Delivery fee calculation device

Abstract

Provided is a delivery fee calculation device capable of reducing the burden on the delivery side while also preventing disadvantages to delivery fee billing targets.　When a delivery is completed, the amount of work on the premises of the delivery destination is entered, and a calculation unit (32) calculates a delivery fee on the basis of the current delivery results after the amount of work on the premises of the delivery destination has been entered. Further, a prediction unit (36) predicts a delivery fee on the basis of past delivery results. The two delivery fees (the delivery fee calculated by the calculation unit (32) and the delivery fee predicted by the prediction unit (36)) are then compared, and the comparison result is informed to the delivery fee billing target.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a delivery fee calculation device that calculates delivery fees. [Background technology]

[0002] As described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 below, systems are known that determine delivery fees taking delivery routes into consideration. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 4491265 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2011-108090 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, conventionally, this system did not take into account the amount of work required on the delivery destination's premises, which indicates the amount of work required on the delivery side from the time the delivery arrives at the delivery address until delivery is completed, resulting in a problem of a heavy burden on the delivery side. In other words, work on the delivery destination's premises includes passing through a gate to enter the delivery destination's premises, traveling from the gate to the delivery destination by foot, stairs, elevator, etc., passing through the reception desk to enter the delivery destination's department, and traveling or waiting after passing through reception to actually deliver the goods to the delivery destination's department or person in charge. However, in the past, such work could not be charged, and so was a burden on the delivery side.

[0005] To address the above-mentioned problem, one possible solution would be for the delivery party to set a delivery fee that takes into account the amount of work required on the delivery destination's premises. However, in this case, the party to whom the delivery fee is charged does not have the opportunity to check whether the delivery fee is appropriate, so the delivery fee may be set unreasonably high, resulting in a disadvantage to the party to whom the delivery fee is charged.

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of the above background, and aims to provide a delivery fee calculation device that can reduce the burden on the delivery side while preventing disadvantages to the recipient of the delivery fee bill. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above problems, the delivery fee calculation device of the present invention is equipped with a processor, which accepts input of the amount of work within the delivery destination premises, which indicates the amount of work required by the delivery party from the time the delivery arrives at the delivery address until delivery is completed, calculates the delivery fee using the amount of work within the delivery destination premises, stores the correspondence between the delivery destination and the amount of work within the delivery destination premises as past delivery records, predicts the delivery fee using the correspondence when a new delivery request is received, compares the predicted delivery fee with the delivery fee calculated after the delivery request is fulfilled, and notifies the comparison result to the party to bill for the delivery fee.

[0008] Preferably, the processor provides a notification if the comparison is outside a predetermined tolerance range.

[0009] Preferably, if the comparison result is outside the acceptable range, the processor requests approval from the billing party for the calculated delivery charge after the delivery request is fulfilled.

[0010] If the comparison result is outside the acceptable range, the processor preferably determines whether this is due to the delivery destination or the delivery side.

[0011] Preferably, the processor accepts input of on-site work information that is the basis for determining the amount of work to be done on the delivery destination site, presents the on-site work information and requests approval, and if the approval request is approved, determines that the cause is attributable to the delivery destination, and if the approval request is not approved, determines that the cause is attributable to the delivery side.

[0012] Preferably, the processor evaluates the reliability of the delivery side using at least one of the number and frequency of cases where the comparison result is outside the allowable range as a result of the determination.

[0013] Preferably, the processor defines the size of the tolerance range based on the trustworthiness of the delivery party.

