Logistics managing method and electronic apparatus performing the same

Abstract

According to various exemplary embodiments, a logistics management method includes: identifying attribute information of an item being transported to a first operations center; and providing destination information corresponding to a tote bag of the item based on the attribute information of the item, wherein the attribute information of the item includes information about whether the item is to be transferred to a target of another operations center. Other various embodiments are also possible.

Description

Technical field

[0001] An exemplary embodiment of the invention relates to a logistics management method and an electronic equipment performing a logistics management method. Prior technology

[0002] As the use of the Internet became familiar, the e-commerce market continued to expand. Transactions in an e-commerce marketplace occur online through a network, and products already traded in e-commerce may be delivered to a destination set by a customer through a delivery service. With the expansion of the e-commerce market, a transaction brokerage service is also being launched to mediate a sale between a seller and a buyer and provide that delivery service.

[0003] For example, a logistics management system used to provide the transaction brokerage service may solicit an order (e.g., place an order) from a seller for a predetermined quantity of items through a specific operation center and store such items received from that seller in one of the warehouses of the operation center. When a purchaser requests the delivery of such items (e.g., issuing an order), the system may ship such corresponding items from the warehouse and deliver such items to the purchaser through a courier.

[0004] Specifically, a process for storing (or preserving) an item in an operations center may sequentially comprise a step in placing an order with a seller for an item from a particular operations center, a step in receiving the ordered item from the seller, a step in unloading the item delivered to the operations center, a step in inspecting the unloaded item, a step in depositing the inspected item in the warehouse at a specified location in the warehouse and displaying the item in the warehouse. Contents of the invention

[0005] At the same time, a logistics management system can provide as many operation centers as possible in order to provide a more complete training broker services. In this case, a seller may have to receive an individual order for a predetermined quantity of items from a plurality of operations centers and deliver to each operation center such items corresponding to that quantity, which may be a burden for that seller.

[0006] To address this, the logistics management system may place an order at a base operation center for such items pending a one-order order from the plurality of operations centers. The seller may deliver such items corresponding to the quantity ordered to such base operations center such that such ordered items (inventory) are transferred from such base operations center to other operations center. Through this, the delivery burden of one of that seller can be minimized.

[0007] However, in this situation, the received items ordered at the base operations center can be unloaded, inspected, stored and displayed at the base operations center, and then picked up again to be transferred to another operations center, which can increase the workload of logistics management services.

[0008] To address the above problems, the present invention provides a method and apparatus for transferring goods (inventory) from one specific operations center to another operations center (other operations center) with increased efficiency.

[0009] [Technical Solutions] According to one embodiment, a logistics management method is provided, comprising: identifying attribute information of an item being transported to a first operations center; and providing destination information corresponding to a tote bag of the item based on the attribute information of the item, wherein the attribute information of the item includes information about or relating to whether the item is to be transferred to another operations center.

[0010] The destination information of the tote bag may include at least one of the following: destination information associated with a task for displaying the item at a designated location in one of the first operations centers; or destination information associated with a task for transferring the item to one of the other operations centers by classifying the item into another tote bag corresponding to the other operations center.

[0011] The logistics management method may further include: in response to a determination that the item corresponds to one of the targets to be transferred to the other operations center, providing information about or relating to at least one candidate operations center capable of receiving the item and information on the transferable quantity of the item corresponding to the candidate operations center, based on the attribute information of the item.

[0012] The logistics management method may further include: determining a second operating center for transferring the item from among the at least one candidate operating centers based on user input; and determining the quantity of the item to be transferred to the second operating center.

[0013] Based on the user input, the quantity of the item to be transferred to the second operation center can be determined to be less than or equal to the quantity that can be transferred to one of the second operation centers.

[0014] The transferable quantity information may include quantity information in units of one box containing a predetermined number of items and quantity information of remaining items less than the predetermined number of items.

[0015] The logistics management method may further include providing information for instructing the execution of an inspection task, an inbound task, and a transfer and distribution task for the item to be transferred to the second operations center in the first operations center, and then, after unloading the item in the second operations center, for a display task.

[0016] The logistics management method may further include providing type information of an item based on the attribute information of one of the items to be contained in the tote bag, so that an item corresponding to the same attribute can be contained in a tote bag.

[0017] According to another embodiment, an electronic device is also provided, comprising a transceiver and a processor electrically connected to the transceiver, wherein the processor is configured to identify attribute information of an item being transported to a first operations center and to provide destination information corresponding to a tote bag of the item based on the attribute information of the item, and wherein the attribute information of the item includes information about or relating to whether the item is to be transferred to another operations center rather than the first operations center.

[0018] According to another embodiment, a non-transitory computer-readable recording medium is also provided, comprising a computer program for performing a logistics management method, the method comprising: identifying attribute information of an item being transported to a first operations center; and providing destination information corresponding to a tote bag of the item based on the attribute information of the item, wherein the attribute information of the item includes information about or relating to whether the item is to be transferred to a target of another operations center.

[0019] [effect] According to exemplary embodiments of the present invention, an electronic device and a method for more efficiently transferring articles from a particular operations center to at least one other operations center may be provided.

[0020] Specifically, logistics management costs may be reduced by eliminating redundant processes in the storage and transfer of an item, as well as by alleviating the delivery burden on a seller, while providing a fast delivery service to a buyer. Simple Explanation of the Diagram

[0021] Figure 1 is a block diagram illustrating one of the various exemplary embodiments of a logistics management system according to the present invention. Figure 2 is a diagram illustrating a logistics processing procedure performed in a logistics management system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating one sequence of tasks performed when transferring an item according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Figure 4 is a flowchart illustrating one of the exemplary embodiments of the logistics management method according to the present invention. Figure 5 is an illustration of an example of a screen on an electronic device providing information during the execution of an inbound task, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Figures 6A to 6G are illustrations illustrating examples of a screen in an electronic device that provides information when performing a transfer and classification task, according to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention. Figure 7 is a block diagram illustrating an electronic device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Implementation

[0022] As many general terms as possible are selected from those currently widely used in considering the functionality obtained according to the invention, the terms used in the embodiments are chosen. However, such terms may be replaced by other terms based on the intentions of those skilled in the art, customs, the emergence of new technologies, or the like. Moreover, in a particular case, terms arbitrarily chosen by the applicant of this invention may be used. In this case, the meaning of such terms may be explained in the corresponding descriptive section of this invention. Therefore, it should be noted that the terms used herein should be interpreted based on their actual meaning and the entire contents of this specification, rather than simply based on the name of the term.

