U.S. patent application number 10/112621 was filed with the patent office on 2002-10-17 for electronic shipping system for package pickup and anywhere to anywhere delivery.
This patent application is currently assigned to United Parcel Service of America, Inc., United Parcel Service of America, Inc.. Invention is credited to Donohue, Mike, Woods, Bruce.
Application Number | 20020152174 10/112621 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 23071486 |
Filed Date | 2002-10-17 |
United States Patent
Application |
20020152174 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Woods, Bruce ; et
al. |
October 17, 2002 |
Electronic shipping system for package pickup and anywhere to
anywhere delivery
Abstract
The present invention is an improved shipping system that
provides for third-party billing and shipment of a package from a
first location to a second location where neither the first or
second location is the location of the third-party. An embodiment
is disclosed in which a pre-existing call-tag system is modified to
permit third-party billing and anywhere to anywhere
functionality.
Inventors: |
Woods, Bruce; (Stockholm,
NJ) ; Donohue, Mike; (Cumming, GA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
ALSTON & BIRD LLP
BANK OF AMERICA PLAZA
101 SOUTH TRYON STREET, SUITE 4000
CHARLOTTE
NC
28280-4000
US
|
Assignee: |
United Parcel Service of America,
Inc.
|
Family ID: |
23071486 |
Appl. No.: |
10/112621 |
Filed: |
March 29, 2002 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
60280063 |
Mar 30, 2001 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
705/60 ; 705/61;
705/62 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06Q 10/08 20130101;
G06Q 20/02 20130101; G06Q 10/083 20130101; G06Q 30/04 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
705/60 ; 705/61;
705/62 |
International
Class: |
H04K 001/00 |
Claims
That which is claimed:
1. A shipping system to allow a facilitator to request that a
carrier pick up a package from a first location and deliver said
package to a second location, said shipping system comprising: a
carrier shipping application that receives shipping information
from a facilitator, said shipping information including address
information for a first party located at said first location and
address information for a second party located at said second
location; said carrier shipping application configured to identify
a local carrier facility responsible for package pickup at said
first location; and said carrier shipping application further
configured to generate shipping label information based at least in
part on said shipping information received from said facilitator; a
printing device located at said local carrier facility configured
to receive said shipping label information from said carrier
shipping application, and print a shipping label based at least in
part on said shipping label information; and a carrier that
receives said shipping label from said printing device, affixes
said shipping label to said package at said first location and
delivers said package to said second location.
2. The shipping system of claim 1, wherein said facilitator is
located at a third location.
3. The shipping system of claim 1, wherein said carrier charges a
shipping fee to said facilitator, and wherein said shipping fee is
based at least in part on said delivery of said package from said
first location to said second location.
4. The shipping system of claim 1, wherein said carrier shipping
application is further configured to charge a shipping fee to said
facilitator, wherein said shipping fee is based at least in part on
said delivery of said package from said first location to said
second location.
5. The shipping system of claim 1, wherein the shipping label
information generated by said carrier shipping application is an
electronic image of a shipping label.
6. The shipping system of claim 1, wherein the shipping label
information generated by said carrier shipping application is a
proprietary flat file.
7. The shipping system of claim 1, wherein said shipping label
includes a date and time, and wherein further said carrier takes
said shipping label to said first location at said date and time
specified on said shipping label.
8. A package delivery method that allows a facilitator to have a
package picked up from a first location and delivered to a second
location, said facilitator being at a third location separate from
said first and second locations, said method comprising the steps
of: receiving shipping information from said facilitator, said
shipping information including address information for said first
and said second locations; printing a shipping label based at least
in part on said shipping information; affixing said shipping label
to said package at said first location; delivering said package to
said second location; and charging a shipping fee to said
facilitator, said shipping fee based at least in part on said
delivery of said package from said first location to said second
location.
9. The method of claim 8, wherein the step of printing a shipping
label comprises the steps of: identifying a local carrier facility
responsible for pickup at said first location; and printing a
shipping label on a printing device, said printing device
associated with said local carrier facility.
10. The method of claim 8, wherein the step of affixing said
shipping label to said package at said first location comprises the
steps of: traveling to said first location to pick up said package;
and affixing said shipping label to said package.
11. A product fulfillment system that allows a merchant to have a
good purchased by a buyer delivered to said buyer from a supplier,
the system comprising: a carrier shipping application that receives
shipping information from a merchant, said shipping information
including a supplier address and a buyer address, said carrier
shipping application configured to identify a local carrier
facility responsible for package pickup at said supplier address,
and said carrier shipping application further configured to
generate shipping label information based at least in part on said
shipping information received from said merchant; a printing device
located at said local carrier facility configured to receive said
shipping label information from said carrier shipping application,
and print a shipping label based at least in part on said shipping
label information; and a carrier that receives a package containing
said good at said supplier address, affixes said shipping label to
said package, and delivers said package to said buyer address.
12. The product fulfillment system of claim 11, further comprising:
a merchant application in electronic communication with said
carrier shipping application, said merchant application configured
to electronically transmit said shipping information to said
carrier shipping application.
13. The product fulfillment system of claim 11, wherein said
carrier shipping application is configured to query a carrier
facility database with said supplier address to identify said local
carrier facility responsible for package pickup at supplier
address.
14. The product fulfillment system of claim 11, wherein said
carrier shipping application is configured to query a carrier
facility database with a zip code associated with said supplier
address to identify said local carrier facility responsible for
package pickup at supplier address.
15. The product fulfillment system of claim 11, wherein said
carrier shipping application is further configured to obtain a
package tracking number and include said package tracking number in
said shipping label information.
16. The product fulfillment system of claim 11, wherein said
merchant is located at an address that is separate from said
supplier and buyer addresses.
17. The product fulfillment system of claim 11, wherein said
carrier charges a shipping fee to said merchant, and wherein said
shipping fee is based at least in part on said delivery of said
package from said supplier address to said buyer address.
18. The product fulfillment system of claim 11, wherein said
carrier shipping application is further configured to charge a
shipping fee to said merchant, wherein said shipping fee is based
at least in part on said delivery of said package from said
supplier address to said buyer address.
19. The product fulfillment system of claim 11, wherein said
shipping label information generated by said carrier shipping
application is an electronic image of a shipping label.
