Intermediated Logistics Scheduling System for Carrier Integration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Online shipping management systems face challenges in scheduling delivery appointments for shipments, particularly when final-mile carriers are unfamiliar to recipients, leading to difficulties in scheduling due to hesitation in answering calls from unknown sources and lack of online scheduling capabilities across multiple carriers.
Innovation Solution
An intermediated system facilitates delivery appointment scheduling by connecting multiple carriers and shippers through a cloud-based platform, allowing recipients to schedule appointments online with consistent branding, automated notifications, and customizable delivery windows, ensuring seamless interaction with various carrier systems.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If carriers use traditional phone-based scheduling, then delivery appointments can be scheduled, but recipients hesitate to answer calls from unfamiliar sources, increasing the number of contact attempts required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an online scheduling system that acts as an intermediary between carriers and recipients. Instead of direct phone calls from unfamiliar carriers, the system provides a branded web interface where recipients can schedule deliveries. This intermediary platform builds trust by displaying familiar shipper branding while enabling carrier-recipient communication, thereby reducing hesitation and multiple contact attempts.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical phone-based scheduling system with an electronic online scheduling platform. By substituting telephone communication with web-based interaction, the system eliminates the trust issue associated with unknown phone numbers while maintaining the scheduling functionality. Recipients interact through a familiar web interface rather than answering calls from strangers.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple carriers have their own separate scheduling systems, then each carrier can manage its own deliveries, but recipients cannot schedule shipments online and must deal with multiple different interfaces
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a universal online scheduling platform that works across multiple carriers. Instead of requiring separate systems for each carrier, the platform provides a single unified interface that adapts to different carriers' needs. This allows recipients to schedule deliveries online regardless of which carrier is involved, while carriers retain their operational autonomy through the common platform.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the scheduling system into modular components that can be independently configured for different carriers. The platform uses carrier-specific configuration files and templates to adapt to various carrier requirements while maintaining a consistent user interface. This segmentation allows each carrier to have customized functionality within the unified system.
3Reliability
If carriers schedule deliveries through terminal workers, then delivery appointments can be booked, but the process requires manual intervention and cannot be automated
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a self-service online scheduling system where recipients can independently book delivery appointments without terminal worker intervention. The system automatically communicates with carrier systems, retrieves available time slots, and confirms appointments. This eliminates the need for manual phone scheduling while maintaining reliable appointment booking through automated processes.
Data Source
AI summary
A computer system that queries a carrier computer system of a carrier associated with a shipment to determine whether delivery appointment scheduling is available for the shipment, based on a determination that the delivery appointment scheduling is available, generates and transmits a link for a dynamically generated web page to the recipient; receives a signal indicating activation of the link; obtains scheduling information for the shipment from the carrier computer system; dynamically generates page code for the web page and transmits the web page to a client, the web page displaying information associated with the shipment and digital assets that visually correspond to the shipper of the shipment and including a scheduling tool; receives a selection of a time slot from the scheduling tool; and communicates with the carrier computer system to update the carrier computer system with the time slot to schedule delivery of the shipment to the recipient.