Computer system for routing package deliveries
First Claim
1. A shipping information system for facilitating delivery of a package by a plurality of carriers, said shipping information system comprising:
- a shipper information system configured to;
receive an indication that delivery of the package will comprise transportation provided by the plurality of carriers, said indication being determined based at least in part upon the package having a weight below a defined threshold; and
generate, prior to initiating transportation of the low-weight package by the plurality of carriers, a combined multi-carrier shipping label, the combined multi-carrier shipping label comprising a first carrier tracking symbol associated with a first carrier, and a second carrier tracking symbol associated with a second carrier and differing from said first carrier tracking symbol, the first and second carrier tracking symbols each being configured to provide tracking information for at least a portion of the transportation of the package by the plurality of carriers, and wherein data associated with the first and the second carrier tracking symbols are further compiled collectively to generate consolidated tracking information upon scanning of at least one of the first and second carrier tracking symbols via a mobile acquisition device, said consolidated tracking information being independently accessible via either of the first and the second carrier tracking symbols throughout the period when the package is being transported by either the first carrier or the second carrier.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A shipping system for shipping packages involving the coordinated use of at least a first carrier and a second carrier. The shipping system includes physical delivery facilities for the physical delivery of packages, the physical delivery facilities including at least one transfer location at which the second carrier may take over delivery responsibilities for a package. The shipping system also includes an information system having a shipper computer system configured to record and determine whether the delivery address of a package is an efficient destination for the first carrier. If not an efficient destination, such as a delivery address having a rural zip code, the shipper computer system is configured to label the package for delivery to one of the transfer locations, allowing the first carrier to transfer the selected package to the second carrier for completion of the less efficient portion of the delivery.
102 Citations
19 Claims
-
1. A shipping information system for facilitating delivery of a package by a plurality of carriers, said shipping information system comprising:
a shipper information system configured to; receive an indication that delivery of the package will comprise transportation provided by the plurality of carriers, said indication being determined based at least in part upon the package having a weight below a defined threshold; and generate, prior to initiating transportation of the low-weight package by the plurality of carriers, a combined multi-carrier shipping label, the combined multi-carrier shipping label comprising a first carrier tracking symbol associated with a first carrier, and a second carrier tracking symbol associated with a second carrier and differing from said first carrier tracking symbol, the first and second carrier tracking symbols each being configured to provide tracking information for at least a portion of the transportation of the package by the plurality of carriers, and wherein data associated with the first and the second carrier tracking symbols are further compiled collectively to generate consolidated tracking information upon scanning of at least one of the first and second carrier tracking symbols via a mobile acquisition device, said consolidated tracking information being independently accessible via either of the first and the second carrier tracking symbols throughout the period when the package is being transported by either the first carrier or the second carrier. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
-
10. A shipping information system for facilitating shipping of one or more packages by a first and a second carrier, said shipping information system comprising:
-
a package information system configured to communicate with a shipper and to retrieve a first carrier tracking symbol, and a second carrier tracking symbol differing from said first carrier tracking symbol from a combined multi-carrier shipping label containing the first and second carrier tracking symbols, the label being generated prior to initiating shipping of the packages by respective first and second carriers, and comprising an indication that delivery of the package will comprise transportation provided by the first and second carriers, said indication being determined based at least in part upon the package being classified as having a weight below a defined threshold; a tracking system connected in communication with a first carrier scanning device, said tracking system configured to determine whether a mobile acquisition device has scanned the first and the second carrier tracking symbols of the package, said scanning of the first and the second carrier tracking symbols indicating release of the package to the second carrier, said scanning further configured to generate data associated with the first and the second carrier tracking symbols, said data being further compiled collectively to generate consolidated tracking information that is independently accessible via either of the first and the second carrier tracking symbols throughout the transport of the package by either the first carrier or the second carrier; and a verification system connected in communication with the package information system and the tracking system, said verification system configured to obtain package information and tracking information from the respective systems and to use the first carrier tracking symbol to combine the package information and the tracking information into a billing manifest for submission to the second carrier. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
-
-
16. A computer-implemented method for facilitating delivery of a package by a plurality of carriers, the method comprising:
-
receiving, by at least one computing device comprising one or more processors, an indication that delivery of the package will comprise transportation provided by the plurality of carriers, said indication being determined based at least in part upon the package having a weight below a defined threshold; and generating, prior to initiating transportation of the package by the plurality of carriers and via the one or more processors, a combined multi-carrier shipping label, the combined multi-carrier shipping label comprising a first carrier tracking symbol associated with a first carrier, and a second carrier tracking symbol associated with a second carrier and differing from said first carrier tracking symbol, the first and second carrier tracking symbols each being configured to provide tracking information for at least a portion of the transportation of the package by the plurality of carriers, and wherein data associated with the first and the second carrier tracking symbols are further compiled collectively to generate consolidated tracking information upon scanning of at least one of the first and second carrier tracking symbols via a mobile acquisition device, said consolidated tracking information being independently accessible via either of the first and the second carrier tracking symbols throughout the period when the either the first or the second carriers are transporting the package. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19)
-
Specification