System and method for providing a price quotation for a hybrid transportation service

• US 7,343,300 B2
• Filed: 02/01/2002
• Issued: 03/11/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/01/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canadian National Railway Company
• Original Assignee: Canadian National Railway Company
• Inventors: Ernesaks, Anita, Podgurny, Leonard John
• Primary Examiner(s): Hayes; John W.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Jabr; Fadey
• Application Number:
  US10/060,407
• Publication Number:
  US 20030171940A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,230 Days
• Field of Search: 705/1, 705/26, 705/400
• US Class Current: 705/330
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/083 Shipping
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08345 Pricing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0283 Price estimation or determination
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]

Abstract

A method and system for computing the price for the transportation of goods on a route are provided where the route has at a first segment and a second segment adjacent the first segment. The goods are transported on the first segment by a mode of transportation other than a train and are transported on the second segment by a train. A computer is caused to deliver information to a user prompting the user to enter at the computer information conveying one or more characteristics of the first segment. The computer is also caused to deliver information to the user prompting the user to enter at the computer information conveying one or more characteristics of the second segment. A price for the transportation of the goods on the route is then computed at least in part on the basis of the characteristics of the first segment entered by the user and the characteristics of the second segment entered by the user.

Claims

1. A computer readable storage medium containing a program element for execution by a CPU for computing a price for the transportation of goods on a route having a first segment and a second segment adjacent the first segment, each of the first and second segments having a respective origin and a respective destination, said program element comprising:

a) a first program component for directing a computer to deliver information to a user prompting the user to enter at the computer information conveying one or more characteristics of the first segment of the route, the goods being transported on the first segment by truck;

b) a second program component for directing the computer to deliver information to the user prompting the user to enter at the computer information conveying one or more characteristics of the second segment of the route, the goods being transported on the second segment by a train, wherein the user is prompted to provide information for identifying a particular train station at which the goods are to be transferred from truck to train from among a plurality of different predetermined train stations;

c) a third program component for computing a price for the transportation of the goods on the route at least in part on the basis of the characteristics of the first segment entered by the user and the characteristics of the second segment entered by the user.

2. A computer readable storage medium as defined in claim 1, wherein the delivering of the first information to the user is done by displaying information on a screen.

3. A computer readable storage medium as defined in claim 2, wherein the user enters at the computer information conveying one or more characteristics of the first segment and one or more characteristics of the second segment through an input device selected in the group consisting of keyboard, pointing device, touch sensitive surface and speech recognition unit.

4. A computer readable storage medium as defined in claim 3, wherein the third program component causes the computer to display to the user on the screen the computed price for the transportation of the goods on the route.

5. A computer readable storage medium as defined in claim 3, wherein the third program component causes generation of an e-mail containing information indicative of the computed price for the transportation of the goods on the route.

6. A computer readable storage medium as defined in claim 1, wherein the one or more characteristics of the first segment includes information identifying the origin of the first segment.

7. A computer readable storage medium as defined in claim 6, wherein the information identifying the origin of the first segment includes a country.

8. A computer readable storage medium as defined in claim 6, wherein the information identifying the origin of the first segment includes a city.

9. A computer readable storage medium as defined in claim 6, wherein the information identifying the origin of the first segment includes a street address.

10. A computer readable storage medium as defined in claim 6, wherein the information identifying the origin of the first segment includes an identifier of a postal delivery area.

11. A computer readable storage medium as defined in claim 6, wherein the third program component is operative to assess trucking charges at least in part on the basis of the information identifying the origin of the first segment and the information identifying the train station.

12. A computer readable storage medium as defined in claim 11, wherein the third program component is operative to assess:

a) a distance on the basis of the information identifying the origin of the first segment and the information identifying the train station;

b) trucking charges at least in part on the basis of the assessed distance.

13. A computer readable storage medium as defined in claim 11, wherein the one or more characteristics of the second segment includes information identifying the destination of the second segment.

14. A computer readable storage medium as defined in claim 13, wherein the information prompting the user to enter at the computer information conveying one or more characteristics of the second segment includes a series of routes among which the user can select at least one route, the entry at the computer of information conveying one or more characteristics of the second segment including the user selecting a route in the series of routes.

