Multicarrier Server System with Local Rate Database
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Solution Overview
Problem
E-commerce sites face challenges in providing flexible shipping options due to cumbersome third-party carrier APIs and server performance issues, which affect usability and customer satisfaction.
Innovation Solution
A multicarrier server system with a simple API that integrates with multiple third-party carriers, using a local database for asynchronous shipping rate updates and optimization, allowing customers to choose from various carriers and rate classes based on shipping constraints and costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If third-party carrier APIs are used directly, then shipping rate information can be obtained, but the system complexity and development costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a local database as an intermediary layer between the e-commerce site and third-party carrier APIs. This local database stores shipping rate information locally, allowing the system to retrieve rates without directly calling complex third-party APIs for every transaction, thereby reducing system complexity while maintaining information accuracy
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-fetching and storing shipping rate information in the local database before it is actually needed for a transaction. This allows rates to be cached and reused, reducing the need for repeated API calls and simplifying the overall system architecture
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple third-party carriers are integrated, then shipping options flexibility increases, but server performance and API handling capability are strained
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the shipping rate data by organizing it into a local database with structured storage for different carriers, services, and rate classes. This segmentation allows the server to efficiently query and retrieve specific carrier information without processing data from all carriers, thus maintaining flexibility while preserving server performance
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates local copies of third-party carrier rate information and stores them in the local database. These copies can be retrieved quickly without requiring real-time connections to multiple carrier APIs, thereby supporting multiple carrier options without straining server performance
3Measurement precision
If real-time shipping rate queries are performed for each customer, then accurate shipping costs are provided, but usability and customer satisfaction decrease due to slow response time
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-loading and caching shipping rate information in the local database before customer queries are made. When customers request shipping rates, the system retrieves pre-computed information from the local database rather than performing real-time queries to carrier APIs, thus maintaining accuracy while dramatically improving response time and usability
Data Source
AI summary
A request is received to provide shipping rate information to ship a package from a source location to a destination location. A shipping rate is determined locally in response to the request to ship the package via a third-party carrier without making in response to the request a call to the third-party carrier. The locally determined shipping rate is included in a set of shipping rates returned to a node associated with the request.