[0023] Throughout this specification, when an element is referred to as "containing" another element, that element should be understood as not containing any other element, unless otherwise specified otherwise, and that element may contain at least one other element. Additionally, for example, the terms "unit" and "module" may refer to a component that performs at least one function or operation and can be implemented in hardware or software, or by a combination of hardware and software.

[0024] The expression "at least one of A, B, and C" can include the following meanings: A alone; B alone; C alone; both A and B together; both A and C together; both B and C together; and all three of A, B, and C together.

[0025] The term "terminal" as used below can be implemented as a computer or a portable terminal capable of accessing a server or another terminal via a network. Here, the computer may include, for example, a laptop equipped with a web browser, a desktop computer, and a notebook computer. The portable terminal may be a wireless communication device that ensures portability and mobility, and includes any type of handheld wireless communication device, for example, a tablet PC, a smartphone, or a communication-based terminal such as International Mobile Telecommunications (IMT), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), W-CDMA, and LTE.

[0026] In the following description, embodiments of the invention will be illustrated in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, enabling those skilled in the art to readily implement the invention. The invention may be embodied in many different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein.

[0027] In the following, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0028] In describing the embodiments, descriptions of well-known technical content that is not directly related to this specification will be omitted. This is for the purpose of clearer communication and to avoid obscuring the subject matter of this specification by omitting unnecessary descriptions.

[0029] For the same reason, some components are enlarged, omitted, or schematically illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Furthermore, the size of each component does not fully reflect its actual size. The same element symbols are assigned to the same or corresponding components in each drawing.

[0030] The advantages and features of the invention, as well as the methods for achieving such advantages and features, will become apparent from the following exemplary embodiments, which will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, it should be noted that the invention is not limited to the following exemplary embodiments and can be implemented in various forms. Therefore, only exemplary embodiments are provided to disclose the invention and to enable those skilled in the art to understand the scope of the invention. In the drawings, embodiments of the invention are not limited to the specific examples provided herein and are enlarged for clarity. The same element symbols or the same reference numerals denote the same elements throughout the specification.

[0031] At this point, it will be understood that each block of the flowchart illustration and the combination of flowchart illustrations can be executed by computer program instructions. Since these computer program instructions can be installed on the processor of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing device, the instructions executed by the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing device can form a component for performing the function described in the flowchart block. These computer program instructions can be stored in a computer-usable or computer-readable memory, and can be directed to a computer or other programmable data processing device to perform functionality in a specific manner, and thus to that computer-usable or computer-readable memory. The instructions stored therein may also create a component containing instruction components for performing the function described in the flowchart block. The computer program instructions can also be installed on a computer or other programmable data processing device, enabling the execution of a series of operational steps on the computer or other programmable data processing device to form a computer-implemented program, thereby forming computer or other programmable data. Instructions used to execute processing devices can also provide steps for executing the functions described in the flowchart blocks.

[0032] Additionally, each block may represent a module, segment, or portion of code containing one or more executable instructions for performing one or more specified logical functions. It should also be noted that in some alternative implementations, the functions described in the blocks may occur out of order. For example, depending on the corresponding function, two blocks displayed consecutively may be executed substantially simultaneously, or sometimes they may be executed in reverse order.

[0033] Figure 1 is a block diagram illustrating one of the various exemplary embodiments of a logistics management system according to the present invention.

[0034] According to various exemplary embodiments, a logistics management system may include an electronic device 100 (e.g., a server), a user terminal 200, and a network 50.

[0035] Electronic device 100 (e.g., server) may be a device for handling various procedures of logistics management and may manage various task processing related to, for example, the display and inventory management of goods received in an operations center, the transportation management of such goods in the operations center, or the picking, sorting and packaging of such goods. In addition, electronic device 100 may also handle the following tasks: providing a seller with order request information related to the inventory management of goods; managing the inspection information of goods received from the seller in response to order requests; or managing the transfer and distribution of goods inspected and received in the operations center.

[0036] Electronic device 100 may include a plurality of computer systems or computer software implemented as a network server, and may provide various information by configuring information to a web page. For example, electronic device 100 may refer to computer software and a computer system connected to a sub-device that communicates with another network server via a computer network such as an intranet or the Internet to receive a request to perform a task, perform the task, and provide a result of the task. Furthermore, electronic device 100 can be understood as a broad concept encompassing a series of applications operating on a network server and various databases built therein. For example, electronic device 100 may be implemented using a network server program provided in various ways based on an operating system such as DOS, Windows, Linux, UNIX, MacOS, or similar operating systems.

[0037] Network 50 can be used to connect electronic device 100 to user terminal 200, or to connect electronic device 100 to an external device (not shown). For example, network 50 can provide an access path that allows user terminal 200 to connect to electronic device 100 to transmit and receive packet data.

[0038] According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the operation of a logistics management system can be implemented through an electronic device 100. Furthermore, a user terminal 200 can be connected to the logistics management system via a network 50. The electronic device 100 can store information received from the user terminal 200 in a database, or provide information stored in the database to the user terminal 200.

[0039] According to another exemplary embodiment, a logistics management system can be implemented in a user terminal 200. For example, a user can install and use the logistics management system via a network 50 as one of the applications on the user terminal 200.