15. A computer readable storage medium as defined in claim 14, wherein said second program component causes the computer to deliver information to the user prompting the user to enter at the computer information about ownership of the rail cars to be used for the transportation of the goods over the second segment, said second program element including the ownership information as a factor in the computation of the price for the transportation of the goods on the route.

16. A computer readable storage medium as defined in claim 15, wherein the information about ownership of the rail cars to be used for the transportation of the goods over the second segment includes information identifying the party that owns the one or more rail cars to be used for the transportation of the goods over the second segment.

17. A computer readable storage medium as defined in claim 13, wherein said second program component causes the computer to deliver information to the user prompting the user to enter at the computer information about the type of rail cars to be used for the transportation of the goods over the second segment, said second program element including the information about type of rail cars as a factor in the computation of the price for the transportation of the goods on the route.

18. A computer readable storage medium as defined in claim 17, wherein information about the type of rail is selected from the set consisting of information indicative of flat bed, tanker, central beam for logs, grain car, railcar for hazardous materials, gondola, refrigerated, hopper, box car, covered hopper.

19. A computer readable storage medium as defined in claim 13, wherein said second program component causes the computer to deliver information to the user prompting the user to enter at the computer information about the type of goods to be transported over the second segment, said second program element including the information about the type of goods as a factor in the computation of the price for the transportation of the goods on the route.

20. A computer readable storage medium as defined in claim 19, wherein the information about the type of goods is selected from the set consisting of information indicative of liquids, solids, logs, granular, grain type, commodity type, explosives, and hazardous materials.

21. A computer readable storage medium as defined in claim 3, wherein the CPU resides on a server machine and the computer is a client machine in a network arrangement with the server machine.

22. A computer readable storage medium as defined in claim 3, wherein the CPU resides in the computer.

23. A computer readable storage medium as defined in claim 21, wherein the first program component generates messages to the client machine to cause the client machine to display the information to the user prompting the user to enter at the client machine the information conveying one or more characteristics of the first segment.

24. A computer readable storage medium as defined in claim 23, wherein the second program component generates messages to the client machine to cause the client machine to display the information to the user prompting the user to enter at the client machine the information conveying one or more characteristics of the second segment.

25. A computer readable storage medium as defined in claim 24, wherein the messages are HTTP messages.

26. A method for computing the price for the transportation of goods on a route having a first segment and a second segment adjacent the first segment, each of the first and second segments having a respective origin and a respective destination, comprising:

a) causing a computer to deliver information to a user prompting the user to enter at the computer information conveying one or more characteristics of the first segment of the route, the goods being transported on the first segment by truck;

b) causing the computer to deliver information to the user prompting the user to enter at the computer information conveying one or more characteristics of the second segment of the route, the goods being transported on the second segment by a train, wherein the user is prompted to provide information for identifying a particular train station at which the goods are to be transferred from truck to train from among a plurality of different predetermined train stations;

c) computing a price for the transportation of the goods on the route at least in pad on the basis of the characteristics of the first segment entered by the user and the characteristics of the second segment entered by the user.

27. A method as defined in claim 26, wherein the delivering of information to the user prompting the user to enter at the computer information conveying one or more characteristics of the first segment and one or more characteristics of the second segment is done by displaying information on a screen.

28. A method as defined in claim 27, wherein the user enters at the computer information conveying one or more characteristics of the first segment and one or more characteristics of the second segment through an input device selected in the group consisting of keyboard, pointing device, touch sensitive surface and speech recognition unit.

29. A method as defined in claim 28, including causing the computer to display to the user on the screen the computed price for the transportation of the goods on the route.

30. A method as defined in claim 28, including causing generation of an e-mail message containing information indicative of the computed price for the transportation of the goods on the route.

31. A method as defined in claim 27, wherein the one or more characteristics of the first segment includes information identifying the origin of the first segment.

32. A method as defined in claim 31, wherein the information identifying the origin of the first segment includes a country.

33. A method as defined in claim 31, wherein the information identifying the origin of the first segment includes a city.

34. A method as defined in claim 31, wherein the information identifying the origin of the first segment includes a street address.