20. The product fulfillment system of claim 11, wherein said
shipping label information generated by said carrier shipping
application is a proprietary flat file.
21. The product fulfillment system of claim 11, wherein said
shipping label includes a date and time, and wherein further said
carrier arrives at said supplier address at approximately said date
and time specified on said shipping label to pick up said
package.
22. A modified call-tag system capable of fulfilling an anywhere to
anywhere package shipping request, the system comprising: a client
application configured to generate and transmit a call-tag record,
said call-tag record comprising at least one of a call-tag request
and an anywhere to anywhere request, said anywhere to anywhere
request including a first shipping address and a second shipping
address; a carrier application in electronic communication with
said client application, said carrier application configured to
receive said call-tag record from said client application, said
carrier application additionally configured to determine whether
said call-tag record includes said anywhere to anywhere delivery
request, said carrier application further configured to generate a
shipping label request based at least in part on said anywhere to
anywhere request; a shipping label application in electronic
communication with said carrier application, said shipping label
application configured to receive said shipping label request and
generate a shipping label; and a carrier in communication with at
least one of said carrier application and said shipping label
application to receive said shipping label, affix said shipping
label to a package at said first address, and deliver said package
to a second address.
23. The system of claim 22, wherein said carrier application
determines whether said call-tag record includes an anywhere to
anywhere request by examining whether said call-tag record includes
a second shipping address.
24. The system of claim 22, wherein said carrier application
determines whether said call-tag record includes an anywhere to
anywhere request by examining whether said call-tag record includes
both a first shipping address and a second shipping address.
25. The system of claim 22, wherein said carrier application
determines whether said call-tag record includes an anywhere to
anywhere request by examining whether said call-tag record includes
a unique destination address.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims the benefit of priority from the
U.S. provisional application No. 60/280,063 filed on Mar. 30, 2001
and entitled "Electronic Shipping System For Package Pickup And
Anywhere to Anywhere Delivery" the entire contents of which is
hereby incorporated by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates to an improved method and
system for shipping packages and, in particular, describes an
electronic shipping system for package pickup, anywhere to anywhere
delivery and third-party billing.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] The increased popularity of the World Wide Web has led to an
explosion in catalog and online shopping. The growth in e-commerce
reflects in part increased purchases from veteran online shoppers,
deeper Internet penetration across the country and the increased
number of familiar bricks-and-mortar retailers online.
[0004] Some of the benefits to purchasing products online include
the ability to avoid crowds, perform quick price comparisons across
multiple sellers, and access a wider selection of products.
However, there are drawbacks to purchasing goods through a retailer
web site. One drawback is the inability to inspect an item before
making the purchase. A consumer that buys a product offline at a
traditional retail store usually has the opportunity to inspect the
color, size and quality of workmanship of a good before the
purchase is made. In contrast, when a consumer shops online their
decision to purchase is based largely on a written description of
the product and/or a photograph of the item. No opportunity to
inspect the product occurs until after the product is purchased and
shipped to the consumer. As a result, many products that are
purchased online are returned.
[0005] A traditional process by which a product is shipped via a
commercial carrier is illustrated in FIG. 1. In Step 100, a
customer places the good to be shipped in a box or other shipping
container. In Step 110 the customer completes a shipping label,
which includes, among other things, the destination address for the
package. The shipping label may be written directly on the package
to be shipped or may be a preprinted shipping label form with
spaces where the customer enters the origination shipping address
and a destination shipping address.
[0006] In Step 120, the customer affixes the shipping label to the
package, or in some cases the customer may skip the shipping label
step and write the shipping information on the package to be
shipped.
[0007] In Step 130, the package is placed into the carrier system.
In most cases, the customer physically takes the package to one of
several drop off locations operated by a carrier.
[0008] In Step 140, the customer is billed for and pays the
shipping fee associated with shipping the package. The shipping fee
is generally based on the size of the package and the locations of
the origination and destination addresses. Finally, in Step 150 the
carrier delivers the package to the destination address.
[0009] The traditional shipping process illustrated in FIG. 1
remains a viable model that commercial carriers still use today.
This shipping process, however, is not particularly well suited to
the Internet sales model and, more particularly, to the return of
goods purchased from a website. As indicated above, goods purchased
over the Internet are often returned because the buyer has not had
an opportunity to inspect the item prior to the purchase. Under the
traditional shipping method, the customer must re-package the good
to be returned, complete a shipping label, locate a carrier drop
off facility, deliver the good to the facility and, in some cases,
pay a return shipping fee. Not surprisingly, many of the customers
who attempted to save time by purchasing a good over the Internet
or through a catalog become dissatisfied when they are forced to go
through the time-consuming and sometimes costly process of
returning a good using the traditional shipping method described
above.
[0010] In an effort to streamline the return of goods to a
merchant, commercial carriers have offered alternative shipping
solutions. One such alternative is known as a call-tag system 100.
FIG. 2 illustrates a call-tag system 100 that improves on the
traditional process described above in that it provides for carrier
pick up of the package and allows the merchant to pay the return
shipping fee. The system 100 includes a merchant computer 200, a
carrier computer 210, a buyer 220 and a local carrier facility 225.
In addition, a merchant database 240, a carrier facility database
250 and a carrier call-tag application 260 reside on the carrier
computer 210.
[0011] The operation of a call-tag is illustrated in FIG. 3. In
Step 300, a buyer 220 purchases a good from a merchant and the
merchant ships the good to the buyer 220 via a carrier. In Step
310, the carrier delivers the good to the buyer 220. In Step 320,
the buyer 220 decides to return the good and notifies the merchant
of that decision. In response to the buyer's return request, the
merchant sends an electronic call-tag request 265 via the merchant
computer 200 to the carrier computer 210 (Step 330).
[0012] The call-tag request 265 is an electronic file that
includes, among other things, the buyer address and a merchant
identification number. In Step 340, the call-tag application 260
receives the call-tag request 265 and queries a merchant database
240 with the merchant identification number to obtain
merchant-specific information such as the merchant's shipping
address and billing account number.
[0013] In Step 350, the call-tag application 260 uses the buyer
address from the merchant's call-tag request to query the carrier
facility database 250 to determine which carrier facility is
responsible for delivery and pickup for that the buyer address (the
local carrier facility 255). In Step 360, the call-tag application
260 generates a shipping label and transmits it to the local
carrier facility 255. The shipping label uses the buyer address
(from the call-tag request 265) as the origination shipping address
and the merchant address (from the merchant database 240) as the
destination shipping address.