[0014] Preferably, the processor stores a transaction history relating to the delivery on the blockchain. [Effects of the Invention]

[0015] According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the burden on the delivery side while preventing disadvantages to the party billed for delivery charges. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a delivery support system. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a configuration of a processor. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of a conversion table. [Figure 4] 3 is a flowchart showing a processing flow in the first embodiment. [Figure 5] 10 is a flowchart showing a processing flow according to a second embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a configuration of a processor. [Figure 7] 10 is a flowchart showing a processing flow according to a third embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a configuration of a processor. [Figure 9] 10 is a flowchart showing a processing flow according to a fourth embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of a configuration for storing delivery records on a blockchain. [Figure 11] 13 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing in the fifth embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0017] [First embodiment] FIG. 1 shows a delivery support system 12 equipped with a processor 10 (delivery fee calculation device) of the present invention. The delivery support system 12 supports the delivery of packages. Packages are delivered by a delivery company 14 (delivery side). The delivery company 14 is requested by a shipper 16 or a delivery destination 18 to deliver the package from the shipper 16 to the delivery destination 18. In this embodiment, the delivery destination 18 is a building (sixth floor) located on the premises 22 of a delivery destination company 20.

[0018] The processor 10 executes a delivery support program, and various functions are realized as the delivery support program is executed. When a delivery request is made, the delivery support program is executed by, for example, starting up application software for the delivery request on the requesting terminal (terminal 24 of the shipper 16 or terminal 26 of the delivery destination 18).

[0019] Processor 10 may be a single terminal (or a part of such a single terminal), such as a dedicated terminal provided separately from terminal 24, terminal 26, and delivery company terminal 28, but the present invention is not limited to an example in which processor 10 is configured from a single terminal (the terminal itself or a part thereof). A configuration may also be adopted in which a plurality of such terminals (the terminals themselves or parts thereof) come together and function as processor 10 in cooperation with each other.

[0020] When the delivery support program is executed, a new delivery request can be initiated by specifying delivery conditions, selecting a delivery company, etc. Delivery conditions include the delivery billing address, the type of package (weight, type, quantity, etc.), the type of delivery (delivery location, delivery time, etc.), and detailed conditions (availability or specification of parking, availability or specification of cargo handling, details of delivery route, etc.). By specifying the delivery conditions, candidate delivery companies 14 that can deliver under the specified delivery conditions are extracted, and the user can select a delivery company to make the delivery request from among the extracted candidates. Once a delivery company is selected (for example, delivery company 14 is selected), a request is sent to the terminal 28 of the selected delivery company 14, and once the request is accepted at the terminal 28 of the delivery company 14, the creation of the delivery request is completed. The package is then delivered in accordance with this delivery request.

[0021] When the delivery assistance program is executed, the processor 10 functions as a receiving unit 30, a calculating unit 32, a storage unit 34, a predicting unit 36, a comparing unit 38, and a notifying unit 40, as shown in FIG.

[0022] The reception unit 30 receives input of the amount of work to be done within the delivery destination premises. The amount of work to be done within the delivery destination premises indicates the amount of work (work volume) that occurs on the delivery side (delivery company 14) from the time the delivery arrives at the address of the delivery destination 18 (the address of the premises 22 of the delivery destination company 20) until delivery (delivery of the goods) to the delivery destination 18 is completed. The reception unit 30 receives input of on-site work information that serves as the basis for determining the amount of work to be done within the delivery destination premises. The on-site work information includes, for example, whether or not there is a gate for entering the premises, the type of processing and the required time to pass through the gate, the distance and the required time from passing through the gate to the delivery destination 18, the difference in floors between the gate and the delivery destination and the presence or absence of an elevator, the type of processing and the required time to pass through the delivery destination 18, etc.

[0023] The on-site work information is input, for example, in the form of a question. Specifically, once delivery is completed, the delivery company 14 reports the completion of the request to the processor 10 via the terminal 28. Upon receiving this report, the reception unit 30 sends questions to the terminal 28, such as, for example, "Is there a gate to the premises?" or "How far is the gate from the delivery destination?" The answers to these questions are then input as the on-site work information. Of course, the on-site work information may be input in a format other than this. In this case, for example, after the request is completed, the on-site work information may be input from the terminal 28 of the delivery company 14 according to a predetermined format, and the on-site work information may be input to the reception unit 30 along with the report of completion of the request.

