information and indicative of the number of lot freight goods that said freight is lot freight, it checks the number of freight goods attached with electronic tags holding the same freight number and delivers a result of the checking.

3. A freight information management method using electronic tags in a freight information management system having a consignor destination system installed at a consignor destination, base station system respectively provided at a plurality of base stations of a dealer in delivering freight collected from said consignor destination to a consignee, a consignee destination system provided at a consignee destination, a freight information overall management system connected with said base station systems, and an electronic tag attached to the freight to be delivered and being capable of electronically storing freight information necessary for delivery,

wherein in said consignor destination system, inputting of collection request information including freight information concerning the freight to be delivered, consignor information concerning the consignor and consignee information concerning the consignee is received, said collection request information is stored in storage means, said collection request information is transmitted to a collection management system provided in a base station system of a base station serving as a departure store so as to be precedently registered in said electronic tag attached to said freight, freight numbers for identifying individual freight goods are read and stored, a base station serving as an arrival store is determined on the basis of said consignee information, and arrival store information, and arrival store information indicative of the determined base station and said collection request information are written into said electronic tag, said collection management system receives said collection request information, determines a terminal unit used for collection of the request freight, and transmits consignee information contained in said collection request information to said terminal unit,

said terminal unit stores said consign or information, records collection record information including person in charge, work date and work index on said electronic tag during acceptance of said freight, reads said collection request information from said electronic tag, and transmits, as collection register information, said collection record information and said collection request information to said collection management system, and

said collection management system transmits said received collection register information to said freight information overall management system;

wherein when register of information into said electronic tag cannot be effected in said consignor destination system, said collection management system acquires a collection request number corresponding to the received collection request information and transmits all of information contained in said collection request information, together with said collection request number, to said terminal unit, and

said terminal unit stores said collection request number and said collection request information, receives inputting of said collection request number during acceptance of said freight and writes collection request information corresponding to the inputted collection request number into said electronic tag.

4. A freight information management method using electronic tags according to claim 3,

wherein when said freight is lot freight in which a plurality of freight goods are constituted as one lot, a basic electronic tag in which said freight number is precedently registered and a lot electronic tag in which said freight number is not registered are prepared as said electronic tag,

said terminal unit registers, in the course of register of the collection request information into said electronic tag, said collection request information and arrival store information into said basic electronic tag, registers a lot number for definitely determining individual freight goods and the freight number registered in said basic electronic tag, together with said collection request information and arrival store information, into said lot electronic tag, and registers said collection record information into each of said basic electronic tag and lot electronic tag.

5. A freight information management method using electronic tags in a freight information management system having a consignor destination system installed at a consignor destination, base station system respectively provided at a plurality of base stations of a dealer in delivering freight collected from said consignor destination to a consignee, a consignee destination system provided at a consignee destination, a freight information overall management system connected with said base station systems, and an electronic tag attached to the freight to be delivered and being capable of electronically storing freight information necessary for delivery,

wherein in said consignor destination system, inputting of collection request information including freight information concerning the freight to be delivered, consignor information concerning the consignor and consignee information concerning the consignee is received, said collection request information is stored in storage means, said collection request information is transmitted to a collection management system provided in a base station system of a base station serving as a departure store so as to he precedently registered in said electronic tag attached to said freight, freight numbers for identifying individual freight goods are read and stored, a base station serving as an arrival store is determined on the basis of said consignee information, and arrival store information, and arrival store information indicative of the determined base station and said collection request information are written into said electronic tag,

said collection management system receives said collection request information, determines a terminal unit used for collection of the request freight, and transmits consignee information contained in said collection request information to said terminal unit,

said terminal unit stores said consignor information, records collection record information including person in charge, work date and work index on said electronic tag during acceptance of said freight, reads said collection request information from said electronic tag, and transmits, as collection register information, said collection record information and said collection request information to said collection management system, and

said collection management system transmits said received collection register information to said freight information overall management system;

wherein charge calculation information representing a criterion of computation of charge for delivery of said freight is held in said terminal unit and during acceptance of said freight, said terminal unit acquires a weight value of said freight, calculates a reference fee representing a criterion on the basis of said charge calculation information, reads a special charge rule from an IC card precedently distributed to the consignor destination and storing special charge rules for individual consignors, and calculates a fee on the basis of the read special charge rule and said reference fee.

