Electronic device for batching delivery orders of customers and method thereof

Abstract

According to the present disclosure, a method for handling information related to a delivery order by means of an electronic device comprises the steps of: obtaining first delivery order information from a customer; identifying a group that is to include the first delivery order information among one or more set groups; determining whether to initiate a delivery-related task for handling a delivery order set included in the group on the basis of information about the delivery order set included in the group; and identifying a courier to be allocated the delivery order set when it is determined that the delivery-related task is to be initiated.

Description

Electronic device and method for batch processing of customer delivery orders

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an electronic device and method for batch processing of customer delivery orders. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to a method and an electronic device utilizing the same, which identifies a group containing first delivery order information obtained from a customer, determines whether to initiate delivery-related work to process a delivery order set included in the group based on information about the delivery order set included in the group, and, if it is determined to initiate delivery-related work, identifies a delivery agent to whom the delivery order set will be assigned.

[0002] With the advancement of electronic technology, e-commerce has become a prominent part of the shopping experience. Customers can purchase items online without physically visiting a shopping mall or market, and these items are delivered to the customer's requested address. With the widespread use of the internet, the e-commerce market is expanding. In particular, the spread of infectious diseases has led to a continued growth in the e-commerce / online shopping sector, which enables contactless product purchases. For example, the food delivery service market size is projected to grow significantly from approximately $359.3 billion in 2019 to approximately $454.5 billion in 2023.

[0003] For some delivery services, such as food delivery, timely delivery is crucial to maintain freshness and warmth. Traditionally, delivery workers would handle one order at a time, or at best, bundle two or three orders together at their discretion. However, if delivery workers are unable to handle multiple deliveries simultaneously, delivery costs not only increase, but if delivery worker capacity is insufficient, individual deliveries can be delayed. Therefore, simultaneous delivery of multiple deliveries would be a more competitive service, both in terms of customer satisfaction and cost savings.

[0004] In this regard, reference can be made to prior literature such as KR102422151B1 and KR102358616B1.

[0005] The problem to be solved by the present embodiment is to provide an electronic device and method for obtaining first delivery order information from a customer, identifying a group that includes the first delivery order information among one or more groups set, determining whether to initiate a delivery-related task for processing a delivery order set included in the group based on information of the delivery order set included in the group, and identifying a delivery person to whom the delivery order set will be assigned if it is determined to initiate the delivery-related task.

[0006] The technical tasks to be achieved by this embodiment are not limited to the technical tasks described above, and other technical tasks can be inferred from the following embodiments.

[0007] A method for processing information related to a delivery order in an electronic device according to an embodiment includes the steps of: obtaining first delivery order information from a customer; identifying a group to which the first delivery order information is to be included among one or more configured groups; determining, based on information on a delivery order set included in the group, whether to initiate a delivery-related task for handling a delivery order set included in the group; and, if determining to initiate the delivery-related task, identifying a delivery person to whom the delivery order set will be assigned.

[0008] According to one embodiment, the step of identifying a group to be included in the first delivery order information may include the step of identifying at least one of processing start time information designated for each of the set at least one group and location information associated with each of the set at least one group; and the step of determining a group suitable for including the first delivery order information among the set at least one group based on at least one of the processing start time information and the location information.

[0009] According to one embodiment, the location information may include at least one of location information of a store associated with a set of delivery orders included in the at least one set group and location information of a delivery destination associated with a set of delivery orders included in the at least one set group.

[0010] According to one embodiment, the step of identifying a group to be included in the first delivery order information may include the step of identifying information on the number of delivery orders corresponding to a set of delivery orders included in each of the one or more groups set; and the step of determining, based on the information on the number of delivery orders, a group suitable for including the first delivery order information among the one or more groups set.

[0011] According to one embodiment, the step of identifying a group to which the first delivery order information is to be included may include a step of setting a new group for assigning the first delivery order information, if it is determined that there is no group suitable for including the first delivery order information among the set one or more groups.

[0012] According to one embodiment, the step of determining whether to initiate the delivery-related work may include a step of determining whether the number of delivery orders corresponding to the delivery order set included in the group is greater than or equal to a set reference number.

[0013] According to one embodiment, the electronic device may determine whether to initiate the delivery-related operation further based on timing information associated with the group.

[0014] According to one embodiment, the method for processing information related to the delivery order may further include one or more of the steps of: transmitting a request for preparation of an item corresponding to the first delivery order information to the store; and confirming whether the store accepts the request for preparation.

[0015] According to one embodiment, when the store accepts the request for responsibility, the method for processing information related to the delivery order may further include a step of setting reminder information to be transmitted to the store.

[0016] According to one embodiment, if it is determined not to initiate the delivery-related work, the method for processing information related to the delivery order may further include a step of transmitting a request to the store to postpone preparation of an item corresponding to the first delivery order information.

[0017] According to one embodiment, the step of transmitting the postponement request may include one or more of the steps of: checking an expected time required for preparation of an item corresponding to the first delivery order information; checking an expected pickup time of a delivery person for the item corresponding to the first delivery order information; determining a time for which preparation of the item is to be postponed based on the expected time required and the expected pickup time; and providing a result of the decision on a time for which preparation of the item is to be postponed to the store.

[0018] According to one embodiment, when it is determined to initiate the delivery-related work, the method for processing information related to the delivery order may further include the steps of: obtaining scheduled delivery completion time interval information related to the first delivery order information; and providing the scheduled delivery completion time interval information to the customer.

[0019] According to one embodiment, the electronic device can obtain the delivery completion expected time period information based on information of a delivery order set included in the group.

[0020] According to one embodiment, the method for processing information related to the delivery order may further include the steps of: determining one or more candidate groups in which the first delivery order information may be included; obtaining one or more candidate delivery completion time interval information related to cases in which the first delivery order information is included in each of the one or more candidate groups; and providing the one or more candidate delivery completion time interval information to the customer.

[0021] According to one embodiment, the method for processing information related to the delivery order may further include, when receiving an input from the customer corresponding to specific candidate delivery completion time interval information included in the one or more candidate delivery completion time interval information, a step of re-determining a candidate group corresponding to the specific candidate delivery completion time interval information as a group to which the first delivery order information is to be included.

[0022] In one embodiment, the electronic device may determine whether to initiate a shipment-related task for processing a set of shipment orders included in the group based more on the likelihood that the set of shipment orders will be processed more quickly than a particular type of shipment order for which shipment-related tasks are initiated immediately without being assigned to a group.

[0023] According to one embodiment, the method for processing information related to the delivery order may further include one or more of the steps of obtaining route information for the delivery person; and the steps of obtaining cost information for the delivery-related work.

[0024] According to one embodiment, the method for processing information related to the delivery order may further include a step of evaluating a processing result for a delivery order included in the one or more groups set based on one or more of: information on the number of delivery orders processed and included in the one or more groups set; information on the acceptance rate of a store for a request for preparation of an item corresponding to a delivery order included in the one or more groups set; and information on the rate at which actual delivery is completed within the delivery completion time period, with respect to delivery completion time period information acquired in relation to delivery orders included in the one or more groups set.

[0025] An electronic device for processing information related to a delivery order according to an embodiment includes a transceiver, a memory for storing instructions, and a processor, wherein the processor is connected to the memory and obtains first delivery order information from a customer, identifies a group to which the first delivery order information is to be included among one or more groups set, determines whether to initiate a delivery-related task for processing a delivery order set included in the group based on information of a delivery order set included in the group, and, when it is determined to initiate the delivery-related task, identifies a delivery person to whom the delivery order set is to be assigned.

[0026] Specific details of other embodiments are included in the detailed description and drawings.

[0027] According to the present disclosure, an electronic device and method for batch processing of a customer's delivery order maintain timely delivery of items, thereby maintaining high customer satisfaction with regard to delivery service provision, and prevents decline in freshness and warmth of items, while reducing the number of delivery personnel required for delivery and shortening the total distance that delivery personnel must travel, thereby reducing overall delivery costs and increasing the efficiency of delivery service provision.