[0024] The calculation unit 32 calculates the delivery fee using the delivery conditions and the amount of work to be done on the delivery destination premises. Specifically, when the calculation unit 32 receives a report of the completion of a delivery request from the terminal 28 of the delivery company 14, the calculation unit 32 refers to the delivery conditions of this request and calculates the delivery fee (basic delivery fee) from the consignor 16 to the address of the delivery destination 18 based on the address of the consignor 16, the address of the delivery destination 18, etc. The calculation unit 32 also determines the amount of work to be done on the delivery destination premises based on the on-site work information, and calculates an additional amount based on the determined amount of work to be done on the delivery destination premises. The calculation unit 32 then calculates the final delivery fee to be billed to the requester (the party to whom the delivery fee will be billed) by adding the additional amount to the basic delivery fee.

[0025] The storage unit 34 stores a conversion table 42 used to calculate the additional amount to be added to the basic delivery fee. As shown in Figure 3, the conversion table 42 shows the correspondence between each piece of on-site work information and the additional value added to the delivery destination on-site work quantity. The calculation unit 32 compares each piece of on-site work information with the conversion table 42 to determine the delivery destination on-site work quantity corresponding to each piece of on-site work information, and sums these to determine the final delivery destination on-site work quantity. In this embodiment, the delivery destination on-site work quantity is set to a value equivalent to the additional amount, and the value of the final delivery destination on-site work quantity obtained as described above is calculated as the additional amount.

[0026] For example, if there is gate access (such as presenting identification at the gate and writing (inputting) the purpose of passage), the distance from the gate to the delivery destination is 100m or more, and there is three or more floors (elevator available) between the gate and the delivery destination, the amount of work to be done on the delivery destination premises (additional amount (yen)) will be "50 (yen)" for the gate access, "50 (yen)" for the distance to the delivery destination, and "50 (yen)" for the difference in floors (elevator available), for a total of "150 (yen)." In this example, the amount calculated by adding the additional amount of 150 yen to the basic delivery fee will be charged to the billing recipient as the final delivery fee.

[0027] Returning to Figure 2, the delivery performance of deliveries to the delivery destination 18 as described above is stored in the storage unit 34 as performance data 44. The performance data 44 includes identification information of the shipper 16, identification information of the delivery destination 18, identification information of the delivery company 14, the type of package, delivery conditions, basic delivery fee and additional amount, and the amount of work to be done on the delivery destination premises and information on the work to be done on the premises that forms the basis of the additional amount. Note that the performance data 44 may also be configured to include information such as video and movement trajectory from a drive recorder installed in the vehicle used for delivery, and movement trajectory obtained from an IC tag attached to the package.

[0028] The prediction unit 36 ​​calculates the current delivery fee based on the past performance data 44. That is, the current delivery fee is predicted using the performance data 44 before the current delivery performance was stored as the performance data 44. The prediction unit 36 ​​predicts the delivery fee using a method similar to the method used by the calculation unit 32 to calculate the delivery fee. That is, the prediction unit 36 ​​calculates the delivery fee (basic delivery fee) from the shipper 16 to the address of the delivery destination 18 by referring to the delivery conditions. The prediction unit 36 ​​also refers to the performance data 44 and determines the amount of work to be done on the delivery destination premises (additional amount) based on the on-site work information from past deliveries. The prediction unit 36 ​​then predicts the current delivery fee by adding the additional amount to the basic delivery fee.

[0029] The comparison unit 38 compares the delivery fee calculated by the calculation unit 32 with the delivery fee predicted by the prediction unit 36. The notification unit 40 notifies the comparison result by the comparison unit 38 (two types of delivery fees: the delivery fee calculated by the calculation unit 32 and the delivery fee predicted by the prediction unit 36) to the billing destination (the billing destination terminal) for the delivery fee.

