Method and system for enterprise-level unassisted customer shipping

• US 6,970,855 B2
• Filed: 12/30/2002
• Issued: 11/29/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 01/29/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: DMT Solutions Global Corporation
• Original Assignee: Pitney Bowes Incorporated (Böwe Systec AG)
• Inventors: Martin, Ralph E. Jr., Gesse, Timothy L., Debolt, Emily C., Das, Pradeep, Calderwood, Michael, Gracey, Bernard E. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): COSIMANO, EDWARD R
• Application Number:
  US10/248,221
• Publication Number:
  US 20030144971A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,065 Days
• Field of Search: 705/16, 705/23, 705/401, 705/407, 705/408, 705/410
• US Class Current: 705/407
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08345 Pricing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems

Abstract

A system and method for unassisted enterprise-level unassisted customer shipping is described providing for payment of shipping and item costs in a single transaction. In one configuration, a customer utilizes a kiosk to process a shipping bill of materials for presentment at a point of sale terminal.

Claims

1. A method for processing a payment related to a shipment comprising:

receiving information relating to at least one item to be shipped in the shipment;

receiving information relating to a destination for the at least one item;

determining shipping information including a shipping cost for the shipment;

storing the shipping information on a server;

providing an identifier for retrieving the shipping information from the server;

printing a code representing the identifier on an identifier media before processing payment for the at least one item;

receiving the identifier media at a payment location and obtaining the identifier from the identifier media at the payment location; and

processing the payment for the at least one item and the shipping cost in a single transaction at the payment location using the identifier to obtain the shipping information from the server.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving the at least one item to be shipped at the payment location.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein:

receiving information relating to destination is obtained from a shipper using a keyboard.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving the at least one item to be shipped at a kiosk;

using the information relating to the at least one item to query a do not ship list to determine whether the item type may be shipped.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein:

the code comprises a temporary SKU label associated with the single transaction.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

receiving shipper information related to the shipment; and

receiving recipient information related to the shipment.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein:

the shipper information is obtained from a customer information database; and

communicating a recipient selection list to a kiosk user for obtaining the recipient information as a selection from the recipient selection list.

8. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

obtaining shipping parameters at the kiosk.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein:

the shipping parameters include weight of the at least one item to be shipped and are obtained using a scale; and

further comprising,

using the information relating to the at least one item to query a item weight database to determine an expected weight for the at least one item; and

determining whether the weight of the at least one item obtained using a scale is substantially equivalent to the expected weight.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein:

the shipping parameters include dimensions of the at least one item to be shipped and are obtained using a dimensional weighing system.