[0040] The logistics management system according to various exemplary embodiments can be implemented as a single physical device or as an organized combination of multiple physical devices. For example, some components included in the logistics management system can be implemented as one physical device, and some components included in the logistics management system can be implemented as another physical device. For example, one physical device can be implemented as part of electronic device 100, and another physical device can be implemented as part of user terminal 200 or part of an external device (not shown). In some cases, the components included in the logistics management system can be distributed and configured in different physical devices. Distributed components can be organized and combined to perform the functions and operations of the logistics management system.

[0041] Figure 2 is a diagram illustrating one of the logistics processing procedures in a logistics management system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[0042] An operations center (FC) may correspond to a warehouse area in which items awaiting delivery to purchasers are stored and managed. For example, as illustrated in Figure 2, the FC may be divided into a plurality of areas 203, 205, 207, 209, 211, 213, and 215. These areas may be virtual, separate spaces used to illustrate a series of processing procedures for receiving, storing (or displaying), relocating, picking, sorting, loading, and delivering items. As will be apparent to those skilled in the art, at least some of the aforementioned areas may be omitted, further divided, or modified within the scope of various exemplary embodiments of the invention.

[0043] Referring to Figure 2, an illustrative flow of a logistics processing procedure according to one of various exemplary embodiments will be illustrated. Items provided by a seller may be received at a first area 203 (e.g., an arrival area) of the FC. Received items may be transferred to a fourth area 209 (e.g., a pickup area) for storage via a second area 205 (e.g., a buffer area) and a third area 207 (e.g., a drop-off area). In response to an order for a specific item received from a buyer, the item picked up from the fourth area 209 may be placed in a bag (or suitcase) and transported via a predetermined carrier 214 to a fifth area 211 (e.g., a packaging area) for sealing. Items packaged in the fifth area 211 may be stored in a sixth area 213 (e.g., a central area) for shipment (outbound) by a courier. Items may be delivered from a seventh area 215 (e.g., a temporary storage area) to their respective destinations.

[0044] Specifically, in the first area 203, items 202A and 202B received from a seller can be received at the FC. The seller can use a means of transport (for example, a truck 201) to transport items 202A and 202B to the FC. In the first area 203, the operator can identify the type of received items, the quantity of received items, whether the items are damaged, and so on, and provide the relevant information to the user terminal 200 (or electronic device 100). For example, the operator can only transport items that meet one of the predetermined conditions to the second area 205.

[0045] Meanwhile, regarding the items, according to various exemplary embodiments, the attribute information of the corresponding items can be identified in the steps of unloading items from the truck, checking whether the items are damaged, or receiving items in the FC. When an item corresponds to a target to be transferred, the item is transferred to a separate area for performing a transfer and classification task. When an item corresponds to a non-transfer target, the item can be transferred to a second area 205.

[0046] The second area 205 may correspond to a space used as a preliminary storage area for the fourth area 209 (e.g., a pickup area). For example, when an item in a quantity greater than or equal to an expected quantity to be ordered is stored in the fourth area 209, and when an item of the same type is received, the corresponding item may be temporarily stored in the second area 205. When additional storage of an item is requested in the fourth area 209, the operator may move the item stored in the second area 205 to the third area 207, and then move the item moved to the third area 207 back to the fourth area 209. A stack of high-speed machines 206 may be used (for example) to perform the relocation task.

[0047] The third area 207 may correspond to a location where items are stored until they are placed in the fourth area 209. In the third area 207, an operator can use a user terminal 200 to identify (e.g., scan) the identification information (e.g., barcode) of the item and transfer it to the fourth area 209. Items moved to the fourth area 209 may be placed in a predetermined storage area of ​​the fourth area 209 (e.g., shelf, box, bag, refrigerator, freezer, etc.).

[0048] For example, the fourth area 209 may include multiple floors, each floor having a storage area 210. In the fourth area 209, an operator can receive task instruction information via a user terminal 200 instructing an item 208 to be placed in a predetermined location within the storage area 210, and place the item 208 in the predetermined location within the storage area 210 based on the task instruction information. For example, the operator can use the user terminal 200 to identify the identification information (e.g., a barcode) of the item 208 to be placed and to identify the identification information (e.g., a barcode) corresponding to the predetermined location in the storage area 210 where the item 208 will be placed. Thus, the operator can provide information associated with a location in the fourth area 209 where the item 208 will be placed to the user terminal 200 (or electronic device 100).

[0049] Simultaneously, at least some of the items placed in the fourth area 209 can be picked up and placed in at least one bag (or suitcase) based on a pickup task instruction information generated in response to an order request from one of the buyers. For example, in the fourth area 209, an operator can receive task instruction information via a user terminal 200 instructing to pick up and retrieve a portion of the items placed in the storage area 210 and perform a pickup task based on the task instruction information.

[0050] The tote bag containing the picked-up items can be moved to a destination where a subsequent task will be performed. The tote bag can be moved to (for example) a workstation where a packaging task will be performed or a sorting task will be performed. Electronic device 100 can determine the destination (workstation) to which the tote bag will be moved based on an attribute of the items contained in the tote bag and provide the relevant information to the operator.

[0051] For example, an operator may use a predetermined carrier 214 (e.g., conveyor belt, elevator, transport vehicle, trolley, wheelbarrow, etc.) to deliver the bag to a predetermined destination in one of the fifth zones 211.

[0052] The fifth area 211 may include a loading area where a packaging task is performed using boxes, bags, or plastics to deliver items received from the fourth area 209 to the purchaser. Furthermore, the fifth area 211 may further include a loading area where a sorting task is performed on the items prior to the packaging task.

[0053] In Zone 6 213, one of the packaged items 220 transferred from Zone 5 211 may be temporarily stored. The packaged item stored in Zone 6 213 may be transferred to Zone 7 215 based on an address. In Zone 7 215, couriers 224A and 224B may use various types of transport vehicles 222 and 226 to deliver the packaged item 220 to a destination address.

