Apparatus for supporting delivery and redistribution of perishable and time-sensitive goods using a shuffle run
First Claim
1. A system for automatically managing initial distribution and subsequent redistribution of perishable products to retail delivery outlets, said system comprising:
- a server arrangement that maintains delivery route information;
plural portable handheld appliances that are at least intermittently connectable to communicate with said server arrangement, said server arrangement providing transmission of at least some of said delivery route information to said handheld appliances, said plural portable handheld appliances being structured to receive, store and display at least subsets of said delivery route information relating to particular delivery routes;
image capturing devices associated with said plural at least intermittently connectable portable handheld appliances, said image capturing devices being configured to automatically capture product identification information associated with said delivered products, said server arrangement uploading captured information from said plural intermittently-connected portable handheld appliances and tallying quantities and types of products delivered on a per-outlet basis based at least in part on information collected using said image capture devices to permit determination of delivery activity based, at least in part, on said collected, tallied quantities and types of products delivered;
said handheld appliances and server arrangement being further configured to cooperate to manage redistribution of previously properly-delivered products between said delivery outlets by collecting and reporting shuffle run information representing re-distribution of previously properly-delivered products between said outlets,wherein said shuffle run information comprises the number of units of a product properly delivered to one outlet and then subsequently moved from the one outlet to another outlet.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Systems and methods provide for tracking, controlling, optimizing, and otherwise managing the delivery of perishable and time-sensitive goods such as newspapers, periodicals and promotional materials to consumers, both subscribers and non-subscribers, and to retail outlets. One exemplary arrangement includes a web server, a database server, and handheld computers. A database including at least route delivery information may be created and at least portions of the database may be communicated to respective handheld devices for display. Time-sensitive goods such as newspapers or periodicals may be delivered based at least in part on the information displayed on the handheld devices, which are also used to collect information during said delivery. The collected information is communicated to the database for billing, reporting and analysis. Features include intelligent advanced shuffle handling and tracking, web-based planning tools, sequencing of distribution outlets along a trip or route, delivery without employing paper lists, trip management/tracking, intermittent or continual connectivity and/or data reporting, time stamping/time-based tracking, and retail manager signature input as part of data collection. Support for ASP, service-oriented business models may be provided.
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Citations
15 Claims
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1. A system for automatically managing initial distribution and subsequent redistribution of perishable products to retail delivery outlets, said system comprising:
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a server arrangement that maintains delivery route information; plural portable handheld appliances that are at least intermittently connectable to communicate with said server arrangement, said server arrangement providing transmission of at least some of said delivery route information to said handheld appliances, said plural portable handheld appliances being structured to receive, store and display at least subsets of said delivery route information relating to particular delivery routes; image capturing devices associated with said plural at least intermittently connectable portable handheld appliances, said image capturing devices being configured to automatically capture product identification information associated with said delivered products, said server arrangement uploading captured information from said plural intermittently-connected portable handheld appliances and tallying quantities and types of products delivered on a per-outlet basis based at least in part on information collected using said image capture devices to permit determination of delivery activity based, at least in part, on said collected, tallied quantities and types of products delivered; said handheld appliances and server arrangement being further configured to cooperate to manage redistribution of previously properly-delivered products between said delivery outlets by collecting and reporting shuffle run information representing re-distribution of previously properly-delivered products between said outlets, wherein said shuffle run information comprises the number of units of a product properly delivered to one outlet and then subsequently moved from the one outlet to another outlet. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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Specification