Freight tracking and control system

• US 9,105,003 B2
• Filed: 01/12/2004
• Issued: 08/11/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/10/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Descartes Systems Group Incorporated
• Original Assignee: BearWare Inc (The Descartes Systems Group Incorporated)
• Inventors: Berichon, Jeffrey, Pfeifer, Lance T., O'Flaherty, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Zeender, Ryan
• Assistant Examiner(s): ROJAS, HAJIME S
• Application Number:
  US10/755,218
• Publication Number:
  US 20040199285A1
• Time in Patent Office: 4,229 Days
• Field of Search: 705/1, 705/28, 705/22, 705/29, 700213-220, 700/222
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9554 by using bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/203 Inventory monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0635 Processing of requisition or of purchase orders

Abstract

An electronic system for managing items in a supply chain. The system generally includes item information capturing means, such as a handheld device, adapted for capturing identification information associated with an item identified for supply chain management; mode specifying means adapted for receiving user input representative of a selection of at least one of a plurality of capturing modes, wherein each capturing mode is adapted for creating associated information by associating the captured item information with supply chain information; and transferring means adapted for transferring the associated information to an electronic storage device.

Claims

1. An electronic system for managing items in an associated pool distribution supply chain for pooled distribution of the items to one or more associated destinations via an associated pooled transport distribution system, the electronic system comprising:

an input scanner configured to selectively first capture item identification information associated with a plurality of received items, the plurality of received items being associated with a plurality of unique shipper sources and delivery destinations, and each of the plurality of items being identified for supply chain management in the associated pooled transport distribution system;

a capturing mode specifying input on the input scanner, the capturing mode specifying input being configured to receive first user input corresponding to a selection of at least one of a plurality of capturing modes, wherein each capturing mode is configured to create association information data by associating the first captured item identification information with pool distribution supply chain information;

an outbound scan integrity check input on the input scanner, the outbound scan integrity check input being one of the plurality of capturing modes and being configured to receive second user input corresponding to a user-selected sorted consolidation of groups of the plurality of items associated with the plurality of unique shipper sources prior to delivery of the plurality of items to associated selected destinations of the one or more associated destinations, the user-selected sorted consolidation of groups of the plurality of items grouping a first set of items of the plurality of items according to a selected first destination of the one or more associated destinations together with a second set of items of the plurality of items according to a selected second destination of the one or more associated destinations as a pooled group of items to be delivered in accordance with the pool distribution supply chain information to the associated selected destinations of the one or more associated destinations, the outbound scan integrity check input being adapted for second capturing item identification information for each item of the pooled group of items for determining a mis-sorted item amongst the pooled group of items comprising the first and second sets of items by comparing the second captured item identification information with data associated with the selected destinations;

a communication port configured to communicate the association information data and the first and second captured item identification information to a data storage device for storage, the association information data and the first and second captured item identification information being communicated to the data storage device to selectively commence distribution of each item of the first and second sets of items of the pooled group to the associated selected destinations in accordance with specified consolidation and routing data;

a delivery scanner configured to, upon arrival for delivery of the first or second sets of items to their corresponding selected destinations, receive data associated with the corresponding selected destination and record a delivery arrival time, and to receive the specified consolidation and routing data as preload delivery data and receive third user input corresponding to the first or second sets of items of the pooled group of items being delivered to the first or second destination corresponding thereto, the delivery scanner being configured to receive, by selectively scanning each delivered item of the pooled group of items, third captured item identification information for each delivered item of the pooled group of items, and determining an elapsed delivery time for the first or second set of items in accordance with the delivery arrival time and a corresponding delivery end time, and determining a correspondence between the preload delivery data, the third user input, and the third captured item identification information, and classifying in accordance with the determined correspondence each delivered item of the pooled group of items as a one of a delivered item, a mis-delivered item, an un-delivered item, or an over-delivered item; and

