Methods and systems for automating inventory and dispatch procedures at a staging area

• US 7,484,663 B2
• Filed: 08/17/2007
• Issued: 02/03/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/14/2004
• 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: Olsen, John A. III, Bradley, David L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Le; Thien M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mai; Thien T
• Application Number:
  US11/840,797
• Publication Number:
  US 20070288294A1
• Time in Patent Office: 536 Days
• Field of Search: 235/385, 235/375, 235/384, 340/539.13, 340/988, 701/209, 705/1, 705/9
• US Class Current: 235/385
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders

Abstract

Methods and systems for automating inventory and dispatch procedures at a staging area by automatically detecting the arrival or departure of delivery vehicles, container devices and other such items. Detection of these items is facilitated by the use of automatic identification tags, and other such devices, that are physically associated with each such item. The detection of inbound vehicles and related container devices triggers a series of automated communications that facilitate the dispatch of such items within the staging area. When a delivery vehicle or container device departs, the system can be configured to check the tag or device associated with each such item so as to confirm that the correct container device(s) are associated with the correct outbound delivery vehicle. The system further provides a method of tracking inventories of such items in real time.

Claims

1. A system for providing advance notice of arrival of a delivery vehicle to a staging area at which the delivery vehicle will be unloaded and/or loaded, said system comprising:

an information management system for processing data associated with operation of said staging area; and

a driver'"'"'s terminal operable to convey information to a driver of the delivery vehicle while the driver is in a position to drive the vehicle;

wherein said driver'"'"'s terminal is programmed with a geofence and configured to send a signal to the information management system upon the terminal crossing the geofence to indicate that the delivery vehicle is inbound to the staging area and is within a predetermined proximity to the staging area corresponding to said geofence; and

wherein said information management system is configured to, pursuant to receiving said signal from the driver'"'"'s terminal, send to the driver'"'"'s terminal a driver'"'"'s dispatch instructing the driver where within the staging area to deliver an incoming load and/or where within the staging area to pickup an outgoing load.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein said information management system is configured to, pursuant to receiving said signal from the driver'"'"'s terminal, determine an approximate time it will take the delivery vehicle to arrive at the staging area.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein said information management system is configured to, pursuant to receiving said signal from the driver'"'"'s terminal, determine whether the delivery vehicle is late by considering a time at which the information management system received said signal from the driver'"'"'s terminal and, if the information management system determines that the vehicle is late, reallocate resources of the staging area to accommodate the late arriving vehicle.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein said information management system is configured to, pursuant to receiving said signal from the driver'"'"'s terminal, plan flow and/or start times for sorters in the staging area considering a type of the incoming load and a volume of the incoming load being delivered to the staging area and/or considering a type of the outgoing load and a volume of the outgoing load to be loaded onto and taken away by the delivery vehicle.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein said geofence is positioned 5 miles to 10 miles from the staging area.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein said driver'"'"'s dispatch includes a query and the information management system is configured to receive a response to the query from the driver'"'"'s terminal.

7. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

a first electronic tag associated with said delivery vehicle; and

a reader configured to read data stored on the first tag.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein said first electronic tag includes an RFID tag and said reader includes an RFID interrogator.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein said driver'"'"'s terminal comprises a geofencing feature using satellite positioning system data for monitoring whether the driver'"'"'s terminal enters a predetermined geographic zone corresponding to said geofence.

10. The system of claim 7 further comprising:

a second tag associated with said incoming load or said outgoing load;

wherein said reader is configured to read data stored on the second tag and transfer the data from the first tag and the data from the second tag to the information management system; and

wherein said information management system is configured to determine whether the first tag and the second tag form a proper pair.

11. The system of claim 1 wherein the driver'"'"'s dispatch includes an intended destination for said outbound load.

12. The system of claim 1 wherein said geofence is an outer geofence and the system further comprises an inner geofence positioned closer to the staging area than the outer geofence.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein said inner geofence is remote from said staging area.

14. A method for providing advance notice of arrival of a delivery vehicle to a staging area at which the delivery vehicle will be unloaded and/or loaded, the method comprising:

providing a driver'"'"'s terminal for use by a driver of the delivery vehicle;

establishing in the driver'"'"'s terminal a geofence;

sending a signal from the driver'"'"'s terminal to an information management system associated with the staging area when the delivery vehicle crosses said geofence for indicating to the information management system that the delivery vehicle is inbound to the staging area and is within a predetermined proximity to said staging area corresponding to said geofence;

pursuant to receiving said signal from the driver'"'"'s terminal, creating a driver'"'"'s dispatch including instructions instructing the driver where within the staging area to deliver an incoming load and/or where within the staging area to pickup an outgoing load upon arrival at the staging area and sending said driver'"'"'s dispatch to said driver'"'"'s terminal so the driver can proceed in accordance with said instructions upon arrival at said staging area.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein establishing the geofence includes establishing the geofence to be 5 miles to 10 miles from the staging area.

16. The method of claim 14 further comprising, pursuant to receiving said signal from the driver'"'"'s terminal, determining an approximate time it will take the delivery vehicle to arrive at the staging area.

17. The method of claim 14 further comprising, pursuant to receiving said signal from the driver'"'"'s terminal, determining whether the delivery vehicle is late by considering a time at which said signal is received and, if the vehicle is determined to be late, reallocating resources of the staging area to accommodate the late arriving vehicle.

18. The method of claim 14 further comprising, pursuant to receiving said signal from the driver'"'"'s terminal, planning flow and/or start times for sorters in the staging area considering a type and a volume of the incoming load being delivered to the staging area and/or a type and a volume of the outgoing load to be loaded onto and taken by the delivery vehicle.

19. The method of claim 14 wherein creating said driver'"'"'s dispatch includes creating the dispatch to include a query and sending the driver'"'"'s dispatch includes sending the query, and the method further comprises receiving a response to said query from the driver'"'"'s terminal at the information management system.

20. The method of claim 14 wherein providing said driver'"'"'s terminal includes providing the terminal to include a geofencing feature using satellite positioning system data for monitoring whether the terminal has entered a predetermined geographic zone corresponding to said geofence.

21. The method of claim 14 further comprising:

associating a first electronic tag with said delivery vehicle; and

reading data stored on the first tag.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein providing the first electronic tag includes providing an RFID tag and the step of reading data stored on the first tag includes using an RFID interrogator to read said RFID tag.

23. The method of claim 21 further comprising:

associating a second tag and said incoming or said outgoing load;

reading data stored on the second tag;

transferring the data from the first tag and the data from the second tag to said information management system; and

determining whether the first tag and the second tag form a proper pair.

24. The method of claim 14 wherein creating said driver'"'"'s dispatch includes creating the dispatch to include an intended destination for said outbound load.

25. The method of claim 14 wherein establishing the geofence includes establishing an outer geofence and the method further comprises establishing an inner geofence positioned closer to the staging area than the outer geofence.

26. The method of claim 25 wherein establishing the inner geofence includes establishing the inner geofence to be remote from said staging area.