System and method for identifying and co-ordinating an alternate delivery of one or more selected items

• US 9,760,854 B1
• Filed: 03/15/2013
• Issued: 09/12/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Formula Labs, LLC
• Original Assignee: Formula Labs, LLC
• Inventors: Chowdhary, Manish
• Primary Examiner(s): Erb, Nathan
• Application Number:
  US13/834,029
• Time in Patent Office: 1,642 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/258 Data format conversion from or to a database
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/083 Shipping
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0833 Tracking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08355 Routing methods
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0837 Return transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0838 Historical data
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/14 specially adapted for billing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0621 Item configuration or customization
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0637 Approvals
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking

Abstract

A method is disclosed for optimizing an order for a product for delivery. The method includes receiving an order for a product from a first requestor, the order identifying a delivery timeframe. The method also includes identifying an undelivered shipment of the product associated with an existing order of a second party. The method further includes transmitting a request to reroute the undelivered shipment of the product to the first requestor within the delivery timeframe. The method still further includes processing the order for the product. The processing includes arranging delivery of the product to the second party. Systems and apparatus are also disclosed to implement the disclosed methods.

Claims

1. A method for coordinating a delivery of an e-commerce order on a computerized processing system comprising one or more computers, the method comprising:

(a) obtaining, at the one or more computers, information related to an opportunity to determine fulfillment options for one or more products, including;

(i) obtaining, at the one or more computers from a customer computing device associated with a first customer, a first indication of interest related to the one or more products;

(ii) obtaining, at the one or more computers, product information relating to the one or more products; and

(iii) obtaining, at the one or more computers, customer information related to the first customer, including an address associated with the first customer;

(b) accessing, using the one or more computers, one or more electronic databases stored on one or more computer-readable storage media and operatively connected to the one or more computers, the databases comprising order information for a plurality of respective orders including;

(i) order identification information identifying the respective orders;

(ii) product information identifying one or more products associated with the respective orders, wherein at least some of the product information was mapped by the one or more computers using a mapping engine to translate the product information into a common format with universal identifiers for each ordered product;

(iii) delivery information identifying one or more of delivery entities, service types, delivery time periods, and delivery costs associated with the respective orders to the extent such information is available;

(iv) package tracking information identifying package status, including package locations, associated with the delivery of the respective orders to the extent such information is available;

(v) recipient information identifying recipient addresses associated with the respective orders;

wherein at least some of the order information for the plurality of respective orders stored in the one or more electronic databases was obtained by automatically identifying and extracting the at least some of the order information from email software located on at least one remote server of a vendor computer system, which is operatively connected to the computerized processing system;

(c) determining, by the one or more computers using data in the one or more electronic databases, one or more undelivered orders including at least a second product matching one or more products associated with the first indication of interest;

(d) determining, by the one or more computers, one or more fulfillment options to direct at least one of the determined undelivered orders to the address associated with the first customer, based at least in part on the following factors;

(i) the obtained first indication of interest;

(ii) delivery time period options;

(iii) cost information associated with each fulfillment option;

(iv) respective locations of the undelivered orders; and

(v) the address associated with the first customer;

(e) providing, from the one or more computers to the customer computing device via an electronic interface, at least one of the one or more fulfillment options;

(f) obtaining, by the one or more computers from the customer computing device via the electronic interface, a first selection of the one or more fulfillment options, the first selection associated with a first undelivered order;

(g) generating, by the one or more computers, machine-readable routing instructions to reroute the first undelivered order to the address associated with the first customer; and

(h) transmitting, from the one or more computers to a second party associated with the first undelivered order, the machine-readable routing instructions;

wherein the computerized processing system interacts via electronic communications with a plurality of shipping computer systems and vendor computer systems to maintain up-to-date information for the plurality of respective orders and to fulfill orders to improve efficiency of delivery of e-commerce orders.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the determined undelivered orders is in-transit.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the determined undelivered orders is an existing order that has not been shipped.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining the first selection of the one or more fulfillment options comprises obtaining, by the one or more computers, data associated with a user input from the first customer computing device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining the first selection of the one or more fulfillment options comprises obtaining an automatic selection based at least in part on pre-existing preferences associated with the first customer.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising, before the step (g) of generating the machine-readable routing instructions:

