Proof of presence and confirmation of parcel delivery systems and methods
First Claim
1. A system for confirming the delivery of one or more items by a delivery service to a delivery location, comprising:
- a placard located at the delivery location, already posted at the delivery location at time of delivery, comprising at least one machine-readable unique location indicia;
a machine-readable unique item indicia associated with each of the one or more items;
a data acquisition and storage device having a scanning element and capable of transferring information, wherein the at least one machine-readable unique location indicia is scanned by the scanning element and each of the machine-readable unique item indicia are scanned by the scanning element and the location indicia is linked to each of the machine-readable unique item indicia to create linked item indicia; and
a server, to which information about said location indicia and said linked item indicia is transferred from said data acquisition and storage device and made accessible over a network via the server.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
The present invention involves systems and methods of linking a unique identifier with a package identifier to provide confirmation of the delivery of the package to a certain location or individual. The unique identifier may be associated with a location or an individual. In one embodiment, it is a barcode and the package identifiers are barcodes as well. The barcodes are scanned by a service provider using a hand-held data acquisition and storage device thereby linking the unique identifier to the package identifiers. The information is transferred from the hand-held device to a database where it is used to compile reports for and provide information to the service provider, the shipper, and the recipient of the packages. The invention may be incorporated into an inventory management system such that when confirmation of actual delivery has been received, the recipient will release payment to its vendors.
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Citations
31 Claims
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1. A system for confirming the delivery of one or more items by a delivery service to a delivery location, comprising:
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a placard located at the delivery location, already posted at the delivery location at time of delivery, comprising at least one machine-readable unique location indicia; a machine-readable unique item indicia associated with each of the one or more items; a data acquisition and storage device having a scanning element and capable of transferring information, wherein the at least one machine-readable unique location indicia is scanned by the scanning element and each of the machine-readable unique item indicia are scanned by the scanning element and the location indicia is linked to each of the machine-readable unique item indicia to create linked item indicia; and a server, to which information about said location indicia and said linked item indicia is transferred from said data acquisition and storage device and made accessible over a network via the server. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. A system for confirming the delivery of one or more parcels by a delivery service to a delivery location, comprising:
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a placard having at least a first unique barcode and a second unique barcode located thereon, wherein said placard is located at the delivery location and is already posted at the delivery location at the time of delivery; a package tracking barcode associated with each of the one or more parcels; a data acquisition and storage device having a scanning element and capable of transferring information, wherein said scanning element scans the first unique barcode and each of the package tracking barcodes associated with parcels delivered in a first delivery and the first unique barcode is linked to each of the package tracking barcodes of the parcels in the first delivery; and
wherein said scanning element scans the second unique barcode and each of the package tracking barcodes associated with the parcels delivered in a second delivery and the second unique barcode is linked to each of the package tracking barcodes of the parcels in the second delivery; anda server, which receives information about said first unique barcode and each of the package tracking bar codes and information about said second unique barcode and each of the package tracking bar codes associated with parcels in a second delivery from the data acquisition and storage device and made accessible over a network.
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7. A method of providing indication of the delivery location of one or more parcels by a delivery service, said method comprising:
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providing a placard at the delivery location comprising at least one unique machine-readable location indicia wherein said placard is already posted at the delivery location at the time of delivery; providing a unique machine-readable package indicia on each of the one or more parcels; scanning the unique machine-readable location indicia at the delivery location; scanning each of the unique machine-readable package indicia on each of the one or more parcels; linking the unique machine-readable location indicia to each of the unique machine-readable package indicia; delivering said one or more parcels at said delivery location; and making said information about said delivery accessible over a network;
wherein said information includes information about the unique machine-readable location indicia and each of the unique machine-readable package indicia linked to the unique machine-readable location indicia. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A method of providing indication of the delivery location of at least two parcels by a delivery service, said method comprising:
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providing a placard at the delivery location comprising at least two unique machine-readable location indicia at the delivery location;
wherein said at least two unique machine-readable location indicia are comprised of a primary unique machine-readable location indicia and a secondary machine-readable location indicia, wherein said placard is already posted at the delivery location at the time of delivery;providing at least two sets of parcels for delivery at the delivery location, a first set of parcels that is comprised of at least one parcel having a unique machine-readable package indicia on each of the first set of parcels and a second set of parcels that is comprised of at least one parcel having a unique machine-readable package indicia on each of the second set of parcels; delivering the first set of parcels at the delivery location during a first delivery by; scanning the primary unique machine-readable location indicia at the delivery location and scanning each of the unique machine-readable package indicia on each of the first set of parcels; and linking the primary unique machine-readable location indicia to each of the unique machine-readable package indicia on each of the first set of parcels; delivering the second set of parcels at the delivery location during a second delivery by; scanning the secondary unique machine-readable location indicia at the delivery location and scanning each of the unique machine-readable package indicia on each of the second set of parcels; and linking the secondary unique machine-readable location indicia to each of the unique machine-readable package indicia on each of the second set of parcels; and making information about said first delivery and second delivery accessible over a network; wherein said information includes information about the primary unique machine-readable location indicia and each of the unique machine-readable package indicia of the first set of parcels that is linked to the primary unique machine-readable location indicia and includes information about the secondary unique machine-readable location indicia and each of the unique machine-readable package indicia of the second set of parcels that is linked to the secondary unique machine-readable location indicia.
