Token Allocation for Shipping Document Tracking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing shipping document processing systems face challenges in ensuring unique tracking numbers due to limited sequence numbers, leading to potential overlapping use and incorrect tracking information for shipments.
Innovation Solution
A distributed token allocation system that utilizes a token coordinator to manage and allocate sequence numbers across shipping document processing systems, ensuring that tokens are reused without overlap by tracking last use time and reallocating them as needed to maintain uniqueness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If sequence numbers are reused over time to support high volume shipping, then productivity is improved, but tracking number uniqueness deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the sequence numbers into different pools assigned to different shipping facilitation service providers. Each provider has a dedicated pool, preventing cross-provider tracking number conflicts while allowing independent reuse within each provider's pool. This segmentation maintains uniqueness across the entire system while enabling high-volume processing through localized number recycling.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a token coordinator as an intermediary system that manages sequence number allocation and reuse. The coordinator tracks the last use time of sequence numbers and coordinates reuse across multiple shipping facilitation service providers, ensuring that sequence numbers are reused only after sufficient time has passed to prevent overlapping tracking numbers while maximizing productivity.
2Reliability
If sequence numbers are tracked and reused with time constraints, then tracking number uniqueness is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The token coordinator serves as a centralized intermediary that handles the complexity of tracking and coordinating sequence number reuse across multiple shipping facilitation service providers. By centralizing this management function, individual providers don't need to implement complex tracking mechanisms themselves, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining uniqueness.
Solution Approach 2:
The token coordinator performs multiple functions: it allocates sequence numbers to providers, tracks last use times, coordinates reuse across providers, and prevents conflicts. This multi-functional approach consolidates complexity into a single system component rather than distributing it across multiple providers, making the overall system more manageable.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods which provide for allocation of tokens, such as may be used for tracking number dissemination, for shipment document processing are described. Embodiments operate to allocate tokens to the various shipping document processing systems for their use by the respective document processing systems. The various shipping document processing systems may be enabled to independently perform shipping document processing for extended periods of time (e.g., days, weeks, etc.) using their respective allocations of tokens, such as to use the tokens, including reuse of the tokens over time, without overlap (e.g., without introducing overlapping instances of tracking numbers). Logic of shipping document processing systems record use time information (e.g., a date and/or time of use of a token or tokens) in association with their use of tokens of their allotment, wherein the use tokens from the allocations is in accordance with last use time information.