[0028] The effects of the invention are not limited to the effects mentioned above, and other effects not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description of the claims.

[0029] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing a system for processing a delivery order according to one embodiment.

[0030] FIG. 2 is a drawing for exemplarily comparing a conventional delivery model according to one embodiment and a delivery model according to the present disclosure.

[0031] FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a method for an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention to process information related to a delivery order.

[0032] FIG. 4 is a drawing for explaining a case in which a request for delay in preparation of an item is provided to a store according to an embodiment.

[0033] FIG. 5 is a diagram for comparing conventional delivery completion expected time interval information according to an embodiment and delivery completion expected time interval information according to the present disclosure.

[0034] FIG. 6 is a diagram for exemplarily comparing information transmitted to a conventional store according to one embodiment and information transmitted to a store according to the present disclosure.

[0035] FIG. 7 is an exemplary diagram specifically explaining the overall operation of a system for processing a delivery order according to one embodiment.

[0036] Figure 8 is a flowchart of a method for processing a customer's delivery order according to one embodiment.

[0037] Figure 9 is an exemplary diagram of the configuration of an electronic device according to one embodiment.

[0038] The terms used in the embodiments have been selected from widely used and common terms, taking into account the functions of the present disclosure. However, these terms may vary depending on the intentions of those skilled in the art, precedents, the emergence of new technologies, etc. Furthermore, in certain cases, terms may be arbitrarily selected by the applicant, in which case their meanings will be described in detail in the relevant description. Therefore, the terms used in this disclosure should not be defined simply as names of terms, but rather based on the meanings of the terms and the overall content of the present disclosure.

[0039] When a part of the specification is said to "include" a component, this does not exclude other components, but rather implies the inclusion of other components, unless otherwise specifically stated. Furthermore, terms such as "part" and "module" used in the specification mean a unit that processes at least one function or operation, which may be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software.

[0040] The expression “at least one of a, b, and c” described throughout the specification may encompass ‘a alone’, ‘b alone’, ‘c alone’, ‘a and b’, ‘a and c’, ‘b and c’, or ‘all of a, b, and c’.

[0041] The "terminal" mentioned below may be implemented as a computer or portable terminal that can connect to a server or other terminal via a network. Here, the computer includes, for example, a notebook, desktop, laptop, etc. equipped with a web browser, and the portable terminal may include, for example, a wireless communication device that guarantees portability and mobility, and may include all types of handheld-based wireless communication devices such as communication-based terminals such as IMT (International Mobile Telecommunication), CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access), W-CDMA (W-Code Division Multiple Access), LTE (Long Term Evolution), smartphones, tablet PCs, etc.

[0042] Below, embodiments of the present disclosure are described in detail with reference to the attached drawings so that those skilled in the art can easily implement the present disclosure. However, the present disclosure may be implemented in various different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein.

[0043] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings.

[0044] In describing the embodiments, descriptions of technical details that are well-known in the technical field to which the present invention pertains and are not directly related to the present invention will be omitted. This is to avoid obscuring the gist of the present invention by omitting unnecessary explanations and to convey it more clearly.

[0045] For the same reason, some components in the attached drawings are exaggerated, omitted, or schematically depicted. Furthermore, the dimensions of each component do not entirely reflect its actual size. Identical or corresponding components in each drawing are assigned the same reference numbers.

[0046] The advantages and features of the present invention, and the methods for achieving them, will become clearer with reference to the embodiments described in detail below together with the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed below and may be implemented in various different forms. These embodiments are provided only to ensure that the disclosure of the present invention is complete and to fully inform those skilled in the art of the scope of the invention, and the present invention is defined only by the scope of the claims. Like reference numerals designate like elements throughout the specification.

[0047] At this time, it will be understood that each block of the processing flow diagrams and combinations of the flow diagrams can be performed by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be installed in a processor of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing equipment, so that the instructions executed by the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing equipment create a means for performing the functions described in the flow diagram block(s). These computer program instructions can also be stored in a computer-available or computer-readable memory that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing equipment to implement the functions in a specific manner, so that the instructions stored in the computer-available or computer-readable memory can also produce a manufactured item that includes an instruction means for performing the functions described in the flow diagram block(s). Since the computer program instructions may be installed on a computer or other programmable data processing device, a series of operational steps may be performed on the computer or other programmable data processing device to create a computer-executable process, and the instructions that cause the computer or other programmable data processing device to perform the steps for performing the functions described in the flowchart block(s) may also provide steps for performing the functions described in the flowchart block(s).

[0048] Additionally, each block may represent a module, segment, or portion of code that contains one or more executable instructions for performing a specific logical function(s). It should also be noted that in some alternative implementation examples, the functions described in the blocks may occur out of order. For example, two blocks depicted in succession may actually be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks may sometimes be executed in reverse order, depending on their respective functions.

[0049] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a system for processing a customer's delivery order according to one embodiment.

[0050] According to various embodiments, a system (100) for processing a delivery order includes an electronic device (110) and a customer's device (120), and may further include at least one of a store's device (130) and a delivery person's device (140) according to an embodiment. According to an embodiment, the system (100) for processing a delivery order may further include a network that supports information transmission and reception between at least some of the electronic device (110), the customer's device (120), the store's device (130), and the delivery person's device (140).

[0051] Each of the electronic device (110), the customer's device (120), the store's device (130), and the delivery person's device (140) may include a transceiver, a memory, and a processor. In addition, each of the electronic device (110), the customer's device (120), the store's device (130), and the delivery person's device (140) refers to a unit that processes at least one function or operation, which may be implemented by hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software. Meanwhile, throughout the embodiments, the electronic device (110), the customer's device (120), the store's device (130), and the delivery person's device (140) are referred to as separate devices or servers, but this may be a logically divided structure, and at least some of them may be implemented by separate functions in one device or server.

[0052] According to one embodiment, the electronic device (110), the customer's device (120), the store's device (130), and the delivery person's device (140) may include a plurality of computer systems or computer software implemented as network servers. For example, at least some of the electronic device (110), the customer's device (120), the store's device (130), and the delivery person's device (140) may be connected to a lower device that can communicate with another network server via a computer network such as an intranet or the Internet, and may refer to a computer system and computer software that receives a task execution request, performs the task accordingly, and provides the execution result. In addition, at least some of the electronic device (110), the customer's device (120), the store's device (130), and the delivery person's device (140) may be understood as a broad concept that includes a series of application programs that can operate on a network server, and various databases built on internal or connected other nodes. For example, at least some of the electronic device (110), the customer's device (120), the store's device (130), and the delivery person's device (140) may be implemented using a network server program provided in various ways according to an operating system such as DOS, Windows, Linux, UNIX, or macOS.

[0053] The electronic device (110), the customer's device (120), the store's device (130), and the delivery person's device (140) may include a computer device, a mobile communication terminal, a server, etc. The electronic device (110), the customer's device (120), the store's device (130), and the delivery person's device (140) may include an input device such as a touch pad, a mouse, a keyboard, etc. for receiving an input, or may be connected to an input device. In addition, the electronic device (110), the customer's device (120), the store's device (130), and the delivery person's device (140) may include an output device such as a screen, a speaker, an interface device, etc. for providing information to the user, or may be connected to an output device. Furthermore, the input devices and output devices of the electronic device (110), the customer's device (120), the store's device (130), and the delivery person's device (140) may be configured integrally or interrelated, and for example, an interface for receiving input may be displayed on at least one of the electronic device (110), the customer's device (120), the store's device (130), and the delivery person's device (140).

