Delivery management device, delivery management method, and program

Abstract

To prevent a contact address being personal information from being disclosed to others in relay type delivery by a plurality of deliverers.SOLUTION: A delivery management device used in relay type delivery includes a delivery state management part for managing which deliverer holds a delivery object, and a communication setting part for requesting a telephone system to perform transfer setting for setting the transfer destination of a call originated to a temporary telephone number as the actual telephone number of the terminal of the deliverer holding the delivery object.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a relay delivery technique using multiple deliverers. [Background technology]

[0002] Relay delivery, in which multiple delivery companies use a relay system to deliver packages to recipients, is gaining attention.

[0003] In relay delivery, for example, it is assumed that the shipper, the deliverer, or the recipient will contact the deliverer who is holding the package by telephone to find out the current delivery status of the package. Note that, as a conventional technology related to delivery, there is a technology described in Patent Document 1, for example. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2014-225187 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] As described above, when implementing relay delivery by multiple deliverers, it is expected that the shipper, deliverer, or recipient will contact each other by telephone to check the delivery status, and to confirm the delivery of deliveries between deliverers along the delivery route.

[0006] However, if the contact information linked to the individual deliverer (specifically, the phone number) is used to contact the deliverer, the contact information, which is personal information, must be communicated to the shipper, the recipient, and other deliverers, which increases the risk of personal information being leaked. There is also a risk that the contact information may be used for unnecessary calls even after the delivery is complete.

[0007] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above points, and aims to provide a technology for preventing personal contact information from being disclosed to others in relay delivery by multiple deliverers. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] According to the disclosed technology, there is provided a delivery management device used in relay delivery, comprising: a delivery status management unit that manages which deliverer is holding the delivery; a communication setting unit that requests the telephone system to set a forwarding destination for calls made to the temporary telephone number to the actual telephone number of the terminal of the deliverer that holds the delivery; A delivery management device is provided. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] The disclosed technology provides a technique for preventing personal contact information from being disclosed to others in relay delivery by multiple deliverers. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram for explaining an overview of a technique according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of a terminal 10. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of a delivery management device 100. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the transition of a temporary telephone number. [Figure 6] 1 is a processing sequence according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] 1 is a processing sequence according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the contents of information. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the contents of information. [Figure 10] FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a hardware configuration of the apparatus. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention (the present embodiment) will be described with reference to the drawings. The embodiment described below is merely an example, and the embodiment to which the present invention is applied is not limited to the following embodiment.

[0012] (Outline of the embodiment) As mentioned above, if the contact information for the delivery person (specifically, the phone number) is linked to the individual, the contact information, which is personal information, must be communicated to a third party, increasing the risk of personal information being leaked. There is also a risk that the contact information may be used for unnecessary calls even after the delivery is complete.

[0013] An overview of the technology according to the present embodiment for solving the above problems will be described with reference to FIG.

[0014] Figure 1 shows that there are a shipper (delivery requester), deliverers A to D, and a recipient of the package (delivery item). Note that there are other deliverers besides deliverer D between deliverer C and the recipient, but for convenience of illustration, only deliverer D is shown.

[0015] Figure 1 also shows that a package is handed over from deliverer A to deliverer B, who then carries the package, and the next deliverer is deliverer C. Each character is assumed to be holding a device such as a smartphone. The deliverer carrying the package, i.e., the deliverer holding the package, will be called the package-holding deliverer.

[0016] In this embodiment, a temporary telephone number (referred to as a temporary telephone number) that can receive calls from the start of delivery of the package until delivery is completed is issued to the package-holding deliverer under the control of the delivery management device 100, which will be described later. In other words, the temporary telephone number is assigned to the terminal of the package-holding deliverer as the telephone number of that terminal. Figure 1 shows an image in which a temporary telephone number is assigned to the terminal of Deliverer B, the package-holding deliverer.

[0017] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, calls to the temporary telephone number are allowed only from, for example, the shipper, the recipient, and the next deliverer.

[0018] Note that "being able to make calls to a temporary phone number" means that a call can be made from terminal X to a temporary phone number, and the call can be received by terminal Y to which the temporary phone number has been assigned, allowing communication between terminal X and terminal Y. This "communication" may be a voice call, an exchange of messages, or a call using video and audio.

[0019] However, calls to the temporary telephone number are not limited to being made only by the shipper, recipient, and next delivery person; calls to the temporary telephone number may also be made by persons other than the shipper, recipient, and next delivery person (for example, a service manager, each delivery person on the delivery route other than the next delivery person, etc.).