[0014] In Step 370, the call-tag application 260 bills the merchant
for the cost of shipping the good from the buyer 220 to the
merchant. Depending on the merchant's preference, the shipping fee
may be deducted directly from a merchant account or the merchant
can be separately billed. In Step 380, the carrier sends a driver
from its local facility 225 to the buyer address. The driver picks
up the package with the good to be returned, affixes the shipping
label to the package and, delivers the good to the merchant address
(Step 390).
[0015] The call-tag system 100 described above improves upon the
traditional shipping process because the merchant pays the shipping
costs and the package is picked up directly from the customer
address. The system is limited, however, in that the merchant may
ship the good that is being returned only to the merchant address
or to another preselected address that the carrier has entered in
the merchant database. In short, call-tag systems known in the art
do not allow a merchant to specify a unique destination shipping
address.
[0016] The effect of this limitation is illustrated in the context
of a purchase made through an online auction. Online auction
purchases, like sales through Internet retailers, have grown in
popularity with the Internet. Unfortunately, auction fraud is also
booming. At present, auction fraud ranks as the most common type of
Internet scam and accounts for more than half of all consumer
complaints on the Internet, according to the Federal Trade
Commission (FTC).
[0017] To combat the problem of fraud in online auctions and other
types of person to person sales over the Internet, online escrow
services have arisen. FIG. 4 illustrates a typical online purchase
using an escrow service. In Step 400, a buyer and seller agree to a
purchase. In Step 410, the buyer mails the payment to the escrow
service, which verifies the payment and alerts the seller that
payment has been received. In Step 420, the seller ships the good
to the buyer. In Step 430, the buyer receives the good and an
agreed-upon inspection period (typically two days) begins. Finally,
in Step 440, the buyer notifies the escrow agent of receipt of the
good and authorizes the release of the payment to the seller.
[0018] A benefit of this process is that the buyer has the option
of returning the good anytime within the inspection period. To do
so, the buyer notifies the escrow agent of the return and ships the
product back to the seller. During the return, the escrow agent
retains control of the purchase money until it receives
confirmation from the seller that the good product has been
returned. In this way, both the buyer and seller retain some degree
of control and protection as the transaction is fulfilled.
[0019] Much of the escrow process is dependent on timely shipping.
Unfortunately, neither the traditional shipping process or the
call-tag system 100 meets the needs of this business model.
Typically, the escrow agent receives a fee for its role as a
facilitator in the transaction. Part of that role is to handle the
shipping fees as the product is shipped from the seller to the
buyer and from the buyer to the seller in the case of a return.
Under the traditional shipping process, the party that is shipping
the good has the responsibility of paying the shipping fees. In
addition, the shipper is obligated to package the product and
deliver the package to a carrier drop off facility.
[0020] Nor does the call-tag system 100 fulfill the shipping needs
of this online escrow business model. In the call-tag system 100, a
merchant can pay to have a package picked up from a customer, but
the merchant does not have the ability to specify a destination
address. Thus, if the facilitator assumed the role of the merchant
in a call-tag shipping system, the facilitator could only have the
product shipped to the facilitator address. In other words, the
call-tag system 100 does not permit a facilitator to request that a
package be picked up from a first address and delivered to a second
address where neither the first or second address is the address of
the facilitator.
[0021] An unsatisfied need therefore exists for an improved
shipping system that overcomes deficiencies in the prior art, some
of which are discussed above.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0022] The present invention is an improved shipping system that
provides for third-party billing and the shipment of a package from
a first location to a second location where neither the first or
second location is the location of the third-party. An embodiment
is disclosed in which a pre-existing call-tag system is modified to
permit third-party billing and anywhere to anywhere
functionality.
[0023] In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, a
shipping system is disclosed that allows a facilitator to request
that a carrier pick up a package from a first location and deliver
the package to a second location. The system of this embodiment
includes a carrier shipping application that receives shipping
information from a facilitator, the shipping information including
address information for a first party located at the first location
and address information for a second party located at the second
location; the carrier shipping application configured to identify a
local carrier facility responsible for package pickup at the first
location; and the carrier shipping application further configured
to generate shipping label information based at least in part on
the shipping information received from the facilitator; a printing
device located at the local carrier facility configured to receive
the shipping label information from the carrier shipping
application, and print a shipping label based at least in part on
the shipping label information; and a carrier that receives the
shipping label from the printing device, affixes the shipping label
to the package at the first location and delivers the package to
the second location.
[0024] In accordance with another embodiment of the present
invention, the facilitator is located at a third location that is
separate from the first and second locations. In accordance with
another embodiment, the carrier charges a shipping fee to the
facilitator that is based at least in part on the cost of delivery
of the package from the first location to the second location. In
still another disclosed embodiment, the shipping label information
is formatted as one of an electronic image of a shipping label or
as a proprietary flat file. In yet another embodiment, the shipping
label includes a date and time and the carrier takes the shipping
label to the first location at approximately the date and time
specified on the shipping label.
[0025] In accordance with another embodiment of the present
invention, a package delivery method that allows a facilitator to
have a package picked up from a first location and delivered to a
second location, the facilitator being at a third location separate
from the first and second locations, is disclosed. In this
embodiment, the method includes the steps of receiving shipping
information from the facilitator, the shipping information
including address information for the first and second locations;
printing a shipping label based at least in part on the shipping
information; affixing the shipping label to the package at the
first location; delivering the package to the second location; and
charging a shipping fee to the facilitator, the shipping fee based
at least in part on the delivery of the package from the first
location to the second location.
[0026] In accordance with another embodiment of the present
invention the step of printing a shipping label includes
identifying a local carrier facility responsible for pickup at the
first location, and printing a shipping label on a printing device
associated with the local carrier facility. In another embodiment,
the step of affixing the shipping label to the package at the first
location includes traveling to the first location to pick up the
package, and affixing the shipping label to the package.