6. A freight information management method using electronic tags in a freight information management system having a consignor destination system installed at a consignor destination, base station system respectively provided at a plurality of base stations of a dealer in delivering freight collected from said consignor destination to a consignee, a consignee destination system provided at a consignee destination, a freight information overall management system connected with said base station systems, and an electronic tag attached to the freight to be delivered and being capable of electronically storing freight information necessary for delivery,

wherein in said consignor destination system, inputting of collection request information including freight information concerning the freight to be delivered, consignor information concerning the consignor and consignee information concerning the consignee is received, said collection request information is stored in storage means, said collection request information is transmitted to a collection management system provided in a base station system of a base station serving as a departure store so as to be precedently registered in said electronic tag attached to said freight, freight numbers for identifying individual freight goods are read and stored, a base station serving as an arrival store is determined on the basis of said consignee information, and arrival store information, and arrival store information indicative of the determined base station and said collection request information are written into said electronic tag,

said collection-management system receives said collection request information, determines a terminal unit used for collection of the request freight, and transmits consignee information contained in said collection request information to said terminal unit,

said terminal unit stores said consignor information, records collection record information including person in charge, work date and work index on said electronic tag during acceptance of said freight, reads said collection request information from said electronic tag, and transmits, as collection register information, said collection record information and said collection request information to said collection management system, and

said collection management system transmits said received collection register information to said freight information overall management system;

wherein said freight information overall management system receives said collection register information, determines a base station serving as a departure store handling said freight and a base station serving as an arrival store on the basis of said collection register information, determines a schedule transport route of said freight on the basis of the base station representing a departure store and the base station representing an arrival store, calculates arrival schedule dates at the respective base stations on said schedule transport route on the basis of transport mail shift information indicative of a schedule of transport mail between the individual base stations on said schedule transport route, stores said schedule transport route and arrival dates at the base stations in a schedule transport route DB, and informs, to base station systems of the respective base stations on said schedule transport route, delivery schedule freight information including the freight number and arrival schedule dates of the freight having the freight number.

7. A freight information management method using electronic tags according to claim 6,

wherein said base station system acquires the freight number held in said electronic tag during each work operation in the base station and transmits freight pass information including the acquired freight number, a base station name of the base station and a date of the work to said freight information overall management system, and

said freight information overall management system prepares freight transport history information indicative of a transport history of each freight on the basis of said freight pass information.

8. A freight information management method using electronic tags according to claim 7,

wherein when the work index in the latest freight pass information in said freight transport history information is work operation corresponding to departure from any of the base stations, said freight information overall management system calculates an arrival date at a base station contained in a transport route ranging from that departure base station to said consignee destination and a date of delivery to said consignee destination, and informs them to a base station system of that base station and said consignee destination system.

9. A freight information management method using electronic tags according to claim 7,

wherein when the work index in the latest freight pass information in said freight transport history information is delivery completion, said freight information overall management system transmits delivery completion information indicating that delivery of said freight is completed to the consignor destination system at the consignor destination of said freight.

10. A freight information management method using electronic tags according to claim 7,

wherein said consignee destination system receives a request for changing the delivery destination and delivery date and transmits the received change request to said freight information overall management system, and

said freight information overall management system receives said change request, examines said freight transport history information concerning said freight to acquire the latest position of said freight, determines a transport route to a delivery destination after change from the latest position, calculates arrival schedule dates at base stations on the determined transport route, and informs the calculated arrival schedule dates to the base station systems of the individual base stations on said determined transport route.

11. A freight information management method using electronic tags according to claim 10,

wherein said freight information overall management system determines a base station which handles said freight in the nearest future on the basis of said freight transport history information, and informs the change information of the delivery destination and delivery date to the base station system of the determined base station so as to command the base station system to write said change information into an electronic tag attached to said freight.

