Item status tracking

• US 9,747,600 B2
• Filed: 03/14/2013
• Issued: 08/29/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: United States Postal Service (Government of the United States of America)
• Original Assignee: The United States of America Postal Service
• Inventors: Gullo, John, Hugo, Jason, Felix, Shea R., Briganti, Mark J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hoang, Son T
• Application Number:
  US13/826,644
• Publication Number:
  US 20140012804A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,629 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/235 Update request formulation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2358 Change logging, detection, and notification replication G06F16/27
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0833 Tracking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/01 Customer relationship services

Abstract

A method and system for tracking the status of a label. The system can include a memory with a database. The database can include an indicator of the label status. The system can additionally include a processor that operates in accordance with instructions stored in the memory. The processor can receive a request to generate a label, update the first database with an identifier that indicates the existence of the label, receive a signal indicating that a service requested by the label has been provided, and update the identifier in the first database to indicate that the requested service has been provided.

Claims

1. A system for tracking label status, the system comprising:

a first database comprising label information, wherein the label information comprises an identifier indicating the status of an electronic label;

a processor, implemented at least partially by hardware, operating in accordance with instructions stored in a memory, wherein the processor is configured to;

receive a request to generate the electronic label;

cause generation of the electronic label, wherein the electronic label includes payment information, service class, and additional requested services information;

update the identifier in the first database to indicate an existence of the electronic label;

record a time indicative of the generation of the electronic label;

receive a request for generation of a physical label including the payment information, the service class, and the additional requested services information included on the electronic label;

provide for generation of the physical label;

update the status of the electronic label in the first database to indicate the generation of the physical label associated with the electronic label;

receive a signal indicating that the physical label has been scanned by a service provider;

determine, in response to the received signal, whether the physical label has been scanned by the service provider within a predetermined time period from the time indicative of the generation of the physical label; and

if the physical label has been scanned by the service provider within the predetermined time period, update the identifier in the first database to indicate that a service identified in the additional requested services information has been provided and

if the physical label has not been scanned within the predetermined time, update the identifier in the first database to indicate that the predetermined time period has passed;

detect, from the electronic label, the payment information and the requested services information;

detect attributes associated with the electronic label;

determine a defined payment amount based on the detected payment information, the detected requested service information and detected attributes;

determine improper payment if a payment amount defined by the detected payment information is different from the determined defined payment amount by more than a threshold value;

automatically generate instructions regarding responsive actions if the improper payment was determined, wherein the detections and the determinations are configured for multiple electronic labels, and each of the multiple electronic labels is associated with a same user; and

provide information to indicate a fraudulent event if a number of improper payments is determined for a threshold number of the multiple electronic labels associated with the same user.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a second database, wherein the second database comprises a user identifier.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the user identifier comprises a username and password.

4. The system of claim 2. wherein the user identifier comprises a user account number.

5. The system of claim 2, further comprising a third database, wherein the third database comprises payment information.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the payment information is associated with the user identifier in the second database.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the processor is further configured to:

receive a user identifier from the user; and

compare the received user identifier to the user identifier stored in the second database.

8. The system of claim 5, wherein the processor is further configured to request payment information from the third database after receiving a signal indicating that the status of the electronic label has changed.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:

receive a second request for a second electronic label;

provide the second label in response to the second request; and

update the first database such that the first identifier indicates an existence of the second electronic label.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the processor is further configured to:

receive a signal indicating that a status of the second electronic label has changed; and

update the first database with the second identifier indicating the changed status of the second electronic label.

11. A method of tracking label status, the method comprising:

receiving a request, from a requester, to generate an electronic label;

generating the electronic label wherein the electronic label includes payment information, service class, and additional requested services information;

recording a time indicative of generation of the electronic label;

providing, to a requester, the electronic label in response to the received request;

updating an identifier indicating an existence of the electronic label;

receiving a request for generation of a physical label, the physical label including the payment information, the service class, and the additional requested services information included in the electronic label;

providing for generation of the physical label;

updating a status of the electronic label in a first database to indicate the generation of the physical label associated with the electronic label;

receiving a signal indicating that the physical label has been scanned by a service provider;

determining, in response to the received signal, whether the physical label has been scanned by the service provider within a predetermined time period from the time indicative of the generation of the electronic label;

if the physical label has been scanned within the predetermined time period, updating the identifier in the first database to indicate that a service identified in the additional requested services information has been provided, and if the physical label has not been scanned within the predetermined time, updating the identifier in the first database to indicate that the predetermined time period has passed;

