Method and system for providing shipment tracking and notifications

• US 7,809,377 B1
• Filed: 04/03/2007
• Issued: 10/05/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: IpVenture, Inc.
• Original Assignee: IpVenture, Inc.
• Inventors: Lau, Chung, Thomas, C. Douglass
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Quynh H
• Application Number:
  US11/732,581
• Time in Patent Office: 1,281 Days
• Field of Search: 455/456.1, 455/456.2, 455/456.3, 455/404.2, 455/414.2, 455/440, 340/536.13, 340/825.49, 340/988, 342/357.01, 342/357.06, 342/357.07, 342/357.13, 342/457, 701/213, 701/214, 701/215
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0832 Special goods or special handling procedures, e.g. handling of hazardous or fragile goods
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0833 Tracking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/027 using movement velocity, acceleration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/20 Services signaling; Auxiliary data signalling, i.e. transmitting data via a non-traffic channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

Improved approaches for monitoring status of articles being shipped are disclosed. The monitoring can produce notifications to interested parties. The notifications typically contain status information pertaining to the articles being shipped. Alternatively, interested parties can gain access to status information pertaining to the articles being shipped via a website. According to one embodiment, the status information includes at least position (location) information and shipping conditions information.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for tracking an article, which is being transported to a destination at the request of a user, the method comprising:

tracking, at an Internet package tracking site, status information of the article, such status information being acquired by a mobile communication device in or attached to the article; and

allowing an authorized representative to be aware of the status information from the Internet package tracking site,

wherein the status information includes at least position information and physical condition information,

wherein the mobile communication device includes at least a position sensor and a physical condition sensor,

wherein at least a portion of the status information is related to a condition insured by an insurance on the article,

wherein there is a cost to the user to have the article transported to the destination, and

wherein the method further comprises

determining if the portion of the status information related to the condition insured indicates that a threshold value has been exceeded; and

,

providing a benefit to the user if the determining determines that the portion of the status information related to the condition insured indicates that the threshold value has been exceeded.

2. A method as recited in claim 1,

wherein the authorized representative is associated with a business that has provided insurance on the article, and

wherein the method further comprises providing identification information regarding the article based on a RFID tag.

3. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the method further comprises automatically sending a message to the authorized representative if a piece of status information exceeds a predefined threshold.

4. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the type of physical condition is related to a physical condition of the environment of the article.

5. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the type of physical condition is related to a physical condition of the article.

9. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein a piece of status information indicates that the condition insured has been violated.

10. A method as recited in claim 1,

wherein the method further comprises allowing the authorized representative to access a map representing a route that the article has traveled during the transportation to the destination, and

wherein the map depicts a plurality of the positions of the article along the route and the time the article being at each of such positions.

11. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the method further comprises providing notification to a person under a predetermined condition.

12. A method as recited in claim 11,

wherein the person arranges with a business to transport the article to the destination, and

wherein the method further comprises providing an interface for the person to configure the predetermined condition.

13. A method as recited in claim 12, wherein the predetermined condition is related to the time the article is delivered to the destination.

14. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the authorized representative is provided, via the Internet package tracking site, a history of the status information, which includes status information at a number of positions that the article has traveled through during the transportation of the article to the destination.

15. A method as recited in claim 1,

wherein the method is configured to track the article in a community,

wherein a piece of position information identifies a location of the article in the community, and

wherein the method further comprises receiving information regarding a business related to the location based on wireless communication between the mobile communication device and a wireless device at the business.

6. A computer-implemented method for tracking an article, which is being transported to a destination, the method comprising:

tracking, at an Internet package tracking site, status information of the article, such status information being acquired by a mobile communication device in or attached to the article; and

allowing an authorized representative to be aware of the status information from the Internet package tracking site,

wherein the status information includes at least position information and a type of physical condition information,

wherein the mobile communication device includes at least two types of sensing mechanisms, one for sensing position and the other for sensing the type of physical condition, and

wherein at least one piece of information in the status information is related to a condition insured by an insurance on the article,

wherein a certain amount of money needs to be paid by a user to have the article transported to the destination, and

wherein the method further comprises initiating a process to pay at least a portion of the certain amount of money back to the user in view of a piece of status information exceeding a predefined threshold.

7. A method as recited in claim 6, wherein the predefined threshold is a delivery time of the article.

8. A method as recited in claim 7, wherein the initiating of the process to pay is triggered by the arrival of the article at the destination exceeding the delivery time.

16. An article tracking system for tracking an article being transported to a destination at the request of a user, where there is a cost to the user to have the article transported to the destination, the article tracking system comprising:

a tracking server configured to (i) track status information of the article, the status information includes at least position information and physical condition information, the status information being provided to the tracking server by a mobile communication device in or attached to the article, the mobile communication device including at least a position sensor and a physical condition sensor;

(ii) determine, while the article is being transported, whether the status information indicates that a threshold value has been exceeded;

(iii) enable access to the status information by way of accessing an Internet package tracking site hosted by the tracking server or by way of receiving an electronic notification providing the status information; and

(iv) provide a benefit to the user if the status information indicates that the threshold value has been exceeded,

wherein the threshold value is associated with a limit condition for the transport of the article, wherein the limit condition is a guaranteed or an insured condition for the transport of the article.

17. An article tracking system as recited in claim 16, wherein the benefit to the user is at least a partial refund of the cost to the user to have the article transported to the destination.