Next generation visibility package tracking

• US 7,684,994 B2
• Filed: 04/12/2005
• Issued: 03/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/12/2005
• 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: Kodger, Kenneth E. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hayes; John W
• Assistant Examiner(s): EPSTEIN, BRIAN M
• Application Number:
  US11/104,118
• Publication Number:
  US 20060229895A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,806 Days
• Field of Search: 364/478, 364/446, 705/1, 705/26, 705/40, 705/8
• US Class Current: 705/333
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/025 Coordination of plural reservations, e.g. plural trip segments, transportation combined with accommodation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0631 Resource planning, allocation, distributing or scheduling for enterprises or organisations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/083 Shipping
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0833 Tracking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08355 Routing methods
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0838 Historical data
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3674 involving authentication

Abstract

The present invention involves systems and methods for tracking one or more shipped items that are shipped via a carrier. A set of expected occurrences are established for each item shipped. The items are then shipped and the shipment of the one or more shipped items is monitored for an occurrence of the set of expected occurrences, the occurrence of any non-expected event, and a non-occurrence of any of the set of expected occurrences. If there is the occurrence of any non-expected event or the non-occurrence of any of the set of expected occurrences, then such an event is made available to at least the shipper.

Claims

1. A computer system for providing enhanced visibility of shipped items shipped via a carrier, said computer system comprising:

one or more event-based tracking systems comprising at least one or more of a barcode scanner or a radio frequency identification (RFID) reader, the event-based tracking systems configured to obtain information about shipped items;

a global tracking/data repository comprising a mainframe-computer or a server, the global tracking/data repository configured to receive said information from said event-based tracking systems;

a visibility engine configured to provide at least a portion of said information to at least a shipper or a recipient of one or more shipped items over a network;

a package routing module configured to determine;

a preferred delivery route and an alternate delivery route for the transport of the shipped items from the shipper to the recipient via the carrier; and

an expected delivery date for each shipped item, wherein;

the routes are determined by the package routing module prior to the transport of the shipped items and

each route is comprised of one or more intermediate locations, and;

a non-occurrence exceptions module, wherein;

the non-occurrence exceptions module is configured to monitor the routes of each shipped item in transport by the carrier and assign a status to each shipped item based on an event occurring at said one or more intermediate locations;

said non-occurrence exceptions module configured to communicate said status to the visibility engine to provide enhanced visibility of the shipped items; and

the non-occurrence exceptions module is configured for, in response to determining that the item was not scanned by a first scanning device at an intermediate location that is identified in said preferred delivery route determining whether at least one of said shipping items was scanned at an intermediate location that is identified in said alternate delivery route.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the event occurring at said one or more intermediate locations is one of the following:

one of said shipped items arriving outside a predetermined time window at one of said intermediate locations or one of said shipped items arriving at a location that is not identified as one of said intermediate locations.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein said package tracking module is able to determine a new route from said location that is not identified as one of said intermediate locations to said recipient and a new delivery date when said event is where one of said shipped items arrives at a location that is not identified as one of said intermediate locations.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the status indicates whether said each shipped item (a) is on schedule to be delivered to the recipient on the expected delivery date;

(b) may potentially have its delivery to the intended recipient delayed beyond the expected delivery date;

or (c) will have its delivery delayed beyond the expected delivery date.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the network for the visibility engine to provide at least a portion of said information to at least the shipper or the recipient of one or more shipped items is the Internet.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the package routing module determines the time in transit between each intermediate location of the routes for the transport of the shipped items from the shipper to the recipient in order to determine the expected delivery date for each shipped item.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the barcode scanner is configured to scan barcodes associated with shipped items and the RFID reader is configured to read RFID transponders associated with shipped items.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the server is configured to receive said information from said event-based tracking systems.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the mainframe-computer is configured to receive said in formation from said event-based tracking systems.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the intermediate location is a location between an origin location and a destination location along a delivery route for the at least one shipping item.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the non-occurrence exceptions module is configured to detect that the event occurring at said one or more intermediate locations occurs in response to:

(A) at least one of said shipping items failing to depart a corresponding intermediate location during a departure time interval assigned to the intermediate location; and

(B) information associated with the at least one shipping item not being retrieved, by the first scanning device, upon expiration of a time associated with the departure time interval.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the non-occurrence exceptions module is configured for, in response to the non-occurrence exceptions module determining that the item was scanned by a second scanning device at the intermediate location identified in the alternate delivery route, determining whether a most recent scan of the item occurred at a destination in which the item is delivered.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the non-occurrence exceptions module is configured for, in response to the non-occurrence exceptions module determining that the most recent scan of the item did not occur within a predetermined expected time interval associated with the intermediate location identified in the alternate delivery route, determining a new delivery date for the item and determine whether the item will be delivered after the expected delivery date.