[0020] When a call is made from a terminal to a temporary telephone number, the call is forwarded to the personal contact (personal telephone number) of the terminal of the parcel carrier to which the temporary telephone number is assigned through processing in the telephone system 200 described below.

[0021] With the above system, in relay delivery, the sender or receiver can reliably confirm the delivery status of the parcel carrier and the delivery of parcels between deliverers without disclosing personal contact information to the sender, receiver, or next deliverer. In addition, since it is not possible to contact deliverers other than the parcel carrier, unnecessary contact can be blocked.

[0022] In addition, in this embodiment, the actual telephone number of the terminal making a call to the temporary telephone number can be prevented from being transmitted to the call destination by using, for example, a telephone caller number concealment function (184, etc.).

[0023] (System configuration example) An example of the configuration of a communication system according to this embodiment is shown in Fig. 2. As shown in Fig. 2, this communication system includes a delivery management device 100, a telephone system 200, and a plurality of terminals 10, all of which are connected to a network 300. The network 300 includes, for example, the Internet, a mobile phone network, and a landline telephone network.

[0024] The delivery management device 100 is a device for realizing the above-described mechanism according to this embodiment. Each terminal 10 is a terminal such as a smartphone carried by a shipper, a deliverer, or a recipient.

[0025] For example, the telephone system 200 has a function of forwarding a call made to a temporary telephone number issued to a terminal to the actual telephone number of the terminal. The telephone system 200 also has a function of issuing the temporary telephone number. The telephone system 200 itself is an existing technology. Note that the "actual telephone number" is not a temporary telephone number, but a telephone number assigned to a terminal (a contracted telephone number).

[0026] (Device configuration example) Fig. 3 shows an example of the functional configuration of the terminal 10. As shown in Fig. 3, the terminal 10 has a communication unit 11 and a delivery information processing unit 12. The communication unit 11 is a functional unit that performs communication by telephone. The delivery information processing unit 12 is a functional unit that performs processing such as a request to change the delivery company. The delivery information processing unit 12 is realized, for example, by an application of the terminal 10.

[0027] 4 shows an example of the functional configuration of the delivery management device 100. As shown in FIG. 4, the delivery management device 100 includes a delivery status management unit 110, a data storage unit 120, and a communication setting unit .

[0028] The delivery status management unit 110 manages the delivery status by communicating with the terminal 10. The delivery information storage unit 120 stores information related to delivery. The communication setting unit 130 issues instructions for setting forwarding to the telephone system 200. Details of the operation of each functional unit will be explained in the processing sequence described later.

[0029] (Phone Number State Sequence) As mentioned above, in this embodiment, temporary telephone numbers are assigned only to the package-holding deliverer. With reference to FIG. 5, we will explain how the person to whom a temporary telephone number is assigned transitions in a situation where there is a shipper, deliverer A, deliverer B, deliverer C, and a recipient. In FIG. 5, the temporary telephone number is referred to as a "tmp telephone number." Furthermore, "Delivery Status" shows an overview of the processing flow related to delivery.

[0030] After a shipper (delivery requester) makes a delivery request to the delivery management device 100, a delivery route is determined by the delivery management device 100. Here, it is assumed that the delivery route is determined to be "shipper → deliverer A → deliverer B → deliverer C → recipient."

[0031] First, a temporary telephone number is assigned to the delivery person A who holds the package for delivery, and calls from the shipper, recipient, or other delivery persons to the temporary telephone number are forwarded to the delivery person A.

[0032] Next, when the package held by Deliverer A is handed over to Deliverer B, a temporary telephone number is assigned to Deliverer B, and calls from the shipper, recipient, or other deliverers to the temporary telephone number are forwarded to Deliverer B.

[0033] Next, when the package held by Deliverer B is handed over to Deliverer C, a temporary phone number is assigned to Deliverer C, and calls from the shipper, recipient, or other deliverers to the temporary phone number are forwarded to Deliverer C. Once the recipient has completed receiving the package, the temporary phone number is deleted.

[0034] (Processing sequence) Next, a processing sequence of the communication system in this embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 6 and 7. In the processing sequence, Figures 8 and 9 showing examples of specific contents of information will be referred to as appropriate.

[0035] Figure 6 shows the processing sequence up until the start of actual delivery. In Figure 6, terminal 10A represents the terminal of each deliverer. However, after the sequence in Figure 6 is completed, terminal 10A becomes the terminal of the first deliverer, and therefore is described as the "initial deliverer" in Figure 6. Furthermore, terminal 10B represents the terminal of the delivery requester (shipper).