[0027] In accordance with another embodiment of the present
invention a product fulfillment system is disclosed that allows a
merchant to have a good purchased by a buyer delivered to said
buyer from a supplier. The system in this embodiment includes a
carrier shipping application that receives shipping information
from a merchant, the shipping information including a supplier
address and a buyer address, the carrier shipping application
configured to identify a local carrier facility responsible for
package pickup at the supplier address, and the carrier shipping
application further configured to generate shipping label
information based at least in part on the shipping information
received from the merchant; a printing device located at the local
carrier facility configured to receive the shipping label
information from the carrier shipping application, and print a
shipping label based at least in part on the shipping label
information; and a carrier that receives a package containing the
good at the supplier address, affixes the shipping label to the
package, and delivers the package to the buyer address.
[0028] In another embodiment, the carrier shipping application
identifies the local carrier facility by querying a carrier
facility database with the supplier address. In another embodiment,
the zip code of the supplier is used to query the carrier facility
database. In still another embodiment, a package tracking number is
assigned and included in the shipping label information generated
by the carrier shipping application. In yet another embodiment, the
carrier charges a shipping fee to the merchant and the shipping fee
is based at least in part on the cost of delivering the package
from the supplier to the buyer.
[0029] In accordance with another embodiment of the present
invention a modified call-tag system is disclosed that is capable
of fulfilling an anywhere to anywhere package shipping request. The
system of this embodiment includes a client application configured
to generate and transmit a call-tag record, the call-tag record
comprising at least one of a call-tag request and an anywhere to
anywhere request, the anywhere to anywhere request including a
first shipping address and a second shipping address; a carrier
application in electronic communication with the client
application, the carrier application configured to receive the
call-tag record from the client application, the carrier
application additionally configured to determine whether the
call-tag record includes the anywhere to anywhere delivery request,
the carrier application further configured to generate a shipping
label request based at least in part on the anywhere to anywhere
request; a shipping label application in electronic communication
with the carrier application, the shipping label application
configured to receive the shipping label request and generate a
shipping label; and a carrier in communication with at least one of
the carrier application and the shipping label application to
receive the shipping label, affix the shipping label to a package
at the first address, and deliver the package to a second
address.
[0030] In another embodiment, the carrier application determines
whether the call-tag record includes an anywhere to anywhere
request by examining whether the call-tag record includes a second
shipping address. In an alternative embodiment, the call-tag record
is examined to see whether it includes both a first shipping
address and a second shipping address. In still another embodiment,
the call-tag record is examined to see if it includes a unique
destination address.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0031] Having thus described the invention in general terms,
reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, which are
not necessarily drawn to scale, and wherein:
[0032] FIG. 1 is a process flow diagram of a traditional shipping
system known in the art.
[0033] FIG. 2 is a high-level block diagram that illustrates the
architecture of a call-tag system as known in the art.
[0034] FIG. 3 is a process flow diagram of a call-tag system as
known in the art.
[0035] FIG. 4 is a process flow diagram of an online escrow service
as known in the art.
[0036] FIG. 5 is a high-level block diagram that illustrates the
architecture of an anywhere to anywhere shipping system in
accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention.
[0037] FIG. 6 is a process flow diagram of an anywhere to anywhere
shipping system in accordance with a first embodiment of the
present invention.
[0038] FIG. 7 is a high-level block diagram that illustrates the
architecture of an anywhere to anywhere shipping system in
accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention.
[0039] FIG. 8 is a process flow diagram of an anywhere to anywhere
shipping system in accordance with a second embodiment of the
present invention.
[0040] FIG. 9 is a process flow diagram of an anywhere to anywhere
shipping system in accordance with another embodiment of the
present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0041] The present invention now will be described more fully
hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which
preferred embodiments of the invention are shown. This invention
may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be
construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather,
these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be
thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the
invention to those skilled in the art. Like numbers refer to like
elements throughout.
[0042] Many modifications and other embodiments of the invention
will come to mind to one skilled in the art to which this invention
pertains having the benefit of the teachings presented in the
foregoing descriptions and the associated drawings. Therefore, it
is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the
specific embodiments disclosed and that modifications and other
embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the
appended claims. Although specific terms are employed herein, they
are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for
purposes of limitation.
[0043] The following paragraphs describe a method and shipping
system for anywhere to anywhere delivery in accordance with the
present invention.
[0044] The block diagram of FIG. 5 illustrates a first embodiment
of the anywhere to anywhere shipping system 400 of the present
invention. This embodiment is described in the context of a person
to person sale in an online transaction and involves a buyer 410,
seller 420 and third-party facilitator 430. In this embodiment, the
buyer 410 and seller 420 agree to the terms of a sale and agree to
use a facilitator 430 to facilitate the sale. In a preferred
embodiment, the buyer 410 and seller 420 are each in communication
with the facilitator 430. Only one of the two parties needs to be
in direct contact with the facilitator 430, however, and in
alternative embodiments one of the buyer 410 and seller 420
communicate with the facilitator 430.
[0045] In this example, the buyer 410 and seller 420 communicate
with the facilitator 430 via a network 480. In this example, the
network 480 is the Internet; but it will be readily apparent that
the communication described herein is not limited to communication
between computers. The buyer 410 and seller 420 in an alternative
embodiment could, for example, communicate with the facilitator 430
via telephone or facsimile.
[0046] As shown in the figure, the facilitator 430 is in electronic
communication with a carrier server 440. In the preferred
embodiment, the electronic communication between the facilitator
430 and carrier server occurs via the network 480. But again it
will be readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that
the present invention may be implemented using other forms of
communication.
[0047] An anywhere shipping application 460, a shipping label
application 465 and a carrier facility database 470 reside on and
are in electronic communication with the carrier server 440. In
alternative embodiments, however, either or all of the carrier
facility-shipping application 465, shipping label application 465
and carrier facility database 470 may reside on another server or
other electronic device. In addition, a local carrier facility 450
is in communication with one or more of the above-described
applications and/or databases via the network 480.
[0048] With reference to FIG. 6, the following paragraphs describe
the operation of a first embodiment of the anywhere to anywhere
shipping system 400. The process begins in Step 500 when a buyer
410 and seller 420 agree on a sales transaction and additionally
agree to use a facilitator 430 to fulfill the transaction.
Alternatively, only one of the buyer 410 and seller 420 may decide
to use the facilitator 430 or, in yet another alternative, both
parties may decide to use the facilitator 430 and only one party
have communication with the facilitator 430.