35. A method as defined in claim 31, wherein the information identifying the origin of the first segment includes an identifier of a postal delivery area.

36. A method as defined in claim 31, including assessing trucking charges at least in part on the basis of the information identifying the origin of the first segment and the information identifying the train station.

37. A method as defined in claim 36, including, assessing:

a) a distance on the basis of the information identifying the origin of the first segment and the information identifying the train station;

b) trucking charges at least in part on the basis of the assessed distance.

38. A method as defined in claim 36, wherein the one or more characteristics of the second segment includes information identifying the destination of the second segment.

39. A method as defined in claim 36, wherein the information prompting the user to enter at the computer information conveying one or more characteristics of the second segment includes a series of routes among which the user can select at least one route, the entry at the computer of information conveying one or more characteristics of the second segment including the user selecting a route in the series of routes.

40. A method as defined in claim 39, including causing the computer to deliver information to the user prompting the User to enter at the computer information about ownership of the rail cars to be used for the transportation of the goods over the second segment, the computing of the price for the transportation of the goods on the route being effected by including as a factor the ownership information.

41. A method as defined in claim 40, wherein the information about ownership of the rail cars to be used for the transportation of the goods over the second segment includes information identifying the party that owns the one or more rail cars to be used for the transportation of the goods over the second segment.

42. A method as defined in claim 38, including causing the computer to deliver information to the user prompting the user to enter at the computer information about the type of rail cars to be used for the transportation of the goods over the second segment, and performing the computation of the price for the transportation of the goods on the route including the information about the type of rail cars as a factor.

43. A method as defined in claim 42, wherein information about the type of rail is selected from the set consisting of information indicative of flat bed, tanker, central beam for logs, grain car, railcar for hazardous materials, gondola, refrigerated, hopper, box car, covered hopper.

44. A method as defined in claim 38, including causing the computer to deliver information to the user prompting the user to enter at the computer information about the type of goods to be transported over the second segment, and performing the computation of the price for the transportation of the goods on the route by including the information about the type of goods to be transported over the second segment.

45. A method as defined in claim 44, wherein the information about the type of goods is selected from the set consisting of information indicative of liquids, solids, logs, granular, grain type, commodity type, explosives, and hazardous materials.

46. A method for providing a quote for the price for the transportation of goods on a route having a first segment and a second segment adjacent the first segment, each of the first and second segments having a respective origin and a respective destination, comprising:

a) displaying information at a client system prompting the user to enter at the client system information conveying one or more characteristics of the first segment of the route, the goods being transported on the first segment by truck;

b) sending to a server system the information entered by the user conveying one or more characteristics of the first segment;

c) displaying information at the client system prompting the user to enter at the client system information conveying one or more characteristics of the second segment of the route, the goods being transported on the second segment by a train, wherein the user is prompted to provide information for identifying a particular train station at which the goods are to be transferred from truck to train from among a plurality of different predetermined train stations;

d) sending to the server system the information entered by the user conveying one or more characteristics of the second segment;

e) receiving at the client system from the server system information about the price for the transportation of the goods on the route computed at least in part on the basis of the characteristics of the first segment entered by the user and the characteristics of the second segment entered by the user;

f) displaying at the client system to the user the information about the computed price for the transportation of the goods on the route.

47. A method as defined in claim 46, wherein the user enters at the client system information conveying one or more characteristics of the first segment and one or more characteristics of the second segment through an input device selected in the group consisting of keyboard, pointing device, touch sensitive surface and speech recognition unit.

48. A method as defined in claim 46, wherein the one or more characteristics of the first segment includes information identifying the origin of the first segment.

49. A method as defined in claim 48, wherein the information identifying the origin of the first segment includes a country.

50. A method as defined in claim 48, wherein the information identifying the origin of the first segment includes a city.

51. A method as defined in claim 48, wherein the information identifying the origin of the first segment includes a street address.

52. A method as defined in claim 48, wherein the information identifying the origin of the first segment includes an identifier of a postal delivery area.

53. A method as defined in claim 48, including assessing trucking charges at least in part on the basis of the information identifying the origin of the first segment and the information identifying the train station.