[0030] The flow of processing by processor 10 will be described below with reference to Figure 4. As shown in Figure 4, when delivery is completed, the amount of work to be done within the delivery destination premises is input, and once the amount of work to be done within the delivery destination premises is input, calculation unit 32 calculates the delivery fee based on the current delivery record. In addition, prediction unit 36 ​​predicts the delivery fee based on past delivery records. Next, the two delivery fees (the delivery fee calculated by calculation unit 32 and the delivery fee predicted by prediction unit 36) are compared, and the comparison result is notified to the party to bill for the delivery fee.

[0031] As described above, according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the delivery fee is determined taking into consideration the amount of work to be done on the delivery destination premises, thereby reducing the burden on the delivery side. Also, the result of comparing the current delivery fee (delivery fee calculated by the calculation unit 32) with the delivery fee predicted from past performance (delivery fee predicted by the prediction unit 36) is notified to the party to be billed for the delivery fee, so that the party to be billed for the delivery fee can confirm the delivery fee comparison result, thereby preventing disadvantages such as setting an unreasonably high delivery fee.

[0032] [Second embodiment] In the first embodiment, an example was described in which the comparison result was notified regardless of the comparison result by the comparison unit 38 (the comparison result between the delivery charge calculated by the calculation unit 32 and the delivery charge predicted by the prediction unit 36), but in the second embodiment, as shown in Fig. 5, a notification is made when the comparison result by the comparison unit 38 is outside the allowable range. Specifically, when the difference between the two delivery charges (the delivery charge calculated by the calculation unit 32 and the delivery charge predicted by the prediction unit 36) is outside the allowable range (for example, the difference is 1,000 yen or more, or one delivery charge is 1.5 times or more than the other), the notification unit 40 notifies this fact.

[0033] As a result, according to the second embodiment, even though the difference between the two delivery fees is within an acceptable range and it can be assumed that there is no disadvantage such as an unreasonably high delivery fee being set, it is possible to prevent problems such as the trouble of having to check the two delivery fees, or confusion caused by being notified of two delivery fees of similar amounts, etc. In the explanations of the second embodiment and subsequent embodiments, the same components as those described above are assigned the same reference numerals and explanations thereof are omitted.

[0034] [Third embodiment] As shown in Fig. 6, in the third embodiment, the processor 10 functions as an approval request unit 50 in addition to the above-mentioned receiving unit 30, calculation unit 32, storage unit 34, prediction unit 36, comparison unit 38, and notification unit 40. As shown in Fig. 7, the approval request unit 50 requests approval of the current delivery fee (the delivery fee calculated by the calculation unit 32) from the billing destination (the billing destination's terminal) in synchronization with the notification from the notification unit 40. Thereafter, when the delivery fee is approved by the billing destination, the delivery fee is finalized and billed to the billing destination.

[0035] In this way, in the third embodiment, approval of the current delivery fee is requested, so that disadvantage to the billing destination of the delivery fee can be more reliably prevented. Note that, in the third embodiment, as in the second embodiment described above, the comparison result may be notified only when the difference between the delivery fee calculated by the calculation unit 32 and the delivery fee predicted by the prediction unit 36 ​​is outside the allowable range. Also, approval of the delivery fee may be requested only when the difference between the delivery fee calculated by the calculation unit 32 and the delivery fee predicted by the prediction unit 36 ​​is outside the allowable range.

[0036] [Fourth embodiment] As shown in FIG. 8, in the third embodiment, the processor 10 functions as a determination unit 60, a delivery side evaluation unit 70, and an acceptable range definition unit 80 in addition to the aforementioned reception unit 30, calculation unit 32, memory unit 34, prediction unit 36, comparison unit 38, notification unit 40, and approval request unit 50.

