Systems and methods for certifying business entities
First Claim
1. A method of certifying a business entity comprising:
- receiving, from a driver of a parcel delivery vehicle, input regarding a location of the business entity, wherein each vehicle is conducting parcel delivery transactions as part of a parcel delivery route in which one or more parcels are picked up from consignors or delivered to consignees, and the business entity is at least one of a consignor, consignee, or an entity visited as part of carrying out the parcel delivery route;
associating the business entity with a verified address corresponding to the location visited;
determining a rating indicative of a legitimacy of the business entity, wherein the legitimacy of the business entity represents that the business entity exists and is independent of a quality of goods or services rendered by the business entity, and wherein the rating is at least partly determined by accessing information regarding previous parcel delivery transactions involving the business entity;
associating the business entity with the rating; and
providing for a display of the rating to a user, wherein the rating indicative of the legitimacy of the business entity provides an indication of a validity of the business entity for allowing the user to determine whether to engage the business entity in business transactions.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
Systems, methods, and computer program products for certifying business entities are provided. Input is received regarding a location of a business entity that is visited as part of a parcel delivery transaction, and the business entity is then associated with a verified address corresponding to the location visited. The verified address and an indication that the business entity is certified may be displayed to a user. Furthermore, a rating indicative of the legitimacy of the business entity may be determined, associated with the business entity, and displayed. The rating may be determined based on a total number of parcel delivery transactions of the business entity, a trend in its delivery transactions, the length of time the business entity has been involved in delivery transactions, or a geographic scope of the business entity. A directory of business entities that includes certification information and other features may also be provided.
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Citations
35 Claims
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1. A method of certifying a business entity comprising:
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receiving, from a driver of a parcel delivery vehicle, input regarding a location of the business entity, wherein each vehicle is conducting parcel delivery transactions as part of a parcel delivery route in which one or more parcels are picked up from consignors or delivered to consignees, and the business entity is at least one of a consignor, consignee, or an entity visited as part of carrying out the parcel delivery route; associating the business entity with a verified address corresponding to the location visited; determining a rating indicative of a legitimacy of the business entity, wherein the legitimacy of the business entity represents that the business entity exists and is independent of a quality of goods or services rendered by the business entity, and wherein the rating is at least partly determined by accessing information regarding previous parcel delivery transactions involving the business entity; associating the business entity with the rating; and providing for a display of the rating to a user, wherein the rating indicative of the legitimacy of the business entity provides an indication of a validity of the business entity for allowing the user to determine whether to engage the business entity in business transactions. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A computer program product comprising at least one computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable program code portions stored therein, the computer-readable program code portions comprising:
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a first executable portion for receiving input from a driver of a parcel delivery vehicle regarding a location of the business entity, wherein each vehicle is conducting parcel delivery transactions as part of a parcel delivery route in which one or more parcels are picked up from consignors or delivered to consignees, and the business entity is at least one of a consignor, consignee, or an entity visited as part of carrying out the parcel delivery route; a second executable portion for associating the business entity with a verified address corresponding to the location visited; a third executable portion for determining a rating indicative of a legitimacy of the business entity, wherein the legitimacy of the business entity represents that the business entity exists and is independent of a quality of goods or services rendered by the business entity, and wherein the rating is at least partly determined by accessing information regarding previous parcel delivery transactions involving the business entity; a fourth executable portion for associating the business entity with the rating; and a fifth executable portion for providing for a display of the rating to a user, wherein the rating indicative of the legitimacy of the business entity provides an indication of a validity of the business entity for allowing the user to determine whether to engage the business entity in business transactions. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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26. A system for certifying a business entity comprising:
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a database connected to a communications network and configured to store a plurality of data entries regarding parcel delivery transactions, wherein each data entry includes at least one item of information selected from the group consisting of a shipper name, a shipper address, a consignee name, and a consignee address associated with a respective parcel delivery transaction; at least one data terminal connected to the communications network and configured to receive and transmit input from a driver of a parcel delivery vehicle verifying an address of a business entity, wherein each vehicle is conducting parcel delivery transactions as part of a parcel delivery route in which one or more parcels are picked up from consignors or delivered to consignees and the business entity is at least one of a consignor, consignee, or an entity visited as part of carrying out the parcel delivery route; and a central server connected to the communications network and configured to access the database, wherein the central server is further configured to associate the verified address with the corresponding business entity based on the data entries accessed from the database, to determine a rating indicative of a legitimacy of the business entity, wherein the legitimacy of the business entity represents that the business entity exists and is independent of a quality of goods or services rendered by the business entity, and wherein the rating is at least partly determined by accessing information regarding previous parcel delivery transactions involving the business entity, to associate the business entity with the rating, and to provide for a display of the rating to a user, wherein the rating indicative of the legitimacy of the business entity provides an indication of a validity of the business entity for allowing the user to determine whether to engage the business entity in business transactions. - View Dependent Claims (27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35)
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Specification