54. A method as defined in claim 53, including, assessing:

a) a distance on the basis of the information identifying the origin of the first segment and the information identifying the train station;

b) trucking charges at least in part on the basis of the assessed distance.

55. A method as defined in claim 53, wherein the one or more characteristics of the second segment includes information identifying the destination of the second segment.

56. A method as defined in claim 53, wherein the information prompting the user to enter at the client system information conveying one or more characteristics of the second segment includes a series of routes among which the user can select at least one route, the entry at the client system of information conveying one or more characteristics of the second segment including the user selecting a route in the series of routes.

57. A method as defined in claim 53, including causing the computer to deliver information to the user prompting the user to enter at the client system information about ownership of the rail cars to be used for the transportation of the goods over the second segment, the computing of the price for the transportation of the goods on the route being effected by including as a factor the ownership information.

58. A method as defined in claim 57, wherein the information about ownership of the rail cars to be used for the transportation of the goods over the second segment includes information identifying the party that owns the one or more rail cars to be used for the transportation of the goods over the second segment.

59. A method as defined in claim 53, including delivering information to the user at the client system prompting the user to enter at the client system information about the type of rail cars to be used for the transportation of the goods over the second segment, and performing the computation of the price for the transportation of the goods on the route including the information about the type of rail cars as a factor.

60. A method as defined in claim 59, wherein information about the type of rail is selected from the set consisting of information indicative of flat bed, tanker, central beam for logs, grain car, railcar for hazardous materials, gondola, refrigerated, hopper, box car, covered hopper.

61. A method as defined in claim 53, including delivering information to the user at the client system prompting the user to enter at the client system information about the type of goods to be transported over the second segment, and performing the computation of the price for the transportation of the goods on the route by including the information about the type of goods to be transported over the second segment.

62. A method as defined in claim 61, wherein the information about the type of goods is selected from the set consisting of information indicative of liquids, solids, logs, granular, grain type, commodity type, explosives, and hazardous materials.

63. A method as defined in claim 46, wherein the client system and the server system communicate via the Internet.

64. A server system for computing a quote for the price for the transportation of goods on a route having a first segment and a second segment adjacent the first segment, each of the first and second segments having a respective origin and a respective destination, said server system containing a program element for execution by a CPU, said program element comprising:

a) a first program component for directing a remote client system to deliver information to a user prompting the user to enter at the remote client system information conveying one or more characteristics of the first segment of the route, the goods being transported on the first segment by truck;

b) a second program component for directing the remote client system to deliver information to the user prompting the user to enter at the computer information conveying one or more characteristics of the second segment of the route, the goods being transported on the second segment by a train, wherein the user is prompted to provide information for identifying a particular train station at which the goods are to be transferred from truck to train from among a plurality of different predetermined train stations;

c) a third program component for computing a price for the transportation of the goods on the route at least in part on the basis of the characteristics of the first segment entered by the user and the characteristics of the second segment entered by the user.

65. A client-server system for computing a quote for the price for the transportation of goods on a route having a first segment and a second segment adjacent the first segment, each of the first and second segments having a respective origin and a respective destination, comprising:

a) a client system;

b) a server system, said client system and said server system operative to exchange messages over a data network;

c) a first program component for execution on said server system for sending messages to said client system for directing said client system to deliver information to a user prompting the user to enter at the remote client system information conveying one or more characteristics of the first segment of the route, the goods being transported on the first segment by truck;

d) a second program component for execution on said server system for directing the remote client system to deliver information to the user prompting the user to enter at the computer information conveying one or more characteristics of the second segment of the route, the goods being transported on the second segment by a train, wherein the user is prompted to provide information for identifying a particular train station at which the goods are to be transferred from truck to train from among a plurality of different predetermined train stations;

e) said client system being operative to send to said server system messages to communicate to said server the information entered by the user and conveying one or more characteristics of the first segment and one or more characteristics of the second segment;

f) a third program element executed at said server system for computing a price for the transportation of the goods on the route at least in part on the basis of the characteristics of the first segment entered by the user and the characteristics of the second segment entered by the user.

66. A client-server system as defined in claim 65, wherein the data network is the Internet.