detecting, from the electronic label, the payment information and the requested services information;

detecting attributes associated with the electronic label;

determining a defined payment amount based on the detected payment information, the detected requested service information and detected attributes;

determining improper payment if a payment amount defined by the detected payment information is different from the determined defined payment amount by more than a threshold value;

automatically generating instructions regarding responsive actions if the improper payment was determined, wherein the detecting and determining steps are configured for multiple electronic labels, and each of the multi ale electronic labels is associated with a same user; and

providing information to indicate a fraudulent event if a number of improper payments is determined for a threshold number of the multiple electronic labels associated with the same user, wherein

each of the steps above is implemented by at least a hardware processor.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the electronic label comprises a unique identifier.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the providing the electronic label comprises providing label information.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising receiving a physical embodiment of the label information.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising receiving label information from physical embodiment of the label information.

16. The method of claim 11, further comprising receiving a user identifier from the requester and querying a second database to identify a user account associated with the user identifier.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein identifying the user account comprises verifying the received user identifier.

18. A system configured to track label status, the system comprising:

means for receiving a request to generate an electronic label;

means for generating the electronic label wherein the electronic label includes payment information, service class, and additional requested services information;

means for recording a time indicative of generation of the electronic label;

means for providing the electronic label in response to the received request;

means for updating an identifier, in a first database, indicating an existence of the electronic label;

means for receiving a request for generation of a physical label, the physical label including the payment information, the service class, and the additional requested services information included in the electronic label;

means for providing for the generation of the physical label;

means for updating a status in the first database to indicate the generation of the physical label associated with the electronic label;

means for receiving a signal indicating that the physical label has been scanned by a service provider;

means for determining, in response to the receiving the signal, that the physical label has been scanned by the service provider within a predetermined time from the time indicative of generation of the electronic label;

means for updating the identifier, in the first database, if the physical label has been scanned within the predetermined time period, to indicate that a service identified in the additional requested services information has been provided, and if the physical label has not been received within the predetermined time period, to indicate that the predetermined time period has passed;

means for detecting, from the electronic label, the payment information and the requested service information;

means for detecting attributes associated with the electronic label;

means for determining a defined payment amount based on the detected payment information, the detected requested service information and detected attributes;

means for determining improper payment if a payment amount defined by the detected payment information is different from the determined defined payment amount by more than a threshold value;

means for automatically generating instructions regarding responsive actions if the improper payment was determined, wherein the means for detecting and determining are configured for multiple electronic labels, and each of the multiple electronic labels is associated with a same user; and

means for providing information to indicate a fraudulent event if a number of improper payments is determined for a threshold number of the multiple electronic labels associated with the same user.

19. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having executable instructions stored thereon to cause a computing device to implement the following steps:

receiving a request, from a requester, to generate an electronic label;

generating the electronic label wherein the electronic label includes payment information, service class, and additional requested services information;

recording a time indicative of generation of the electronic label;

providing, to a requester, the electronic label in response to the received request;

updating an identifier indicating an existence of the electronic label;

receiving a request for generation of a physical label, the physical label including the payment information, the service class, and the additional requested services information includes in the electronic label;

providing for generation of the physical label;

updating a status of the electronic label in a first database to indicate the generation of the physical label associated with the electronic label;

receiving a signal indicating that the physical label has been scanned by a service provider;

determining, in response to the received signal, whether the physical label has been scanned by the service provider within a predetermined time period from the time indicative of the generation of the electronic;

if the physical label has been scanned within the predetermined time period, updating the identifier in the first database to indicate that a service identified in the additional request service information has been provided, and if the physical label has not been scanned within the predetermined time, updating the identifier in the first database to indicate that the predetermined time period has passed;

detecting, from the electronic label, the payment information and the requested services information;

detecting attributes associated with the electronic label;

determining a define payment amount based on the detected payment information, the detected request service information and detected attributes;

determining improper payment if a payment amount defined by the detected payment information is different from the determined defined payment amount by more than a threshold value;

automatically generating instructions regarding responsive actions if the improper payment was determined, wherein the detecting and determining steps are configured for multiple electronic labels, and each of the multiple electronic labels is associated with a same user; and

providing information to indicate a fraudulent event if a number of improper payments is determined for a threshold number of the multiple electronic labels associated with the same user.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein in response the indicated fraudulent event, the computing device is further configured to initiate fraud mitigation actions.