[0054] The electronic device (110) is a device that obtains and provides various information and processes various information. The electronic device (110) can perform various tasks for processing information related to a delivery order. Specifically, the electronic device (110) obtains first delivery order information from a customer, identifies a group that includes the first delivery order information among one or more configured groups, determines whether to initiate delivery-related tasks for handling the delivery order set included in the group based on information about the delivery order set included in the group, and, if it determines to initiate the delivery-related tasks, identifies a delivery agent to whom the delivery order set will be assigned. In this regard, the first delivery order information may be obtained from the customer's device (120), but is not limited thereto. For example, the customer may directly input order information into the electronic device (110), and various embodiments may exist for the acquisition thereof. In addition, according to one embodiment, the electronic device (110) can identify a delivery agent and transmit a request (or instruction) for a delivery order set to the delivery agent's device (140) used by the delivery agent.

[0055] Meanwhile, if it is determined not to initiate a delivery-related task, the electronic device (110) may transmit a request to postpone the preparation of the item corresponding to the first delivery order information to the store's device (130).

[0056] In some embodiments, the electronic device (110) may perform at least some of the operations of the customer's device (120), the store's device (130), and the delivery person's device (140). For example, in connection with an operation of receiving information from a customer, if an interface for receiving information is displayed on an output device of the electronic device (110), the customer or the like may provide input to the interface. As another example, in connection with an operation of providing information to a store or a delivery person, the electronic device (110) may output information through an output device, which may be confirmed by the store or the delivery person.

[0057] Furthermore, two or more of the electronic device (110), the customer's device (120), the store's device (130), and the delivery person's device (140) may be implemented as a single device. For example, if the electronic device (110) and the store's device (130) are implemented as a single device, the operations of the store's device (130), which will be described later, may be performed by the electronic device (110), and the operation of transmitting and receiving information between the electronic device (110) and the store's device (130) may be understood as an operation in which information is processed within the electronic device (110).

[0058] The customer may correspond to the entity that ordered the delivery of an item, such as food. The customer's device (120) may be a device operated and managed by the customer. The customer's device (120) may receive user input from the customer or information from an electronic device (110) or the like and perform corresponding actions. For example, the customer's device (120) may receive delivery order information from the customer and provide it to the electronic device (110). In addition, the customer's device (120) may obtain scheduled delivery completion information from the electronic device (110) and provide it to the customer.

[0059] A store may correspond to an entity that sells items such as food. The store's device (130) may be a device operated and managed by the store. The store's device (130) may receive user input from a store (which may be understood as a concept including an item producer and an item seller) or information from an electronic device (110) and perform corresponding operations. For example, the store's device (130) may receive a request for preparation of an item from an electronic device (110) and transmit it to the store, and may receive an input of whether the store accepts the request and transmit the acceptance to the electronic device (110). In addition, the store's device (130) may receive a request for delaying preparation of an item and / or information on the expected pickup time of a delivery person from the electronic device (110) and transmit the same to the store. The store's device (130) in the embodiment may include a terminal used by the store, and may be implemented in the form of installing an application on a smartphone or in the form of installing an application on a POS machine.

[0060] Delivery agents may include various entities that receive items such as food from a store and deliver them from the store to the user. Delivery agents may include various businesses that provide delivery services within a specific geographical area, and these businesses may include both businesses and individuals. Delivery agents may also include businesses that deliver regardless of the region. Furthermore, delivery agents may include various entities that provide delivery services within a specific delivery method, and specific delivery methods may include walking, two-wheeled vehicles, bicycles, and automobiles. Furthermore, depending on the embodiment, specific delivery methods may include various forms of delivery methods, such as drones and trains. In one embodiment, the electronic device (110) may identify a delivery agent to whom a delivery order (or delivery order set) will be assigned by considering various information, such as the store's location, the customer's location, and traffic conditions.

[0061] The delivery agent's device (140) may be a device operated and managed by the delivery agent. The delivery agent's device (140) may receive user input from the delivery agent or the like, or receive information from the electronic device (110) or the like, and perform corresponding actions. For example, the delivery agent's device (140) may receive a request for a delivery order set from the electronic device (110) and transmit it to the delivery agent, and may receive an input of whether the delivery agent accepts the request for responsibility and transmit the acceptance result to the electronic device (110). In addition, the delivery agent's device (140) may receive one or more of route information for the delivery agent and cost information for delivery-related work from the electronic device (110) and transmit the same to the delivery agent.

[0062] In relation to this, the customer's device (120), the store's device (130), and the delivery person's device (140) may convert the user interface generated based on the information received from the electronic device (110) or the like into a form that can be output to an output device such as a screen and provide it to the user, the store, and the delivery person. Alternatively, the customer's device (120), the store's device (130), and the delivery person's device (140) may provide the delivery-related information received from the electronic device (110) or the like as is through an output device such as a screen without conversion.

[0063] More detailed information regarding the operation of the electronic device (110), the customer's device (120), the store's device (130), and the delivery person's device (140) will be described later in FIGS. 2 to 8, etc.

[0064] The operations related to a series of information processing methods according to various embodiments may be implemented by a single physical device, or may be implemented in a manner in which multiple physical devices are organically combined. For example, some of the components included in the system (100) for processing delivery orders may be implemented by a single physical device, and the remaining parts may be implemented by other physical devices. For example, one physical device may be implemented as part of the electronic device (110), and the other physical device may be implemented as part of the store's device (130) or other external device. In some cases, each component included in the system (100) for processing delivery orders may be distributed and arranged in different physical devices, and the distributed components may be organically combined to perform the functions and operations of the system (100) for processing delivery orders. For example, the electronic device (110) of the present specification includes at least one sub-device, and some operations described as being performed by the electronic device (110) may be performed by a first sub-device, and other operations may be performed by a second sub-device.

[0065] FIG. 2 is a drawing for exemplarily comparing a conventional delivery model according to one embodiment and a delivery model according to the present disclosure.

[0066] Referring to FIG. 2, in relation to the delivery of items such as food that require timely delivery, in the case of a conventional delivery model (210) according to an embodiment, the principle is that a delivery person processes the delivery work for one order at a time. In special circumstances, such as when a delivery person arbitrarily determines that bundled delivery is possible or when delivery orders from the same store are received at short intervals, a couple of orders may be bundled and processed. However, these are merely individual exceptions, and the rules for bundled delivery have not been established and consistently applied. For example, in the example illustrated with reference to drawing number 210, the work of identifying a delivery person to assign a delivery work to each of the received customer orders O1, O2, and O3 is performed independently (E1, E2, and E3 of 210), and the delivery person for assigning the delivery work is not identified on the premise that the corresponding orders are bundled and processed. In this way, the task of identifying the delivery person to whom the delivery task will be assigned for each customer order is performed independently, so unless there are special circumstances, different delivery persons will pick up each item (P1, P2, P3 of 210) and deliver the item (C1, C2, C3 of 210).

[0067] On the other hand, in the case of the train model (220) according to the present disclosure, a method for bundling and processing multiple delivery orders is presented, and further, the method can significantly contribute to increasing delivery efficiency by being applied consistently. Specifically, by determining which train among one or more set trains each delivery task will be included in, checking whether a delivery-related task for processing a set of delivery orders included in the train has been initiated, and if it is determined to be initiated, identifying a delivery person to whom the train will be assigned, the set of delivery orders included in the train can be assigned to a single delivery person. In the example illustrated with respect to drawing number 220, the 2:30 PM train includes customer orders O1, O2, and O3, and a single delivery person can be assigned to and process the corresponding customer orders.

[0068] In this disclosure, the term "train," which emphasizes that delivery-related work is initiated according to a set schedule, and the term "group," which emphasizes that multiple delivery order information may be included, may be used interchangeably. In this context, "train" and "group" are understood to refer to substantially the same entity throughout the description of this disclosure.

[0069] Meanwhile, while trains initiate delivery-related tasks according to a set schedule, the set schedule related to the train (i.e., the time or time period associated with the train) is not necessarily fixed. Depending on the embodiment, the time or time period associated with the train may be brought forward or delayed (e.g., if the set conditions are met), and the schedule may be flexible. For example, in the example illustrated with reference to drawing number 220, the scheduled departure time of the 2:30 PM train is 2:30 PM, but it is also possible to wait until 2:36 PM.

[0070] FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a method for an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention to process information related to a delivery order.