[0054] Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating one sequence of tasks performed when transferring an item according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[0055] Referring to Figure 3, in a logistics management system according to one of the exemplary embodiments, a task can be performed on an item in sequence as an unloading task 310, an inspection (or verification) task 320, an inbound task 330, a transfer and distribution task 340, an inventory transfer and loading task 350, and an inventory transfer and unloading task 360.

[0056] An item can be sent from a seller and unloaded from a specific operations center (e.g., a first operations center) in a predetermined quantity ordered from that operations center. For example, an operator performing unloading task 310 can scan order information (e.g., order form information) on an order placed by the operations center, allowing electronic device 100 to recognize the order information. Through this, electronic device 100 can identify whether the sent item is one to be transferred based on the order information and provide (e.g., display) information about or related to whether the item will be transferred to the operator.

[0057] Simultaneously, after unloading task 310, inspection task 320 can be performed on the unloaded items. When performing inspection task 320, it can be identified whether the items are damaged and / or whether there are problems such as omissions in the quantity of items. In an exemplary embodiment, inspection task 320 can be performed after unloading task 310 and before inbound task 330, but is not limited thereto. In some cases, inspection task 320 and one of unloading task 310 or inbound task 330 can be performed simultaneously or redundantly.

[0058] Inbound task 330 can be executed in a predetermined inbound task area. According to an exemplary embodiment, for inbound task 330, electronic device 100 can provide information based on the attributes of the item to guide the execution of the task at different task tables. For example, electronic device 100 can identify whether a specific item corresponds to a transfer target item to be transferred to another operations center, rather than an operations center where one of the item's inbound tasks is executed. When it is determined that the item is the transfer target item, electronic device 100 can provide relevant information to receive the corresponding item according to a set condition. For example, electronic device 100 can provide information to guide the item to be transferred to another operations center to be distinguished from other items and contained in a specific bag. In this way, items corresponding to transfer target items can be distinguished from items corresponding to non-transfer target items and contained in a specific bag. According to an exemplary embodiment, electronic device 100 can also provide information to guide only items of the same type (or a group of items, for example, inventory units of measurement (SKUs)) to be contained in a bag.

[0059] Figure 5 is an illustration of an example of a screen in an electronic device 100 providing predetermined information during the execution of an inbound task 330, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[0060] Referring to Figure 5, according to an exemplary embodiment, an electronic device 100 can execute an inbound task for an item (or SKU, hereinafter omitted) on a task list (e.g., an inbound task list with identification information "RCS0016") to identify the identification information 510 (or attribute information) of an item in a process of executing a predetermined inbound task. For example, the electronic device 100 can scan information of a code (e.g., barcode) attached to the SKU or a specific item and identify the item's identification information 510 from the scanned information. In addition, the electronic device 100 can identify the identification information 510 by receiving a predetermined search term used to search for the identification information 510. Moreover, the electronic device 100 can directly receive the identification information 510 from a user.

[0061] Electronic device 100 can provide destination-related information 530 for a tote bag based on the identification information 510 of the tote bag corresponding to the item. For example, the identification information 510 of the item may include information about whether the corresponding item is to be transferred to a destination in another operations center.

[0062] When the item identification information 510 determines that the item corresponds to a transfer target item to be transferred to another operations center, the electronic device 100 can determine that the destination of a tote bag corresponding to the item is "cross-transfer". This can correspond to a task area where items are delivered to a global tote bag (or several global tote bags) corresponding to a different operations center (or several different operations centers) to transfer the item contained in a tote bag corresponding to the destination of the "cross-transfer" to one or more different operations centers.

[0063] For example, when it is determined based on the item identification information 510 that the item does not correspond to the target item for transfer, the electronic device 100 can provide information about or related to an area used to perform a specific task (e.g., a display task) in the corresponding operations center where the item is received as destination-related information 530 for the tote bag.

[0064] Electronic device 100 can receive quantity information 520 of received items in units of a box. The quantity of a SKU or item contained in a box can be determined in advance based on an attribute of each item, so that the item identification information 510 is automatically displayed upon identification.

[0065] Additionally, the electronic device 100 can identify identification information 540 (e.g., bag barcode information) of an empty tote bag used to hold an incoming item via barcode scanning or based on user input. The electronic device 100 can store and manage the identified identification information 540 by mapping the identification information 540 to the tote bag destination information 530. For example, when scanning the tote bag's identification information in a later step, the electronic device 100 can output information such as "cross-transfer" as the corresponding tote bag destination information 530.

[0066] Thus, during the process of performing either the inspection task 320 or the inbound task 330 on the items after the unloading task 310, the items can be contained (or loaded) into a predetermined tote bag. Furthermore, the destination information of the tote bag corresponding to an attribute of the items can be managed through mapping with the identification information of the tote bag.

[0067] Referring back to Figure 3, after the inbound task is completed, the item can be placed in a tote bag and moved to an area for a subsequent task. The location to which the item is moved corresponds to the tote bag destination information 530 in Figure 5. For example, when the item is to be transferred to a target in another operations center, the target item can be moved to a location where a transfer delivery task 340 will be performed. The target item can be distinguished from other items corresponding to non-target items and moved to another task location. For example, a transfer delivery task 340 may not be performed on non-target items. Alternatively, non-target items can be moved to a second area 205 (e.g., a buffer area) and a third area 207 (e.g., a drag-and-drop area) for display (or placement) in a designated storage area in a fourth area 209 (e.g., a pick-up area), as illustrated in Figure 2.

[0068] The transfer and delivery task 340 may correspond to a preparation procedure for transferring items to at least one different operations center. For example, in one step of the transfer and delivery task 340, an operations center for receiving items and a quantity of items to be transferred may be set based on user input. Based on the set information, a task can be performed to transfer items from a specific tote bag to another tote bag (e.g., a full-area tote bag) corresponding to another operations center for receiving items. For example, the delivery destination of the other tote bag may be set to another operations center for receiving items.