14. A method for providing enhanced visibility of shipped items shipped via carrier, said method comprising:

obtaining, via a computer processor, information about shipped items;

receiving, via the computer processor, said information from one or more event-based tracking systems;

providing, via the computer processor, at least a portion of said information to at least a shipper or a recipient of one or more shipped items over a network;

determining, via the computer processor, (A) a preferred delivery route and an alternate delivery route for the transport of the shipped items from the shipper to the recipient via the carrier and (B) an expected delivery date for each shipped item, wherein;

(A) the routes are determined prior to the transport of the shipped items and

(B) each route is comprised of one or more intermediate locations;

monitoring, via the computer processor, the routes of each shipped item in transport by the carrier;

assigning, via the computer processor, a status to each shipped item based on an event occurring at said one or more intermediate locations, said computer processor communicating said status to a visibility engine to provide enhanced visibility of the shipped items; and

determining whether at least one of the shipped items was scanned at an intermediate location that is identified in the alternate delivery route in response to determining that the item was not scanned by a first scanning device at an intermediate location that is identified in the preferred delivery route.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the event occurring at said one or more intermediate locations is one of the following:

one of said shipped items arrival outside a predetermined time window at one of said intermediate locations, or one of said shipped items arriving at a location that is not identified as one of said intermediate locations.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the status indicates whether said each shipped item (a) is on schedule to be delivered to the recipient on the expected delivery date;

(b) may potentially have its delivery to the intended recipient delayed beyond the expected delivery date;

or (c) will have its delivery delayed beyond the expected delivery date.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the intermediate location is a location between an origin location and a destination location along a delivery route for the at least one shipping item.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the event occurring at said one or more intermediate locations occurs in response to:

(A) at least one of the shipped items failing to depart a corresponding intermediate location during a departure time interval assigned to the intermediate location; and

(B) in response to information associated with the at least one shipping item not being retrieved, by the first scanning device, upon expiration of a time associated with the departure time interval.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein the method further comprises the step of, in response to determining that the item was scanned by a second scanning device at the intermediate location identified in the alternate delivery route, determining whether a most recent scan of the item occurred at a destination in which the item is delivered.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the method further comprises the step of, in response to determining that the most recent scan of the item did not occur within a predetermined expected time interval associated with the intermediate location identified in the alternate delivery route, determining a new delivery date for the item and determining whether the item will be delivered after the expected delivery date.

21. An apparatus for providing enhanced visibility of shipped items via a carrier, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory in communication with the processor, said memory storing an application executable by the processor, wherein the application is configured upon execution, to;

obtain information about shipped items;

receive said information from one or more event-based tracking systems;

provide at least a portion of said information to at least a shipper or a recipient of one or more shipped items over a network;

determine a preferred delivery route and an alternate delivery route for the transport of the shipped items from the shipper to the recipient via the carrier and an expected delivery date for each shipped item, wherein the routes are determined prior to the transport of the shipped items and each route is comprised of one or more intermediate locations;

monitor the routes of each shipped item in transport by the carrier and assign a status to each shipped item based on an event occurring at said one or more intermediate locations and communicate said status to provide enhanced visibility of the shipped items; and

determine whether the at least one of said shipping items was scanned at an intermediate location that is identified in the alternate delivery route in response to determining that the item was not scanned by a first scanning device at an intermediate location that is identified in the preferred delivery route.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the intermediate location is a location between an origin location and a destination location along a delivery route for the at least one shipping item.

23. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the application is further configured, upon execution by the processor, to:

detect that the event occurring at said one or more intermediate locations occurs in response to at least one of said shipping items failing to depart a corresponding intermediate location during a departure time interval assigned to the intermediate location and in response to information associated with the at least one shipping item not being retrieved, by the first scanning device, upon expiration of a time associated with the departure time interval.

24. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the application is further configured, upon execution by the processor, to:

determine whether a most recent scan of the item occurred at a destination in which the item is delivered in response to determining that the item was scanned by a second scanning device at the intermediate location identified in the alternate delivery route.

25. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the application is further configured upon execution by the processor, to:

determine a new delivery date for the item and determine whether the item will be delivered after the expected delivery date in response to determining that the most recent scan of the item did not occur within a predetermined expected time interval associated with the intermediate location identified in the alternate delivery route.