[0049] A part of the sales agreement, one or both of the buyer 410
and seller 420 communicate the details of the sales agreement to
the facilitator 430. In this example, part of the function of the
facilitator 430 is as an escrow agent for the transaction.
Therefore, information sent to the facilitator 430 will include
details about the product sold, the sales price, addresses of the
buyer and seller, the length of any inspection period and any other
terms and conditions upon which the sale may be conditioned.
[0050] The buyer 410 initiates the transaction by sending a check
or electronic transferring the agreed upon amount for the purchase
of a good to the facilitator 430. In most cases, the facilitator
430 requires an additional fee for its services as an escrow agent
and for the shipping costs. This fee may be charged as a
facilitation fee and paid by the buyer in addition to the agreed
upon sales price. Alternatively, the facilitator fee and associated
shipping charges may be deducted from the purchase price when the
funds are transferred to the seller 420 at the close of the
transaction.
[0051] Upon receipt of the purchase funds from the buyer 410, the
facilitator initiates the process of shipping the product from the
seller 420 to the buyer 410. In a preferred embodiment, this
shipment is initiated by the facilitator 430 sending an anywhere to
anywhere delivery request 485 to a carrier server 440.
[0052] In Step 510, the carrier server 440 receives an anywhere to
anywhere delivery request 485 that includes the addresses of the
buyer 410 and seller 420, as well as facilitator-specific
information including a facilitator account number and/or a billing
address. In this example, the product is being shipped from a first
location (the seller address) to a second location (the buyer
address) and neither the first or second locations are the location
of the facilitator 430. As described below, the facilitator 430
assumes responsibility for paying the fee associated with shipping
the product from the seller 420 to the buyer 410 and, in the case
of a return, the fee to ship the product from the buyer 410 back to
the seller 420. In a preferred embodiment, a carrier offers several
billing options to its customers. Thus, depending on the billing
option chosen by the facilitator 430 the carrier may send a bill to
a facilitator address or debit an existing facilitator account
identified in the delivery request 485.
[0053] In Step 520, the anywhere shipping application 460 queries
the carrier facility database 470 to identify the carrier facility
that has responsibility for delivery and pickup for the seller
address (the local carrier facility 450). The local carrier
facility may be identified using the origination shipping address
or zip code or via other means known in the art.
[0054] In Step 530, the anywhere shipping application 460 assigns a
package tracking number to the transaction. The package tracking
number is included on the shipping label of the package and
provided to the facilitator 430. As is known in the art, parties
use the package tracking number to track the shipment status as the
package moves through the carrier system. In the context of an
online escrow transaction, the package tracking number is used to
identify when a package is delivered to the buyer address. The date
and time of delivery as identified by the package tracking number
can be used to trigger the initiation of the inspection period.
[0055] In one embodiment, the anywhere shipping application 460
assigns a package tracking number to the transaction. In an
alternative embodiment, the anywhere shipping application 460 does
not assign the package tracking number, but makes a call to a
tracking application that assigns the package tracking number and
updates the necessary package tracking databases accordingly.
[0056] In Step 540, the anywhere shipping application 460 makes a
call to a shipping label application 465 using the shipping
information provided in the delivery request 485 and has a shipping
label generated. The process of generating an electronic shipping
label is well known in the art. In general, the shipping
information that must be provided by the facilitator 430 to
generate any shipping label includes a minimum of an origination
address, a destination address and information about the size
and/or weight of the package to be shipped. Other information such
as the package tracking number, routing code and carrier service
level will also be provided to the label generation application by
the anywhere shipping application 460.
[0057] In this embodiment, the delivery request 485 from the
facilitator 430 specifies that the package is to be picked up from
the seller's address. Therefore, scheduling information such as a
date and time of pickup will also be captured and sent by the
facilitator 430 and will be included in the delivery request
485.
[0058] In Step 550, the shipping label application 465 generates an
electronic image of the shipping label from the information
provided by the anywhere shipping application 460 and transmits the
image back to the anywhere shipping application 460. In a preferred
embodiment, the electronic image of the shipping label is sent as a
proprietary flat file. However, it will be readily apparent to one
of ordinary skill in the art that an electronic image may be
formatted and transmitted in multiple graphical file formats known
in the art.
[0059] Because this embodiment is described in the context of a
sale of a good from a seller 420 to a buyer 410, the shipping label
generated by the shipping label application 465 uses the seller's
address as the origination shipping address and the buyer's address
as the destination shipping address.
[0060] In Step 560, the anywhere shipping application 460 transmits
the electronic image of the shipping label to the local carrier
facility 450, where the shipping label is printed.
[0061] In Step 570, the anywhere application 460 calculates the
shipping fee associated with shipping the package from the seller's
address to the buyer's address and bills the facilitator 430 for
the fee. In a preferred embodiment the facilitator 460 has an
account with the carrier that is automatically debited. In an
alternative embodiment, the carrier facilitator-shipping
application 460 generates an electronic invoice for the shipping
fee that is transmitted to the facilitator 430.
[0062] In Step 580, a carrier driver from the local carrier
facility 450 receives the printed shipping label and takes the
shipping label to the origination shipping address listed on the
label, which for purposes of this embodiment is the seller's
address. In a preferred embodiment, the shipping label also
includes a preferred date and/or time for the pickup. The driver
receives the package from the seller 420, affixes the shipping
label to the good and places the package in the carrier system for
delivery.
[0063] Finally, in Step 590 the carrier delivers the good to the
destination shipping address, which in this embodiment is the
location of the buyer 410.
[0064] In the context of the online sale from the seller 420 to the
buyer 410, the delivery of the package to the buyer, as verified by
the package tracking information, initiates an agreed-upon
inspection period. In this example, the release of the purchase
funds from the facilitator 430 to the seller 420 is contingent upon
the buyer's acceptance of the product. In one embodiment, the
purchase funds are released upon the buyer's express acceptance of
the product. Alternatively, the facilitator 430 automatically
releases the purchase funds to the seller 420 upon the expiration
of the inspection period absent a notice of rejection by the buyer
410.
[0065] If the buyer 410 notifies the facilitator 430 of an intent
to return the product to the seller 430, the facilitator 430 will
notify the seller 420 of the return and send another anywhere
delivery request 485 to the carrier. In such case, the operation
proceeds as described above except that the product will originate
with the buyer and the destination shipping address will be used as
the seller's address.