[0071] Referring to FIG. 3, an electronic device (110) according to one embodiment obtains first delivery order information from a customer (301). The first delivery order information may include information on one or more items, or more directly, a delivery request for one or more items. The action of "obtaining first delivery order information from a customer" may include obtaining a first delivery order from the customer's device (120), but the scope of the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0072] For convenience of explanation, the following uses expressions such as "information on items included in the first delivery order information" or "items corresponding to the first delivery order information." However, with respect to these expressions, the first delivery order information should be broadly interpreted as including information on multiple items or corresponding to multiple items (i.e., "one or more items" is generally expressed as "items" for convenience of explanation) and may include order requests for items (i.e., the case where it includes an "order request" is generally expressed as the case where it includes "item information" for convenience of explanation).

[0073] According to one embodiment, the electronic device (110) may transmit a request for preparation of an item corresponding to the first delivery order information to the store (302). The action of "transmitting a request for preparation of an item to the store" may include transmitting a request for preparation of an item to the store's device (130), but the scope of the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0074] Regarding which store to send the request for item preparation, if the customer designates a specific store, the request can be sent to that store. If no specific store is designated, the store to which the request for item preparation is sent can be determined based on factors such as the type of item ordered by the customer, the customer's location, and the store's location. Furthermore, various embodiments exist regarding which store to send the request for item preparation, and no specific embodiment limits the scope of the present disclosure.

[0075] Depending on the embodiment, the request for responsibility for the preparation task may include a unilateral instruction to the person in charge of the preparation task, a confirmation request to the person in charge of the preparation task, or a request to obtain the store's acceptance of the preparation task. In this regard, if the request for responsibility for the preparation task includes a unilateral instruction, the store for the person in charge of the preparation task may be determined by transmitting the request for responsibility for the preparation task. On the other hand, if the request for responsibility for the preparation task includes a confirmation request to the person in charge of the preparation task, the store for the person in charge of the preparation task may be determined by receiving the store's confirmation response to the request. On the other hand, if the request for responsibility for the preparation task includes a request to obtain the store's acceptance of the preparation task, the store for the person in charge of the preparation task may be determined by confirming whether the store has accepted the request (e.g., by confirming whether the response transmitted from the store's device (130) is an acceptance response or a rejection response).

[0076] Meanwhile, if it is determined that the preparation task cannot be assigned to the store that sent the request for preparation task, such as when a confirmation response from the store is not received or a rejection response is received from the store, the electronic device (110) may send the request for preparation task to another store, or if there is no other store to which the request for preparation task can be sent, it may send information to the customer's device (120) indicating that the first delivery order information cannot be processed.

[0077] Meanwhile, if the store accepts the request, the electronic device (110) can further set reminder information to be transmitted to the store, which will be described later in FIG. 7.

[0078] The electronic device (110) identifies a group among one or more configured groups in which the first delivery order information will be included (303). According to one embodiment, the electronic device (110) identifies at least one of the processing start time information designated for each of the one or more configured groups and the location information associated with each of the one or more configured groups, and based on at least one of the identified processing start time information and the location information, determines a group suitable for including the first delivery order information among the one or more configured groups. For example, if the first delivery order information is received at 1:53 PM and the delivery destination is Gireum-dong, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, (i) a group whose associated location information is less than a reference value (e.g., 5 km) away from Gireum-dong, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul is first selected, and (ii) among the groups initially selected, a group whose departure time is after the time of receipt of the first delivery order information (1:53 PM) and closest to 1:53 PM is secondarily checked, thereby identifying a group in which the first delivery order information will be included.

[0079] Meanwhile, the location information associated with each of the set one or more groups according to an embodiment may include one or more of the location information of the store associated with the set of delivery orders included in the set one or more groups and the location information of the delivery destination associated with the set of delivery orders included in the set one or more groups. That is, in relation to the above example, the group whose associated location information is within 5 km from Gireum-dong, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul may include a group in which the location of one or more stores associated with the set of delivery orders included in the group is within 5 km from Gireum-dong, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, a group in which the location of one or more delivery destinations associated with the set of delivery orders included in the group is within 5 km from Gireum-dong, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, and a group satisfying both conditions.

[0080] However, this is only an example, and the location information associated with each of the set one or more groups may include various types of information in addition to the store location information and the delivery destination location information.

[0081] In relation to an embodiment of determining a group suitable for including first delivery order information based on at least one of the confirmed processing start time information and location information, according to a specific example, when the electronic device (110) includes first delivery order information, the electronic device (110) may determine a group suitable for including first delivery order information by determining whether the time required from the time of receipt of each order to the time of actual delivery completion for a delivery order set included in the group does not exceed a set time (or whether the time required until the expected delivery completion time that can be promised to the customer or the end point of the expected delivery completion time range does not exceed a set time). For example, when the electronic device (110) includes first delivery order information in a specific group, the electronic device (110) may determine whether each order corresponding to the delivery order set included in the group (same for the first delivery order) can be actually delivered within one hour from the time of receipt, and if it cannot be delivered within one hour, the electronic device may determine that the group is not suitable for including first delivery order information.

[0082] In this regard, depending on the embodiment, the electronic device (110) may obtain specific delivery route information and consider the same to determine whether the group is suitable for including first delivery order information.

[0083] According to one embodiment, the electronic device (110) may check the number of delivery orders corresponding to a delivery order set included in each of one or more configured groups, and determine a group suitable for including first delivery order information among the one or more configured groups based on the checked number of delivery orders. As an example, the electronic device (110) may determine whether the number of order information included in each group is equal to or greater than a set reference number (e.g., 3), and may not include first delivery order information in a group that includes a number of order information equal to or greater than the reference number. In this regard, the “reference number” may mean, but is not limited to, the maximum number of orders that may be included in a train.

[0084] As another example, the electronic device (110) can achieve economical delivery by (i) firstly selecting a group that includes less order information than a standard number, and (ii) secondarily checking a group that includes more order information than the remaining groups among the firstly selected groups to determine a group that includes first delivery order information, thereby inducing orders to be concentrated in groups that already include a certain number of orders.

[0085] Meanwhile, depending on the embodiment, the electronic device (110) may compare the total number of ordered items instead of comparing the number of delivery orders, and in some embodiments, may further compare attributes such as volume and weight, and by determining the actual burden on the delivery person for each order in this way, it may be possible to more realistically determine whether the delivery person can process the group without difficulty even if more first delivery order information is included.

[0086] According to one embodiment, the electronic device (110) may predict the time required to process a first delivery order based on previous historical data (e.g., data including past histories of the time required to complete delivery for order processing) and, based on this, identify a group to which first delivery order information will be included. In some embodiments, in addition to the historical data, the electronic device (110) may also predict the time required to process a first delivery order by considering various other information, such as current traffic conditions and the number of orders received nearby.

[0087] Meanwhile, various methods for determining a group including first delivery order information can also be used to determine one or more candidate groups, which will be described later. For example, if the electronic device (110) predicts the time required to process a first delivery order and the predicted delivery completion time intervals with 99% accuracy include delivery completion time intervals corresponding to three different groups, the electronic device (110) may determine one of the groups as the group including first delivery order information, and determine the remaining two groups as candidate groups, which will be described later.

[0088] In addition to the above-described embodiments, there may be various embodiments for determining a group suitable for including the first delivery order information. In addition, the above-described embodiments are not mutually exclusive, but rather are embodiments that can be combined. For example, the electronic device (110) may (i) primarily select a group in which the number of included order information is less than a set number and the associated location information is less than a reference value in distance from the delivery destination of the first delivery order information, and (ii) secondarily check, among the groups selected in the first instance, a group whose departure time is after the time of receipt of the first delivery order information and is closest to the time of receipt, thereby determining a group in which the first delivery order information will be included.

[0089] Meanwhile, if it is determined that there is no group suitable for including the first delivery order information among one or more groups set, the electronic device (110) can set a new group for assigning the first delivery order information, which will be described later in FIG. 7.