,

a report output generating report data representative of the elapsed delivery time for each of the first and second sets of items and a result of the determining by the outbound integrity check input and the classifying by the delivery scanner.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the communication port comprises at least one of a physical connection to the data storage device or a wireless connection to the data storage device.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the communication port comprises an Internet connection for selective communication with the data storage device.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the data storage device comprises means adapted for formatting the associated information in accordance with an input user request.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the first set of items of the pooled group of items is associated with a first shipper in accordance with the item identification information;

the second set of items of the pooled group of items is associated with a second shipper in accordance with the item identification information; and

the association information data and the first and second captured item identification information being communicated to the associated data storage device selectively commencing the distribution comprises commencing distribution by the pool distributor of the first set of items of the first shipper together with the second set of items of the second shipper on a single route specified by a user-selected consolidation mode.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the outbound scan integrity check input is configured to generate a signal in accordance with a result of the determining of the mis-sorted item.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the outbound scan integrity check input is configured to determine the mis-sorted item as being a non-member of the first or second sets of items.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the delivery scanner is configured to generate a warning signal in accordance a result of the determining being a mis-delivered item or an over-delivered item.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the delivery input is configured to determine a mis-delivered or an over-delivered item as not being a member of the first or second set of items to be delivered.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the delivery input is configured to determine an undelivered, mis-delivered or over-delivered item as being a new item unidentified for the supply chain management by a comparison between item identification information contained in the preload delivery data stored in a scanning device for a specific destination and the third captured item identification information acquired by the scanning device.

11. A method for managing items in an associated pool distribution supply chain for pooled distribution of the items to one or more destinations via an associated pooled transport distribution system, the method comprising:

first capturing, by an input device in a pooled transport distribution computer comprising a processor and a data storage device, item identification information associated with a plurality of received items, the plurality of received items being associated with a plurality of unique shipper sources and delivery destinations, and each of the plurality of items being identified for supply chain management in the associated pooled transport distribution system;

receiving, by a capturing mode specifying input on the input device, first user input corresponding to a selection of at least one of a plurality of capturing modes, wherein each capturing mode is configured to create association information data by associating the first captured item identification information with pool distribution supply chain information;

receiving, by an outbound scan integrity check input being one of the plurality of capturing modes of the input device, second user input corresponding to user-selected consolidation relative to a sorted consolidation of groups of the plurality of items associated with the plurality of unique shipper sources prior to delivery of the plurality of items to associated selected destinations of the one or more associated destinations, the user-selected sorted consolidation of groups of the plurality of items grouping a first set of items of the plurality of items according to a selected first destination of the one or more associated destinations together with a second set of items of the plurality of items according to a selected second destination of the one or more associated destinations as a pooled group of items to be delivered in accordance with the pool distribution supply chain information to the associated destinations of the one or more associated destinations, the outbound scan integrity checking further comprising second capturing item identification information for each item of the pooled group of items for determining a mis-sorted item amongst the pooled group of items comprising the first and second sets of items by comparing the second captured item identification information with data associated with the selected destinations;

communicating, by a communication port of the pooled transport distribution computer, the association information data and the first and second captured item identification information to the data storage device for storage, the association information data and the first and second captured item identification information being communicated to the data storage device selectively commencing distribution of each item of the first and second sets of items of the pooled group to the associated selected destinations in accordance with specified consolidation and routing data;

receiving by a delivery device upon arrival for delivery of the first or second sets of items to their corresponding selected destinations, data associated with the corresponding selected destination and record a delivery arrival time, and receiving the specified consolidation and routing data as preload delivery data, and receiving third user input corresponding to the first and second sets of items of the pooled group of items being delivered to the first or second destination corresponding thereto, the delivery scanning further comprising receiving third captured item identification information for each delivered item of the pooled group of items and determining an elapsed delivery time for the first or second set of items in accordance with the delivery arrival time and a corresponding delivery end time, and determining a correspondence between the preload delivery data, the third user input, and the third captured item identification information, and classifying in accordance with the determined correspondence each delivered item of the pooled group of items as a one of a delivered item, a mis-delivered item, an un-delivered item, or an over-delivered item; and