[0037] If the comparison result by the comparison unit 38 is outside the allowable range, the determination unit 60 determines whether the cause lies with the delivery side (delivery company 14) or the delivery destination 18. In this determination, for example, the determination unit 60 notifies the delivery destination 18 (terminal 26 of the delivery destination 18) of the basis for determining the two delivery fees (the delivery fee calculated by the calculation unit 32 and the delivery fee predicted by the prediction unit 36) (the delivery conditions and the amount of work to be done on the delivery destination's premises (site work information)), and requests the delivery destination 18 to approve the basis for determining the delivery fee. If the basis for determining the delivery fee is approved, the determination unit 60 determines that the cause lies with the delivery side (delivery company 14). Note that, although an example has been described in which approval is requested from the delivery destination 18 for the basis for determining the delivery fee, if the billing destination for the delivery fee is the same as the delivery destination 18, the basis for determining the delivery fee may also be considered approved if the request by the approval request unit 50 described above is approved (the current delivery fee is approved).

[0038] The delivery side evaluation unit 70 evaluates the delivery company that undertook the delivery using the determination result of the determination unit 60. Specifically, the more times (and / or more frequently) it is determined that the delivery side (delivery company) is responsible for the comparison result by the comparison unit 38 being outside the acceptable range, the lower the evaluation of the delivery company that undertook the delivery. Of course, the evaluation of the delivery company that undertook the delivery may be performed not only based on the determination result of the determination unit 60 but also taking into consideration whether or not delivery conditions such as delivery time were met.

[0039] The tolerance range definition unit 80 sets (defines) a tolerance range (a range in which the comparison result by the comparison unit 38 is acceptable) for each delivery company according to the evaluation of the delivery company. Specifically, the tolerance range (the tolerance range applied individually to each delivery company) is set so that the higher the evaluation of the delivery company, the wider (larger) the tolerance range is.

[0040] The flow of processing in the fourth embodiment is shown in Figure 9. As shown in Figure 9, in the fourth embodiment, if the comparison result by the comparison unit 38 is outside the allowable range, it is determined whether the cause lies with the delivery side (delivery company 14) or the delivery destination 18, and this determination result is used to evaluate the delivery company 14. Then, the allowable range to be applied to the delivery company 14 is set using this evaluation.

[0041] [Fifth embodiment] In the above-described embodiments, the delivery record is stored as record data 44 in the memory unit 34, but as shown in FIG. 10, in the fifth embodiment, the processor 10 functions as a delivery history maintenance unit 90 and stores the delivery record on the blockchain 100. The delivery record is a history of processing related to delivery, and as described above, includes the identification information of the shipper 16, the identification information of the delivery destination 18, the identification information of the delivery company 14, the type of package, the delivery conditions, the basic delivery fee and additional amount, and the amount of work to be done on the delivery destination premises and information on the work to be done on the premises that forms the basis for the additional amount.

[0042] The blockchain 100 is constructed by a blockchain network consisting of a terminal 24 of the shipper 16, a terminal 26 of the delivery destination 18, a terminal 28 of the delivery company, etc., and is a chronological linking of blocks 110 containing data indicating the delivery record of each delivery and hash values ​​obtained by hashing data indicating the delivery record of the immediately preceding delivery.

[0043] As shown in FIG. 11, when the current delivery is completed, the delivery history maintenance unit 90 generates a new block 110 including a delivery record for this delivery and a hash value obtained by hashing the delivery record for the immediately preceding delivery, and links the block 110 to the blockchain 100. This increases the transparency and tamper resistance of the delivery history. Note that the fifth embodiment may be configured to provide rewards (tokens, etc.) in accordance with cooperation with the blockchain network, such as data processing, registration, and storage. Also, a smart contract may be used to bill and pay delivery fees.

