Offline processing systems and methods for a carrier management system

• US 9,218,588 B2
• Filed: 06/15/2005
• Issued: 12/22/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2004
• 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: Bennett, David A, Bilibin, Paul A., Bjerke, Mark A., Goldhaber, Lynn S., Hu, Hsiangwen S., Krett, Lory E., Liu, Jinyue, McLaughlin, Paul R., Nelson, Reichie R., Mentzer, Charles D., Smith, Matthew J., Smith, William W. III
• Primary Examiner(s): Jung, Allen J
• Application Number:
  US11/154,866
• Publication Number:
  US 20060004675A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,842 Days
• Field of Search: 705/13
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/178 Techniques for file synchronisation in file systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08345 Pricing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

The present invention includes system and methods for the continued operation of a carrier management system having one or more user terminals that normally communicate with at least one data center over a network (online), when the one or more user terminals are unable to communicate with the data center (offline). Once communication is re-established between the one or more user terminal and the data center, local files and data on the user terminals that were used to rate and ship packages while offline are synchronized between the one or more user terminals and the data center.

Claims

1. A system for applying carrier shipping rates to one or more packages shipped via a carrier management system (CMS), said system comprising:

a data center accessible via a network, the data center comprising a central portion of the CMS, rating data comprising information to rate costs of shipping packages with at least two carriers, and shipping data comprising information about shipping transactions that have been processed for shipping packages by the at least two carriers;

a user terminal providing access to the data center over the network, the user terminal comprising;

(A) one or more rating files comprising the information to rate the costs of shipping packages with the at least two carriers;

(B) one or more shipping files; and

(C) one or more application files comprising executable code for at least a local portion of the CMS, said user terminal being configured to;

(A) in response to operating in an online mode and able to access the data center via the network;

execute the central portion of the CMS in order to;

(i) display costs of shipping a package with the at least two carriers based at least in part on the rating data;

(ii) receive a selection of one of the at least two carriers from the user in response to the user rating the costs of shipping the package with the at least two carriers based on the displayed costs; and

(iii) process the package for shipping with the selected carrier; and

(B) in response to operating in an offline mode and not able to access the data center via the network;

execute the application files to execute the local portion of the CMS on the user terminal independent of the central portion of the CMS in order to;

(i) display costs of shipping the package with the at least two carriers based at least in part on the information in the one or more rating files;

(ii) receive the selection of the carrier from the user in response to the user rating the costs of shipping the package with the at least two carriers based on the displayed costs; and

(iii) process the package for shipping with the selected carrier by storing a shipping transaction made while in the offline mode in at least one of the shipping files; and

(C) in response to transferring from the offline mode to the online mode and being able to access the data center via the network;

(i) synchronize the rating files with the rating data;

(ii) synchronize the application files with the data center; and

(iii) synchronize the shipping data with the shipping transactions stored in the shipping files.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the application files executable code is configured to process and apply shipping rates stored in the rating files to the one or more packages while the user terminal is in the offline mode.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the local portion of the CMS is configured to automatically detect a connection state between the user terminal and the data center for determining whether the user terminal is to operate in the online mode or in the offline mode.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein the user terminal is configured to synchronize the rating files and update the shipping data in response to the user terminal detecting the connection state changing from disconnected to connected, and the CMS residing on the user terminal is configured to transfer the user terminal to the online mode in response to the user terminal detecting the connection state being connected and the user terminal having synchronized the rating files and uploaded the shipping data.

5. A method for synchronizing information on a user terminal with information on a data center in a carrier management system (CMS), comprising the steps of:

providing the CMS capable of applying carrier shipping rates to one or more packages, wherein the CMS comprises;

(a) a local portion of the CMS that resides on a user terminal, the user terminal having application files comprising executable code for executing the local portion of the CMS and rating files comprising rating information to rate costs of shipping packages with at least two carriers and being configured to transfer between an online mode in which the user terminal is able to access a data center over the network and an offline mode in which the user terminal is not able to access the data center; and

(b) a central portion of the CMS that resides on the data center that is accessible by the user terminal over the network, the data center comprising rating data comprising information to rate costs of shipping packages with the at least two carriers and shipping data comprising information about shipping transactions that have been processed for shipping packages by the at least two carriers;

in response to the user terminal being in the online mode and able to access the data center over the network;

(a) displaying costs of shipping a package with the at least two carriers on the user terminal by executing the central portion of the CMS, the costs of shipping the package based at least in part on the rating data;

(b) receiving a selection of one of the at least two carriers from the user in response to the user rating the costs of shipping the package with the at least two carriers based on the displayed costs; and

(c) processing the package for shipping with the selected carrier by executing the central portion of the CMS; and

in response to the user terminal being in the offline mode and unable to access the data center over the network;

(a) displaying costs of shipping the package with the at least two carriers on the user terminal by executing the local portion of the CMS, the costs based at least in part on the information in the one or more rating files;

(b) receiving the selection of the carrier from the user in response to the user rating the costs of shipping the package with the at least two carriers based on the displayed costs; and

(c) processing the package for shipping with the selected carrier by storing a shipping transaction made while in the offline mode in at least one shipping file in memory of the user terminal; and

in response to access between the user terminal and the data center being restored;

(a) synchronizing said application files;

(b) synchronizing said rating files; and

(c) synchronizing said at least one shipping file stored on said user terminal with data center data on said data center.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said at least one shipping file comprises package weight and dimensions, address data, “

bill to”

data, carrier and class of service.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein synchronizing said application files, said rating files, and said at least one shipping file stored on said user terminal with said data center data occurs automatically.

8. The method of claim 5 wherein the synchronizing step is performed after access to said data center by said user terminal has been restored.

9. The method of claim 5 further comprising the steps of:

automatically detecting a connection state between the user terminal and the data center as being either connected or disconnected; and

automatically transferring the user terminal to the offline mode when the connection state is disconnected.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the synchronizing step is performed in response to detecting the user terminal being in the offline mode and the connecting state becoming connected, and the method further comprises the step of:

transferring the user terminal to the online mode in response to having detected the connected state and having performed the synchronization.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions for controlling a first computing device having at least a first memory, a first processor and a display device, the computer-executable instructions comprising:

(A) a first executable portion executable on said first processor for;

(1) displaying costs of shipping a package with at least two carriers on the display device by reading carrier shipping rates of the at least two carriers from a second memory associated with a second computing device and determining the costs of shipping the package based on the carrier shipping rates;

(2) receiving a selection of one of the at least two carriers from the user in response to the user rating the costs of shipping the package with the at least two carriers based on the displayed costs; and

(3) processing the package for shipping with the selected carrier in conjunction with the second computing device; and

(B) a second executable portion executable on said first processor, in response to detecting the carrier shipping rates from the second memory of the second computing device cannot be read by the first executable portion, for;

(1) displaying costs of shipping the package with the at least two carriers on the display device by reading the carrier shipping rates of the at least two carriers from said first memory associated with said first computing device and determining the costs of shipping the package based on the carrier shipping rates;

(2) receiving the selection of the carrier from the user in response to the user rating the costs of shipping the package with the at least two carriers based on the displayed costs; and

(3) processing the package for shipping with the selected carrier by storing a shipping transaction made while in the offline mode in at least one shipping file in the first memory; and

(C) a third executable portion executable on said first processor for;

(1) detecting when said first computing device may access said second computing device; and

(2) in response to detecting said first computer device having access to said second computing device;

(a) synchronizing said carrier shipping rates stored in said first memory with said carrier shipping rates stored in said second memory; and

(b) transferring at least a copy of said shipping transaction stored in the at least on shipping file in said first memory to said second memory.