Shipment transaction system and an arrangement thereof

• US 6,697,702 B1
• Filed: 03/10/2000
• Issued: 02/24/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Syncada LLC (US Bancorp)
• Original Assignee: US Bancorp
• Inventors: Hahn-Carlson, Dean W.
• Primary Examiner(s): PATEL, RAMESH B
• Application Number:
  US09/522,745
• Time in Patent Office: 1,446 Days
• Field of Search: 700/213, 700/216, 700/232, 700/236, 705/26, 705/29, 705/30, 705/34, 705/35, 705/39, 705/40, 705/17-18
• US Class Current: 700/213
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/14 specially adapted for billing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/204 comprising interface for record bearing medium or carrier for electronic funds transfer or payment credit

Abstract

A computer processing system for a shipment transaction involving shippers and carriers. The system is particularly suited to efficiently and automatically audit and effect payment of a shipment transaction and to efficiently provide access to relevant shipment information. According to one example embodiment, the system includes a processor arrangement that monitors shipper credit data and processes shipment transaction information in response to control data from a user identified from a database of shippers and carriers. Validated users of the shippers and carriers are assigned varying communication access levels authorizing transactions, such as payment to carriers. In response, the processor arrangement audits shipment transactions, issues reports on the audits, assists in resolving discrepancies and effect payments.

Claims

1. For shipment transaction processing involving transaction information related to goods shipped from one of a plurality of shippers by one of a plurality of carriers, a shipment transaction system comprising:

a processor arrangement programmed and configured to maintain shipper credit data of said one of a plurality of shippers and to process the transaction information in response to control data communicatively coupled between the processor arrangement and users of at least one type; and

at least one communication channel communicatively linking the processor arrangement with the users of said at least one type, wherein the processor arrangement is further programmed and configured to receive control data from the users of said at least one type, to verify that the received control data is from an authorized source, and to evaluate the shipper credit data and the control data and, in response, to determine whether to generate authorization data that authorizes payment to one of a plurality of carniers.

2. A shipment transaction system, according to claim 1, wherein said at least one type of users is selected from the following types of users:

shippers, carriers and an entity independent of both shippers and carriers.

3. A shipment transaction system, according to claim 1, wherein said at least one type of users is a set of shippers, and wherein the control data from the set of shippers defines tolerances used by the processor arrangement to determine whether to generate authorization data that authorizes payment to one of a plurality of carriers.

4. A shipment transaction system, according to claim 3, wherein the control data from the set of shippers defines at least one of the following types of tolerances:

late delivery time of goods shipped via carrier;

a factor indicating any of the goods not being delivered properly; and

at least one rating code.

5. A shipment transaction system, according to claim 3, wherein the control data from the set of shippers at least partially defines rating codes used by the processor arrangement to determine whether to generate authorization data that authorizes payment to one of a plurality of carriers.

6. A shipment transaction system, according to claim 1, wherein the control data includes data used to define the credit of at least one of:

the shipper and the carrier.

7. A shipment transaction system, according to claim 1, wherein the users of at least one type include at least two types, shippers and carriers;

and wherein the processor arrangement is further programmed and configured to process the transaction information in response to control data communicatively coupled between the processor arrangement and shippers and carriers.

8. A shipment transaction system, according to claim 1, wherein the processor arrangement is further programmed and configured to respond to the control data by decoding a download request, validating the download request, and, in response, downloading data from the communicatively coupled user.

9. A shipment transaction system, according to claim 8, wherein the processor arrangement is further programmed and configured to decode a download request that is at least one of the following types:

approval criteria;

authorized approvers for a particular user;

level of authorized used for approvers for a particular user; and

payment rules for the processor arrangement to determine whether to generate authorization data that authorizes payment to one of a plurality of carriers.

10. A shipment transaction system, according to claim 9, wherein the processor arrangement is configured to communicate and download with the users via the Internet.

11. A shipment transaction system, according to claim 1, wherein the processor arrangement includes a central CPU system programmed and configured to instruct a payment institution to pay the carrier from a previously-established credit account of the shipper.

