Electronic shipping system for package pickup and anywhere to anywhere delivery

• US 7,444,290 B2
• Filed: 01/12/2006
• Issued: 10/28/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• 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: Woods, Bruce, Donohue, Mike
• Primary Examiner(s): Plucinski; Jamisue A
• Application Number:
  US11/332,556
• Publication Number:
  US 20060116923A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,020 Days
• Field of Search: 705/1
• US Class Current: 705/330
• 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 20/02 involving a neutral party, e.g. certification authority, notary or trusted third party [TTP]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing

Abstract

The present invention is an improved shipping system that provides for third-party billing and shipment of a package from a first location to a second location where neither the first or second location is the location of the third-party. An embodiment is disclosed in which a pre-existing call-tag system is modified to permit third-party billing and anywhere to anywhere functionality.

Claims

1. A modified call-tag system capable of fulfilling an anywhere to anywhere package shipping request, the system comprising:

(A) a customer computer executing;

a client application configured to generate and transmit a call-tag record, said call-tag record comprising at least one of a call-tag request or an anywhere to anywhere request, said call-tag request comprising data identifying a buyer and a unique merchant identifier, and said anywhere to anywhere request comprising a first shipping address and a second shipping address; and

(B) one or more servers in electronic communication with said customer computer, said one or more servers executing;

(1) a carrier application configured to;

receive said call-tag record from said client application;

determine whether said call-tag record includes either said anywhere to anywhere request or said call-tag request;

in response to determining that said call-tag record includes said anywhere to anywhere request, generate a shipping label request based at least in part on said anywhere to anywhere request and said first and second shipping addresses of said anywhere to anywhere request; and

in response to determining that said call-tag record includes said call-tag request;

(1) determine an address associated with said buyer based at least in part on said data identifying said buyer, (2) use said unique merchant identifier to query a merchant database in order to determine an address associated with said merchant, and (3) generate a shipping label request based at least in part on said call-tag request and said buyer and merchant addresses; and

(2) a shipping label application in electronic communication with said carrier application, said shipping label application configured to receive said shipping label request and to generate a shipping label based at least in part on said shipping label request, said shipping label indicating that said package should be shipped from a first location to a second location,

wherein said first and second locations correspond to said first and second shipping addresses, respectively, when said shipping label request is based at least in part on said anywhere to anywhere request, and said first and second locations are based at least in part on said buyer and merchant addresses, respectively, when said shipping label request is based at least in part on said call-tag request.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said carrier application determines whether said call-tag record includes said anywhere to anywhere request by examining whether said call-tag record includes a second shipping address.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein said carrier application determines whether said call-tag record includes said anywhere to anywhere request by examining whether said call-tag record includes both a first shipping address and a second shipping address.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein said carrier application determines whether said call-tag record includes said anywhere to anywhere request by examining whether said call-tag record includes a unique destination address.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein said package is being shipped from a buyer to a merchant, and wherein said carrier application determines whether said call-tag record includes said anywhere to anywhere request by determining whether said call-tag record includes a unique identifier provided to said merchant for use when requesting an anywhere to anywhere shipment.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein said buyer desires to return said package to said merchant.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein said first and second locations correspond to said buyer and merchant addresses, respectively.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein said client application corresponds to a merchant arranging for return of said package from a buyer, and wherein said carrier application is further configured to charge a shipping fee to said merchant.