[0066] The anywhere shipping application 460 assigns a separate
tracking number for the return shipment and calls the shipping
label application 465 to generate a new shipping label. The
generated shipping label is sent to a printer of the carrier
facility responsible for pickups and deliveries to the buyer
address and a carrier driver takes the printed shipping label to
the buyer 410. There, the carrier affixes the shipping label to the
package and accepts the package for delivery to the seller 420.
[0067] The package tracking number assigned to the return shipment
identifies when the package is returned to the seller. And upon
confirmation of delivery to the seller 420, the facilitator 430
releases the purchase funds back to the buyer 410. In an
alternative embodiment, the facilitator 430 may require
confirmation from the seller 420 that the product was returned in
the condition in which it was sent. Multiple ways of allocating the
risk between a buyer and seller are well known in the art and are
intended to be encompassed by the present invention.
[0068] In a preferred embodiment, the facilitator 430 is billed for
the cost of shipping the product when a delivery request 485 is
processed. Any additional allocation of shipping costs and the
payment of the shipping costs from the purchase funds is left to
the discretion of the buyer, seller and facilitator. The present
invention encompasses any and every such allocation.
[0069] From the foregoing described embodiment, it will be readily
apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that the present
invention permits a third party to request shipping from a first
location and delivery to a second location with carrier pickup from
the first location and third-party billing.
[0070] The block diagram of FIG. 7 illustrates a second embodiment
of an anywhere to anywhere shipping system 400 in accordance with
the present invention. The second embodiment is described in the
context of a merchant 610, a buyer 410 and a supplier 620. In this
illustration of the present invention, the buyer 410 purchases a
good from a merchant 610. The merchant 610 does not have the good
in stock but is able to locate the good from a supplier 620.
Instead of waiting for the supplier 620 to ship the good to the
merchant 610 only to have it re-shipped to the buyer 410, the
merchant 610 requests that a carrier pickup the good from the
supplier 620 and "drop ship" it directly to the buyer 410.
[0071] In FIG. 7, the buyer 410, merchant 610 and supplier 620 are
connected via a network 480. However, electronic communication
between the parties is not essential to the present invention. In
alternative embodiments, a buyer 410 may purchase a good from a
merchant 610 by telephone or facsimile. Similarly, a customer
service representative employed by the merchant 610 might contact a
supplier 620 by phone to order the good purchased by the buyer 410.
In this embodiment the merchant 610 is also in electronic
communication with a carrier server 440 via the network 480. But
again it will be readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the
art that the present invention may be implemented using other forms
of communication.
[0072] An anywhere shipping application 460, a shipping label
application 465 and a carrier facility database 470 reside on and
are in electronic communication with the carrier server 440. In
alternative embodiments, however, the anywhere shipping application
465, shipping label application 465 or carrier facility database
470 may reside on another server or other electronic device. In
addition, a local carrier facility 450 is in communication with one
or more of the above-described applications and/or databases via
the network 480.
[0073] With reference to FIG. 8, the following paragraphs describe
the operation of a second embodiment of the anywhere to anywhere
shipping system 400. The process begins in Step 600 when a buyer
410 purchases a good from a merchant 610. In a preferred
embodiment, the purchase is made through a web site operated by the
merchant 610. In an alternative embodiment, however, the buyer 410
makes a purchase via a phone call to a customer service
representative employed by the merchant 610.
[0074] In Step 605, the merchant 610 identifies a supplier 620 that
has the good purchased by the buyer 410 in its inventory and
reserves the good for pickup. The reason that the merchant 610 does
not have the purchased good in its inventory is for the most part
irrelevant to the present invention. The merchant 610 may have sold
out of a good that it normally carries in its inventory, or the
merchant 610 may keep little or no physical inventory and rely on
suppliers to fulfill all such purchases.
[0075] In Step 610, the merchant sends an anywhere to anywhere
delivery request 485 to the carrier that includes the addresses of
the buyer 410 and supplier 620, as well as merchant-specific
information including a merchant account number and/or billing
address. In this example, the good is shipped from a first location
(the supplier address) to a second location (the buyer address) and
neither the first or second locations are the location if the
merchant 610. As described below, the merchant 610 assumes the
obligation of paying the fee to have the good shipped from the
supplier 620 to the buyer 410. In a preferred embodiment, a carrier
offers several billing options to its customers. Thus, depending n
the billing option chosen by the merchant 610, the carrier may send
a bill to the merchant address or debit a merchant account
identified in the delivery request 485.
[0076] In Step 615, the anywhere shipping application 460 queries
the carrier facility database 470 to identify the carrier facility
that has responsibility for delivery and pickup for the supplier
address (the local carrier facility 450). The local carrier
facility may be identified using the origination shipping address
or zip code or via other means known in the art.
[0077] In Step 620, the anywhere shipping application 460 assigns a
package tracking number to the transaction. The package tracking
number is included on the shipping label of the package and
provided to the merchant 610. As is known in the art, parties use
the package tracking number to track the shipment status as the
package moves through the carrier system. In the context of a sales
transaction, the package tracking number is used to identify when a
package is delivered to the buyer address. The date and time of
delivery as identified by the package tracking number can be used
to trigger the merchant billing system.
[0078] In one embodiment, the anywhere shipping application 460
assigns a package tracking number to the transaction. In an
alternative embodiment, the anywhere shipping application 460 does
not assign the package tracking number, but makes a call to a
tracking application that assigns the package tracking number and
updates the necessary package tracking databases accordingly.
[0079] In Step 625, the anywhere shipping application 460 makes a
call to a shipping label application 465 using the shipping
information provided in the delivery request 485 and has a shipping
label generated. The process of generating an electronic shipping
label is well known in the art. In general, the shipping
information that must be provided by the merchant 610 to generate
any shipping label includes a minimum of an origination address, a
destination address and information about the size and/or weight of
the package to be shipped. Other information such as the package
tracking number, routing code and carrier service level will also
be provided to the label generation application by the anywhere
shipping application 460.
[0080] In this embodiment, the delivery request 485 from the
merchant 610 specifies that the package is to be picked up from the
supplier address. Therefore, scheduling information such as a date
and time of pickup will also be captured and sent by the merchant
and included in the delivery request 485.
