Systems and methods for providing business intelligence based on shipping information

• US 7,647,233 B2
• Filed: 06/21/2002
• Issued: 01/12/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/21/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: United Parcel Service Of America Incorporated (United Parcel Service Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: United Parcel Service Of America Incorporated (United Parcel Service Incorporated)
• Inventors: Kadaba, Nagesh, Shroff, Sumeet
• Primary Examiner(s): Hayes; John W
• Assistant Examiner(s): Jabr; Fadey S
• Application Number:
  US10/176,467
• Publication Number:
  US 20030236688A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,762 Days
• Field of Search: 705/1, 705/7, 705/8, 705/9, 705/10, 705/28, 705/29, 705/26, 705/408, 705/410, 705/401, 705/400
• US Class Current: 705/1.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/025 Coordination of plural reservations, e.g. plural trip segments, transportation combined with accommodation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0834 Choice of carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0201 Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0283 Price estimation or determination

Abstract

A business intelligence system is disclosed that utilizes shipping information to provide business intelligence to a user. The business intelligence system receives information pertaining to originating parcel pickup and delivery information, stores the information in a shipping information database, and allows a user to formulate various types of transaction requests. The transaction results provide shipping information categorized in various ways in regard to past shipments as well as compare one category shipping information with another category of shipping information or with categories of non-shipping information. In addition, the system can extrapolate certain categories of shipping information into the future. Further, the system provides information to a user in a variety of formats including various graphical formats, tabular formats, and cartographical formats.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of facilitating a determination, by an entity, of which supplier to use to supply a particular type of item to a particular destination, said method comprising the steps of:

receiving and storing, in memory of one or more computing devices, a plurality of shipping records associated with a plurality of parcels that have been previously shipped from a particular carrier, each of said plurality of shipping records comprising originating address information, destination address information, parcel identifier information, date of parcel pickup information, and date of parcel delivery information;

receiving a user identifier from a user;

using said user identifier to determine a user profile associated with said entity;

receiving input from said user comprising a first transaction request executable by one or more processors of said one or more computing devices to select a first subset of shipping records from said plurality of shipping records, wherein said first subset of shipping records comprises two or more records associated with said particular type of item provided by a first supplier affiliated with said entity and delivered to said particular destination;

receiving input from said user comprising a second transaction request executable by said one or more processors of said one or more computing devices to select a second subset of shipping records from said plurality of shipping records, wherein said second subset of shipping records comprises two or more records associated with said particular type of item provided by a second supplier not affiliated with said entity and delivered to said particular destination;

determining how said first and second transaction requests will be processed by said one or more computing devices, wherein said determination is based on whether said first and second suppliers are affiliated with said entity as indicated in said user profile;

in response to;

(a) receiving said input from said user; and

(b) making said determination that said first supplier is affiliated with said entity,

executing said one or more processors to retrieve, from said memory, said first subset of shipping records associated with said particular type of item and said first supplier, wherein said originating address information of each shipping record of said first subset of shipping records corresponds to said first supplier'"'"'s address and said destination address information of each shipping record of said first subset of shipping records corresponds to said destination'"'"'s address;

in response to;

(a) receiving said input from said user; and

(b) making said determination that said second supplier is not affiliated with said entity,

executing said one or more processors to retrieve an average delivery time based on said second subset of shipping records associated with said particular type of item and said second supplier from said memory, wherein said originating address information of each shipping record of said second subset of shipping records corresponds to said second supplier'"'"'s address and said destination address information of each shipping record of said second subset of shipping records corresponds to said destination'"'"'s address; and

executing said one or more processors to forecast, based at least in part on said first subset of shipping records and said average delivery, time the amount of time that it will take said particular carrier to;

deliver said particular type of item from said first supplier to said entity; and

deliver said particular type of item from said second supplier to said entity.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

displaying, to said user, on said one or more computing devices an average time that it has taken said carrier to deliver items from said first supplier to said entity in the past; and

displaying, to said user, on said one or more computing devices an average time that it has taken said carrier to deliver items from said second supplier to said entity in the past.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising the steps of:

displaying, to said user, on said one or more computing devices an average time that it has taken said carrier to deliver items from said first supplier to said entity over a specified period of time; and

displaying, to said user, on said one or more computing devices an average time that it has taken said carrier to deliver items from said second supplier to said entity over said specified period of time, wherein said date of parcel pickup information or said date of parcel delivery information of each shipping record of said first and second subsets of shipping records lies within said specified period of time.