[0069] An inventory transfer loading task 350 can be performed on items contained in a specific tote bag via a transfer delivery task 340, thereby delivering the items to the tote bag's delivery destination, i.e., another operations center to receive the items. After the items arrive at the delivery destination, an inventory transfer unloading task 360 can be performed.

[0070] For items undergoing inventory transfer and unloading task 360, electronic device 100 can provide information indicating that the item is being transferred from another operations center. This allows the operator to move the item without performing inspection task 320, enabling immediate execution of a display task.

[0071] Meanwhile, when performing the transfer and delivery task 340, the electronic device 100 can provide various information required for the transfer and delivery task 340 to the user terminal 200. Related exemplary embodiments will be described in more detail later with reference to Figures 6A to 6G.

[0072] Figure 4 is a flowchart illustrating one of the exemplary embodiments of the logistics management method according to the present invention.

[0073] Referring to Figure 4, a logistics management method according to one exemplary embodiment may include an operation 410 of identifying attribute information of an item. Here, the attribute information of the item may include information about or relating to whether the item is a target to be transferred to another operations center.

[0074] For example, items (or items) delivered from an external seller to a first operations center based on an order placed from the first operations center can be received sequentially through unloading task 310, inspection task 320, and inbound task 330.

[0075] According to various exemplary embodiments, the electronic device 100 can identify the attribute information of the items based on order-related information during one step of the unloading task 310 (refer to FIG. 3) performed after the items are delivered to the first operations center. For example, the order-related information may include information indicating that at least some of the items ordered by the first operations center were ordered by the first operations center on behalf of another operations center (or other operations center).

[0076] Additionally, in the step of receiving items to the first operations center (refer to Figure 3), the electronic device 100 can identify the attribute information of the unloaded items (or the identification information 510 in Figure 5). When items are to be transferred to another operations center, the attribute information 609 (refer to Figure 6C) of the items to be transferred can also be identified in the step of the item transfer and delivery task 340 (refer to Figure 3). For example, the attribute information (or identification information) of the item can be identified by scanning the barcode information attached to the item (or SKU).

[0077] Subsequently, in operation 420, the electronic device 100, according to various exemplary embodiments, can provide destination information for an item or destination information corresponding to a handbag (for example, a handbag containing the item). For example, the electronic device 100 can identify destination information corresponding to a handbag of the item based on the attribute information of the item identified in operation 410 and provide (e.g., display) the identified destination information of the handbag.

[0078] In various exemplary embodiments, the attribute information of the item may include information about whether the item corresponds to a target to be transferred from the first operations center to one of other external operations centers. Furthermore, the destination information corresponding to the tote bag of the item may be provided in different ways based on whether the item is a transfer target item or a non-transfer target item, depending on one of the item's attributes.

[0079] For example, in the steps of unloading task 310 or inbound task 330, when it is determined that the item is the target item for transfer, the electronic device 100 can provide predetermined information (e.g., destination information) to distinguish the item from other items (non-target items for transfer) and manage them separately.

[0080] For example, an operator performing the inbound task 330 can collect the target items and non-target items from individual bags based on the bag destination information provided by the electronic device 100, so that non-target items are not collected into a bag containing target items. Furthermore, even if all items (or SKUs) of various types correspond to target items, the electronic device 100 according to an exemplary embodiment can further subdivide the information of a bag corresponding to each item and provide this information to collect items of the same type into one bag.

[0081] Furthermore, in the step of the item transfer and delivery task 340, when it is determined that the item is the target item for transfer, the electronic device 100 can provide information on at least one candidate transfer operation center for receiving the item as destination information corresponding to the item's tote bag. Moreover, the electronic device 100 can also provide information on the number of transferable items corresponding to each of the at least one candidate transfer operation center.

[0082] In various exemplary embodiments of the present invention, the electronic device 100 can separately manage the target items and non-target items at each step, thereby providing information. This allows the target items to be disposed of through unloading, inspection, and receiving steps without being mixed with non-target items. Specifically, the electronic device 100 can provide information for guiding movement to a destination for performing transfer delivery tasks so that a separate picking task is not performed on the received target items after they arrive at and are displayed in the operations center. This avoids redundant inspection and display tasks from the operations center where the order was placed and during the transfer of items to the operations center.

[0083] 6A to 6G illustrate diagrams of screens displaying various information provided in an electronic device according to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention. 6A to 6G correspond to a user interface displayed on a user terminal 200 corresponding to an operator performing a transfer distribution task, for example. In the following, with reference to Figures 6A to 6G , an account of one transfer distribution task scheme for an item will be given in accordance with various exemplary embodiments of the present invention.

[0084] The electronic device 100 according to various exemplary embodiments may receive scheduled user input information entered through the user terminal 200 . Furthermore, the electronic device 100 may provide (e.g., display) scheduled information to a user (or operator) via user terminal 200 .

[0085] In FIG. For example, one of the operations center wherein the transfer distribution task is performed (e.g., the operation center "Incheon4") may correspond to the base operation center where an order is placed with a seller for the corresponding item. The electronic device 100 may provide information to a user by outputting screen information through the user terminal 200 .

[0086] In this example, the user terminal 200 may obtain from an operator the identification information of the target tote bag (e.g., tote bag barcode information) for use in transferring distribution tasks. For example, an operator performing a transfer distribution task may scan identification information attached to a carry-on bag using at least one sensor disposed in the user terminal 200 . The user terminal 200 may provide the scanned tote bag identification information to the electronic device 100 .

[0087] Thus, as illustrated in Figs.

[0088] Additionally, a notification message instructing the scanning of identifying information 609 (e.g., product barcode information) for a particular item (or product) included in the carry-on bag may be displayed on the screen (refer to Figure 6B).

[0089] According to the notification message, the operator can use at least one sensor of the user terminal 200 to scan the identification information of a specific item. The scanned identification information can be provided to the electronic device 100, so that the identification information 609 of the item (e.g., "49024***62393") is applied to the screen and displayed on the screen (see FIG6C).

