Method and system for anticipatory package shipping

• US 8,086,546 B2
• Filed: 12/17/2004
• Issued: 12/27/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Spiegel, Joel R., McKenna, Michael T., Lakshman, Girish S., Nordstrom, Paul G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Boyce, Akiba Robinson
• Application Number:
  US11/015,288
• Publication Number:
  US 20060136237A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,566 Days
• Field of Search: 705/406, 705/400, 705/1, 705/401
• US Class Current: 705/401
• 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 10/0835 Relationships between shipper or supplier and carriers

Abstract

A method and system for anticipatory package shipping are disclosed. According to one embodiment, a method may include packaging one or more items as a package for eventual shipment to a delivery address, selecting a destination geographical area to which to ship the package, shipping the package to the destination geographical area without completely specifying the delivery address at time of shipment, and while the package is in transit, completely specifying the delivery address for the package.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

an enterprise packaging one or more items as a package for eventual shipment to a delivery address;

said enterprise selecting, by one or more computers, a destination geographical area to which to ship said package, wherein said destination geographical area includes multiple delivery addresses to which said package is deliverable;

said enterprise shipping said package to said destination geographical area via a carrier that is distinct from said enterprise, wherein said shipping includes specifying said destination geographical area but purposefully not completely specifying any delivery address at time of shipment, such that at time of shipment, said package is deliverable to said destination geographical area but is intentionally not deliverable to any delivery address, and wherein said shipping comprises said enterprise physically tendering said package to said carrier; and

after said shipping has commenced and after said package has left a location at which said one or more items were packaged, and while said package is in transit, said enterprise completely specifying, via one or more computers, said delivery address for said package to said carrier, such that as a result of said enterprise completely specifying said delivery address to said carrier, said package becomes deliverable to said delivery address by said carrier.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein said enterprise completely specifying said delivery address for said package comprises said enterprise instructing an entity at a location in between an origin of said package and said delivery address to apply a label to said package indicating said delivery address.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein said enterprise shipping said package to said destination geographical area comprises said enterprise tendering said package to a common carrier from a fulfillment center.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein said enterprise shipping said package to said destination geographical area comprises said enterprise transporting said package from a fulfillment center to a shipping hub of a common carrier and tendering said package to said common carrier at said shipping hub.

5. The method as recited in claim 4, wherein said delivery address for said package is completely specified prior to said enterprise tendering said package to said common carrier at said shipping hub.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein said enterprise selecting said destination geographical area comprises said enterprise specifying at least a portion of a postal code, wherein said at least a portion of said postal code corresponds to said destination geographical area.

7. The method as recited in claim 6, wherein said at least a portion of said postal code comprises three most significant digits of a United States Postal Service ZIP code.

8. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising said enterprise redirecting said package to a different destination geographical area while said package is in transit.

9. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein said enterprise shipping said package occurs before a customer places an order for said one or more items to be delivered to said delivery address.

10. The method as recited in claim 9, further comprising said enterprise predicting overall customer demand for said one or more items within said destination geographical area, wherein said enterprise selecting said destination geographical area is dependent upon said predicting.

11. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein said enterprise predicting overall customer demand comprises said enterprise analyzing historical customer shopping patterns.

12. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein said enterprise selecting said geographical area to which to ship said package is dependent upon said enterprise analyzing one or more business variables related to said one or more items.

13. The method as recited in claim 12, wherein said enterprise analyzing said one or more business variables comprises said enterprise determining the status of previously shipped packages.

14. The method as recited in claim 12, wherein said enterprise analyzing said one or more business variables comprises said enterprise determining a cost associated with said one or more items.

15. The method as recited in claim 12, wherein said enterprise analyzing said one or more business variables comprises said enterprise determining a risk of a shipped package incurring return or redirection costs.

16. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

said enterprise gathering historical shipment tracking data from a common carrier for a plurality of packages in transit;

said enterprise generating a predictive shipping model for said common carrier using said historical shipment tracking data, wherein said predictive shipping model is configured to predict a latency to a delivery address for a given package; and

said enterprise using said predictive shipping model, identifying proximity of said shipped package to a particular delivery address.

17. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

said enterprise selecting a respective destination geographical area to which to ship each of a plurality of packages;

said enterprise shipping each of said plurality of packages to a respective destination geographical area without completely specifying any corresponding delivery address at time of shipment; and

while a given one of said plurality of packages is in transit, said enterprise completely specifying said corresponding delivery address for said given package.

18. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein said enterprise shipping said package to said destination geographical area without completely specifying any delivery address at time of shipment further comprises said enterprise shipping said package without specifying an addressee of said package.

19. The method as recited in claim 18, further comprising said enterprise specifying at least a portion of a physical address corresponding to said package at time of shipment.

20. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein said enterprise shipping said package to said destination geographical area without completely specifying any delivery address at time of shipment further comprises said enterprise shipping said package to an addressee without completely specifying a physical address of said package.