System and method for calculating real-time costing information

• US 8,321,356 B2
• Filed: 10/18/2007
• Issued: 11/27/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/18/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: United Parcel Service Of America Incorporated (United Parcel Service Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: United Parcel Service Of America Incorporated (United Parcel Service Incorporated)
• Inventors: Awaida, Antony A, Arroyo, Nathan
• Primary Examiner(s): Erb, Nathan
• Application Number:
  US11/874,681
• Publication Number:
  US 20080097933A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,867 Days
• Field of Search: 705/400
• US Class Current: 705/400
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0283 Price estimation or determination

Abstract

Real-time costing information is provided by a central knowledge base in communication with a database. The central knowledge base provides an application programming interface (API) through which queries are run on the content in the database. The database content includes a harmonized system (HS) module holding an HS tree unified across multiple countries, a tariffs module holding tariffs applicable to goods classified in the unified HS tree, and a freight rates module holding rules and data for calculating freight rates for a shipment of goods. A knowledge workbench includes a catalog harmonizer that enables goods in a catalog to be harmonized according to one or more countries'"'"' HS trees and the results to be stored in the database. An applications server provides applications for generating queries for costing information, such as landed cost estimates, analyzing the results.

Claims

1. A system for delivering real-time landed cost information comprising a tariff cost for an indicated good associated with a specific country, comprising:

a database adapted to store content associated with a plurality of countries, the content comprising;

a harmonized system (HS) module for storing a data structure representing an HS tree associated with the plurality of countries, the HS tree having a hierarchy of nodes in which the good can be classified, wherein the nodes comprise at least

     1) a plurality of classification nodes, each classification node accounting for a logical classification in the HS tree that is not distinguished by an HS code,

     2) a plurality of standard nodes, each standard node being associated with a respective HS code for a particular country of the plurality of countries, and

     3) a plurality of merged nodes, each merged node representing two or more countries'"'"' standard nodes having a shared node description, wherein each classification node has at least one of one or more subordinate standard nodes from the plurality of standard nodes or one or more subordinate merged nodes from the plurality of merged nodes;

wherein cross-reference data is stored and identifies different non-merged nodes in the HS tree that have the same meaning;

a tariffs module for storing tariff data associated with said HS codes, the tariff data being used to calculate tariff costs for goods, wherein specific tariff data is selected for a particular good based on an HS code being associated with the specific tariff data and the specific good;

a compliance module for storing import or export data associated with the HS codes, the import or export data indicating restrictions associated with importing or exporting the goods, wherein specific import or export data is selected for the particular good based on the HS code being associated with the specific import or export data and the specific good; and

a processor configured to;

(1) receive a query over an application programming interface (API) requesting said real-time landed cost information for the indicated good for said specific country;

(2) access the database to retrieve a corresponding HS code associated with the good, using the cross-reference data to find the node that corresponds to the HS code for the specific country;

(3) access the tariffs module to retrieve corresponding tariff data associated with said good to determine the tariff cost, the corresponding tariff data being retrieved based on the corresponding HS code;

(4) access the compliance module to retrieve corresponding import or export data indicating one or more corresponding restrictions, the corresponding import or export data being retrieved based on the corresponding HS code;

(5) calculate the landed cost information comprising at least the tariff cost; and

(6) generate a response to the query comprising the landed cost information and the one or more corresponding restrictions for said good.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein each merged node of the plurality of merged nodes comprises one of:

1) two or more nodes that are substantially similar with respect to HS code and description; and

     2) two or more nodes that are substantially similar with respect to description but not to HS code.

3. A method for providing real-time cost information comprising a tariff cost for an indicated good associated with a specific country comprising the steps of:

receiving, by at least one computing device comprising at least one processor, a query, the query comprising at least data identifying said indicated good and the specific country;

accessing a database storing content associated with a plurality of countries, the content comprising;

a harmonized system (HS) module storing a data structure representing an HS tree associated with the plurality of countries, the HS tree having a hierarchy of nodes in which the good can be classified, wherein the nodes comprise at least

     1) a plurality of classification nodes, each classification node accounting for a logical classification in the HS tree that is not distinguished by a particular HS code,

     2) a plurality of standard nodes, each standard node being associated with a respective HS code for a particular country of the plurality of countries, and

     3) a plurality of merged nodes, each merged node representing two or more countries'"'"' standard nodes having a shared node description, wherein each classification node has at least one of one or more subordinate standard nodes from the plurality of standard nodes or one or more subordinate merged nodes from the plurality of merged nodes;

wherein cross-reference data is stored and identifies different non-merged nodes in the HS tree that have the same meaning;

retrieving, by the at least one processor, an HS code associated with the indicated good, using the cross-reference data to find the node that corresponds to the HS code for the specific country;

accessing, by the at least one processor, a tariffs module storing tariff data associated with said HS codes;

retrieving, by the at least one processor, corresponding tariff data associated with the good based on the HS code;

calculating, by the at least one processor, the tariff cost associated with the good based on the corresponding tariff data;

accessing, by the at least one processor, a compliance module storing import or export data associated with the HS codes to retrieve corresponding import or export data indicating one or more corresponding restrictions associated with importing or exporting the good, the corresponding import or export data being retrieved based on the HS code; and

generating, by the at least one processor, a response to the query comprising the tariff cost and the one or more corresponding restrictions associated with the good.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein each merged node of the plurality of merged nodes comprises one of:

1) two or more nodes that are substantially similar with respect to HS code and description; and

     2) two or more nodes that are substantially similar with respect to description but not to HS code.