12. A freight information management method using electronic tags according to claim 11,

wherein the latest transport history data in said transport history information concerning said freight is consulted in determining the base station which handles said freight in the nearest future, so that when said latest transport history data indicates loading end, an arrival schedule base station next to the base station indicated in the latest transport history data is determined as a base station which handles said freight in the nearest future but when said latest transport history data indicates unloading end or sorting end, the base station indicated in said latest transport history data is determined as a base station which handles said freight in the nearest future.

13. A freight information management method using electronic tags according to claim 6,

wherein said base station system stores said arrival schedule freight information informed from said freight information overall management system, erases information having a freight number read out of an electronic tag of freight reaching said base station from said arrival schedule freight information, decides whether information indicative of an arrival schedule time which is earlier than the present time is present in the information contained in said arrival schedule freight information and in the presence of that information, transmits nonarrival information including the freight number in that information to said freight information overall management system, and

said freight information overall management system receives said nonarrival freight information, retrieves the latest pass base station of the freight having that freight number from said freight transport history information on the basis of the freight number for which nonarrival is informed, and transmits said nonarrival freight information to that base station.

14. A freight information management system using electronic tags in a freight information management system having a consignor destination system installed at a consignor destination, base station system respectively provided at a plurality of base stations of a dealer in delivering freight collected from said consignor destination to a consignee, a consignee destination system provided at a consignee destination, a freight information overall management system connected with said base station systems, and an electronic tag attached to the freight to be delivered and being capable of electronically storing freight information necessary for delivery,

wherein in said consignor destination system, inputting of collection request information including freight information concerning the freight to be delivered, consignor information concerning the consignor and consignee information concerning the consignee is received, said collection request information is stored in storage means, said collection request information is transmitted to a collection management system provided in a base station system of a base station serving as a departure store so as to be precedently registered in said electronic tag attached to said freight, freight numbers for identifying individual freight goods are read and stored, a base station serving as an arrival store is determined on the basis of said consignee information, and arrival store information;

and arrival store information indicative of the determined base station and said collection request information are written into said electronic tag,

said collection management system receives said collection request information, determines a terminal unit used for collection of the request freight, and transmits consignee information contained in said collection request information to said terminal unit,

said terminal unit stores said consignor information, records collection record information including person in charge, work date and work index on said electronic tag during acceptance of said freight, reads said collection request information from said electronic tag, and transmits, as collection register information, said collection record information and said collection request information to said collection management system, and

said collection management system transmits said received collection register information to said freight information overall management system;

wherein during the unloading process at each base station, said base station system reads information held in an electronic tag of unloaded freight, consults preset transport route pattern information by using a departure store name and an arrival store name contained in the read information as the key to extract a transport route of the freight and delivers an erroneous arrival alarm when that base station is not contained in said transport route.

15. A freight information management method using electronic tags in a freight information management system having a consignor destination system installed at a consignor destination, base station system respectively provided at a plurality of base stations of a dealer in delivering freight collected from said consignor destination to a consignee, a consignee destination system provided at a consignee destination, a freight information overall management system connected with said base station systems, and an electronic tag attached to the freight to be delivered and being capable of electronically storing freight information necessary for delivery,

wherein in said consignor destination system, inputting of collection request information including freight information concerning the freight to be delivered, consignor information concerning the consignor and consignee information concerning the consignee is received, said collection request information is stored in storage means, said collection request information is transmitted to a collection management system provided in a base station system of a base station serving as a departure store so as to be precedently registered in said electronic tag attached to said freight, freight numbers for identifying individual freight goods are read and stored, a base station serving as an arrival store is determined on the basis of said consignee information, and arrival store information, and arrival store information indicative of the determined base station and said collection request information are written into said electronic tag,

said collection management system receives said collection request information, determines a terminal unit used for collection of the request freight, and transmits consignee information contained in said collection request information to said terminal unit,

said terminal unit stores said consignor information, records collection record information including person in charge, work date and work index on said electronic tag during acceptance of said freight, reads said collection request information from said electronic tag, and transmits, as collection register information, said collection record information and said collection request information to said collection management system, and

said collection management system transmits said received collection register information to said freight information overall management system;

wherein a sorting system for commanding sorting of freight goods in accordance with individual delivery destinations of the freight goods is provided in the base station system of a base station serving as an arrival store, said sorting system reads information held in electronic tags of the freight goods to be sorted, and when information appointing delivery dates is contained in said information said sorting system acquires a delivery end schedule time corresponding to the present sorting time zone to command temporary custody of said freight goods when said delivery end schedule time is earlier than an appointed delivery date.

