Predicting shipment origin points

• US 8,407,154 B1
• Filed: 04/27/2012
• Issued: 03/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Fallows, Thomas Mackenzie
• Primary Examiner(s): FLYNN, KEVIN H
• Application Number:
  US13/458,470
• Time in Patent Office: 333 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26.41, 705/26.9, 705/333, 705/341
• US Class Current: 705/341
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/083 Shipping

Abstract

A shipment origin location for a product purchased by a customer is predicted. A merchant evaluator receives information from a user about a purchase transaction completed by the user with a merchant for a product, including the user'"'"'s location. When the product is shipped, the merchant evaluator receives tracking information about the shipment. The merchant evaluator determines from the tracking information a point of origin for the shipment and updates its records to reflect the shipment origin point for that merchant and product, given the user'"'"'s location. As the merchant evaluator compiles similar data for many products shipped by many merchants to many destinations, the merchant evaluator develops a searchable index, enabling a prediction to be made about a shipment origin point for a particular product from a particular merchant, given the location of the user ordering the product. A time-in-transit prediction can also be made.

Claims

1. A method for determining a shipment origin location for a product shipped by a merchant, the method comprising:

for each of a plurality of purchase transactions for the product between the merchant and customers;

receiving transaction information including identification of the product, the merchant, and the customer;

determining a location of the customer;

receiving shipping information associated with the product, the shipping information including a shipment origin location;

storing an historical record indicating, for the customer'"'"'s location, the merchant and the product, the shipment origin location;

receiving a request for a predicted shipment origin location, the request including identification of the merchant and the product, and a location of a prospective customer;

identifying, by a computer, based on the prospective customer'"'"'s location and at least one historical record indicating a previous shipment of the product from the merchant to the prospective customer'"'"'s location, a predicted shipment origin location; and

providing, by the computer, in response to the received request, the predicted shipment origin location.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the transaction information is received from the customer.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the customer receives the transaction information and a conversion pixel from the merchant, and the transaction information is received from the customer pursuant to instructions present in the conversion pixel.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the transaction information is received from the merchant.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the customer'"'"'s location is received from the customer.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the transaction information is received from the merchant.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the customer'"'"'s location is determined according to the customer'"'"'s network address.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the shipping information is received from the merchant.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving shipping information further comprises:

receiving shipment tracking information from the merchant, the tracking information including identification of a shipment carrier;

requesting information including a point of origin for the shipment from the shipment carrier; and

receiving from the shipment carrier information about the shipment, including the shipment origin location.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising providing an estimated shipment delivery date for the prospective customer.

11. A computer program product for determining a shipment origin location for a product shipped by a merchant, the computer program product stored on a non-transitory computer-readable medium and including program code configured to cause a processor to carry out the steps of:

for each of a plurality of purchase transactions for the product between the merchant and customers;

receiving transaction information including identification of the product, the merchant, and the customer;

determining a location of the customer;

receiving shipping information associated with the product, the shipping information including a shipment origin location;

storing an historical record indicating, for the customer'"'"'s location, the merchant and the product, the shipment origin location;

receiving a request for a predicted shipment origin location, the request including identification of the merchant and the product, and a location of a prospective customer;

identifying using the stored historical records indicating at least one previous shipment of the product from the merchant to the prospective customer'"'"'s location, a predicted shipment origin location; and

providing, in response to the received request, the predicted shipment origin location.

12. The computer program product of claim 11 wherein the transaction information is received from the customer.

13. The computer program product of claim 12 wherein the customer receives the transaction information and a conversion pixel from the merchant, and the transaction information is received from the customer pursuant to instructions present in the conversion pixel.

14. The computer program product of claim 11 wherein the transaction information is received from the merchant.

15. The computer program product of claim 11 wherein the customer'"'"'s location is received from the customer.

16. The computer program product of claim 15 wherein the transaction information is received from the merchant.

17. The computer program product of claim 11 wherein the shipping information is received from the merchant.

18. The computer program product of claim 11 wherein receiving shipping information further comprises:

receiving shipment tracking information from the merchant, the tracking information including identification of a shipment carrier;

requesting information including a point of origin for the shipment from the shipment carrier; and

receiving from the shipment carrier information about the shipment, including the shipment origin location.

19. The computer program product of claim 11 further comprising providing an estimated shipment delivery date for the prospective customer.

20. A system for determining a shipment origin location for a product shipped by a merchant, the system comprising:

a processor;

a customer transaction module, executed by the processor, adapted to receive transaction information for each of a plurality of purchase transactions for a product between a merchant and customers, the transaction information including identification of the product, the merchant, and the customer, and to identify a location of the customer;

a merchant database, coupled to the processor, for storing product shipment information records; and

a merchant transaction module, executed by the processor, adapted to;

receive, for each of the plurality of purchase transactions for the product between the merchant and customers, shipping information associated with the product, the shipping information including a shipment origin location;

store in the merchant database a product shipment information historical record indicating, for the customer'"'"'s location, the merchant and the product, the shipment origin location;

receive a request for a predicted shipment origin location, the request including identification of the merchant and the product and a location of a prospective customer;

identify, using the product shipment information historical records stored in the merchant database including at least one previous shipment of the product from the merchant to the prospective customer'"'"'s location, a predicted shipment origin location; and

to

provide, in response to the received request, the predicted shipment origin location.