,

generating by a report output of the pooled transport distribution computer report data representative of the elapsed delivery time for each of the first and second sets of items and a result of the outbound scan integrity checking and the classifying by the delivery scanning.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the communicating comprises at least one of physically connecting with the data storage device or wirelessly connecting with the data storage device.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising accessing the data storage device through an Internet connection.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising formatting, by the data storage device, the associated information in accordance with an input user request.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

associating the first set of items of the pooled group of items with a first shipper in accordance with the item identification information;

associating the second set of items of the pooled group of items with a second shipper in accordance with the item identification information; and

commencing distribution by the pool distributor of the first set of items of the first shipper together with the second set of items of the second shipper on a single route specified by a user-selected consolidation mode.

16. A tangible computer readable medium storing instructions for controlling operation of a pooled transport distribution computer including a processor and a data storage device, the pooled transport distribution computer for managing items in an associated pool distribution supply chain for pooled distribution via an associated pooled transport distribution system of the items to one or more associated destinations, the tangible computer readable medium instructions comprising:

item information capturing instructions comprising first capturing item identification information associated with a plurality of received items, the plurality of received items being associated with a plurality of unique shipper sources and delivery destinations, each of the plurality of items being identified for supply chain management in the associated pooled transport distribution system, the item information capturing instructions performed by controlling an input device of the pooled transport distribution computer;

mode specifying instructions comprising receiving first user input corresponding to a selection of at least one of a plurality of capturing modes, wherein each capturing mode is configured to create association information data by associating the first captured item identification information with pool distribution supply chain information, the mode specifying instructions performed by controlling the input device;

outbound scan integrity check instructions comprising receiving second user input corresponding to a user-selected sorted consolidation of groups of the plurality if items associated with the plurality of unique shipper sources prior to delivery of the plurality of items to associated selected destinations of the one or more associated destinations, the user-selected sorted consolidation of groups of the plurality of items grouping a first set of items of the plurality of items according to a selected first destination of the one or more associated destinations together with a second set of items of the plurality of items according to a selected second destination of the one or more associated destinations as a pooled group of items to be delivered in accordance with the pool distribution supply chain information to the associated destinations of the one or more associated destinations, the outbound scan integrity check instructions further controlling the input device for second capturing item identification information for each item of the pooled group of items for determining a mis-sorted item amongst the pooled group of items comprising the first and second sets of items by comparing the second captured item identification information with data associated with the selected destinations, the outbound scan integrity check instructions performed by controlling the input device in accordance with one of the plurality of capturing modes;

communicating instructions comprising communicating the association information data and the first and second captured item identification information to the data storage device for storage, the association information data and the first and second captured item identification information being communicated to the data storage device selectively commencing distribution of each item of the first and second sets of items of the pooled group to the associated selected destinations in accordance with specified consolidation and routing data, the communicating instruction performed by controlling a communication port of the pooled transport distribution computer;

delivery scan instructions comprising, upon arrival for delivery of the first or second sets of items to their corresponding selected destinations, receiving data associated with the corresponding selected destination and recording a delivery arrival time, and receiving the specified consolidation and routing data as preload delivery data and receiving third user input corresponding to the first or second sets of items of the pooled group of items being delivered to the first or second destination corresponding thereto, the delivery scan instructions controlling a delivery device to receive by selectively scanning each delivered item of the pooled group of items, third captured item identification information for each delivered item of the pooled group of items, and determining an elapsed delivery time for the first or second set of items in accordance with the delivery arrival time and a corresponding delivery end time, and determining a correspondence between the preload delivery data, the third user input, and the third captured item identification information, and classifying in accordance with the correspondence each delivered item of the pooled group of items as a one of a delivered item, a mis-delivered item, an un-delivered item, or an over-delivered item, the delivery scan instructions performed by controlling the delivery device of the pooled transport distribution computer; and

,

reporting instructions comprising generating report data representative of the elapsed delivery time for each of the first and second sets of items and a result of the determining by the outbound integrity check instructions and the delivery and classifying instructions, the reporting instructions performed by controlling a report output of the pooled transport distribution computer.