[0081] In Step 630, the shipping label application 465 generates an
electronic image of the shipping label from the information
provided by the anywhere shipping application 460 and transmits the
image back to the anywhere shipping application 460. In a preferred
embodiment, the electronic image of the shipping label is sent as a
proprietary flat file. However, it will be readily apparent to one
of ordinary skill in the art that an electronic image may be
formatted and transmitted in multiple graphical file formats known
in the art.
[0082] In this embodiment, the shipping label generated by the
shipping label application 465 uses the supplier's address as the
origination shipping address and the buyer's address as the
destination shipping address.
[0083] In Step 635, the anywhere shipping application 460 transmits
the electronic image of the shipping label to the local carrier
facility 450, where the shipping label is printed.
[0084] In Step 640, the anywhere application 460 calculates the
shipping fee associated with shipping the package from the
supplier's address to the buyer's address and bills the merchant
610 for the appropriate shipping charge. In a preferred embodiment
the merchant 610 has an account with the carrier that is
automatically debited. In an alternative embodiment, the anywhere
shipping application 460 generates an electronic invoice for the
shipping fee that is transmitted to the merchant 610.
[0085] In Step 645, a carrier driver from the local carrier
facility 450 receives the printed shipping label and takes the
shipping label to the origination shipping address listed on the
label, which for purposes of this embodiment is the supplier's
address. In a preferred embodiment, the shipping label also
includes a preferred date and/or time for the pickup. The driver
receives the package from the supplier 620, affixes the shipping
label to the good and places the package in the carrier system for
delivery.
[0086] Finally, in Step 650 the carrier delivers the good to the
destination shipping address, which in this embodiment is the
location of the buyer 410.
[0087] The package tracking number assigned to the good shipment
provides independent confirmation that the good is delivered to the
buyer 410. Therefore, upon confirmation of delivery, the merchant
610 bills the buyer 410 for the purchase price of the good.
Alternatively, the merchant 610 may elect to bill the buyer 410
when the buyer places the order, or alternatively when the carrier
drivers accepts the good from the supplier 620. Multiple ways of
allocating the risk between a merchant, supplier and buyer are
known in the art and are intended to be encompassed by the present
invention.
[0088] As indicated by the foregoing, it will be readily apparent
to one of ordinary skill in the art that the present invention
permits a third-party to request shipping from a first location and
delivery to a second location with carrier pickup from the first
location and third-party billing.
[0089] FIG. 9 is a process flow diagram that illustrates a return
transaction in accordance with an embodiment of the present
invention. The process described is again in the context of a sales
transaction between a buyer 410, merchant 610 and seller 620.
[0090] In Step 700, a supplier 620 supplies a good to a merchant
610. In Step 705, a buyer 410 purchases the good from the merchant
610 and the merchant 610 ships the good to the buyer 410. The buyer
410 receives the good in Step 710 but elects not to keep the good
and contacts the merchant 610 to initiate a return.
[0091] In this example, the merchant 610 wants the good mailed back
to the supplier 620 rather than to the merchant 610. The reason for
this may be, for example, because the good is defective and the
supplier 620 bears the risk of loss, or alternatively, the merchant
610 may exist only as an online presence and may not have a
physical location equipped to receive returned goods.
[0092] In Step 715, the merchant 610 sends an electronic request
for anywhere to anywhere delivery 485 to the carrier server 440 and
the request is received by the anywhere shipping application 460.
The anywhere delivery request 485 of this embodiment includes the
buyer's address as the origination shipping address and the
supplier's address as the destination shipping address. In Step
720, the anywhere shipping application 460 queries the carrier
facility database 470 and determines which carrier facility is
responsible for delivery and pickup for that buyer address (the
local carrier facility 450).
[0093] In Step 725, the anywhere shipping application 460 assigns a
package tracking number to the return transaction. The package
tracking number is included on the shipping label of the package
and provided to the merchant 610. As is known in the art, the
parties use the package tracking number to track the shipment
status as the package moves through the carrier system. In the
context of a return, the package tracking number will identify when
the package is picked up from the buyer 410 and may be used to
shift the risk of loss to the merchant 610 and/or suppler 620. In
addition, the package tracking number will identify when the
package arrives as the supplier address and may be used to trigger
the merchant 610 to credit a buyer account.
[0094] In one embodiment, the anywhere shipping application 460
assigns a package tracking number to the transaction. In an
alternative embodiment, the anywhere shipping application 460 does
not assign the package tracking number, but makes a call to a
tracking application that assigns the package tracking number and
updates the necessary package tracking databases accordingly.
[0095] In Step 730, the anywhere shipping application 460 makes a
call to a shipping label application 465 using the shipping
information provided in the delivery request 485 and has a shipping
label generated. The process of generating an electronic shipping
label is well known in the art. In general, the shipping
information that must be provided by the merchant 610 to generate
any shipping label includes a minimum of an origination address, a
destination address and information about the size and/or weight of
the package to be shipped. Other information such as the package
tracking number, routing code and carrier service level will also
be provided to the label generation application by the anywhere
shipping application 460.
[0096] In this embodiment, the delivery request 485 from the
merchant 610 specifies that the package is to be picked up from the
buyer address. Therefore, scheduling information such as a date and
time of pickup will also be captured and sent by the merchant and
included in the delivery request 485.
[0097] In Step 735, the shipping label application 465 generates an
electronic image of the shipping label from the information
provided by the anywhere shipping application 460 and transmits the
image back to the anywhere shipping application 460. In a preferred
embodiment, the electronic image of the shipping label is sent as a
proprietary flat file. However, it will be readily apparent to one
of ordinary skill in the art that an electronic image may be
formatted and transmitted in multiple graphical file formats known
in the art.
[0098] In this embodiment, the shipping label generated by the
shipping label application 465 uses the buyer's address as the
origination shipping address and the supplier's address as the
destination shipping address.
[0099] In Step 740, the anywhere shipping application 460 transmits
the electronic image of the shipping label to the local carrier
facility 450, where the shipping label is printed.
[0100] In Step 745, the anywhere application 460 calculates the
shipping fee associated with shipping the package from the buyer's
address to the supplier's address and bills the merchant 610 for
the appropriate shipping charge. In a preferred embodiment the
merchant 610 has an account with the carrier that is automatically
debited. In an alternative embodiment, the anywhere shipping
application 460 generates an electronic invoice for the shipping
fee that is transmitted to the merchant 610.