[0090] Meanwhile, according to various exemplary embodiments, the electronic device 100 can identify the attribute information of the item based on the item identification information 609 received from the user terminal 200.

[0091] Electronic device 100 can identify information 611 of at least one candidate operation center for transfer that can receive (or must receive) the goods, transmit the information to user terminal 200, and display the information on the screen of user terminal 200. For example, electronic device 100 can identify information 611 of at least one candidate operation center for transfer from a predetermined supply chain management system.

[0092] For example, as illustrated in Figure 6C, an operation center "Kimhae1", an operation center "Yangsan2" and an operation center "Osan2" can be presented as information 611 of at least one transfer candidate operation center that can receive (or must receive) a specific item.

[0093] Meanwhile, regarding the information 611 about the transfer candidate operation center, the electronic device 100 can provide information on the maximum transferable quantity of one of the items that each transfer candidate operation center can receive.

[0094] Specifically, according to an exemplary embodiment, the maximum transferable quantity information may include quantity information provided per box containing a number or quantity of items pre-determined based on one attribute of each item (e.g., qty.20) (e.g., 12 boxes, 10 boxes, and 6 boxes) and remaining item quantity information provided per unit of the determined number or less of items (e.g., qty.0, qty.6, and qty.6). Furthermore, the maximum transferable quantity information may further include total quantity information regarding the total number of items (e.g., qty.240, qty.206, and qty.126). Thus, the electronic device 100 can provide such information to perform transfer and delivery tasks by managing items to be transferred in boxes.

[0095] In various exemplary embodiments of the present invention, the description is given based on a quantity of "items" for ease of understanding and convenience. However, as discussed in the foregoing explanation, the quantity of "items" can be interchangeably understood as the quantity of a "SKU" corresponding to a set of items (e.g., 1 set of packaged products, 5 packs of ramen, a serving of fruit, etc.).

[0096] Next, referring to Figure 6D, the electronic device 100 can receive user input from at least one transfer candidate operation center to select one of the operation centers through the user terminal 200.

[0097] For example, in response to a user input that determines, based on information 611 of the plurality of transfer candidate operation centers provided in Figure 6C, that operation center "Kimhae1" is an operation center for receiving a transferred item (hereinafter referred to as a "second operation center"), electronic device 100 may display information 613 of the determined second operation center (e.g., "Kimhae1") on the screen (refer to Figure 6D). In this example, as illustrated in Figure 6D, information regarding the maximum transferable quantity of items that the determined second operation center can receive (e.g., qty. "240") may also be displayed.

[0098] Subsequently, the electronic device 100 can display a notification message instructing the scanning of information 615 on a new tote bag (for example, a full-area tote bag) of an item to be transferred to a selected transfer target operations center (i.e., a second operations center (e.g., operations center "Kimhae1")). Therefore, the operator can use the user terminal 200 to scan the identification information (e.g., tote bag barcode information) attached to an empty tote bag (e.g., a full-area tote bag) containing an item to be transferred to the second operations center and provide that identification information to the electronic device 100. The electronic device 100 can map the tote bag identification information 615 and the information indicating that the tote bag to be collected is a full-area tote bag to be moved to the second operations center and store a mapping result.

[0099] Meanwhile, based on the information obtained by scanning the identification information of a specific (whole-area) tote bag in the example of Figure 6D, when one of the destinations of the (whole-area) tote bag is an operations center other than the determined second operations center, the scanned tote bag identification information illustrated in Figure 6E is displayed instead, and the electronic device 100 can also output information instructing to scan another whole-area tote bag and attempt to transfer the delivery task (not shown).

[0100] For example, based on the identification information of the scanned (all-area) tote bag, when the destination of the all-area tote bag is set, the electronic device 100 can determine that the all-area tote bag is a usable tote bag only if the destination corresponds to one of the second operation centers. In addition, even when the destination of the (all-area) tote bag is not set, the electronic device 100 can determine that the (all-area) tote bag is a usable tote bag.

[0101] Referring to Figures 6E and 6F, when the electronic device 100 determines that the (whole-area) tote bag is a usable tote bag, the electronic device 100 can provide identification information 615 of the (whole-area) tote bag to which the item will be moved (e.g., GC-D244-1-1).

[0102] Furthermore, the electronic device 100 can also display on the screen a field 617 for inputting information on the quantity of the item to be moved from one of the new (global) tote bags to the second operations center.

[0103] For example, field 617 for inputting quantity information of items to be transferred to the second operations center can be configured to receive quantity information (e.g., 12 boxes) in units of one box containing a predetermined number (e.g., qty.20) of items, and can be configured to adjust information regarding or relating to the total quantity (e.g., 240) of items to be transferred to the second operations center, including the number of items contained in the boxes. In this case, the user (or operator) can receive quantity information corresponding to a quantity less than or equal to the maximum transferable quantity (e.g., within the range of the maximum quantity (e.g., 240) of items that can be transferred to the second operations center). The electronic device 100 can determine that the input quantity information is the transfer quantity of items to be transferred to the second operations center only if the quantity information input by the user (or operator) is less than or equal to the maximum transferable quantity information.

[0104] As explained above, in situations where the maximum transferable quantity of an item to be transferred is provided or user input is received relating to the actual quantity of an item to be transferred, the electronic device 100 can provide information about or associated with a quantity transferred (or delivered) in units of one box, thereby minimizing confusion in determining a quantity when the operator performs the transfer delivery task.

[0105] Simultaneously, after the task of moving the determined quantity of items to one of the new (global) tote bags is completed, the operator can provide an input 619 (e.g., an input for a button "Movement to Tote Bag Completed") to confirm the completion of the transfer of items to one of the tote bags to be moved to the operations center "Kimhae1", as illustrated in Figure 6F. Through this, the electronic device 100 can determine to deliver the items corresponding to the transfer quantity set by the user input to the new (global) tote bag to be moved to the second operations center. Furthermore, the electronic device 100 can output notification information 621 (e.g., "Movement to Tote Bag Completed") through the user terminal 200, as illustrated in Figure 6G.