[0090] With respect to a group confirmed to include first delivery order information, based on the information of the delivery order set included in the group, the electronic device (110) determines whether to initiate a delivery-related task for handling the delivery order set included in the group (304). According to one embodiment, the electronic device (110) may determine whether to initiate a delivery-related task for handling the delivery order set included in the group by determining whether the number of delivery orders corresponding to the delivery order set included in the group is greater than or equal to a set reference number. The "reference number" in this regard may correspond to the "reference number" described in one embodiment related to the operation of drawing number 303, but is not limited thereto, and depending on the embodiment, may have a different value from the reference number described in drawing number 303.

[0091] According to one embodiment, the electronic device (110) may determine whether to initiate a delivery-related task based on time information associated with the group. The time information associated with the group may include information on the scheduled processing start time associated with the group. In this regard, the electronic device (110) according to one embodiment may determine to initiate a delivery-related task if the current time has reached or passed the scheduled processing start time associated with the group.

[0092] Meanwhile, for the convenience of explanation, it is described as “point-in-time information,” but the expression “point-in-time information associated with the group” can be understood and interpreted to include “temporal information associated with the group.”

[0093] In addition to the embodiments described above, various embodiments may exist for determining whether to initiate a delivery-related task. For example, the electronic device (110) may determine whether to initiate a delivery-related task for a set of delivery orders included in a group based more on the likelihood that the set of delivery orders will be processed faster (as predicting this with 100% accuracy is very difficult, the likelihood is estimated) than for a specific type of delivery order (e.g., "expedited delivery," described below) for which delivery-related tasks are initiated immediately without being assigned to a group. This can prevent dissatisfaction among customers who request expedited delivery by ensuring that customers who pay a higher amount and request expedited delivery receive faster delivery than those who request bundled delivery.

[0094] In addition, the above-described embodiments are not mutually exclusive, but rather can be combined. For example, the electronic device (110) may determine to initiate a delivery-related task if (i) the number of delivery orders is greater than or equal to a set standard number and (ii) the current time has reached the scheduled time for initiating processing associated with the group or has passed the scheduled time for initiating processing associated with the group.

[0095] In addition, depending on the embodiment, if the current point in time has passed the processing start time and the number of orders included in the group has not reached the standard number but is somewhat close to the standard number, delivery-related work can be initiated even though the number of orders included in the group has not reached the standard number, and conversely, additional orders can be waited for even though the processing start time has passed. Conversely, if the current point in time is before the processing start time but the number of orders included in the group has reached the standard number, delivery-related work can be initiated even though the processing start time has not yet been reached, and conversely, additional orders can be waited for even though the number of orders has reached the standard number. In this way, various embodiments may exist with respect to determining whether to start delivery work in relation to the present disclosure, and a specific embodiment does not limit the scope of the present disclosure.

[0096] When determining to initiate a delivery-related task, the electronic device (110) identifies a delivery agent to whom the delivery order set will be assigned (305). According to one embodiment, the electronic device (110) may transmit assignment information for the delivery order set to the delivery agent's device (140) (306). In this regard, similar to the aforementioned request for responsibility transmitted to the store, the assignment information for the delivery order set may also include a unilateral instruction to the delivery agent, a confirmation request for the delivery agent, or a request for the store's acceptance of the delivery order set. That is, depending on the embodiment, the delivery agent identified by the electronic device (110) is not immediately confirmed as the delivery agent to whom the delivery order set will be assigned, but rather, the delivery agent may be determined as the delivery agent to whom the delivery order set will be assigned only after receiving a confirmation response from the delivery agent or confirming an acceptance response from the delivery agent.

[0097] Meanwhile, with regard to who will be assigned to the delivery order set, there may be various embodiments, such as an embodiment in which the determination is made based on the time at which each delivery person was able to perform work (e.g., the time at which the previous work was completed, or the time at which the delivery person arrived at work if the previous work was not performed on that day), an embodiment in which the determination is made based on the work area of ​​each delivery person, an embodiment in which the determination is made based on the work proficiency of each delivery person, and an embodiment in which the determination is made based on the recent performance of each delivery person, and a specific embodiment does not limit the scope of the present disclosure.

[0098] According to one embodiment, when it is determined to initiate a delivery-related task, the electronic device (110) may obtain scheduled delivery completion time information related to the first delivery order information and provide it to the customer, and a more detailed description and example related thereto will be described later in FIG. 5.

[0099] According to one embodiment, the electronic device (110) may evaluate the processing result for a delivery order included in one or more configured groups. More specifically, according to one example, the electronic device (110) may evaluate the processing result for a delivery order included in one or more configured groups based on one or more of: (i) information on the number of delivery orders processed included in one or more configured groups (which may include total number information or average number information for each group), (ii) information on the acceptance rate of a store for a request for preparation of an item corresponding to a delivery order included in one or more configured groups, and (iii) information on the rate at which actual delivery is completed within the delivery completion expected time interval information acquired in relation to the delivery orders included in one or more configured groups. In addition, depending on the embodiment, the electronic device (110) may evaluate the processing results for delivery orders included in one or more groups set based on one or more of information on cases that led to an undesirable customer experience (e.g., when the time of delivery completion to the customer is more than 15 minutes later than the end point of the estimated delivery completion time interval information provided to the customer, or when the order is canceled after more than 15 minutes have passed from the time of ordering), information on the customer's order cancellation, information on the actual time required by the store to prepare the item, and information on the time the delivery person waited because the item was not prepared, or obtain feedback information related to the processing of the delivery order.

[0100] In this way, by evaluating the processing results, we can improve the direction of service provision in a more desirable way in various aspects, such as customer satisfaction, timely delivery, and cost savings.

[0101] Meanwhile, if there are special circumstances that may determine that the provision of the service is not normal, such as when the actual time taken by the store to prepare the item exceeds the critical time, when the acceptance rate of the store falls below the critical rate, when the waiting time of the delivery person exceeds the critical time, when the proportion of cases that led to an undesirable customer experience among all orders exceeds the critical rate, and when the customer's reorder rate falls below the critical rate, the electronic device (110) may stop providing the service (in some cases, the provision of the delivery service itself may be stopped, or the provision of the bundled delivery service may be stopped).

[0102] In this way, by suspending service provision in special circumstances, near-real-time monitoring and emergency shutdown functions can be provided. This can have the technical effect of reducing instances where inadequate service provision continues until information for evaluation is accumulated.

[0103] FIG. 4 is a drawing for explaining a case in which a request for delay in preparation of an item is provided to a store according to an embodiment.

[0104] Referring to FIG. 4, when it is determined not to initiate a delivery-related task according to an embodiment, the electronic device (110) may transmit a request to postpone preparation of an item corresponding to the first delivery order information to the store. Referring to the example (400) illustrated in FIG. 4, in an example where the 2:30 PM train includes customer orders O1, O2, and O3, the electronic device (110) may transmit postponement requests to the stores processing each order with respect to customer orders O1 and O2, which were received before customer order O3. More specifically, when the first store has accepted the order for customer order O1 (MO1) and the second store has accepted the order for customer order O2 (MO2), but has not yet initiated a delivery-related task for the group, the electronic device (110) may transmit a request to postpone preparation of an item ("Food prep delay") to the first store (401) and also to the second store (402).

[0105] By sending a delay request in this way, items can be prepared too quickly, preventing them from losing freshness or cooling, thus ensuring customers receive items in optimal condition. This can be a useful benefit that can compensate for the drawbacks of bundling multiple orders for delivery.