[0101] In Step 750, a carrier driver from the local carrier
facility 450 receives the printed shipping label and takes the
shipping label to the origination shipping address listed on the
label, which for purposes of this embodiment is the buyer's
address. In a preferred embodiment, the shipping label also
includes a preferred date and/or time for the pickup. The driver
receives the package from the supplier 620, affixes the shipping
label to the good and places the package in the carrier system for
delivery.
[0102] Finally, in Step 755 the carrier delivers the good to the
destination shipping address, which in this embodiment is the
location of the supplier 410.
[0103] The package tracking number assigned to the good shipment
provides independent confirmation that the good has been picked up
from the buyer 410 and delivered to the supplier 620. Therefore, in
a preferred embodiment, upon confirmation of package pickup, the
merchant 610 credits the buyer 410 for the purchase price of the
good. Alternatively, the merchant 610 may delay crediting the buyer
account until the good is delivered to the seller 620. Multiple
ways of allocating the risk between a merchant 610, supplier 620
and buyer 410 are known in the art and are intended to be
encompassed by the present invention.
[0104] As indicated by the foregoing, it will be readily apparent
to one of ordinary skill in the art that the present invention
permits a third-party to request shipping from a first location and
delivery to a second location with carrier pickup from the first
location and third-party billing.
[0105] In each of the foregoing described embodiments, the anywhere
to anywhere shipping system 400 of the present invention is
described as a stand alone system for anywhere to anywhere delivery
with carrier pick up and third-party billing. In contrast, the
following paragraphs describe the modification of an existing
call-tag system to create an anywhere to anywhere delivery system
400.
[0106] Another embodiment of an anywhere to anywhere system 400 is
the result of a modification of a call-tag system 100 to include
the functionality of third-party billing and anywhere to anywhere
delivery. To illustrate, assume a call-tag system 100 that is known
in the art is already established to accommodate the return of a
good from a buyer 410 to a merchant 610. In this system, to
initiate a call-tag return, the merchant 610 sends a call-tag
request 265 to a carrier. The call-tag request 265 is an electronic
file that includes, among other things, the buyer address and a
merchant identifier.
[0107] Upon receipt of the call-tag request 265, a call-tag
application 260 that resides on a carrier server queries a merchant
database 240 using the merchant identifier to obtain, among other
things, a return shipping address and billing account number for
the merchant 610. In this example, the call-tag application 260 is
configured to use the return shipping address as the destination
address in a shipping label that will be generated for the return
transaction. Further, the call-tag application 260 is configured to
bill the shipping cost for the return using the merchant billing
information.
[0108] Another embodiment of the anywhere to anywhere system 400 of
the present invention is to modify an existing call-tag system 400
to provide for anywhere to anywhere shipping and third party
delivery. In a preferred embodiment, a unique merchant identifier
is assigned to a merchant 610 that requests anywhere to anywhere
functionality. The anywhere merchant identifier 490 may replace or
be in addition to the merchant identifier that is traditionally
included in a call-tag request 265.
[0109] In a traditional call-tag system 100, the call-tag
application 260 uses the merchant identifier to query a database
and obtain the merchant address. This merchant address is, in turn,
used as the destination address of a shipping label. In the
modified call-tag system, when the call-tag application 260
receives a call-tag request 265 with an anywhere to anywhere
merchant identifier 290, the merchant address is not used as the
destination address of the shipping label. Instead, the call-tag
request 265 obtains a unique destination address from a
predetermined location within the call-tag request 265 and uses
that address as the destination address of the shipping label.
[0110] In this way, an anywhere to anywhere shipping system 400
according to one embodiment of the present invention is obtained by
modifying an existing call-tag system 100.
[0111] In an alternative embodiment, a call-tag system 100 can be
modified without the use of an anywhere merchant identifier 490. In
this embodiment, the call-tag application 260 is configured to
check an anywhere destination address field 295 within the call-tag
request record for an address. If the field is blank or returns a
null value, the call-tag application 260 processes the request as a
normal call-tag request 265. But if the anywhere destination
address field 295 contains data, the call-tag application 260 is
configured to use that data is used as the destination address of
the shipping label. Additional modifications to these systems are
possible and are intended to be encompassed by the present
invention.
[0112] It will be readily apparent that the carrier
facility-shipping application 460 disclosed herein can be embodied
in any computer-readable medium for use by or in connection with an
instruction execution system, apparatus, or device, such as a
computer-based system, processor-containing system, or other system
that can fetch the instructions from the instruction execution
system, apparatus, or device and execute the instructions. In the
context of this document, a "computer-readable medium" can be any
means that can contain, store, communicate, propagate, or transport
the program for use by or in connection with the instruction
execution system, apparatus, or device. The computer readable
medium can be, for example but not limited to, an electronic,
magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor
system, apparatus, device, or propagation medium. More specific
examples (a non-exhaustive list) of the computer-readable medium
would include the following: an electrical connection (electronic)
having one or more wires, a portable computer diskette (magnetic),
a random access memory (RAM) (magnetic), a read-only memory (ROM)
(magnetic), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or
Flash memory) (magnetic), an optical fiber (optical), and a
portable compact disc read-only memory (CDROM) (optical). Note that
the computer-readable medium could even be paper or another
suitable medium upon which the program is printed, as the program
can be electronically captured, via for instance optical scanning
of the paper or other medium, then compiled, interpreted or
otherwise processed in a suitable manner if necessary, and then
stored in a computer memory.
[0113] Further, any process descriptions or blocks in flow charts
should be understood as representing modules, segments, or portions
of code which include one or more executable instructions for
implementing specific logical functions or steps in the process,
and alternate implementations are included within the scope of the
preferred embodiment of the present invention in which functions
may be executed out of order from that shown or discussed,
including substantially concurrently or in reverse order, depending
on the functionality involved, as would be understood by those
reasonably skilled in the art of the present invention.
[0114] It should be emphasized that the above-described embodiments
of the present invention, particularly any "preferred embodiments"
are merely possible examples of the implementations, merely set
forth for a clear understanding of the principles of the invention.
Any variations and modifications may be made to the above-described
embodiments of the invention without departing substantially from
the spirit of the principles of the invention. All such
modifications and variations are intended to be included herein
within the scope of the disclosure and present invention and
protected by the following claims.
* * * * *