Proactive monitoring and intervention capabilities in a package delivery system

• US 8,489,472 B2
• Filed: 05/08/2008
• Issued: 07/16/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/08/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: United Parcel Service of America (United Parcel Service Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: United Parcel Service Of America Incorporated (United Parcel Service Incorporated)
• Inventors: Boitet, Val Corday, Sebusch, Erik Paul, Ellingwood, Guy
• Primary Examiner(s): Zeender, Ryan
• Assistant Examiner(s): OBAID, FATEH M
• Application Number:
  US12/117,534
• Publication Number:
  US 20090281929A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,895 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 705/28
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders

Abstract

A system and method for proactively monitoring the status of packages shipped by a package delivery carrier including intervening when certain conditions arise. The system identifies certain packages are requiring proactive monitoring and intervention, and monitors a variety of conditions, including system-wide impacts and package-level specific impacts, which may necessitate intervention by carrier personnel. Intervention may include various exception handling actions, including upgrading the level of service, stabilizing the temperature of the package, inspecting damage to the package. The carrier may notify the consignee or consignor of such detected conditions and may then communicate with appropriate individuals involved with the package delivery to ascertain the most appropriate action necessary. The system facilitates communicating such information to appropriate carrier personnel. The system may also maintain a real-time case log regarding the package, which can be accessed by service representative, package handling personnel, and said appropriate individuals.

Claims

1. A method of managing the delivery of a package, comprising the steps of:

recording an indication associated with the package in a package level detail (PLD) database indicating a potentially service impacting condition occurring during shipping of the package, the potentially service impacting condition being a condition that can potentially adversely impact delivery of the package;

monitoring the PLD database via at least one computer to determine whether the indication has been recorded in the PLD database;

in response to detecting that the indication has been recorded in the PLD database;

(A) identifying a package level tracking number associated with the package;

(B) retrieving a customer profile associated with the tracking number, wherein the customer profile contains contact information for a user;

(C) recording the time of the notification of the electronic message in a log associated with the package tracking number;

(D) in response to the potentially service impacting condition not matching a predefined potentially service impacting condition;

(1) send the customer an electronic message to a customer address based on the contact information contained in the customer profile, wherein the electronic message is adapted to notify the user of the potentially service impacting condition;

(2) receive input from the customer regarding actions to be taken in response to the potentially service impacting condition occurring;

(3) retrieve the loci associated with the package;

(4) record in the loci information related to the potentially service impacting condition, the information comprising the actions to be taken provided by the customer; and

(E) recording information in the log associated with the package, wherein the information indicates the action to be taken with respect to the package; and

(F) in response to the package being scanned at a sorting facility;

(1) issuing an exception alert via the at least one computing device notifying personnel handling the package at the sorting facility of an exception associated with the handling of the package;

(2) accessing the log; and

(3) providing information based on the log to the personnel handling the package indicating the action to be taken with respect to the package, wherein the personnel handling the package perform the action indicated with respect to the package.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the action to be taken with respect to the package pertains to temperature stabilization of the package.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of providing the information indicating the action to be taken with respect to the package to the personnel further comprises:

receiving a request from the personnel for the log identified by the tracking number; and

providing information from the log to the personnel handling the package, wherein the information is provided by the personnel handling the package using a computer to access the log.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of:

receiving shipping information pertaining to the package, the shipping indication including an indication of proactive intervention.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of sending the user a second electronic message at the user address, wherein the information included in the electronic message includes information regarding the action taken with respect to the package by the carrier.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the contact information in the customer profile comprises a first user address for high value packages and a second user address for regular packages and the step of sending the user the electronic message comprises the sub-steps of:

(1) determining whether the package is a high value package;

(2) in response to determining the package is a high value package, sending the user the electronic message to the first user address based on the contact information contained in the customer profile; and

(3) in response to determining the package is not a high value package, sending the user the electronic message to the second user address based on the contact information contained in the customer profile.

