Methods and systems for automating inventory and dispatch procedures at a staging area
First Claim
1. A system for providing advance notice of arrival of a delivery vehicle to a staging area at which the delivery vehicle will be unloaded and/or loaded, said system comprising:
- an information management system for processing data associated with operation of said staging area; and
a driver'"'"'s terminal operable to convey information to a driver of the delivery vehicle while the driver is in a position to drive the vehicle;
wherein said driver'"'"'s terminal is programmed with a geofence and configured to send a signal to the information management system upon the terminal crossing the geofence to indicate that the delivery vehicle is inbound to the staging area and is within a predetermined proximity to the staging area corresponding to said geofence; and
wherein said information management system is configured to, pursuant to receiving said signal from the driver'"'"'s terminal, send to the driver'"'"'s terminal a driver'"'"'s dispatch instructing the driver where within the staging area to deliver an incoming load and/or where within the staging area to pickup an outgoing load.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Methods and systems for automating inventory and dispatch procedures at a staging area by automatically detecting the arrival or departure of delivery vehicles, container devices and other such items. Detection of these items is facilitated by the use of automatic identification tags, and other such devices, that are physically associated with each such item. The detection of inbound vehicles and related container devices triggers a series of automated communications that facilitate the dispatch of such items within the staging area. When a delivery vehicle or container device departs, the system can be configured to check the tag or device associated with each such item so as to confirm that the correct container device(s) are associated with the correct outbound delivery vehicle. The system further provides a method of tracking inventories of such items in real time.
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Citations
26 Claims
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1. A system for providing advance notice of arrival of a delivery vehicle to a staging area at which the delivery vehicle will be unloaded and/or loaded, said system comprising:
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an information management system for processing data associated with operation of said staging area; and a driver'"'"'s terminal operable to convey information to a driver of the delivery vehicle while the driver is in a position to drive the vehicle; wherein said driver'"'"'s terminal is programmed with a geofence and configured to send a signal to the information management system upon the terminal crossing the geofence to indicate that the delivery vehicle is inbound to the staging area and is within a predetermined proximity to the staging area corresponding to said geofence; and wherein said information management system is configured to, pursuant to receiving said signal from the driver'"'"'s terminal, send to the driver'"'"'s terminal a driver'"'"'s dispatch instructing the driver where within the staging area to deliver an incoming load and/or where within the staging area to pickup an outgoing load. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A method for providing advance notice of arrival of a delivery vehicle to a staging area at which the delivery vehicle will be unloaded and/or loaded, the method comprising:
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providing a driver'"'"'s terminal for use by a driver of the delivery vehicle; establishing in the driver'"'"'s terminal a geofence; sending a signal from the driver'"'"'s terminal to an information management system associated with the staging area when the delivery vehicle crosses said geofence for indicating to the information management system that the delivery vehicle is inbound to the staging area and is within a predetermined proximity to said staging area corresponding to said geofence; pursuant to receiving said signal from the driver'"'"'s terminal, creating a driver'"'"'s dispatch including instructions instructing the driver where within the staging area to deliver an incoming load and/or where within the staging area to pickup an outgoing load upon arrival at the staging area and sending said driver'"'"'s dispatch to said driver'"'"'s terminal so the driver can proceed in accordance with said instructions upon arrival at said staging area. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
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Specification