| Method for providing a shortcut to shipping information -> Monitor Keywords |
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Method for providing a shortcut to shipping informationRelated Patent Categories: Data Processing: Financial, Business Practice, Management, Or Cost/price Determination, Automated Electrical Financial Or Business Practice Or Management Arrangement, Inventory ManagementMethod for providing a shortcut to shipping information description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20070168263, Method for providing a shortcut to shipping information. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/722,231, entitled METHOD FOR PROVIDING A SHORTCUT TO SHIPPING INFORMATION, filed Nov. 25, 2003, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD [0002] The present invention relates to package delivery, and in particular to status inquiries regarding delivery of shipments. BACKGROUND [0003] People who use online merchants or delivery companies with online access usually have at least two possible methods to track and confirm delivery of packages or other items. According to the first method, users must remember a unique--and usually difficult to remember--tracking identifier. Such a tracking code is normally a string of letters and/or numbers that have no easily remembered meaning. According to a second alternative method, the user must go through a time-consuming authentication process in order to access the tracking identifier, or in order to directly access the tracking information. Plainly, either of these two methods has drawbacks. [0004] If the shipment was initiated in conjunction with a purchase, then the user can authenticate to the merchant web site where the user made the purchase, but less time spent authenticating normally means less security for the customer. Following a lengthy authentication, the user would then see a merchant's or shipping carrier's display of the tracking identifier as a hypertext shortcut directly to the tracking information, or a display of the tracking information itself, or the user would see a query for even more information if the merchant has not automatically provided that information to the carrier. Thus, the existing art has not yet achieved a satisfactory alternative to memorization of long tracking identifiers. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0005] The present application describes an illustrative process that is as convenient as activating a script or executable file, in order for a user to check and verify shipping status. For instance, at the time of a transaction, the company (i.e. a merchant, carrier, or related business) will formulate a small html page that is capable of redirecting the user to the carrier's web site with the query and tracking identifier already entered. The user is then given the option to save this small html page on the user's desktop or other local storage area. From then on, the user just double clicks that html file, and current shipping information is displayed without any need for the user to memorize a tracking identifier or spend time authenticating. [0006] An illustrative embodiment of the application has at least two advantages. First, it eliminates the need of users remembering long and arcane tracking identifiers. Second, it eliminates the need of users taking time to provide authentication information in order to log into secure web sites for the purpose of checking a shipping status. [0007] An illustrative embodiment of the application is well-suited to a situation in which a user is tracking more than one shipment, either using a single carrier or a plurality of carriers. In the latter case, at least some shipping data is aggregated so that a user is able to quickly and easily access shipping status from two or more carriers. [0008] According to a preferred embodiment of this invention, when a user clicks on a desktop icon or other hyperlink, the user is not only provided delivery status, but is also provided with the opportunity to have delivery status updated. For example, a carrier will already typically update delivery status when the package arrives at a discrete set of points A, B, C, D, and E. The illustrative embodiment of the application allows the user to find out where the item is between, for example, points A and B or between points B and C. This is accomplished, for example, by having GPS units on vehicles. Advantageously, the user is provided one free access to the system, and then has to pay for further clicks in order to get this deluxe pinpoint tracking information within a certain time of clicking the icon or hyperlink. In contrast, there is normally no need to charge extra for arrival status at the discrete checkpoints A, B, C, D, and E. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING [0009] FIG. 1 is a flow chart showing how a user can obtain checkpoint shipping status or pinpoint shipping status. [0010] FIG. 2 is a flow chart showing how a user obtains shipping status, and does so iteratively for additional shipments. [0011] FIG. 3 shows a system for the user to click on desktop symbols to obtain pinpoint or checkpoint shipping status. [0012] FIG. 4 shows a system for obtaining pinpoint shipping status from different carriers, and for obtaining checkpoint shipping status aggregated for all carriers. [0013] FIG. 5 is a flow chart showing how a user obtains shipping status, and does so iteratively for additional shipments according to another embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION [0014] An illustrative embodiment of the present invention begins when the user completes his or her transaction in a normal way at a web site, and then chooses a shipping option. Then, the web site processes the transaction, creates a small html file, and sends that file to the user who will save it locally. The content of the html file will look like the following: TABLE-US-00001 <html> <head> <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html"> <meta http-equiv="refresh" content="0;url=http://www.shipco.com/tracking/ track.asp?no=`ASB7F126UHS`"> </head> <body> </body> </html> The user then saves this html file locally in a convenient place. When the user wants to check the status of a package, the user will double click on the html file. The html file redirects the user appropriately to the tracking page showing the status of their package. [0015] Extensions and more advanced embodiments can be implemented. For example, to be expandable, a web site can combine all the current valid tracking identifiers each time a user ships another package. The user is then asked to replace his html file with a new one, which would contain all previous tracking numbers (minus any that are not relevant anymore) plus the user's new tracking identifier. This is feasible if all the packages are shipped from the same carrier. If all items are not with the same carrier, then a company could create another web page that buffers all the requests to the multiple carriers, so the redirect actually sends all the tracking identifiers to a web page which is scripted to ascertain which carrier goes with which identifier, and returns the results all on one page. This extension could be implemented as a web service. [0016] Another extension is to have a small client application that goes out and polls the carriers' sites regarding the tracking information. Then, when a new item is shipped, the user can add it to his list of currently tracked items, via a file-type association download that automatically puts it in the client application, or via a manual addition. Alternatively, Rem information is downloaded as an html file in the way described above, but the small client application goes through a directory and scans all the html files in the directory for tracking identifiers. [0017] The file that redirects the end user can be implemented in various scripting languages, including markup languages such as html. Moreover, the company web site can actually continue to buffer the user from the carriers, by redirecting them to their web sites and submitting the multiple queries for tracking on behalf of the user. Because of this, the company can list the shipping status of all current packages. Another alternate approach is for the file to redirect using Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure ("https") to provide a higher level of confidentiality. In an additional alternative embodiment, the web site only provides the option of downloading the shortcut file to the end user, instead of sending it directly. 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