[0106] According to a more specific embodiment, when the electronic device (110) determines not to initiate a delivery-related task for a group including the first delivery order information, the electronic device (110) may check the expected time required to prepare the item corresponding to the first delivery order information and the expected pickup time of the delivery person for the item corresponding to the first delivery order information (for convenience of explanation, expressed as “time”, but can be understood as a concept including a time period). The electronic device (110) may determine how long to postpone the preparation of the item based on the expected time required and the expected pickup time, and may provide the result of the decision to the store. As an example, if the current time is 2:00 PM, the expected time required to prepare the item is 15 minutes, and the expected pickup time is 2:40 PM, the electronic device (110) may provide the store with a decision to postpone the preparation of the item until 2:25 PM. In relation to the operation of obtaining the estimated time required to prepare an item, various embodiments may exist, such as embodiments that consider previous order processing history and embodiments that consider item attributes. Furthermore, regarding whether to request a postponement of item preparation, various embodiments may exist, such as not providing the store with a decision to postpone the preparation of items for which timely delivery is not important, such as manufactured goods or long-term storage foods, without the need to determine the estimated time required for preparation or the item pickup time, and specific embodiments do not limit the scope of the present disclosure.

[0107] Meanwhile, since the first delivery order information is order information whose processing method is to be determined at the present time, it can be understood that when O1 is received, O1-related information becomes the first delivery order information, when O2 is received, O2-related information becomes the first delivery order information, and when O3 is received, O3-related information becomes the first delivery order information. In other words, when O3 is received, it is determined to initiate delivery-related work, but when O1 is received, it is determined not to initiate delivery-related work, and thus a request for postponing the preparation of the item is transmitted to the first store (401), and when O2 is received, it is also determined not to initiate delivery-related work, and thus a request for postponing the preparation of the item is transmitted to the second store (402).

[0108] In some embodiments, if information on the pickup time is provided to the store, the store can autonomously postpone food preparation by determining the expected time required to prepare the item (for example, if information indicating that the expected pickup time is 2:40 PM is provided, the store can postpone preparation of the item until 2:25 PM). In addition to the embodiments described above, there may be various embodiments related to the present disclosure.

[0109] Meanwhile, in some embodiments, even when determining whether to initiate delivery-related work for a group containing first-delivery order information, if the time required to prepare the item is shorter than the expected pickup time, a request to postpone item preparation may be sent to the store. For example, in the illustrated example, even if a decision is made to initiate delivery-related work for the group upon O3 receipt, in some embodiments, a request to postpone item preparation may also be sent to a third-party store.

[0110] Referring to drawing number 403, the electronic device (110) can provide estimated delivery completion time information to each customer who provided delivery order information (403). Even if multiple order information is included in the same group, the deliveries are not completed simultaneously, so the estimated delivery completion time information may be different for each order. In the illustrated example, the electronic device (110) can provide estimated delivery completion time information to customer C1 corresponding to delivery order O1, customer C2 corresponding to delivery order O2, and customer C3 corresponding to delivery order O3, and can provide different estimated delivery completion time information to each customer considering the specific details of each order.

[0111] An exemplary embodiment of providing information on the expected delivery completion time is illustrated in FIG. 5. Referring to the example (500) illustrated in FIG. 5, in the case of the conventional delivery model (510), information on the expected delivery time is provided by dividing it into expedited delivery and standard delivery. On the other hand, in the case of the train model according to the present disclosure (520), information on the expected delivery time is provided in the case of expedited delivery, while in the case of delivery orders processed according to the method of the present disclosure, information on the expected delivery completion time can be provided (521).

[0112] In this regard, “expedited delivery” may include various types of delivery services, such as delivery services that have a higher delivery priority than regular orders received earlier, and delivery services that are not included in groups and are processed as one-to-one delivery, and the scope of the present disclosure is not limited to a specific type.

[0113] More specifically, when it is determined to initiate a delivery-related task, the electronic device (110) may obtain and provide to the customer information on the expected delivery completion time period related to the first delivery order information. Meanwhile, in some embodiments, even when it is determined not to initiate a delivery-related task, the electronic device (110) may obtain and provide to the customer information on the expected delivery completion time period related to the first delivery order information. However, considering that the uncertainty in predicting the delivery completion time period is greater when the delivery-related task has not yet been initiated, when it is determined not to initiate a delivery-related task, the electronic device (110) may obtain and provide the expected delivery completion time period information by applying more flexible criteria (i.e., criteria that make the time from the time of receipt of a delivery order to the expected delivery completion time period longer, or that make the range of the expected delivery completion time period wider) compared to when it is determined to initiate a delivery-related task.

[0114] According to one embodiment, the electronic device (110) may obtain estimated delivery completion time information based on information of a delivery order set included in a group. That is, although the estimated delivery completion time information corresponding to each of the multiple orders included in the delivery order set is not identical, one order may affect the estimated delivery completion time information of another order. For example, the electronic device (110) may obtain estimated delivery completion time information by considering the entire route for processing the delivery orders included in the delivery order set and the processing order of the delivery tasks corresponding to each delivery order, or by considering the density of the delivery tasks in relation to processing the delivery orders included in the delivery order set. Various other embodiments may also exist.

[0115] Meanwhile, an electronic device (110) according to one embodiment may determine one or more candidate groups that may include first delivery order information, and obtain one or more candidate delivery completion time interval information related to the first delivery order information included in each of the one or more candidate groups, and provide the information to the customer. This may include, for example, an embodiment that assumes that the first delivery order information belongs to a different group.

[0116] Furthermore, when receiving a customer input corresponding to a specific candidate delivery completion time period information included in one or more candidate delivery completion time period information, the electronic device (110) may re-determine the candidate group corresponding to the specific candidate delivery completion time period information as a group that will include the first delivery order information. For example, in the train model example illustrated in FIG. 5 (520), the electronic device (110) may not only provide the delivery completion time period information (521), but may also provide more candidate delivery completion time period information (522), and when receiving a customer input corresponding to the candidate delivery completion time period information, the electronic device (110) may re-determine the candidate group corresponding to the candidate delivery completion time period information as a group that will include the first delivery order information, thereby allowing the item ordered by the customer to be delivered in the corresponding time period.

[0117] Meanwhile, an electronic device (110) according to an embodiment may provide the customer with cost information for delivery-related tasks, which may include information on delivery costs that the customer can save by processing the delivery as standard delivery (e.g., example 510) or bundled delivery (e.g., example 520) according to the present disclosure compared to expedited delivery. In this regard, when delivery is performed according to the train model of the present disclosure, the number of delivery personnel required for delivery can be reduced and the total distance that the delivery personnel must travel can be shortened, thereby reducing the overall delivery cost, and thus the delivery cost that the customer must bear can also be lowered. For example, in the conventional model example (510) illustrated in FIG. 5, the customer can save 500 won by processing as standard delivery, whereas in the train model example (520), the customer can save 1,000 won by processing as bundled delivery, and such information can be provided to the customer.

[0118] An embodiment of providing a store with one or more of a request for a postponement of item preparation and information on a pickup time is illustrated in FIG. 6. Referring to the example (600) illustrated in FIG. 6, in the case of a conventional delivery model (610), since one-to-one delivery is the basis, no request for a postponement of item preparation or information on a pickup time is provided, whereas in the case of the model according to the present disclosure (620), by providing one or more of a request for a postponement of item preparation and information on a pickup time, it is possible to prevent the item from being prepared too quickly, resulting in a decrease in freshness or cooling, thereby enabling the customer to receive the item in the best condition even without using a one-to-one delivery method.

[0119] FIG. 7 is an exemplary diagram specifically explaining the overall operation of a system for processing a delivery order according to one embodiment.

[0120] Referring to FIG. 7, an order placement request received from a customer (e.g., the customer's device (120)) according to one embodiment is transmitted to a fulfillment engine (702) (701), and the fulfillment engine (702) can request a store fulfillment (703) to determine the store in charge. In this regard, "receiving an order placement request" of drawing number 701 can be understood as an example of an operation of obtaining first delivery order information from a customer (see 301 of FIG. 3).