obtaining, at the one or more computers, one or more authorizations to direct the first undelivered order associated with the first selection.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the second party associated with the first undelivered order is a delivery entity.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the second party associated with the first undelivered order is a vendor.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the second party associated with the first undelivered order is a second customer.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more fulfillment options are based further at least in part on social network relationships between the first customer and one or more parties associated with the one or more determined undelivered orders.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein step (e) further comprises providing to the customer device information identifying the social network relationships between the first customer and one or more parties associated with the one or more provided fulfillment options.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the first indication of interest comprises information relating to an existing order placed by the first customer.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

(i) transmitting, from the one or more computers to a vendor associated with the existing order placed by the first customer, a request to cancel the existing order.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the machine-readable routing instructions to reroute the first undelivered order to the address associated with the first customer comprise a request to hold the first undelivered order at a location for pickup by the first customer.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the machine-readable routing instructions to reroute the first undelivered order to the address associated with the first customer comprise a request to modify at least the respective recipient information associated with the first undelivered order.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the delivery time period options comprise information regarding time required to deliver at least one of the determined undelivered orders to the address associated with the first customer.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more fulfillment options are further based at least in part on pre-existing preferential statuses of at least one of the first customer and one or more parties associated with the determined undelivered orders.

18. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

(i) updating, by the one or more computers, the data in the databases with information associated with the first obtained selection of the one or more fulfillment options;

(j) determining, by the one or more computers using data in the databases, a second set of one or more undelivered orders including at least one product matching the second product;

(k) determining, by the one or more computers, a second set of one or more fulfillment options to direct at least one of the determined second set of undelivered orders identified in step (j) to a second address, wherein the second address is associated with the second party; and

(l) providing, from the one or more computers to a computing device associated with the second party, at least one of the determined second set of fulfillment options identified in step (k).

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the customer information further comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of delivery information, payment information, and combinations thereof.

20. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

(i) charging, using one or more of the computers, a fee to at least one party selected from the group consisting of the first customer, a vendor, and a delivery entity associated with the first selection of the one or more fulfillment options.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the delivery entities is a shipping company.

22. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

(i) obtaining, by the one or more computers, for one or more of the plurality of respective orders, updated information related to the respective delivery information or the respective package tracking information;

(j) updating, by the one or more computers, the databases with the updated information;

(k) determining, by the one or more computers using data in the one or more electronic databases, a second set of one or more undelivered orders including a product matching the first product;

(l) determining, by the one or more computers, a second set of one or more fulfillment options to direct at least one of the second set of one or more undelivered orders identified in step (k) based at least in part on the first indication of interest obtained from the customer computing device; and

(m) providing, from the one or more computers to the customer computing device, at least one of the one or more fulfillment options determined in step (l).

23. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

(i) obtaining, at the one or more computers, second order information related to one or more additional orders;

(j) updating, by the one or more computers, the one or more electronic databases with the second order information;

(k) determining, by the one or more computers using data in the one or more electronic databases, a second set of one or more undelivered orders including a product matching the first product;

(l) determining, by the one or more computers, a second set of one or more fulfillment options to direct at least one of the second set of one or more undelivered orders identified in step (k) based at least in part on the following factors;

(i) the obtained first indication of interest;

(ii) delivery time period options;

(iii) cost information associated with each fulfillment option;

(iv) respective locations of the undelivered orders; and

(v) the address associated with the first customer; and

(m) providing, from the one or more computers to the customer computing device, at least one of the one or more fulfillment options determined in step (l).

24. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

(i) obtaining, by the one or more computers from a second customer computing device associated with a second customer, a second indication of interest related to one or more third products;

(j) obtaining, by the one or more computers, second product information relating to the one or more third products;

(k) obtaining, by the one or more computers, second customer information related to the second customer, including a second address associated with the second customer;

(l) accessing, using the one or more computers, the one or more electronic databases;

(m) determining, by the one or more computers using data in the one or more electronic databases, one or more second undelivered orders including at least a fourth product matching the one or more third products related to the second indication of interest;

(n) determining, by the one or more computers, one or more second fulfillment options to direct at least one of the determined second undelivered orders to the second address, based at least in part on the following factors;

(i) the obtained second indication of interest;

(ii) respective delivery time period options;

(iii) cost information associated with each second fulfillment option;

(iv) respective locations of the second undelivered orders; and

(v) the second address;

(o) providing, from the one or more computers to the second customer computing device, at least one of the one or more second fulfillment options;

(p) determining, by the one or more computers, that none of the one or more second fulfillment options were selected; and

(q) updating, by the one or more computers, the data in the one or more electronic databases with the second indication of interest.

25. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

(i) obtaining, by the one or more computers from a second customer computing device associated with a second customer, a second indication of interest related to one or more third products;

(j) obtaining, by the one or more computers, second product information relating to the one or more third products;

(k) obtaining, by the one or more computers, second customer information related to the second customer, including a second address associated with the second customer;

(l) accessing, using the one or more computers, the one or more electronic databases;

(m) determining, by the one or more computers using data in the one or more electronic databases, one or more second undelivered orders including at least a fourth product matching the one or more third products related to the second indication of interest;

(n) determining, by the one or more computers, a lack of one or more second fulfillment options to direct at least one of the determined second undelivered orders to the second address, based at least in part on the following factors;

(i) the obtained second indication of interest;

(ii) respective delivery time period options;

(iii) cost information associated with each second fulfillment option;

(iv) respective locations of the second undelivered orders; and

(v) the second address; and

(o) updating, by the one or more computers, the data in the one or more electronic databases with the second indication of interest.

26. The method of claim 1, wherein the package tracking information further includes any of shipment tracking numbers, delivery time estimates, current shipment locations, or delivery route.

27. A system comprising:

(a) one or more electronic databases stored on one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media, the databases comprising order information for a plurality of respective orders including;

(i) order identification information identifying the respective orders;

(ii) product information identifying one or more products associated with the respective orders, wherein at least some of the product information was mapped by the system using a mapping engine to translate the product information into a common format with universal identifiers for each ordered product;

(iii) delivery information identifying one or more of delivery entities, service types, delivery time periods, and delivery costs associated with the respective orders to the extent such information is available;

(iv) package tracking information identifying a package status, including package locations, associated with delivery of the respective orders to the extent such information is available; and

(v) respective recipient information identifying a recipient address associated with the respective orders;

wherein at least some of the order information for the plurality of orders stored in the one or more electronic databases was obtained by automatically identifying and extracting the at least some of the order information from email software located on at least one remote server of a vendor computer system, which is operatively connected to the system;

(b) one or more computers comprising one or more processors operatively connected to the one or more electronic databases and configured to perform the following steps;

(i) obtaining, by the one or more computers, information related to an opportunity to determine fulfillment options for one or more products, including;

(1) obtaining, by the one or more computers from a customer computing device associated with a first customer, an indication of interest related to the one or more products;

(2) obtaining, by the one or more computers, product order information relating to the one or more products; and

(3) obtaining customer information related to the first customer, including an address associated with the first customer;

(ii) determining, by the one or more computers using data in the one or more electronic databases, one or more undelivered orders including at least a second product matching the one or more products associated with the indication of interest;

(iii) determining, by the one or more computers, one or more fulfillment options to direct at least one of the determined undelivered orders to the address associated with the first customer, based at least in part on the following factors;

(1) the obtained indication of interest;

(2) delivery time period options;

(3) cost information associated with each fulfillment option;

(4) respective locations of the undelivered orders; and

(5) the address associated with the first customer;

(iv) providing, from the one or more computers to the customer computing device via an electronic interface, at least one of the one or more fulfillment options;

(v) obtaining, by the one or more computers from the customer computing device via the electronic interface, a first selection of the one or more fulfillment options, the first selection associated with a first undelivered order;

(vi) generating, by the one or more computers, machine-readable routing instructions to reroute the first undelivered order to the address associated with the first customer; and

(vii) transmitting, from the one or more computers to a second party associated with the first undelivered order, the machine-readable routing instructions;

wherein the system interacts via electronic communications with a plurality of shipping computer systems and vendor computer systems to maintain up-to-date information for the plurality of respective orders and to fulfill orders to improve efficiency of delivery of e-commerce orders.