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

• US 8,374,970 B2
• Filed: 04/25/2011
• Issued: 02/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Iship Incorporated, Stamps.com, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Iship Incorporated, Stamps.com, Inc.
• Inventors: Williams, Daniel F., Bennett, David Allison, Goldhaber, Lynn Shaindell, Glavin, Dennis, Krett, Lory Elizabeth, Mentzer, Charles D., Teglovic, Stephen M., Dietz, John M., Smith, William W. III, Bilibin, Paul, Liu, Jinyue, McLaughlin, Paul R., Meyer, Scott, Hu, Sean
• Primary Examiner(s): Chen, George
• Application Number:
  US13/093,551
• Publication Number:
  US 20110246384A1
• Time in Patent Office: 659 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 705/300
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/083 Shipping
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0834 Choice of carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08345 Pricing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0835 Relationships between shipper or supplier and carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/101 Collaborative creation, e.g. joint development of products or services
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0282 Rating or review of business operators or products
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]

Abstract

The present invention provides a plurality of Enterprises with a single online user interface with which the Enterprise can provide Enterprise Shippers, shipping origination users and shipping intermediary users with an automated parcel management system for a plurality of supported Carriers for a plurality of services. The present invention provides for the hierarchical definition of users, including the hierarchical definition of organizational units within each Enterprise. The present invention further provides for a distinct definition of policies, privileges, and other types of specifications for each user level, each user, and each organizational unit. The present invention applies the user and organizational policies, privileges and other specifications as they apply to each particular user to drive the interactive interface with each particular user and to provide among other things, shipping options, shipping services, shipping rates, traveler and/or shipping label preparation, and shipment tracking.

Claims

1. An online, Internet-based, multi-carrier, multi-parcel shipping management computer system, said computer system programmed to:

receive a request by a first user within an enterprise to ship a parcel, wherein the first user is designated in a memory accessible by the computer system as restricted from finalizing shipping labels, wherein the request comprises a set of partial shipment information, and wherein the set of partial shipment information comprises at least one of;

a destination name, a destination address, a return name, a return address, or package information;

in response to the request by the first user to ship the parcel;

(A)(1) generate a printable bar-coded pre-processing traveler label, wherein the printable bar-coded pre-processing traveler label comprises at least a machine-readable code that corresponds to the request, (B) save in the memory accessible by the computer system, a relationship between the machine-readable code and the set of partial shipment information, and (C) print the printable bar-coded pre-processing traveler label, wherein said printed printable bar-coded pre-processing traveler label comprises an expression of the machine-readable code;

receive an input for finalizing a shipping label for shipping the parcel from a second user within the enterprise, wherein the second user is designated in the memory accessible by the computer system as authorized to finalize shipping labels, wherein said input comprises the machine-readable code;

retrieve from the memory the set of partial shipment information according to the machine-readable code; and

generate a shipping label comprising at least a first item of information from the set of partial shipment information and according to the input from the second user.

2. The shipping management computer system of claim 1, said shipping management computer system further programmed to:

(A)(2) generate for the printable bar-coded pre-processing traveler label the machine-readable code.

3. The shipping management computer system of claim 2, said shipping management computer system further programmed to:

recognize as a completion request for the completion of the request by the first user to ship the parcel, a scan by the second user of the expression of the machine-readable code from the printed printable bar-coded pre-processing traveler label.

4. The shipping management computer system of claim 3, said shipping management computer system further programmed to:

complete the request by the first user to ship the parcel with information input by the second user.

5. The shipping management computer system of claim 1, said shipping management computer system further programmed to:

print the shipping label.

6. A computer-implemented method for facilitating completion of shipping labels using input from multiple users, said computer-implemented method implemented using a computer-based shipping management computer system, said computer-implemented method comprising:

said computer-based shipping management computer system comprising a computer-accessible memory;

said computer-accessible memory comprising a restriction indicator corresponding to a first user within an enterprise, said restriction indicator comprising a designation that the first user is restricted from finalizing shipping labels;

said computer-accessible memory further comprising an authorization indicator corresponding to a second user within the enterprise, said authorization indicator comprising a designation that the second user is authorized to finalize shipping labels;

receiving by the computer-based shipping management computer system, a request by the first user to ship a parcel;

in response to the request by the first user to ship the parcel, and according to the restriction indicator, restricting the first user from completing a shipping label, but facilitating an input by the first user of a set of partial shipment information, said set of partial shipment information comprising at least one of;

a destination name, a destination address, a return name, a return address, or package information;

in response to said input by the first user of said set of partial shipment information, and according to the restriction indicator;

(A) generating by the computer-based shipping management computer system, a representation of a machine-readable code that corresponds to said parcel and to said partial shipment information, and

(B) saving by the computer-based shipping management computer system, in the computer-accessible memory, a relationship between the machine-readable code and the set of partial shipment information for said parcel; and

receiving by the computer-based shipping management computer system, a shipment-completion request from the second user for said parcel, said shipment-completion request comprising an input by the second user, said input by the second user comprising an indication of the machine-readable code that corresponds to said parcel, said input by the second user further comprising additional shipping information for finalizing a shipping label for shipping said parcel.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, said computer-implemented method further comprising:

in response to the shipment-completion request by the second user, and according to the authorization indicator, retrieving by the computer-based shipping management computer system from the computer-accessible memory, the set of partial shipment information according to the machine-readable code.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, said computer-implemented method further comprising:

in further response to the shipment-completion request by the second user, and further according to the authorization indicator, generating by the computer-based shipping management computer system, a shipping label comprising information from the set of partial shipment information that was input by the first user and further comprising additional information from the additional shipping information that was input by the second user.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, said computer-implemented method further comprising:

facilitating by the computer-based shipping management computer system, printing of the shipping label.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, said additional shipping information comprising at least one of:

a weight of the parcel, an indication of a package type of the parcel, an indication of a particular carrier to ship the parcel, an indication of a particular delivery service by the particular carrier, or a shipping rate for the particular delivery service by the particular carrier to ship the parcel.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, said computer-implemented method further comprising:

in further response to the shipment-completion request by the second user, and further according to the authorization indicator, generating by the computer-based shipping management computer system, a shipping label comprising information from the set of partial shipment information that was input by the first user and further comprising additional information from the additional shipping information that was input by the second user.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, said computer-implemented method further comprising:

facilitating by the computer-based shipping management computer system, print rendering of the shipping label.