Intelligent authorized return systems and methods

#The present invention relates to the field of reverse logistics. Specifically, the present invention is a system and method to provide shipping labels to field service technicians for use in returning service parts.

#The trend in the manufacture of high tech equipment is towards the assembly of modular components from multiple, external suppliers. As a result of this trend, field service technicians, those individuals charged with post-sale servicing and repairing of these products, generally focus more on diagnosis-and-replacement rather than diagnosis-and-repair. In fact, if a problem originates in a modular component that was sourced from a third-party supplier, the component may not be amenable to on-site repair by either the manufacturer or its repair staff.

#Much of the efficiency of the modern-day field service technician thus depends on having the correct replacement part on hand when a problem arises. Any economies and efficiencies in post-sale servicing are either compromised or lost if a technician has to make multiple trips to a site to make a repair. Thus, it is generally more efficient for a field service technician to take extra service parts to a repair site than to have the technician make a first trip to diagnose the problem and a second trip to bring the parts to fix it.

#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:

#FIG. 1 is a process flow diagram of a service call as is known in the art.

#FIG. 2 is a high-level block diagram of a service parts return system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

#The present invention discloses systems and methods for the provision of shipping labels for use in returning parts distributed to field service technicians. A system is disclosed that processes a service parts order request against one or more rules and generates return shipping labels that are printed and enclosed in packages with service parts. Field service technicians use the appropriate return shipping label to identify the status of the service part and insure the timely return of both used and unused service parts to a facility equipped to handle them.

#In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, a method of providing service parts to a field technician is described that includes the steps of receiving an order to ship a part to a field technician, the order including a part identifier associated with the part; querying a parts database with the part identifier to identify a warehouse that the said part in stock; processing the order against a rules engine to associate an outbound shipping label and one or more return shipping labels to the order, and to generate shipping label data for the outbound shipping label and for the one or more return shipping labels; printing the outbound shipping label and the one or more return shipping labels at the warehouse; enclosing the one or more return shipping labels in a package with the part; affixing the outbound shipping label to the package; and shipping the package to the field technician.

#In another related embodiment, the method is described wherein the step of querying a parts database to identify a warehouse includes querying a parts database to determine whether the part is available and, if available, where the part is located. In another embodiment, the step of querying a parts database to identify a warehouse includes the steps of identifying a warehouse that has the part in stock; setting a flag in the parts database to reserve the part; and contacting the warehouse to have the part picked for shipment. In still another embodiment, the step of querying a parts database to identify a warehouse includes querying a parts database to determine whether the part is available and, if not available, backordering the part. In yet another disclosed embodiment, the step of processing the order against a rules engine includes the steps of converting the order into an order array for submission to an enterprise Java bean via an enterprise Java bean client; receiving the order array into the enterprise Java bean; creating a Java order object suitable for processing by the rules engine; and passing the order object to the rules engine.