[0121] Store fulfillment (703) can generate a task request and transmit it to one or more of the store APP and the store gateway (e.g., FoodTech) (704). In this regard, "creating and transmitting a task request" of drawing number 704 can be understood as an example of an operation of transmitting a task request for preparation of an item to the store (see 302 of FIG. 3). When store fulfillment (703) transmits a task request to the store gateway, the store gateway can forward the task request to the store POS. In this regard, the store APP may include an APP directly installed on the store's device (130), the store gateway may include an intermediary program operating between the electronic device (110) and the store, and the store POS may include a POS device, which is an example of the store's device (130). It can be understood that the store APP, the store gateway, and the store POS are all included in the store's device (130) of the present disclosure or correspond to an example of the store's device (130).

[0122] When receiving an acceptance response for a request for responsibility from at least one of the store APP and the store POS (706), the store fulfillment (703) transmits a request for setting item preparation reminder information to the store task scheduler (707), and the store task scheduler (707) can further set the item preparation reminder information in response thereto (both the setting request sending operation and the item preparation reminder information setting operation 708). Based on the item preparation reminder information, the store fulfillment (703) can then confirm the arrival of a reminder time (which can be determined based on the item preparation reminder information) and transmit a reminder to at least one of the store APP and the store gateway (704). Meanwhile, regardless of whether there is a reminder, the store device (130) may transmit information notifying that the item is ready to the store fulfillment (703) (706), and in one embodiment, the store device (130) may transmit a reminder to at least one of the store APP and the store gateway only when information notifying that the item is ready is not received by the reminder time.

[0123] Meanwhile, the Assignment engine (709) can identify groups that will contain shipping order information. The operation of the Assignment engine (709) to identify groups that will contain shipping order information can be understood as an example of the operation of identifying groups that will contain shipping order information among one or more configured groups (see 303 of FIG. 3).

[0124] Specifically, the allocation engine (709) may request the allocation task scheduler (710) to schedule a new train (i.e., group) (i.e., request the configuration of a new group for assigning delivery order information), or request the addition of new order information to a configured train (711). In this regard, the allocation engine (709) may schedule a new train if it determines that no group among the configured groups is suitable for including an order corresponding to an order received from a customer, or in some cases if it determines that the order corresponds to an order suitable for merging with another order.

[0125] According to one embodiment, the allocation engine (709) may receive information from the fulfillment engine (702) indicating a store's acceptance response to the request for assignment and, based on this, determine a group to include shipping order information, but the scope of the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0126] The allocation task scheduler (710) schedules delivery order information for a train based on the received request, determines whether to initiate a delivery-related task for a specific group (which can be understood as an example of the operation 304 of FIG. 3), and if it determines to initiate a delivery-related task, it can transmit a request to the allocation engine (709) to assign a delivery order set included in the group to a delivery person (712). In this regard, the "transmitting a request to assign a delivery order set to a delivery person" of drawing number 712 can be understood as an example of the operation of identifying a delivery person to whom a delivery order set will be assigned (see 305 of FIG. 3).

[0127] The allocation engine (709) may directly transmit the delivery agent allocation request to the delivery agent fulfillment (714), or, depending on the embodiment, may acquire one or more of route information for the delivery agent and cost information for delivery-related tasks and transmit them to the delivery agent fulfillment (714) (713). In this regard, the cost information for delivery-related tasks may include various types of information, such as information on costs to be borne by the electronic device (110) for processing delivery-related tasks, information on costs to be borne by the customer, information on costs to be borne by the store, and information on compensation to be paid to the delivery agent, and specific information does not limit the scope of the present disclosure.

[0128] The delivery fulfillment unit (714) can transmit allocation information for a delivery order set to the delivery unit APP (715) (716). The delivery unit APP (715) can be understood as an example of the delivery unit device (140). In addition, the operation of drawing number 716 can be understood as an example of the operation of transmitting allocation information for a delivery order set to the delivery unit (see 306 of FIG. 3).

[0129] Regarding an example of the overall operation of the system described above, an example of obtaining route information for a delivery person and cost information for delivery-related work prior to confirming the delivery person has been described. In this case, there may be an advantage in that the delivery person can be recommended to take charge of the work based on the obtained information. However, the scope of the present disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, the electronic device (110) may obtain route information for a delivery person and cost information for delivery-related work after confirming the delivery person. In this case, there may be an advantage in that more accurate route information can be obtained by considering information such as the specific skill level and means of transportation of the delivery person.

[0130] With respect to FIG. 7, various operating entities such as a fulfillment engine (702), a store fulfillment (703), a store job scheduler (707), an allocation engine (709), an allocation job scheduler (710), and a delivery fulfillment (714) have been described, but it should not be considered that each of these operating entities corresponds to a separate device. According to one embodiment, at least some of the fulfillment engine (702), the store fulfillment (703), the store job scheduler (707), the allocation engine (709), the allocation job scheduler (710), and the delivery fulfillment (714) may be included in the electronic device (110). Even, depending on the embodiment, at least some of the fulfillment engine (702), the store fulfillment (703), the store job scheduler (707), the allocation engine (709), the allocation job scheduler (710), and the delivery fulfillment (714) may correspond to conceptual components established to more clearly conceptually understand the operations performed by the electronic device (110), in which case the components need not be physically separated from each other.

[0131] Meanwhile, the scope of the present disclosure is not necessarily limited to the fact that the fulfillment engine (702), the store fulfillment (703), the store task scheduler (707), the allocation engine (709), the allocation task scheduler (710), and the delivery fulfillment (714) are all included in the electronic device (110). For example, the fulfillment engine (702), the store fulfillment (703), and the allocation engine (709) are conceptual components included in the electronic device (110), but the store task scheduler (707), the allocation task scheduler (710), and the delivery fulfillment (714) may correspond to separate devices distinct from the electronic device (110).

[0132] Figure 8 is a flowchart of a method for processing a customer's delivery order according to one embodiment.

[0133] Referring to FIG. 8, an electronic device (110) according to one embodiment obtains first delivery order information from a customer (810). The act of obtaining first delivery order information from a customer may include, but is not limited to, obtaining a first delivery order from the customer's device (120). According to one embodiment, the electronic device (110) may also transmit a request to the store for preparation of an item corresponding to the first delivery order information.

[0134] The electronic device (110) identifies a group that will include first delivery order information among one or more configured groups (820). According to one embodiment, the electronic device (110) identifies at least one of processing start time information designated for each of the one or more configured groups and location information associated with each of the one or more configured groups, and based on at least one of the identified processing start time information and location information, determines a group suitable for including first delivery order information among the one or more configured groups. According to one embodiment, the electronic device (110) may also identify information on the number of delivery orders corresponding to a delivery order set included in each of the one or more configured groups, and based on the identified information on the number of delivery orders, determines a group suitable for including first delivery order information among the one or more configured groups.

[0135] The electronic device (110) determines whether to initiate a delivery-related task for processing a delivery order set included in the group (830). According to one embodiment, the electronic device (110) may determine whether to initiate a delivery-related task for processing a delivery order set included in the group by determining whether the number of delivery orders corresponding to the delivery order set included in the group is greater than or equal to a set reference number. According to another embodiment, the electronic device (110) may also determine whether to initiate a delivery-related task based further on time information associated with the group.

[0136] When determining to initiate a delivery-related task, the electronic device (110) identifies a delivery agent to whom the delivery order set will be assigned (305). In one embodiment, the electronic device (110) may transmit assignment information for the delivery order set to the delivery agent's device (140).

[0137] Figure 9 is an exemplary diagram of the configuration of an electronic device for distributing items according to one embodiment.

[0138] Referring to FIG. 9, the electronic device (110) includes a processor (920) and a memory (930), and may further include a transceiver (910) depending on the embodiment. The electronic device (110) may be connected to a customer's device (120), a store's device (130), a delivery person's device (140), and other external devices through the transceiver (910), and may exchange data.

[0139] The processor (920) may include at least one of the devices described above with reference to FIGS. 1 to 8, or may perform at least one method described above with reference to FIGS. 1 to 8. The memory (930) may store information for performing at least one method described above with reference to FIGS. 1 to 8. The memory (930) may be a volatile memory or a non-volatile memory.

