Systems and methods for consolidated global shipping

• US 20050149373A1
• Filed: 12/30/2004
• Published: 07/07/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2003
• 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: Marcus, Stuart D., Amling, Alan, Rankin, Kenneth T., Post, George R., Woods, Bruce L., Zamsky, David S.
• Granted Patent: US 7,761,348 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/8
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/083 Shipping
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0831 Overseas transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0833 Tracking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0283 Price estimation or determination

Abstract

Disclosed is an integrated global shipment system that provides end-to-end visibility of the movement of a package. The integrated global shipment system employs a shipment consolidating application for integrating one or more freight tracking systems with one or more end-delivery systems. As a result, shippers are provided with complete visibility of the movement of their shipments of goods from an origin country to a destination country and till the final consignees. In addition, the integrated shipment system significantly decreases the cost of managing inventories by providing a virtual inventory solution. Under this virtual inventory solution, suppliers are able to bypass distribution centers and delay allocation of goods until after the importation of goods into a destination country.

Claims

1. A method for integrating and facilitating global shipments, said method comprising the steps of:

(1) receiving multiple child shipments at a first operation station of a carrier;

(2) identifying a subset of child shipments from said multiple child shipments, said subset of child shipments having an identical destination country;

(3) combining said subset of child shipments into a consolidated shipment and assigning a consolidated shipment tracking number to identify said consolidated shipment;

(4) processing said consolidated shipment through export and import customs for custom clearance;

(5) receiving said consolidated shipment at a second operation station of said carrier in said destination country; and

(6) separating said consolidated shipment so that each of said subset of child shipments can be delivered to a respective consignee location.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein one of said multiple child shipments comprises a LTL (Less-than-Truckload) shipment or a TL (Truckload) shipment, said LTL or TL shipment identified by a child shipment tracking number.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein one of said multiple child shipments comprises one or more small packages, each of said one or more small packages identified by a package tracking number.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein Step (1) further comprises receiving each of said multiple child shipments from one of multiple shippers, and printing one or more shipping labels for preparing any of said multiple child shipments by said multiple shippers.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said one or more shipping labels are generated and printed from a carrier-provided shipping label application accessible to said multiple shippers via a communications network, said carrier-provided shipping label application receiving child shipment data from said multiple shippers, said shipment data comprising package detail data, a ship-from address, a ship-to address, a delivery date and a service level.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein each of said one or more shipping labels is printed with a child shipment identification number.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein each of said one or more shipping labels is scanned to obtain child shipment data associated with a respective child shipment of said multiple child shipments received in Step (1).

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising a step of communicating said consolidated shipment tracking number to entities associated with any one of said subset of child shipments, said entities including at least a shipper and a consignee, wherein said entities use said consolidated shipment tracking number to track status of said consolidated shipment, and further to view a display of said subset of child shipments.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein one entity of said entities selects a particular child shipment and view status of said particular child shipment.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein, for each of said subset of child shipments, said respective consignee location is subject to a shipper'"'"'s re-direction in said destination country prior to Step (6).

11. An integrated global shipment system comprising:

a shipment consolidating application program executed by one or more computers having one or more processors and one or more memory devices, said shipment consolidating application program including instructions executable on said one or more processors for;

(1) receiving a request for consolidating a plurality of child shipments into a consolidated shipment, each of said plurality of child shipments having an identical destination country;

(2) receiving shipping data for each of said child shipments;

(3) generating a consolidated shipment reference number;

(4) processing each of said plurality of child shipments through the steps of;

(a) determining from said shipping data whether said child shipment is a LTL (Less-than-Truckload) child shipment;

(b) responsive to the determination that said child shipment is a LTL child shipment,

(i) identifying from said shipping data a LTL shipment reference number that identifies said child shipment; and

(ii) associating said LTL shipment reference number with said consolidated shipment reference number; and

(c) responsive to the determination that said child shipment is not a LTL child shipment,

(i) identifying from said shipping data one or more package reference numbers that respectively identify each package associated with said child shipment; and

(ii) associating each of said one or more package reference numbers with said consolidated shipment reference number; and

(d) storing the associations in step (b)(ii) or (c)(ii) in a data file; and

(5) generating a consolidated shipment output based in part upon said data file.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein said consolidated shipment output comprises said consolidated shipment reference number, one or more LTL shipment reference numbers, and one or more package reference numbers.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein said consolidated shipment output further comprises a shipment date.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein said consolidated shipment output further comprises a manifest including shipping data associated with each of said plurality of child shipments.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein said consolidated shipment output further comprises a shipment log including at least a shipping status of said consolidated shipment.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein said shipment consolidating application program comprises further instructions executable for generating an email to notify an intended consignee of said consolidated shipment.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein said shipping data is received from one or more databases of a carrier'"'"'s backend shipping system, said carrier'"'"'s backend shipping system updating said one or more databases based upon said consolidated shipment output.

18. An integrated global shipment method comprising the steps of:

(1) receiving a request for consolidating a plurality of child shipments into a consolidated shipment, each of said plurality of child shipments having an identical destination country;

(2) generating a consolidated shipment reference number for identifying said consolidated shipment;

(3) processing each of said plurality of child shipments through the steps of;

(a) determining whether said child shipment is a LTL (Less-than-Truckload) child shipment;

(b) responsive to the determination that said child shipment is a LTL child shipment, identifying a LTL shipment reference number that identifies said child shipment and associating said LTL shipment reference number with said consolidated shipment reference number; and

(c) responsive to the determination that said child shipment is not a LTL child shipment, identifying one or more package reference numbers that respectively identify each package associated with said child shipment and associating each of said one or more package reference numbers with said consolidated shipment reference number; and

(d) storing the associations in step (b) or (c) in a data file; and

(4) generating a consolidated shipment output based in part upon said data file.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein said consolidated shipment output comprises:

said consolidated shipment reference number,

one or more LTL shipment reference numbers,

one or more package reference numbers,

a shipment date,

a manifest including shipping data associated with each of said plurality of child shipments, and

a shipment log including at least a shipping status of said consolidated shipment.

20. The method of claim 18, comprising a further step of generating an email to notify an intended consignee of said consolidated shipment.

21. A method for integrating and facilitating global shipments, said method comprising the steps of:

(1) receiving shipment data associated with a plurality of child shipments for consolidation, said shipment data comprising at least respective destination countries of said plurality of child shipments;

(2) based in part upon said respective destination countries, classifying said plurality of child shipments into respective consolidated shipments, each one of said respective consolidated shipments comprising one or more child shipments that have an identical destination country;

(3) for each one of said respective consolidated shipments, assigning a respective consolidated shipment reference number;

(4) processing said shipment data to associate said plurality of child shipments with respective consolidated shipment reference numbers assigned in (3);

(5) for each one of said respective consolidated shipments, receiving respective custom clearance data and updating said shipment data based in part upon said respective custom clearance data;

(6) for each one of said respective consolidated shipments, receiving respective tracking status data and updating said shipment data based in part upon said respective tracking status data;

(7) for each one of said respective consolidated shipments, receiving a respective de-consolidation signal that said consolidated shipment is separated into said one or more child shipments; and

(8) for each one of said one or more child shipments, retrieving respective consignee address data from said shipment data for use in delivering each one of said one or more child shipments to a respective consignee.