Apparatus, systems and methods for interfacing with digital scales configured with remote client computer devices

• US 7,774,285 B2
• Filed: 08/27/2007
• Issued: 08/10/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/06/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Stamps.com, Inc., Iship Incorporated (United Parcel Service Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Stamps.com, Inc., Iship Incorporated (United Parcel Service Incorporated)
• Inventors: McLaughlin, Paul R., Hu, Sean
• Primary Examiner(s): Zeender; F. Ryan
• Assistant Examiner(s): ROJAS, HAJIME S
• Application Number:
  US11/895,994
• Publication Number:
  US 20070299686A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,079 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 705/407
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 19/4148 for controlling postal rate in articles to be mailed franking apparatus with means for computing G07B17/02
• 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 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems

Abstract

The present invention provides apparatus, systems and methods providing a digital scale interface in a global communications shipping management environment so that a shipping management system resident on a server computer device remote from a user client computer device, receives and recognizes a weight of a parcel from the digital scale configured with the remote user client computer device.

Claims

1. A server-based, Internet-enabled computer system comprising:

at least one computer device programmed to;

provide a set of executable computer program instructions to a browser software program executing on a remote user computer device accessing the server-based, Internet-enabled computer system using the browser software program, the set of executable computer program instructions configured for automatic installation via the browser software on the remote user computer device, the set of executable computer program instructions configured to;

1) access information in a computer-accessible memory of the remote user computer device and automatically determine from said information, for a weighing device configured for communication with the remote user computer device, a set of weighing device configuration information comprising;

(A) a make of the weighing device, (B) a model of the model of the weighing device, and (C) a type of communications port through which the weighing device communicates with the remote user computer device,

2) open a communications port of the remote user computer device, according to the type of communications port, that corresponds to the weighing device,

3) send to the weighing device through the communications port, an at least one weight measurement instruction according to the set of weighing device configuration information for instructing the weighing device to measure a weight of an item,

4) interpret a return data stream from the weighing device according to the set of weighing device configuration information to determine the weight of the item, and

5) provide the weight of the item to the browser software program for communication to the server-based, Internet-enabled computer system; and

receive the weight of the item.

2. The server-based, Internet-enabled computer system of claim 1, said server-based, Internet-enabled computer system further programmed to:

use the weight of the item to calculate at least one shipping rate for shipping the item.

3. The server-based, Internet-enabled computer system of claim 1, said server-based, Internet-enabled computer system further programmed to:

use the weight to calculate at least one shipping rate for shipping the item; and

display the at least one shipping rate on a display device configured with the remote user computer device.

4. A server-based, Internet-enabled computer system comprising:

at least one computer device programmed to;

detect an indication by a browser software program executing on a remote user computer device, that an item is to be weighed using a weighing device that is configured for communication with the remote user computer device;

provide a set of executable computer program instructions to the browser software program, for automatic installation on the remote user computer device, the set of executable computer program instructions, as installed on the remote user computer device, configured to;

1) automatically determine, according to information in a computer-accessible memory of the remote user computer device, for the weighing device, a set of weighing device configuration information comprising;

(A) a make of the weighing device, (B) a model of the model of the weighing device, and (C) a type of communications port through which the weighing device communicates with the remote user computer device,

2) open a communications port of the remote user computer device, according to the type of communications port, that corresponds to the weighing device,

3) send to the weighing device through the communications port, an at least one weight measurement instruction according to the set of weighing device configuration information for instructing the weighing device to measure a weight of the item,

4) interpret a return data stream from the weighing device to determine the weight of the item, and

5) provide the weight of the item to the browser software program for communication to the server-based, Internet-enabled computer system; and

receive the weight of the item.

5. The server-based, Internet-enabled computer system of claim 4, said server-based, Internet-enabled computer system further programmed to:

use the weight of the item to calculate at least one shipping rate for shipping the item.

6. The server-based, Internet-enabled computer system of claim 4, said server-based, Internet-enabled computer system further programmed to:

use the weight to calculate at least one shipping rate for shipping the item; and

display the at least one shipping rate on a display device configured with the remote user computer device.

7. A server-based computer system comprising:

at least one computer device programmed to;

provide a set of executable computer program instructions to a browser software program executing on a remote user computer device accessing the server-based computer system using the browser software program, the set of executable computer program instructions configured for automatic installation via the browser software on the remote user computer device, the set of executable computer program instructions configured to;

1) determine from information in a computer-accessible memory of the remote user computer device, for a weighing device configured for communication with the remote user computer device, a type of communications port and a communications port, through which the weighing device communicates with the remote user computer device,

2) open the communications port according to the type of communications port,

3) determine from said information in the computer-accessible memory of the remote user computer device, for the weighing device;

(A) a make of the weighing device, and (B) a model of the model of the weighing device,

4) determine for the weighing device an at least one weight measurement instruction according to the make and the model, for instructing the weighing device to measure a weight of an item,

5) send to the weighing device through the communications port, the at least one weight measurement instruction,

6) interpret a return data stream from the weighing device according to the set of weighing device configuration information to determine the weight of the item, and

7) provide the weight of the item to the browser software program for communication to the server-based, Internet-enabled computer system; and

receive the weight of the item.

8. The server-based computer system of claim 7, said server-based computer system further programmed to:

use the weight of the item to calculate at least one shipping rate for shipping the item.

9. The server-based computer system of claim 7, said server-based computer system further programmed to:

use the weight to calculate at least one shipping rate for shipping the item; and

display the at least one shipping rate on a display device configured with the remote user computer device.

10. The server-based computer system of claim 7, said server-based computer system further programmed to:

use the weight to calculate a first shipping rate for shipping the item via a first delivery service offered by a first carrier; and

use the weight to calculate a second shipping rate for shipping the item via a second delivery service offered by the first carrier.

11. The server-based computer system of claim 10, said server-based computer system further programmed to:

use the weight to calculate a third shipping rate for shipping the parcel via a third delivery service offered by a second carrier.

12. The server-based computer system of claim 11, said server-based computer system further programmed to:

provide the browser software program for display on a display device configured for communication with the remote user computer device, a displayable representation of the first shipping rate, the second shipping rate, and the third shipping rate.