16. A freight information management method using electronic tags in freight transportation which uses an electronic tag electronically holding information concerning freight delivered from a consignor destination to a consignee destination to perform delivery management of said freight on the basis of the information held in said electronic tag,

wherein a vehicle for performing delivery of said freight is provided with an on-vehicle system having a reader/writer for reading/writing information from/to said electronic tag, a storage unit holding transport route information concerning a transport route determined in accordance with a combination of a base station serving as a departure store and a base station serving as an arrival store, an input unit for performing input of information by an operator and an output unit for delivering information, and during loading onto said vehicle at each base station, said on-vehicle system receives inputting of a base station name for which the vehicle is destined by means of said input unit, acquires a departure store name and an arrival store name concerning that freight from the information held in the electronic tag of the freight to-be loaded onto said vehicle by means of said reader/writer, extracts a transport route of that freight from said transport route information on the basis of said departure store name and arrival store name, decides whether said inputted destination base station is present in the extracted transport route, and delivers an erroneous loading alarm by means of said output unit when said destination base station is not present in base stations on said transport route.

17. A freight information management method using electronic tags in freight transportation which uses an electronic tag electronically holding information concerning freight delivered from a consignor destination to a consignee destination to perform delivery management of said freight on the basis of the information held in said electronic tag,

wherein a vehicle for performing delivery of said freight is provided with an on-vehicle system having a reader/writer for reading/writing information from/to said electronic tag, an input unit for performing input of information by an operator and an output unit for delivering information, and during loading onto said vehicle at each base station, said on-vehicle system sequentially acquires weight information of freight goods held on electronic tags attached to the freight goods sequentially loaded onto said vehicle, cumulates the acquired weight information, compares the cumulated weight information with a loading limit weight value of said vehicle and delivers an overload alarm to said output unit when said cumulated weight information exceeds said loading limit weight value.

18. A freight information management method using electronic tags in freight transportation which uses an electronic tag electronically holding information concerning freight delivered from a consignor destination to a consignee destination to perform delivery management of said freight on the basis of the information held in said electronic tag,

wherein a vehicle for performing delivery of said freight is provided with an on-vehicle system having a reader/writer for reading/writing information from/to said electronic tag, an input unit for performing input of information by an operator and an output unit for delivering information, and during loading onto said vehicle at each base station, said on-vehicle system receives, from said input unit, list information containing freight numbers of freight goods to be transported, acquires and stores the freight numbers from the electronic tags attached to freight goods sequentially loaded onto said vehicle, collates the stored freight numbers with the freight numbers contained in said list information to extract, from the freight numbers contained in said list, a freight number to which said stored freight numbers does not correspond and delivers the extracted freight number through said output unit.

19. A freight information management method in a freight information management system, comprising:

on the basis of a consignor address and a consignee address of freight requested to be delivered from a consignor destination, determining a delivery route of said freight in a freight information management center;

writing the thus determined delivery route into an electronic tag attached to said freight remotely from said freight information center;

while said freight is delivered via a plurality of collection/delivery stations in accordance with the delivery route in the electronic tag attached to said freight, determining a redelivery route of said freight in response to a change of said consignee address in the freight information management center;

writing the thus determined redelivery route into said electronic tag attached to said freight remotely from said freight information center; and

changing the delivery route of said freight in accordance with the redelivery route in said electronic tag attached to said freight.

20. A freight information management method according to claim 19,

wherein information concerning said redelivery route is transmitted from said freight information management center to a collection/delivery station where said freight is expected to be collected and remotely written into said electronic tag attached to said freight through a reader/writer provided at that station.