[0036] Also, corresponding to the configuration in FIG. 3, terminal 10A includes a communication unit 11A and a delivery information processing unit 12A, and terminal 10B includes a communication unit 11B and a delivery information processing unit 12B.

[0037] In S1 (step 1) of Fig. 6, delivery information processing unit 12A of terminal 10A transmits the deliverer information to delivery management device 100 for registration of the deliverer information. In S2, delivery status management unit 110 of delivery management device 100 registers (stores) the deliverer information in data storage unit 120. Fig. 8(a) shows an example of the registered deliverer information.

[0038] In S3 of Fig. 6, the delivery information processing unit 12B of the terminal 10B transmits the user information to the delivery management device 100 in order to register the user information. In S4, the delivery status management unit 110 of the delivery management device 100 registers (stores) the user information in the data storage unit 120. (b) of Fig. 8 shows an example of the user information to be registered.

[0039] In S5 of FIG. 6, the delivery information processing unit 12B of the terminal 10B transmits delivery request information to the delivery management device 100 as a delivery request. The delivery request information includes information on the delivery source and delivery destination. In S6, the delivery status management unit 110 registers (stores) delivery information based on the delivery request information in the data storage unit 120. (d) of FIG. 9 shows an example of the registered delivery information. The delivery sequence number is a number corresponding to the delivery status and is updated according to the delivery status. For example, the delivery sequence number is the number of the current deliverer (deliverer holding the package).

[0040] In S7 of Figure 6, the delivery status management unit 110 of the delivery management device 100 generates a delivery route, which is the route from the delivery source to the delivery destination, and registers (stores) the generated delivery route in the data storage unit 120. Figure 9(e) shows an example of registered delivery route information. Figure 9(e) shows information for each deliverer. A deliverer who receives this information can know their own deliverer ID, the location where they will receive their package, etc. The delivery route information also includes information that allows the deliverer who receives the delivery route information to know how far they need to deliver the package.

[0041] The delivery route information may include information that explicitly indicates the route, such as "shipper → deliverer A → deliverer B → deliverer C → recipient."

[0042] In S8 of Fig. 6, the telephone system 200 issues a temporary telephone number. In S9, the telephone system 200 transmits the temporary telephone number to the delivery management device 100. In addition, in the delivery management device 100, information about the temporary telephone number is registered (stored) in the data storage unit 120. An example of information about the temporary telephone number is shown in (c) of Fig. 8.

[0043] 6, the communication setting unit 130 of the delivery management device 100 sends a forwarding setting request to the telephone system 200. This forwarding setting request includes a request to "set the forwarding destination of calls made to the temporary phone number to the actual phone number of the initial deliverer, and to allow only calls from the shipper, recipient, and other deliverers within the delivery route to be received at the forwarding destination of the temporary phone number."

[0044] In S11, the telephone system 200 performs call forwarding setup in accordance with the call forwarding setup request received in S10. As a result, the temporary phone number becomes the actual phone number of the initial deliverer, and only calls from the shipper, recipient, and other deliverers within the delivery route can be received at the temporary phone number.

[0045] 6, the delivery status management unit 110 of the delivery management device 100 transmits the delivery route to the terminal 10B. In addition, in S13, the delivery status management unit 110 of the delivery management device 100 transmits the delivery route to the terminal 10A (i.e., each terminal 10 of the deliverer). In addition, the delivery status management unit 110 of the delivery management device 100 notifies each terminal 10 on the delivery route of a temporary phone number.

[0046] Once the above process is complete, delivery begins. That is, the package is handed over from the delivery source (shipper) to the initial deliverer, and the initial deliverer begins moving along the delivery route to the next deliverer.

[0047] 7, in order to register the start of delivery, delivery information processing unit 12B of terminal 10B of the delivery requester (shipper) transmits delivery start registration information indicating that delivery has started to delivery management device 100. In S22, delivery status management unit 110 of delivery management device 100 registers delivery status information indicating that delivery has started in data storage unit 120. More specifically, the delivery sequence number in the delivery information stored in data storage unit 120 is updated from a number indicating before delivery started to a number indicating the current deliverer (i.e., the initial deliverer).

[0048] After the initial deliverer begins its journey, until the initial deliverer reaches the location of the next deliverer, the shipper, the recipient, or another deliverer can contact the initial deliverer by calling the temporary phone number. Even if a third party not involved in the delivery knows the temporary phone number and calls the temporary phone number, the call cannot be received and the initial deliverer cannot be contacted.

