Shipment Planning Interface for Predicting Cold Chain Risks

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing shipment monitoring systems fail to provide prospective planning information regarding potential issues that may arise during future shipments, relying solely on basic reporting of measured conditions without addressing underlying factors affecting shipment success.

Innovation Solution

A system and method that analyze user-input characteristics of a shipment, utilizing a database of previous shipments to identify potential issues and their impacts, suggesting alternatives, and providing instructions to mitigate these issues, with a user interface guiding the user through a sequence of characteristic inputs.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of information

If existing shipment monitoring systems provide only basic reporting of measured conditions, then the system complexity is low and ease of operation is high, but the ability to provide prospective planning information and predict potential issues is insufficient

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveprospective planning informationVSAvoidsystem complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of informationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary analysis of shipment characteristics against historical data to predict potential issues before they occur. It proactively identifies risks such as temperature abuse, delays, or handling problems by comparing planned shipment parameters with historical performance patterns, enabling preventive planning rather than reactive monitoring.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system incorporates feedback loops that continuously compare planned shipment characteristics with historical data and real-time conditions. This feedback mechanism allows the system to update risk predictions dynamically, providing evolving prospective information as the shipment progresses or as new data becomes available from monitoring devices.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

2Measurement precision

If the system analyzes multiple shipment characteristics and provides detailed predictions, then the accuracy of issue identification improves, but the time required for analysis and user input increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveissue identification accuracyVSAvoidanalysis time
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system segments the analysis process into distinct characteristic categories (temperature, time, handling, carrier performance) and evaluates them independently using historical data. This segmentation allows parallel processing of multiple factors and enables the system to provide comprehensive analysis without requiring sequential evaluation of all characteristics, reducing overall analysis time.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The system dynamically adjusts the depth and scope of analysis based on the specificity of input parameters. When users provide detailed characteristics, the system activates more comprehensive historical comparisons. When inputs are basic, the system uses simplified analysis patterns, thereby maintaining high accuracy while adapting analysis time to the level of detail provided.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

3Reliability

If the system provides detailed alternatives and mitigation instructions, then the usefulness for optimizing shipment outcomes improves, but the device complexity and ease of operation deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveshipment outcome optimizationVSAvoiduser interface complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The system automatically generates personalized alternatives and mitigation instructions based on the analyzed characteristics and historical data. It self-determines the most appropriate recommendations without requiring manual configuration or complex user input, presenting actionable advice in a user-friendly format that guides decision-making while maintaining simplicity of operation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Data Source

PatentEP3899830B1Interactive system for planning future shipments
Publication Date: 2025.12.31 CARRIER CORP
  • EP3899830B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP3899830B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A system for advising a user regarding a potential shipment includes a user interface for receiving user input regarding a plurality of characteristics of the potential shipment. The user inputs at least one of the characteristics and the system suggests others of the characteristics. A processor determines whether the characteristics of the user input in combination indicate or correspond to at least one issue that is likely to occur during the shipment and, when there is at least one issue that is likely to occur during the shipment, determines an expected impact that the at least one issue will have on the shipment. An output provided to the user indicates the expected impact. Such issues and associated impacts may be determined multiple times while the user enters or selects different characteristics.