21. A freight information management method in a freight information management system, comprising:

in a freight information management center, determining a delivery schedule of freight on the basis of consignor information and consignee information of said freight requested to be delivered at a consignor destination;

writing the thus determined delivery schedule into an electronic tag attached to said freight remotely from said freight information center;

while said freight is delivered via a plurality of collection/delivery stations in accordance with the delivery schedule in the electronic tag attached to said freight, comparing an actual delivery condition of said freight with said delivery schedule read out of said electronic tag attached to said freight in each collection/delivery station; and

delivering an alarm informing that an irregular delivery schedule occurs in that collection/delivery station when a result of said comparison is non-coincident.

22. A freight information management method according to claim 21,

wherein information concerning the occurrence of said irregular delivery schedule is transmitted from that collection/delivery station to said freight information management center.

23. A freight information management system comprising:

a departure collection/delivery station where freight requested to be delivered from a consignor destination is collected and delivered;

an arrival collection/delivery station for delivery of said freight to a consignee;

at least one transit collection/delivery station for relaying said freight from said departure collection/delivery station to said arrival collection/delivery station; and

a freight information management center for managing delivery of said freight,

said freight information center including a unit for determining a delivery route of said freight in the freight information management center on the basis of a consignor address and a consignee address of said freight; and

a unit for writing the thus determined delivery route in an electronic tag attached to said freight remotely from said freight information center,

wherein while said freight is delivered via said plurality of collection/delivery stations in accordance with the delivery route in the electronic tag attached to said freight, said unit for determining the delivery route determines a redelivery route of said freight in response to a change of said consignee address, and said unit for remote write writes the thus determined redelivery route into said electronic tag attached to said freight remotely from said freight information center, whereby the delivery route of said freight is changed in accordance with the redelivery route in said electronic tag attached to said freight.

24. A freight information management system according to claim 23,

wherein information concerning said redelivery route is transmitted from said freight information management center to a collection/delivery station where said freight is expected to be collected and remotely written in said electronic tag attached to said freight through a reader/writer at that station.

25. A freight information management system comprising:

a departure collection/delivery station where freight requested to be delivered from a consignor destination is collected and delivered;

an arrival collection/delivery station for delivery of said freight to a consignee;

at least one transit collection/delivery station for relaying said freight from said departure collection/delivery station to said arrival collection/delivery station; and

a freight information management center for managing delivery of said freight,

said freight information center including;

a unit for determining a delivery schedule of said freight in the freight information management center on the basis of consignor information and consignee information of the freight requested to be delivered from the consignor destination; and

a unit for writing the thus determined delivery schedule in an electronic tag attached to said freight remotely from said freight information center,

each of said collection/delivery stations including;

a unit for comparing, while said freight is delivered via said plurality of collection/delivery stations in accordance with the delivery schedule in the electronic tag attached to said freight, an actual delivery condition of said freight with said delivery schedule read out of said electronic tag attached to said freight; and

a unit for delivering an alarm informing that an irregular delivery schedule occurs in the collection/delivery station when a result of said comparison is non-coincident.

26. A freight information management system according to claim 25,

wherein information concerning the occurrence of said irregular delivery schedule is transmitted from that collection/delivery station to said freight information management center.

27. A storage medium used in a freight information management system and readable by a computer, comprising:

a process portion for determining a delivery route of freight in a freight information management center on the basis of a consignor address and a consignee address of said freight requested to be delivered from a consignor destination;

a process portion for writing the thus determined delivery route into an electronic tag attached to said freight remotely from said freight information center;

a process portion for determining, while said freight is delivered via a plurality of collection/delivery stations in accordance with the delivery route in the electronic tag attached to said freight, a redelivery route of said freight in the freight information management center in response to a change of said consignee address; and

a process portion for writing the thus determined redelivery route into said electronic tag attached to said freight remotely from said freight information center to change the delivery route of said freight in accordance with the redelivery route in said electronic tag attached to said freight.