[0140] The processor (920) can execute a program and control an electronic device (110) to provide information. The code of the program executed by the processor (920) can be stored in the memory (930).

[0141] Additionally, the electronic device (110) of one embodiment may further include an interface capable of providing information to the user.

[0142] Meanwhile, the present specification and drawings disclose preferred embodiments of the present invention. Although specific terms have been used, they are used in a general sense only to easily explain the technical contents of the present invention and to assist in understanding the invention, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that other modified examples based on the technical concept of the present invention are possible in addition to the embodiments disclosed herein.

[0143] The electronic device or terminal according to the above-described embodiments may include a processor, a memory for storing and executing program data, permanent storage such as a disk drive, a communication port for communicating with an external device, a user interface device such as a touch panel, a key, a button, etc. The methods implemented as software modules or algorithms may be stored on a computer-readable recording medium as computer-readable codes or program commands executable on the processor. Here, the computer-readable recording medium includes a magnetic storage medium (e.g., read-only memory (ROM), random-access memory (RAM), floppy disk, hard disk, etc.) and an optical reading medium (e.g., CD-ROM, DVD: Digital Versatile Disc)). The computer-readable recording medium may be distributed to computer systems connected to a network, so that the computer-readable code may be stored and executed in a distributed manner. The medium may be readable by a computer, stored in a memory, and executed by a processor.

[0144] The present embodiment may be represented by functional block configurations and various processing steps. These functional blocks may be implemented by various hardware and / or software configurations that perform specific functions. For example, the embodiment may employ integrated circuit configurations such as memory, processing, logic, look-up tables, etc., which may perform various functions under the control of one or more microprocessors or other control devices. Similarly, the present embodiment may be implemented in a programming or scripting language such as C, C++, Java, assembler, Python, etc., including various algorithms implemented as a combination of data structures, processes, routines, or other programming configurations. Functional aspects may be implemented as algorithms that execute on one or more processors. Furthermore, the present embodiment may employ conventional techniques for electronic configuration, signal processing, and / or data processing. Terms like "mechanism," "element," "means," and "composition" can be used broadly and are not limited to mechanical or physical components. These terms can also encompass a series of software routines, such as those associated with a processor.

[0145] The above-described embodiments are merely examples, and other embodiments may be implemented within the scope of the claims set forth below.

Claims

1. A method for processing information related to a delivery order in an electronic device, Step of obtaining first delivery order information from a customer; A step of identifying a group among one or more groups set to include the first delivery order information; A step of determining whether to initiate a delivery-related task for handling a delivery order set included in the group based on information on the delivery order set included in the group; and A method for processing information related to a delivery order, comprising the step of identifying a delivery agent to whom the delivery order set will be assigned when determining to initiate the delivery-related work.

2. In paragraph 1, The step to check the group that will contain the above first delivery order information is A step of confirming at least one of the processing start time information specified for each of the above-described one or more groups and the location information associated with each of the above-described one or more groups; and A method for processing information related to a delivery order, characterized in that it comprises a step of determining a group suitable for including the first delivery order information among the set one or more groups based on at least one of the processing start time information and the location information.

3. In paragraph 2, The above location information is A method for processing information related to a delivery order, characterized in that it includes at least one of location information of a store associated with a delivery order set included in one or more of the above-described groups and location information of a delivery destination associated with a delivery order set included in one or more of the above-described groups.

4. In paragraph 1, The step to check the group that will contain the above first delivery order information is A step for checking the number of delivery orders corresponding to the delivery order set included in one or more groups set above; and A method for processing information related to a delivery order, characterized in that it comprises a step of determining a group suitable for including the first delivery order information among the one or more groups set based on the number information of the delivery order.

5. In paragraph 1, The step to check the group that will contain the above first delivery order information is A method for processing information related to a delivery order, characterized in that it comprises a step of setting a new group for assigning the first delivery order information, when it is determined that there is no group suitable for including the first delivery order information among one or more set groups.

6. In paragraph 1, The step for determining whether to initiate the above delivery-related work is A method for processing information related to a delivery order, characterized in that it includes a step of determining whether the number of delivery orders corresponding to a delivery order set included in the above group is greater than or equal to a set standard number.

7. In paragraph 1, A method for processing information related to a delivery order, characterized in that the electronic device determines whether to initiate the delivery-related operation based further on the timing information associated with the group.

8. In paragraph 1, A step of transmitting a request for preparation of an item corresponding to the first delivery order information to the store; and Step to confirm whether the above store accepts the above request A method for processing information related to a shipping order, characterized in that it further includes one or more of:

9. In paragraph 8, If the above store accepts the above request, A method for processing information related to a delivery order, characterized in that it further comprises a step of setting reminder information for transmission to the store.

10. In paragraph 1, If you decide not to initiate the above delivery-related work, A method for processing information related to a delivery order, characterized in that it further comprises a step of transmitting a request for postponing the preparation of an item corresponding to the first delivery order information to the store.

11. In paragraph 10, The step of sending the above postponement request is A step for checking the expected time required to prepare an item corresponding to the above first delivery order information; A step of confirming the expected pickup time of the delivery person for the item corresponding to the first delivery order information; A step of determining how long to postpone preparation of the item based on the expected time required and the expected pickup time; and A step of providing the store with the results of a decision on how long to postpone preparation of the above item. A method for processing information related to a shipping order, characterized in that it includes one or more of:

12. In paragraph 1, If you decide to initiate the above delivery related work, A step of obtaining scheduled delivery completion time information related to the first delivery order information; and Step of providing the customer with the above delivery completion time information A method for processing information related to a delivery order, characterized in that it further includes.

13. In paragraph 12, A method for processing information related to a delivery order, characterized in that the electronic device obtains the delivery completion expected time period information based on information of a delivery order set included in the group.

14. In paragraph 12, A step of determining one or more candidate groups that may include the first delivery order information; A step of obtaining information on one or more candidate delivery completion time intervals in relation to the case where the first delivery order information is included for each of the one or more candidate groups; and A step of providing the customer with information on the expected delivery completion time period of one or more of the above candidates. A method for processing information related to a delivery order, characterized in that it further includes.

15. In paragraph 14, A method for processing information related to a delivery order, characterized in that when receiving an input from the customer corresponding to a specific candidate delivery completion time period information included in the one or more candidate delivery completion time period information, the method further comprises the step of re-determining the candidate group corresponding to the specific candidate delivery completion time period information as a group to which the first delivery order information is to be included.

16. In paragraph 1, A method for processing information related to a shipment order, characterized in that the electronic device determines whether to initiate a shipment-related task for processing a set of shipment orders included in the group based more on the likelihood that the set of shipment orders will be processed more quickly than a specific type of shipment order for which shipment-related task is initiated immediately without being assigned to a group.

17. In paragraph 1, A step of obtaining route information for the above delivery person; and Step for obtaining cost information for the above delivery-related tasks A method for processing information related to a shipping order, characterized in that it further includes one or more of:

18. In paragraph 1, Information on the number of processed shipping orders included in one or more of the groups set above; In relation to the preparation of items corresponding to delivery orders included in one or more of the groups set above, information on the store's acceptance rate for requests for such preparation work; and Information on the expected delivery completion time interval obtained in relation to delivery orders included in one or more of the groups set above, the percentage of actual completion of delivery within that expected delivery completion time interval. A method for processing information related to a delivery order, characterized in that it further comprises a step of evaluating the processing result for a delivery order included in one or more of the above-set groups based on one or more of the above-described.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium having recorded thereon a program for executing the method of paragraph 1 on a computer.

20. In an electronic device that processes information related to a delivery order, It includes a transceiver, a memory for storing instructions, and a processor, The above processor is connected to the above memory, Obtain first delivery order information from the customer, Check the group that will contain the first delivery order information among one or more groups set, Based on the information of the delivery order set included in the above group, determine whether to initiate a delivery-related task to process the delivery order set included in the above group; An electronic device that determines when the above delivery-related work is to be initiated, to identify the delivery person to whom the above delivery order set will be assigned.

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