Shipment preparation using network resource identifiers in packing lists

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon that, upon execution by a shipment preparation computing system, causes the shipment preparation computing system to facilitate preparation of a shipment of an order by performing a method comprising:

• under control of the shipment preparation computing system,
• receiving shipment preparation information from a machine-readable data block in a packing list, the shipment preparation information including a network resource identifier that identifies a remote code module that is remote and separate from the shipment preparation computing system;
• communicating, using the network resource identifier from the received shipment preparation information from the machine-readable data block, with the remote code module to obtain information for the preparation of the shipment of the order;
• communicating, using the network resource identifier from the received shipment preparation information from the machine-readable data block, with the remote code module to cause the remote code module to persistently store in a data repository status information about the preparation of the shipment of the order;
• and
• initiating the shipment of the order based on the shipment preparation information received from the machine-readable data block in the packing list;
• wherein the shipment preparation information from the machine-readable data block in the packing list is structured according to a shipping protocol that defines a syntax for shipment preparation information and corresponding item shipment actions taken by a computing system that complies with the shipping protocol, wherein the shipment preparation information includes one or more property names that specify one or more item shipment actions and that are expressed according to the defined syntax for shipment preparation information defined by the shipping protocol, and wherein the method further comprises:
• performing the specified one or more item shipment actions expressed according to the defined syntax for shipment preparation information defined by the shipping protocol;
• and
• wherein the specified item shipment actions include an instruction to obtain from the remote code module a destination shipping address, an instruction to replace a field in shipment information with a data item associated with the shipment of the order, and an instruction to transmit to the remote code module the status information about the preparation of the shipment of the order.

A shipment preparation computing system comprising:

• a processor;
• and
• a memory, communicatively coupled to the processor;
• wherein the shipment preparation computing system is configured to perform a method comprising:
• receiving shipment preparation information from a machine-readable data block in a packing list read by a scanning device, the shipment preparation information including a network resource identifier that identifies a remote code module that is remote and separate from the shipment preparation computing system;
• communicating, using the network resource identifier from the received shipment preparation information from the machine-readable data block, with the remote code module to obtain information for preparation of a shipment of an order;
• communicating, using the network resource identifier from the received shipment preparation information from the machine-readable data block, to cause the remote code module to persistently store in a data repository status information about the preparation of the shipment of the order;
• and
• initiating the shipment of the order based on the shipment preparation information received from the machine-readable data block in the packing list;
• wherein the received shipment preparation information from the machine-readable data block in the packing list includes a uniform resource identifier that identifies shipment information and post-back information, and wherein the method further comprises:
• posting information about the preparation of the shipment of the order to the remote code module, based at least in part on the post-back information.