12. For shipment transaction processing involving transaction information related to goods shipped from one of a plurality of shippers by one of a plurality of carriers, a shipment transaction system comprising:

a processor arrangement programmed and configured to maintain shipper credit data of said one of a plurality of shippers, to process the transaction information in response to control data communicatively coupled between the processor arrangement and users of at least one type, and to automatically audit shipment transactions between shippers and carriers; and

at least one communication channel communicatively linking the processor arrangement with the users of said at least one type, wherein the processor arrangement is further programmed and configured to receive control data from the users of said at least one type, to verify that the received control data is from an authorized source, and to evaluate the shipper credit data and the control data and, in response, to determine whether to generate authorization data that authorizes payment to one of a plurality of carriers.

13. A shipment transaction system, according to claim 12, wherein the processor arrangement is further programmed and configured to automatically audit the shipment transactions based on ratings for the shippers and ratings for the carriers.

14. A shipment transaction system, according to claim 13, wherein the shippers generate rating data used by the processor arrangement.

15. A shipment transaction system, according to claim 13, wherein the processor arrangement is further programmed and configured to permit authorized ones of the shippers and authorized ones of the carriers to review audit discrepancies via at least one communication channel communicatively coupling said authorized ones of the shippers and carries with the processor arrangement.

16. A shipment transaction system, according to claim 15, wherein the processor arrangement is further programmed and configured to permit authorized ones of the shippers to approve payment to selected ones of the carriers without adversely impacting credit data of the authorized shippers.

17. A shipment transaction system, according to claim 15, wherein the processor arrangement is further programmed and configured to permit authorized ones of the carriers to delay shipment for selected ones of the shippers without adversely impacting credit data of the authorized carriers.

18. A shipment transaction system, according to claim 15, wherein the processor arrangement is further programmed and configured to permit authorized ones of the shippers to approve payment to selected ones of the carriers without adversely impacting credit data of the authorized shippers, and to permit authorized ones of the carriers to delay shipment for selected ones of the shippers without adversely impacting credit data of the authorized carriers.

19. For shipment transaction processing involving transaction information related to goods shipped from one of a plurality of shippers by one of a plurality of carriers, a shipment transaction system comprising:

a processor arrangement programmed and configured to maintain shipper credit data of said one of a plurality of shippers, to process the transaction information in response to control data communicatively coupled between the processor arrangement and users of at least one type, and to maintain a database of shippers and carriers, the database having a main parameter set for validating ones of the shippers and carriers that are qualified as users thereof and having respective data sets for the validated shippers and carriers indicating varying communication access levels for communicators of each respective validated shipper and carrier; and

at least one communication channel communicatively linking the processor arrangement with the users of said at least one type, wherein the processor arrangement is further programmed and configured to audit shipment transactions and report thereon to at least one of the validated shippers and carriers according to one of the varying communication access levels for communicators of said at least one validated shipper and carrier.

20. A shipment transaction system, according to claim 19, wherein the processor arrangement is further programmed and configured to audit shipment transactions and report thereon to at least one of the validated shippers and carriers according to communication access levels including a most-accessible administration level;

a manager level; and

a least-accessible level, each of the communication access levels being defined based on data provided by a respective one of the validated shippers and carriers.

21. A shipment transaction system, according to claim 20, wherein the processor arrangement is further configured and arranged to permit and block access to shipment transaction information according to information stored in the database.

22. A shipment transaction system, according to claim 21, wherein the database further includes information defining payment authorization levels for communicators, the processor arrangement being further configured and arranged to permit approval for payment to carriers for shipment transactions according to the information defining payment authorization levels.

23. A shipment transaction system, according to claim 22, wherein the information defining payment authorization levels for communicators in the database is defined by said at least one type of user.

24. A shipment transaction system, according to claim 22, wherein the information defining payment authorization levels for communicators is downloaded into the database from said at least one type of user at a remote site.

25. A shipment transaction system comprises:

a processor arrangement adapted to maintain a database of shipper and carrier information and to monitor shipper credit data and process shipment transaction information in response to control data from a user identified from the database;

wherein the processor arrangement is further adapted to maintain the status of validated users of the shippers and carriers, with the validated users being assigned and having stored therefor varying communication access levels authorizing transactions, such as payment to carriers; and

wherein the processor arrangement is further adapted to audit shipment transactions, issue reports on the audits, assist in resolving discrepancies in the audits and effect payments.