Systems and methods for enabling duty determination for a plurality of commingled international shipments

• US 8,732,093 B2
• Filed: 01/26/2011
• Issued: 05/20/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/26/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• 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: Mack, Dennis P.
• Primary Examiner(s): EPSTEIN, BRIAN M
• Application Number:
  US13/014,332
• Publication Number:
  US 20120191622A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,210 Days
• Field of Search: 705/33.X
• US Class Current: 705/331
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0831 Overseas transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing

Abstract

Various embodiments of the present invention provide systems, methods, and computer program products for enabling duty determination for each of a plurality of commingled international shipments being shipped to a plurality of consignees located in a country, the plurality of commingled international shipments being packed in an over packed carton. In general, various embodiments of the invention involve receiving information for each of the commingled international shipments that identifies the consignee for each of the commingled international shipments, creating an individual shipment identifier for each of the commingled international shipments, and associating each individual shipment identifier with the information for the corresponding commingled international shipment. Further, various embodiments of the invention involve transmitting the information for each commingled international shipment to a customs system to enable customs to consider each of the commingled international shipments separately for purposes of determining duty due for each of the commingled international shipments.

Claims

1. A system for enabling duty determination for each of a plurality of commingled international shipments being shipped to a plurality of consignees located in a country, the plurality of commingled international shipments being packed in an over packed carton, the system comprising:

memory; and

at least one computer processor configured to;

receive information for each of the commingled international shipments, the information comprising consignee data and value data for each of the commingled international shipments;

store the information in the memory;

create an individual shipment identifier for each of the commingled international shipments;

associate each individual shipment identifier with the information comprising the consignee data and the value data for the corresponding commingled international shipment;

transmit each individual shipment identifier and the information comprising the consignee data and the value data for each of the commingled international shipments to a customs system to enable customs to individually determine, based at least in part on the value data for each of the commingled international shipments, a duty due for each of the commingled international shipments packed in the over packed carton; and

after at least one of the plurality of commingled international shipments has cleared customs;

delete the individual shipment identifier for the at least one of the plurality of commingled international shipments that has cleared customs; and

create a domestic package identifier for the over packed carton identifying an intermediary location inside the country as a domestic consignee for the over packed carton, wherein the over packed carton is shipped as a domestic shipment to the intermediary location inside the country so that the at least one of the plurality of commingled international shipments can be separated from the over packed carton after arrival at the intermediary location and shipped to the corresponding consignee in the country.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one computer processor is configured to associate a tracking identifier for the over packed carton with the individual shipment identifiers in the memory to enable locating the over packed carton upon identifying a particular commingled international shipment by the customs to examine so that the over packed carton may be opened and the particular commingled international shipment examined.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein a label is provided on the over packed carton that is scanned at various locations during shipping of the over packed carton to provide tracking information for the plurality of commingled international shipments.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one computer processor receives the information on the plurality of commingled international shipments as a result of scanning a manifest provided along with the over packed carton, the manifest identifying each of the plurality of commingled international shipments packed in the over packed carton.

5. A method for enabling duty determination for each of a plurality of commingled international shipments being shipped to a plurality of consignees located in a country, the plurality of commingled international shipments being packed in an over packed carton, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving information for each of the commingled international shipments, the information comprising consignee data and value data for each of the commingled international shipments;

storing the information in one or more memory storage areas;

creating, by at least one computer processor, an individual shipment identifier for each of the commingled international shipments;

associating, by the at least one computer processor, each individual shipment identifier with the information comprising the consignee data and the value data for the corresponding commingled international shipment;

transmitting, by the at least one computer processor, each individual shipment identifier and the information comprising the consignee data and the value data for each of the commingled international shipments to a customs system to enable customs to individually determine, based at least in part on the value data for each of the commingled international shipments, a duty due for each of the commingled international shipments packed in the over packed carton; and

after at least one of the plurality of commingled international shipments has cleared customs;

deleting, by the at least one computer processor, the individual shipment identifier from the memory for the at least one of the plurality of commingled international shipments that has cleared customs; and