[0044] In the above embodiment, the hardware structure of the processing units that execute various processes, such as the reception unit 30, calculation unit 32, memory unit 34, prediction unit 36, comparison unit 38, notification unit 40, approval request unit 50, determination unit 60, delivery side evaluation unit 70, tolerance range definition unit 80, and delivery history maintenance unit 90, is the following various processors: The various processors include a CPU (Central Processing Unit), which is a general-purpose processor that executes software (programs) and functions as various processing units, a programmable logic device (PLD), such as an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), whose circuit configuration can be changed after manufacture, and a dedicated electrical circuit, which is a processor with a circuit configuration designed specifically for executing various processes.

[0045] A single processing unit may be configured with one of these various processors, or may be configured with a combination of two or more processors of the same or different types (for example, multiple FPGAs, or a combination of a CPU and an FPGA). Also, multiple processing units may be configured with a single processor. Examples of multiple processing units configured with a single processor include, first, a configuration in which one processor is configured with a combination of one or more CPUs and software, as typified by client or server computers, and this processor functions as multiple processing units. Second, a configuration in which a processor is used to realize the functions of an entire system including multiple processing units on a single IC (Integrated Circuit) chip, as typified by a System on Chip (SoC). In this way, the various processing units are configured with one or more of the above-mentioned various processors as a hardware structure.

[0046] Furthermore, the hardware structure of these various processors is, more specifically, an electric circuit in the form of a combination of circuit elements such as semiconductor elements. [Explanation of symbols]

[0047] 10 Processor (Shipping fee calculation device) 12 Delivery Support System 14. Delivery companies 16 Shippers 18. Delivery Address 20 Shipping destination companies 22 Sites 24 Terminal (shipper's terminal) 26 Terminal (Delivery destination terminal) 28 Terminal (Delivery company terminal) 30 Reception 32 Calculation section 34 Storage section 36 Prediction Department 38 Comparison Section 40 Notification Department 42 Conversion table 44 Performance Data 50 Approval request section 60 Judgment section 70 Delivery side evaluation section 80 Tolerance range definition section 90 Delivery History Maintenance Department 100 Blockchain 110 blocks

Claims

1. a processor, the processor comprising: When delivery is completed, the delivery party receives input of on-site work information that serves as a basis for determining the amount of on-site work at the delivery destination, which indicates the amount of work performed by the delivery party from the time the delivery arrives at the delivery address until the delivery is completed; By comparing each piece of on-site work information with a conversion table, the amount of work corresponding to each piece of on-site work information is calculated, and the sum of these is set as the amount of work within the delivery destination premises; Calculate a delivery fee using the amount of work done on the delivery destination premises; As past delivery records, the correspondence between delivery destinations and the amount of work to be done on the delivery destination premises is stored, When a new delivery request is received, a delivery fee is predicted using the correspondence relationship stored as the past delivery record for the delivery destination of the new delivery request; comparing the predicted shipping cost with a shipping cost calculated after the delivery request is fulfilled; notifying the comparison result to the billing address for the shipping fee; Delivery fee calculation device.

2. The processor: If the comparison result is outside a predetermined tolerance range, the notification is given. The delivery fee calculation device according to claim 1 .

3. The processor: If the comparison result is outside the tolerance range, request approval of the delivery fee calculated after the delivery request is fulfilled from the billing party. The delivery fee calculation device according to claim 2 .

4. The processor: When the comparison result is outside the allowable range, it is determined whether the cause is the delivery destination or the delivery side, Presenting said site operation information and requesting said approval; 4. The delivery fee calculation device according to claim 3, wherein if the request for approval is approved, it is determined that the cause is attributable to the delivery destination, and if the request for approval is not approved, it is determined that the cause is attributable to the delivery side.

5. The processor: As a result of the determination, the reliability of the delivery side is evaluated using at least one of the number of times and the frequency of the comparison result being outside the allowable range. The delivery fee calculation device according to claim 4.

6. The processor: defining a tolerance based on the reliability of the delivery party; The delivery fee calculation device according to claim 5 .

7. The processor: Storing the processing history of the delivery on the blockchain; The delivery fee calculation device according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

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