[0049] Let's say the initial deliverer has arrived at the location of the next deliverer (S23 in Figure 7). The process described below is the process when relaying from the initial deliverer to the next deliverer, but the process described below corresponds to the process when relaying from any deliverer to the next deliverer.

[0050] In S24, the initial deliverer performs an operation to request a change of deliverer to the delivery information processing unit 12A of the terminal 10A. In S25, the delivery information processing unit 12A of the terminal 10A transmits the delivery ID and the next deliverer ID to the deliverer management device 100 as a request to change the deliverer.

[0051] In S26, the delivery status management unit 110 of the delivery management device 100 transmits a request to change the deliverer to the terminal 10C of the next deliverer. The terminal 10C includes a communication unit 11C and a delivery information processing unit 12C. In S26, for example, the delivery information processing unit 12C of the terminal 10C outputs a message requesting approval for the change of the deliverer.

[0052] In S27, the next deliverer performs an operation to accept the change of deliverer on the delivery information processing unit 12C of terminal 10C. In S28, the delivery information processing unit 12C of terminal 10C transmits information indicating that the change of deliverer has been accepted to the delivery management device 100. By receiving this information, the delivery status management unit 110 of the delivery management device 100 determines that the next deliverer has accepted the change of deliverer, and notifies the communication setting unit 130 that the next deliverer has accepted the change of deliverer.

[0053] Upon receiving the above-mentioned acceptance, the delivery status management unit 110 of the delivery management device 100 determines that the current package delivery person is the delivery person with the "next package delivery person ID." In addition, information indicating that the current package delivery person is the delivery person with the "next package delivery person ID" is registered in the data storage unit 120.

[0054] In S29, the communication setting unit 130 of the delivery management device 100 sends a request to change the forwarding settings to the telephone system 200. This request to change the forwarding settings includes a request to "forward calls made to the temporary telephone number to the actual telephone number of the next deliverer." In S30, the telephone system 200 changes the forwarding settings in accordance with the request.

[0055] In S31, the delivery status management unit 110 of the delivery management device 10 executes a process to pay a reward to the initial deliverer. The reward may be any kind of reward. For example, the reward may be points, cash, or a discount on telephone charges (or fees for using the system).

[0056] In S32, the delivery status management unit 110 of the delivery management device 10 transmits a delivery completion notification to the initial deliverer's terminal 10A. This delivery completion notification includes information indicating that a reward has been awarded.

[0057] From S41 onwards, it is assumed that terminal 10C is the terminal of the final deliverer. It is assumed that delivery by the final deliverer is completed in S41. In S42, delivery information processing unit 12C of terminal 10C transmits a delivery completion notification to delivery management device 100. Upon receiving the delivery completion notification, communication setting unit 130 in delivery management device 100 transmits a forwarding setting deletion request to telephone system 200. This forwarding setting deletion request includes a request to delete the forwarding setting that "forwards calls made to the temporary telephone number to the actual telephone number of the next deliverer." In S44, telephone system 200 deletes the forwarding setting in accordance with the request.

[0058] This concludes the description of the processing sequence.

[0059] In the above process, by submitting a request to change the deliverer, a reward is paid to the deliverer, so the deliverer will be sure to submit a request to change the deliverer to the delivery management device 100 when handing over the package to the next deliverer. This prevents a situation in which the call forwarding settings of the temporary phone number are not changed due to forgetting to submit a request to change the deliverer.

[0060] In addition, if it is expected that the deliverer will reliably apply for a change of deliverer even without the payment of the above-mentioned reward, the payment of the above-mentioned reward may be omitted.

[0061] Alternatively, instead of paying the above-mentioned reward, a deliverer change request may be automatically made using short-range communication, etc. For example, a short-range communication tag may be attached to the package, and the terminal 10 of the next deliverer who receives a signal from the short-range communication tag may automatically send a deliverer change request to the deliverer management device 100. Upon receiving the deliverer change request, the deliverer management device 100 sends a forwarding setting change request to the telephone system 200.

[0062] (Example of hardware configuration) Any of the devices described in this embodiment (such as the delivery management device 100 and the terminal 10) can be realized by, for example, causing a computer to execute a program. This computer may be a physical computer or a virtual machine on the cloud.

[0063] That is, the device can be realized by executing a program corresponding to the processing performed by the device using hardware resources such as a CPU and memory built into a computer. The program can be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium (such as a portable memory) and stored or distributed. The program can also be provided via a network such as the Internet or email.

[0064] Fig. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the computer. The computer in Fig. 10 includes a drive device 1000, an auxiliary storage device 1002, a memory device 1003, a CPU 1004, an interface device 1005, a display device 1006, an input device 1007, an output device 1008, and the like, all of which are interconnected via a bus B. The computer may further include a GPU.