creating, by the at least one computer processor, a domestic package identifier for the over packed carton identifying an intermediary location inside the country as a domestic consignee for the over packed carton, wherein the over packed carton is shipped as a domestic shipment to the intermediary location inside the country so that the at least one of the plurality of commingled international shipments can be separated from the over packed carton after arrival at the intermediary location and shipped to the corresponding consignee in the country.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising the step of associating a tracking identifier for the over packed carton with the individual shipment identifiers in the memory to enable locating the over packed carton upon identifying a particular commingled international shipment by the customs to examine so that the over packed carton may be opened and the particular commingled international shipment examined.

7. The method of claim 5 further comprising the steps of:

providing a label on the over packed carton; and

scanning the label at various locations during shipping of the over packed carton to provide tracking information for the plurality of commingled international shipments.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the step of receiving the information on the plurality of commingled international shipments is performed by scanning a manifest provided along with the over packed carton, the manifest identifying each of the plurality of commingled international shipments packed in the over packed carton.

9. A non-transitory computer-readable medium containing executable code for enabling duty determination for each of a plurality of commingled international shipments being shipped to a plurality of consignees located in a country, the plurality of commingled international shipments being packed in an over packed carton, that when executed by at least one computer processor causes the at least one computer processor to:

receive information for each of the commingled international shipments, the information comprising consignee data and value data for each of the commingled international shipments;

store the information in memory;

create an individual shipment identifier for each of the commingled international shipments;

associate each individual shipment identifier with the information comprising the consignee data and the value data for the corresponding commingled international shipment;

transmit each individual shipment identifier and the information comprising the consignee data and the value data for each of the commingled international shipments to a customs system to enable customs to individually determine, based at least in part on the value data for each of the commingled international shipments, a duty due for each of the commingled international shipments packed in the over packed carton; and

after at least one of the plurality of commingled international shipments has cleared customs;

delete the individual shipment identifier for the at least one of the plurality of commingled international shipments that has cleared customs; and

create a domestic package identifier for the over packed carton identifying an intermediary location inside the country as a domestic consignee for the over packed carton, wherein the over packed carton is shipped as a domestic shipment to the intermediary location inside the country so that the at least one of the plurality of commingled international shipments can be separated from the over packed carton after arrival at the intermediary location and shipped to the corresponding consignee in the country.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the executable code, when executed by at least one computer processor, causes the at least one computer processor to associate a tracking identifier for the over packed carton with the individual shipment identifiers in the memory to enable locating the over packed carton upon identifying a particular commingled international shipment by the customs to examine so that the over packed carton may be opened and the particular commingled international shipment examined.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the executable code, when executed by at least one computer processor, causes the at least one computer processor to receive the information on the plurality of commingled international shipments as a result of scanning a manifest provided along with the over packed carton, the manifest identifying each of the plurality of commingled international shipments packed in the over packed carton.

12. A system for enabling duty determination for each of a plurality of commingled international shipments being shipped to a plurality of consignees located in a country, the plurality of commingled international shipments being packed in an over packed carton, the system comprising:

memory; and

at least one computer processor configured to;

receive information for each of the commingled international shipments, the information comprising consignee data and value data for each of the commingled international shipments;

store the information in the memory;

create an individual shipment identifier for each of the commingled international shipments;

associate each individual shipment identifier with the information comprising the consignee data and the value data for the corresponding commingled international shipment;

transmit each individual shipment identifier and the information comprising the consignee data and the value data for each of the commingled international shipments to a customs system to enable customs to individually determine, based at least at least in part on the value data for each of the commingled international shipments, a duty due for each of the commingled international shipments packed in the over packed carton; and

after at least one of the plurality of commingled international shipments has cleared customs, create a domestic package identifier for the over packed carton identifying an intermediary location inside the country as a domestic consignee for the over packed carton, wherein the over packed carton is shipped as a domestic shipment to the intermediary location inside the country so that the at least one of the plurality of commingled international shipments can be separated from the over packed carton after arrival at the intermediary location and shipped to the corresponding consignee in the country.