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Apparatus, systems and methods for online, multi-carrier, multi-service parcel shipping management

  • US 8,255,337 B1
  • Filed: 01/05/2010
  • Issued: 08/28/2012
  • Est. Priority Date: 10/06/1999
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. A shipping management computer system comprising at least one computer device that is programmed, alone or in conjunction with other computer devices, for:

  • identifying a relationship between;

    (A) a particular parcel;

    (B) a carrier-specific tracking number used by a carrier-specific computer system for a particular carrier of a plurality of carriers to track the particular parcel; and

    (C) a system-generated tracking number that uniquely identifies the particular parcel within the multi-carrier, shipping management computer system;

    storing the relationship in a memory accessible by the shipping management computer system; and

    in response to receiving, via a remote computer device, a shipment status request that comprises the system-generated tracking number;

    (A) using the system-generated tracking number to identify the carrier-specific tracking number and the carrier-specific computer system for the particular carrier from a plurality of carrier computer systems;

    (B) using the carrier-specific tracking number to obtain shipment status information for the particular parcel from the carrier-specific computer system by transmitting a request to said carrier-specific computer system for shipping status information for the particular parcel according to the carrier-specific tracking number, and receiving a response from said carrier-specific computer system comprising said shipping status information; and

    (C) displaying the shipment status information to a user via a display associated with the remote computer device.

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