[0065] A program for realizing processing on the computer is provided by a recording medium 1001 such as a CD-ROM or a memory card. When the recording medium 1001 storing the program is set in the drive device 1000, the program is installed from the recording medium 1001 to the auxiliary storage device 1002 via the drive device 1000. However, the program does not necessarily have to be installed from the recording medium 1001, but may be downloaded from another computer via a network. The auxiliary storage device 1002 stores the installed program as well as necessary files, data, etc.

[0066] The memory device 1003 reads and stores a program from the auxiliary storage device 1002 when an instruction to start the program is received. The CPU 1004 realizes the functions related to the device in accordance with the program stored in the memory device 1003. The interface device 1005 is used as an interface for connecting to a network, etc. The display device 1006 displays a GUI (Graphical User Interface) or the like according to the program. The input device 1007 is composed of a keyboard, mouse, buttons, a touch panel, etc., and is used to input various operation instructions. The output device 1008 outputs the results of calculations.

[0067] (Effects of the embodiment) As described above, the technology according to this embodiment makes it possible to prevent contact information, which is personal information, from being disclosed to others in relay delivery by multiple deliverers.

[0068] The following additional notes are provided regarding the above-described embodiments.

[0069] <Additional Notes> (Additional note 1) A delivery management device used in relay delivery, a delivery status management unit that manages which deliverer is holding the delivery; a communication setting unit that requests the telephone system to set a forwarding destination for calls made to the temporary telephone number to the actual telephone number of the terminal of the deliverer that holds the delivery; A delivery management device comprising: (Additional note 2) Only calls from a specific terminal to the temporary telephone number can be received by the terminal of the real telephone number. Item 1. A delivery management device according to item 1. (Additional note 3) The delivery status management unit identifies the deliverer who is holding the delivery item based on the deliverer change request received from the terminal. Item 1. A delivery management device according to item 1. (Additional note 4) The delivery status management unit pays a reward to the deliverer who owns the terminal that sent the delivery company change request. Item 3. A delivery management device according to item 3. (Additional note 5) The delivery status management unit receives the delivery company change request automatically transmitted from a terminal in response to receiving a signal from a short-range communication tag attached to the delivery. Item 3. A delivery management device according to item 3. (Additional note 6) A delivery management method executed by a delivery management device used in relay delivery, comprising: Managing which shipper is holding the shipment; a step of requesting a telephone system to set a forwarding setting for forwarding calls to the temporary telephone number to the actual telephone number of the terminal of the deliverer holding the delivery; A delivery management method comprising: (Additional note 7) A non-transitory storage medium storing a program for causing a computer to function as each unit in the delivery management device described in any one of appendixes 1 to 5.

[0070] Although the present embodiment has been described above, the present invention is not limited to such a specific embodiment, and various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of the gist of the present invention described in the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0071] 10 devices 11 Communications Department 12 Delivery information processing section 100 Delivery management device 110 Delivery Status Management Department 120 Data storage unit 130 Communication setting section 200 Telephone System 300 Network 1000 Drive Device 1001 Recording media 1002 Auxiliary storage device 1003 Memory device 1004 CPU 1005 Interface device 1006 Display device 1007 Input Device 1008 Output Device

Claims

1. A delivery management device used in relay delivery, a delivery status management unit that manages which deliverer is holding the delivery; a communication setting unit that requests the telephone system to set a forwarding destination for calls made to the temporary telephone number to the actual telephone number of the terminal of the deliverer that holds the delivery; A delivery management device comprising:

2. Only calls from a specific terminal to the temporary telephone number can be received by the terminal of the real telephone number. The delivery management device according to claim 1 .

3. The delivery status management unit identifies the deliverer who is holding the delivery item based on the deliverer change request received from the terminal. The delivery management device according to claim 1 .

4. The delivery status management unit pays a reward to the deliverer who owns the terminal that sent the delivery company change request. The delivery management device according to claim 3 .

5. The delivery status management unit receives the delivery company change request automatically transmitted from a terminal in response to receiving a signal from a short-range communication tag attached to the delivery. The delivery management device according to claim 3 .

6. A delivery management method executed by a delivery management device used in relay delivery, comprising: Managing which shipper is holding the shipment; a step of requesting a telephone system to set a forwarding destination for calls made to the temporary telephone number to the actual telephone number of the terminal of the deliverer holding the delivery; A delivery management method comprising:

7. A program for causing a computer to function as each unit in the delivery management device according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

Images