[0106] The electronic device 100 can display a field of information 611 (refer to Figure 6C) for transfer candidate operation centers, which does not include the operation center "Kimhae1" that has been shown as a transfer candidate operation center that can be used to receive an item based on the identification information of the transferred item.

[0107] Simultaneously, when all items contained in a target tote bag (e.g., the tote bag corresponding to the tote bag identification number scanned in Figure 6A) for a transfer delivery task are delivered to another (global) tote bag (e.g., the global tote bag corresponding to the tote bag scan number scanned in Figure 6D), for example, when the operator receives an input in the field "Tote bag is empty," the electronic device 100, according to various exemplary embodiments, can output guidance information (not shown) associated with the termination of one of the transfer delivery tasks for the corresponding tote bag. Moreover, regarding the target tote bag for the transfer delivery task, when a particular item remains in the tote bag even after the transfer delivery task has been substantially completed, the electronic device 100 can respond to the operator receiving an input in the field "Product remains in tote bag" and receive information related to a specific problem scenario.

[0108] In addition, the electronic device 100 can provide various usability related to the transfer and delivery task by providing a selection field (indicated by component symbol 605 in FIG. 6B) for input when the operator wants to take a break during work or for input when a problem occurs during work (indicated by component symbol 607 in FIG. 6B) as a user interface screen related to the transfer and delivery task.

[0109] Figure 7 is a block diagram illustrating an electronic device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[0110] Referring to FIG7, an electronic device 100 (e.g., a server) according to various exemplary embodiments may include at least one of a processor 110, a database 120, a display 130, and a communication module 140.

[0111] Processor 110 can handle a series of operations to perform a logistics management method according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Processor 110 can control all other components of electronic device 100.

[0112] For example, processor 110 can provide destination information for a bag containing an item based on attribute information of the item associated with whether the item is a destination to be transferred. Based on an attribute of the item, processor 110 can provide information about whether the item or the bag containing the item will be moved to a display-related task area of ​​a first operations center or whether the item or the bag will be moved to a transfer and distribution task area (where the item will be reclassified into another bag for transfer to another operations center instead of the first operations center).

[0113] Additionally, processor 110 can identify information about or associated with at least one transfer candidate operations center and provide relevant information based on the item's attribute when the item corresponds to a transfer target item. Processor 110 can also identify and provide information on the transferable quantity of the item to be received at the transfer candidate operations center.

[0114] Furthermore, the processor 110 can provide a user interface that provides the relevant information needed to perform a transfer sorting task to deliver the transfer target item to another bag (e.g., a global bag) to be moved to another operations center.

[0115] In addition, the processor 110 can perform various functions related to logistics management as described above, according to exemplary embodiments of the present invention.

[0116] Database 120 may be a data structure implemented in a predetermined storage space of electronic device 100, wherein functions such as storing, searching, deleting, editing, or adding data can be freely performed. For example, database 120 may have fields or components for processing functions such as storing, searching, deleting, editing, or adding data.

[0117] Database 120 can store data related to various functions of electronic device 100. For example, database 120 can store various information associated with an operations center, and additionally, it can store instructions or data for execution operations by processor 110.

[0118] Display 130 can display various information associated with the operation of one of the electronic devices 100. For example, display 130 can display various information associated with logistics management, such as item attribute information, bag destination information, transfer candidate operation center information, and so on. According to an exemplary embodiment, electronic device 100 may not include display 130. In this case, electronic device 100 may provide display information by transmitting information to be displayed to another device (e.g., user terminal 200) via communication module 140, so that the information is displayed on a display included in the other device.

[0119] The communication module 140 can perform a function of transmitting information stored in the database 120 of the electronic device 100 or predetermined information processed by the processor 110 to another device, or receiving predetermined information from another device to the electronic device 100. For example, the communication module 140 can receive predetermined user input information from the user terminal 200. In an exemplary embodiment, the communication module 140 may include a transceiver for transmitting and receiving information.

[0120] Furthermore, the invention and its accompanying drawings have been described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof. Although specific terminology has been used, it is used only in a general sense to readily explain the technical content of the invention and to aid in understanding it. It is not intended to limit the scope of the invention. Those skilled in the art will understand that other modified embodiments based on the technical concept of the invention can be implemented in addition to the embodiments disclosed herein.

[0121] Furthermore, the invention and its accompanying drawings have been described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof. Although specific terminology has been used, it is used only in a general sense to readily explain the technical content of the invention and to aid in understanding it. It is not intended to limit the scope of the invention. Those skilled in the art will understand that other modified embodiments based on the technical concept of the invention can be implemented in addition to the embodiments disclosed herein.

[0122] The electronic device or terminal according to the embodiments described above may include a processor, a memory for storing and executing program data, a permanent storage such as a disk drive, a communication port for communicating with an external device, and a user interface device such as a touch panel, a key, and a button. Methods implemented by software modules or algorithms may be stored as processor-executable computer-readable code or program instructions in a computer-readable recording medium. Here, the computer-readable recording medium may be a magnetic storage medium (for example, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a floppy disk, or a hard disk) or an optical reading medium (for example, a CD-ROM or a digital versatile disc (DVD)). The computer-readable recording medium may be distributed to a computer system connected via a network, allowing for distributed storage and execution of computer-readable code. The medium can be read by a computer, stored in memory, and executed by a processor.

[0123] Embodiments of the present invention can be represented by functional blocks and various processing steps. These functional blocks can be implemented by various numbers of hardware and / or software configurations performing specific functions. For example, embodiments of the present invention can employ direct circuit configurations, such as a memory, a processor, a logic circuit, and a lookup table, that can perform various functions by controlling one or more microprocessors or other control devices. Similar to elements that can be executed by software programming or software components, embodiments of the present invention can be implemented by programming or instruction code languages ​​(such as C, C++, Java, and compositional programming, which includes various algorithms implemented by combinations of data structures, programs, conventions, or other programming configurations). Functional configurations can be implemented by algorithms executed by one or more processors. Furthermore, embodiments of the present invention can employ related techniques for electronic environment settings, signal processing, and / or data processing, for example. The terms "mechanism," "element," "component," and "configuration" are used broadly and are not limited to mechanical and physical components. These terms may encompass the meaning of a range of software conventions associated with a processor, for example.

