Electronic acknowledgement of receipt of inventory

• US 8,355,960 B2
• Filed: 03/22/2005
• Issued: 01/15/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Western Union
• Original Assignee: Western Union
• Inventors: Stoutenburg, Earney E., Baumgartner, David R., Anuszewski, Theresa L., Kinney, Ross G., Owen, David A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Danneman, Paul
• Application Number:
  US11/086,934
• Publication Number:
  US 20050187835A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,856 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 705/28
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/203 Inventory monitoring

Abstract

A method for tracking status of an inventory shipment sent to a recipient includes monitoring whether the recipient has transmitted an electronic acknowledgment of the status of the shipment; and automatically transmitting a message to the recipient requesting acknowledgment of receipt of inventory if the electronic acknowledgment is not transmitted by the recipient within a first predetermined amount of time.

Claims

1. A method for tracking status of an inventory shipment sent to a recipient, the method comprising:

monitoring whether the recipient has transmitted, via a point of sale transaction terminal configured to print financial documents and respond to a status of shipment request sent to the point of sale transaction terminal, an electronic acknowledgment of the status of the shipment to a host computer in communication with the point of sale transaction terminal;

automatically transmitting a message to the point of sale transaction terminal of the recipient requesting acknowledgment of receipt of inventory if the electronic acknowledgment is not transmitted by the point of sale transaction terminal of the recipient within a first predetermined amount of time, and

at least partially disabling operation of the point of sale transaction terminal if the point of sale transaction terminal does not print the message or the recipient does not respond to the message within a second, predetermined amount of time,

wherein the prior operations are performed by at least one host computer, and

wherein during a period when the point of sale transaction terminal is at least partially disabled, the point of sale transaction terminal remains capable of receiving another message from the at least one host computer.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising restoring operation of the terminal after the recipient causes the message to be printed by the terminal.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising restoring operation of the terminal after the recipient responds to the message.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising transmitting a notice to the terminal indicating that the shipment has been sent.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the terminal is disposed at a first location, and the host computer is disposed at a second location different than the first location, and wherein the host computer is configured to automatically transmit the message to the terminal requesting acknowledgment of receipt of inventory.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the terminal is configured to print negotiable instruments.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein the terminal is configured to process sale transactions.

8. The method of claim 5 wherein the inventory shipment includes negotiable instrument forms, and wherein the method further comprises initiating the inventory shipment using the host computer.

9. The method of claim 5 wherein the terminal includes a tracking system that tracks message print status, and the tracking system is configured to at least partially disable operation of the terminal if the terminal does not print the message within a second, predetermined amount of time.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the inventory shipment comprises negotiable instruments and wherein the host computer tracks the negotiable instruments shipped in inventories that are not received by the recipient and generates a signal that automatically flags or marks one or more of the negotiable instruments if the one or more negotiable instruments are presented for settlement.

11. A method for tracking status of an inventory shipment sent to a recipient, the method comprising:

monitoring whether the recipient has transmitted, via a point of sale transaction terminal configured to print financial documents and respond to a status of shipment request sent to the point of sale transaction terminal, an electronic acknowledgment of the status of the shipment to a host computer in communication with the point of sale transaction terminal;

automatically transmitting a message from the host computer to the point of sale transaction terminal requesting acknowledgment of receipt of inventory if the recipient does not transmit the electronic acknowledgment within a first predetermined amount of time;

at least partially disabling operation of the point of sale transaction terminal through the host computer if the point of sale transaction terminal does not print the message within a second, predetermined amount of time;

wherein during a period when the point of sale transaction terminal is at least partially disabled, the point of sale transaction terminal remains capable of receiving another message from the host computer,

automatically restoring operation of the point of sale transaction terminal after the point of sale transaction terminal prints the message if operation of the point of sale transaction terminal has previously been at least partially disabled for failure to print the message; and

automatically disabling the point of sale transaction terminal through the host computer if the recipient does not respond to the message within a third, predetermined amount of time.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the terminal is disposed at a first location, and the host computer is disposed at a second location different than the first location.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the terminal is configured to print negotiable instruments.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein the terminal is configured to process sale transactions.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the inventory shipment comprises negotiable instruments and wherein the host computer tracks negotiable instruments shipped in inventories that are not received by the recipient and generates a signal that automatically flags or marks one or more of the negotiable instruments if the one or more negotiable instruments are presented for settlement.

16. A method for tracking an inventory shipment sent to a recipient, the inventory shipment including negotiable instrument forms, the method comprising:

providing the recipient with a point of sale transaction terminal configured to print financial documents and to electronically respond to a status request of the inventory shipment sent to the point of sale transaction terminal by a sender of the inventory shipment;

monitoring whether the recipient has communicated the status of the inventory shipment, and automatically transmitting a message to the point of sale transaction terminal requesting acknowledgment of receipt of inventory if the recipient does not transmit an electronic acknowledgment of receipt of inventory within first a predetermined amount of time; and

at least partially disabling operation of the point of sale transaction terminal if the recipient does not communicate the status of the inventory shipment within a second predetermined amount of time,

wherein during a period when the point of sale transaction terminal is at least partially disabled, the point of sale transaction terminal remains capable of receiving another message from at least one host computer.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising restoring operation of the terminal after the status of the inventory shipment has been communicated to the sender.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the inventory shipment comprises negotiable instruments and wherein the host computer tracks negotiable instrument forms shipped in inventories that are not received by the recipient and generates a signal that automatically flags or marks one or more of the negotiable instrument forms if the one or more negotiable instrument forms are presented for settlement.

19. A method for tracking an inventory shipment sent to a recipient, the inventory shipment including negotiable instrument forms, the method comprising:

providing the recipient with a point of sale transaction terminal to electronically communicate a status of the inventory shipment to a sender of the inventory shipment, wherein the point of sale transaction terminal is configured to print financial documents and respond to a status of inventory shipment request sent to the point of sale transaction terminal;

transmitting a notice to the recipient indicating that the shipment has been sent; and

at least partially disabling operation of the point of sale transaction terminal if the recipient does not communicate the status of the inventory shipment within a predetermined amount of time,

wherein during a period when the point of sale transaction terminal is at least partially disabled, the point of sale transaction terminal remains capable of receiving another message from at least one host computer.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising restoring operation of the terminal after the status of the inventory shipment has been communicated to the sender.

21. A system for tracking status of an inventory shipment sent to a recipient, the system comprising:

a host computer for receiving an electronic acknowledgement of receipt of inventory from the recipient, the host computer being configured to automatically transmit a message to the recipient requesting acknowledgement of receipt of inventory if the electronic acknowledgement is not received within a first predetermined amount of time;

a point of sale transaction terminal in communication with the host computer, the point of sale transaction terminal being configured to transmit the electronic acknowledgement to the host computer;

wherein the point of sale transaction terminal is configured to receive the message from the host computer, and then inhibit operation of the point of sale transaction terminal if the point of sale transaction terminal does not print the message or send a response to the message within a second, predetermined amount of time.

22. The system of claim 21 the host computer is configured to restore operation of the terminal after the message is printed by the terminal or a response is sent to the message.