6. A system for proactively monitoring and intervening in the delivery of a package for a customer comprising:

a proactive monitoring and intervention (“

PR”

) database storing

     1) a customer transit profile that is associated with the customer and comprises customer contact information including a name and contact address, the customer profile further including information regarding actions to be taken in response to a predefined potentially service impacting condition associated with delivery of the package occurring during shipping of the package, and

     2) at least one log associated with the package, the log including information regarding status and actions taken in conjunction with the package as a result of the predefined potentially service impacting condition associated with the delivery of the package occurring;

a package level detail (“

PLD”

) database comprising a tracking number of the package, the PLD database further storing an indication that a potentially service impacting condition has occurred during shipping of the package;

a processor in communication with the PLD database and the PR database, the processor configured to;

identify the package in the PLD database and detect a presence of the indication that the potentially service impacting condition has occurred; and

in response to detecting the presence of the indication that the potentially service impacting condition has occurred;

(A) determine whether the potentially service impacting condition matches the predefined potentially service impacting condition;

(B) in response to the potentially service impacting condition not matching the predefined potentially service impacting condition;

(1) send the customer an electronic message to a customer address listed in the customer contact information stored in the PR database that the potentially service impacting condition has occurred;

(2) receive input from the customer regarding actions to be taken in response to the potentially service impacting condition occurring;

(3) retrieve the log associated with the package;

(4) record in the log information related to the potentially service impacting condition, the information comprising the actions to be taken provided by the customer; and

(5) initiate an electronic notification to personnel handling the package; and

(C) in response to the potentially service impacting condition matching the predefined potentially service impacting condition;

(1) send the customer an electronic message to the customer address listed in the customer contact information stored in the PR database that the potentially service impacting condition has occurred;

(2) retrieve the log associated with the package;

(3) record in the log information related to the potentially service impacting condition, the information comprising the actions to be taken provided by the customer profile; and

(4) initiate an electronic notification to personnel handling the package; and

a customer service representative workstation in communication with the processor and operated by the personnel handling the package, the workstation initiating a request to retrieve the customer profile and the log associated with the package after receiving the electronic notification, wherein the personnel handling the package;

(A) access the information from the log regarding the actions to be taken in response to the predefined condition associated with delivery of the package having occurred during shipping of the package; and

(B) record in the log actions taken in conjunction with the package as a result of the predefined potentially service impacting condition having occurred.

8. A method of managing the delivery of a package, comprising the steps of:

(1) recording an indication associated with the package in a package level detail (PLD) database indicating a potentially service impacting condition occurring during shipping of the package, the potentially service impacting condition being a condition that can potentially adversely impact delivery of the package;

(2) monitoring the PLD database via at least one computer to determine whether the indication has been recorded in the PLD database;

(3) in response to detecting that the indication has been recorded in the PLD database;

(A) retrieving a customer profile associated with a user, wherein the customer profile contains contact information for the user and one or more anticipated potentially service impacting conditions and a corresponding action to be taken with respect to the package for each anticipated potentially service impacting condition;

(B) determining whether the potentially service impacting condition matches one of the anticipated potentially service impacting conditions;

(C) in response to the potentially service impacting condition matching one of the anticipated potentially service impacting conditions, recording information in the log associated with the package, the information indicating an action comprising the corresponding action from the customer profile to be taken with respect to the package;

(D) in response to the potentially service impacting condition not matching one of the anticipated potentially service impacting conditions;

(1) sending the user an electronic message to a user address based on the contact information contained in the customer profile, wherein the electronic message is adapted to notify the user of the potentially service impacting condition;

(2) in response to sending the user the electronic message notifying the user of the potentially service impacting condition, receiving input from the user regarding a user provided action to be taken with respect to the package in light of the potentially service impacting condition;

(3) retrieve the loci associated with the package; and

(4) recording information in the log associated with the package, wherein the information indicates the action comprising the user provided action to be taken with respect to the package; and

(E) in response to the package being scanned at a sorting facility;

(1) issuing an exception alert via the at least one computing device notifying personnel handling the package at the sorting facility of an exception associated with the handling of the package;

(2) accessing the log; and

(3) providing information based on the log to the personnel handling the package indicating the action to be taken with respect to the package, wherein the personnel handling the package perform the action indicated with respect to the package.