17. The medium of claim 16, wherein the communicating instructions comprise instructions for communicating by at least one of a physical connection to the data storage device or a wireless connection to the data storage device.

18. The medium of claim 16, further comprising instructions for accessing the data storage device through an Internet connection.

19. The medium of claim 18, further comprising instructions for formatting the associated information in accordance with an input user request.

20. The medium of claim 16, wherein:

the first set of items of the pooled group of items is associated with a first shipper in accordance with the item identification information;

the second set of items of the pooled group of items is associated with a second shipper in accordance with the item identification information; and

the outbound scan integrity check instructions comprise instructions for commencing distribution by the pool distributor of the first set of items of the first shipper together with the second set of items of the second shipper on a single route specified by a user-selected consolidation mode.

21. A computer implemented method performed by an associated electronic system for managing items in an associated pool distribution supply chain for pooled distribution of the items to one or more destinations via an associated pooled transport distribution system, the computer implemented method comprising:

first capturing, by an input device of the associated electronic system, item identification information associated with a plurality of received items, the plurality of received items being associated with a plurality of unique shipper sources and delivery destinations, and each of the plurality of items being identified for supply chain management in the associated pooled transport distribution system;

receiving, by a capturing mode specifying input on the input device of the associated system, first user input corresponding to a selection of at least one of a plurality of capturing modes, wherein each capturing mode is configured to create association information data by associating the first captured item identification information with pool distribution supply chain information;

receiving, by an outbound scan integrity check input being one of the plurality of capturing modes of the input device of the associated system, second user input corresponding to a user-selected sorted consolidation of groups of the plurality of items associated with the plurality of unique shipper sources prior to delivery of the plurality of items to associated selected destinations of the one or more associated destinations, the user-selected sorted consolidation of groups of the plurality of items grouping a first set of items of the plurality of items according to a selected first destination of the one or more associated destinations together with a second set of items of the plurality of items according to a selected second destination of the one or more associated destinations as a pooled group of items to be delivered in accordance with the pool distribution supply chain information to the associated destinations of the one or more associated destinations, the outbound scan integrity check input further receiving second capturing item identification information for each item of the pooled group of items for determining a mis-sorted item amongst the pooled group of items comprising the first and second sets of items by comparing the second captured item identification information with data associated with the selected destinations;

communicating, by a communication port of the associated system, the association information data and the first and second captured item identification information to an associated data storage device of the associated electronic system for storage, the association information data and the first and second captured item identification information being communicated to the associated data storage device selectively commencing distribution of each item of the first and second sets of items of the pooled group to the associated selected destinations in accordance with consolidation and routing data;

upon arrival for delivery of the first or second sets of items to their corresponding selected destinations, receiving by a delivery device of the associated system data associated with the corresponding selected destination and a recorded delivery arrival time, and receiving the specified consolidation and routing data as preload delivery data, and receiving third user input corresponding to the first or second sets of items of the pooled group of items being delivered to the first or second destinations corresponding thereto, and the delivery scanning further comprising receiving, by selectively scanning each delivered item of the pooled group of items, third captured item identification information for each delivered item of the pooled group of items, and determining an elapsed delivery time for the first or second set of items in accordance with the delivery arrival time and a corresponding delivery end time, and determining a correspondence between the preload delivery data, the third user input, and the third captured item identification information, and classifying in accordance with the determined correspondence each delivered item of the pooled group of items as a one of a delivered item, a mis-delivered item, an un-delivered item, or an over-delivered item; and

,

generating by a report output of the associated system report data representative of the elapsed delivery time for each of the first and second sets of items and a result of the outbound scan integrity checking and the classifying by the delivery scanning.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising accessing the data storage device through an Internet connection.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising formatting the association information data in the data storage device in accordance with an input user request.

24. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

associating the first set of items of the pooled group of items with a first shipper in accordance with the item identification information;

associating the second set of items of the pooled group of items with a second shipper in accordance with the item identification information; and

commencing distribution by the pool distributor of the first set of items of the first shipper together with the second set of items of the second shipper on a single route specified by a user-selected consolidation mode.