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16. A method of determining the location where one or more shipped parcels are received, comprising:
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providing a placard at the delivery location comprising one or more unique location identifiers that are associated with at least one delivery location, wherein said placard is already posted at the time of delivery; linking at least one of the one or more unique location identifiers that may be obtained only while at the delivery location where at least one of the one or more shipped parcels are received with a unique package identifier for each parcel of the one or more shipped parcels that are delivered at the delivery location thereby indicating the delivery location where the packages was delivered, and making available information about the one or more shipped parcels accessible over a network.
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17. A method of inventory reconciliation, comprising:
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shipping one or more packages containing inventory items by a service provider to one or more delivery locations, wherein each of the one or more packages have a unique package identifier and each delivery location has a placard comprising at least one unique delivery location identifier, wherein said placard is already posted at the delivery location at the time of delivery; recording the inventory items that are shipped to each delivery location in an inventory accounting for each delivery location along with the unique package identifier of the one or more packages that contain the inventory items shipped to each delivery location; receiving from the service provider information about the delivery location that each of the one or more packages are delivered, wherein said information includes each the one or more unique delivery location identifiers and the unique package identifier of each package that is delivered to each of the one or more delivery locations; and updating the inventory accounting for each delivery location with the information from the service provider that indicates an actual delivery location for each of the one or more packages that were shipped.
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18. A method of providing on a computer indication of the delivery location of one or more parcels by a delivery service, said method comprising:
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providing a placard at the delivery location comprising at least one unique machine-readable location indicia wherein said placard is already posted at the delivery location at the time of delivery; providing a unique machine-readable package indicia on each of the one or more parcels; scanning the unique machine-readable location indicia at the delivery location with a scanning element associated with a data acquisition and storage device; scanning each of the unique machine-readable package indicia on each of the one or more parcels with the scanning element associated with the data acquisition and storage device; electronically linking the unique machine-readable location indicia to each of the unique machine-readable package indicia with the data acquisition and storage device; delivering said one or more parcels at said delivery location; and transferring said information about said delivery from the data acquisition and transfer device to a computer having a memory, storing said information in the memory and making said information about said delivery accessible over a network connected to said computer; wherein said information includes information about the unique machine-readable location indicia and each of the unique machine-readable package indicia linked to the unique machine-readable location indicia. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22)
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23. A method of providing on a computer indication of the delivery location of one or more parcels by a delivery service, said method comprising:
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providing a placard at the delivery location comprising at least one unique machine-readable location indicia, wherein said placard is already posted at the delivery location at the time of delivery; providing a unique machine-readable package indicia on each of the one or more parcels; scanning the unique machine-readable location indicia at the delivery location with a scanning element associated with a data acquisition and storage device; scanning each of the unique machine-readable package indicia on each of the one or more parcels with the scanning element associated with the data acquisition and storage device; delivering said one or more parcels at said delivery location; transferring said information about said delivery from the data acquisition and transfer device to a computer having a memory; and electronically linking the unique machine-readable location indicia to each of the unique machine-readable package indicia with the computer; storing said information in the memory and making said information about said delivery accessible over a network connected to said computer; wherein said information includes information about the unique machine-readable location indicia and each of the unique machine-readable package indicia linked to the unique machine-readable location indicia. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26, 27)
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28. A system for providing the computer indication of the delivery location of one or more parcels, said system comprising:
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a placard at the delivery location comprising at least one unique machine-readable location indicia at the delivery location, wherein said placard is already posted at the delivery location at the time of delivery; a machine readable package indicia associated with each of the one or more parcels; a data acquisition and storage device having a scanning element and capable of transferring information, wherein the at least one machine-readable unique location indicia is scanned by the scanning element; a server, to which information about scanning the unique machine-readable location indicia at the delivery location with a scanning element associated with a data acquisition and storage device is transferred and electronically linked to each of the unique machine-readable package indicia; wherein said information is accessible over a network connected to said server;
wherein said information includes information about the unique machine-readable location indicia and each of the unique machine-readable package indicia linked to the unique machine-readable location indicia. - View Dependent Claims (29, 30)
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31. A system for providing the computer indication of the delivery location of one or more parcels, said system comprising:
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a placard at the delivery location comprising at least one machine-readable indicia wherein said placard is already posted at the delivery location at the time of delivery; a machine readable package indicia associated with each of the one or more parcels; a data acquisition and storage device having a scanning element and capable of transferring information, wherein the at least one machine-readable unique location indicia is scanned by the scanning element; a server, to which information about scanning the unique machine-readable location indicia at the delivery location with a scanning element associated with a data acquisition and storage device is transferred and electronically linked to each of the unique machine-readable package indicia; and wherein said information is accessible over a network connected to said server;
wherein said information includes information about the unique machine-readable location indicia and each of the unique machine-readable package indicia linked to the unique machine-readable location indicia.
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Specification