[0124] The embodiments described above are merely examples and other embodiments may be implemented within the scope of the appended claims.

[0125] 50: Internet 100: Electronic devices 110: Processor 120: Database 130: Monitor 140: Communication Module 200: User Terminal 201: Truck 202A: Items 202B: Items 203: Area / First Area 205: Area / Second Area 206: Forklift 207: Area / Third Area 208: Items 209: Area / Fourth Area 210: Storage Area 211: Area / Fifth Area 213: Area / Sixth Area 214: Pre-ordered carrier 215: Area / Seventh Area 220: Packaged goods 222: Means of transport 224A: Courier 224B: Courier 226: Means of transport 310: Uninstall Task 320: Inspection Task 330: Inbound Mission 340: Transfer and delivery task 350: Inventory Transfer Loading Task 360: Inventory Transfer Unloading Task 410: Operation 420: Operation 510: Identify Information 520: Quantity Information 530: Destination-related information / Tote bag destination information 540: Identify Information 601: Guide Screen 603: Scanned and identified information 605: Component Symbol 607: Component Symbol 609: Attribute Information / Identification Information 611: News 613: News 615: Information / Identification Information 619: Input 621: Notification Information

Claims

1. A logistics management method implemented through an electronic device, the method comprising: Unload a plurality of items ordered by the first operations center and shipped from a single seller in a predetermined quantity at a first operations center; identify attribute information of each of the items transported to the first operations center; and provide destination information for a tote bag corresponding to each of the items based on the attribute information of each of the items, wherein the attribute information of each of the items includes information about whether each of the items is to be transferred to a target of another operations center; wherein the destination information of the tote bags corresponding to the plurality of items includes at least one of the following: destination information associated with a task for displaying each of the items in a designated location at the first operations center; and destination information associated with a task for classifying each of the items into another tote bag corresponding to the other operations center to transfer each of the items to the other operations center.

2. The logistics management method as described in claim 1, further includes: In response to a determination that the plurality of items correspond to a target to be transferred to another operations center, information is provided about at least one candidate operations center capable of receiving the plurality of items and the transferable quantity of the plurality of items corresponding to the candidate operations center, based on the attribute information of each of the items.

3. The logistics management method as described in claim 2, further includes: Based on a user input, determine a second operations center from among the at least one candidate operations centers for transferring the plurality of items; And determine the quantity of one of the plurality of items to be transferred to the second operations center.

4. The logistics management method of claim 3, wherein the transfer quantity of the plurality of items to be transferred to the second operation center is determined to be less than or equal to the transferable quantity corresponding to one of the second operation centers based on the user input.

5. The logistics management method as described in Request 2, wherein the transferable quantity information includes quantity information in units of a box containing a predetermined number of items and quantity information of remaining items less than the predetermined number of items.

6. The logistics management method as described in claim 3, further includes: Information is provided to instruct the execution of an inspection task, an inbound task, and a transfer and delivery task for the plurality of items to be transferred to the second operations center in the first operations center, and then to execute a display task for the plurality of items after unloading them in the second operations center.

7. The logistics management method as described in claim 1, further includes: Based on the attribute information of each of the items, type information of each of the plurality of items to be contained in the tote bags is provided, so that items corresponding to the same attribute are contained in a tote bag.

8. An electronic device comprising: One transceiver; and a processor electrically connected to the transceiver, wherein the processor is configured to: unload a predetermined number of a plurality of items ordered by the first operations center and shipped from a single seller at a first operations center; identify attribute information of each of the items transported to the first operations center; and provide destination information corresponding to a tote bag for each of the items based on the attribute information of each of the items, wherein the attribute information of each of the items includes information about whether each of the items is to be transferred to another operations center rather than the first operations center; wherein the destination information of the tote bags corresponding to the plurality of items includes at least one of the following: destination information associated with a task for displaying each of the items at a designated location in the first operations center; and destination information associated with a task for classifying each of the items into another tote bag corresponding to the other operations center to transfer each of the items to the other operations center.

9. The electronic device of claim 8, wherein the processor is further configured to provide information about at least one candidate operation center capable of receiving the plurality of items in response to a determination that the plurality of items correspond to a target to be transferred to the other operation center.

10. The electronic device of claim 9, wherein the processor is further configured to determine, based on a user input, a second operating center among the at least one candidate operating center for transferring the plurality of items.

11. The electronic device of claim 10, wherein the processor is further configured to provide a command for performing an inspection task, an inbound task and a transfer and distribution task on the plurality of items to be transferred to the second operations center in the first operations center and then performing a display task on the plurality of items after unloading them in the second operations center.

12. The electronic device of claim 10, wherein the processor is further configured to provide type information of a plurality of items to be contained in the handbags based on the attribute information of each of the items, such that items corresponding to the same attribute are contained in a handbag.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium comprising a computer program for performing a logistics management method, the method comprising: Unload a plurality of items ordered by the first operations center and shipped from a single seller in a predetermined quantity at a first operations center; identify attribute information of each of the items transported to the first operations center; and provide destination information for a tote bag corresponding to each of the items based on the attribute information of each of the items, wherein the attribute information of each of the items includes information about whether each of the items is to be transferred to a target of another operations center; wherein the destination information of the tote bags corresponding to the plurality of items includes at least one of the following: destination information associated with a task for displaying each of the items in a designated location at the first operations center; and destination information associated with a task for classifying each of the items into another tote bag corresponding to the other operations center to transfer each of the items to the other operations center.

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