# US 2014/0207702 A1 · Computer system for routng package deliveries > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2014/0207702 A1 - Document ID: US20140207702A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 14/200,099 - Filed: 2014-03-07 - Published: 2014-07-24 - Earliest claimed: 2003-04-22 - Assignees: United Parcel Service of America, Inc. - Applicants: United Parcel Service of America, Inc. - Inventors: NAGESH KADABA - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140207702A1 ## CPC - G06Q 10/0835: Relationships between shipper or supplier and carriers - B07C 3/00: Sorting according to destination {(collating the pages of a book B42C1/00)} - G06Q 10/06316: {Sequencing of tasks or work} - G06Q 10/0637: Strategic management or analysis, e.g. setting a goal or target of an organisation; Planning actions based on goals; Analysis or evaluation of effectiveness of goals - G06Q 10/08: Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management - G06Q 10/083: Shipping - G06Q 10/0833: Tracking - G06Q 10/08355: {Routing methods} - G06Q 10/0838: {Historical data} - G06Q 30/04: Billing or invoicing - G06Q: INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR - B07C: POSTAL SORTING; SORTING INDIVIDUAL ARTICLES, OR BULK MATERIAL FIT TO BE SORTED PIECE-MEAL, e.g. BY PICKING (specially adapted for a specific purpose covered by another class, see the relevant place, e.g. A43D33/06, B23Q7/12) ## Abstract A shipping system for shipping packages involving the coordinated use of at least a first carrier and a second carrier. The shipping system includes physical delivery facilities for the physical delivery of packages, the physical delivery facilities including at least one transfer location at which the second carrier may take over delivery responsibilities for a package. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for tracking a parcel being transported by multiple carriers, the method comprising: receiving, via a second carrier computing system, a notification from a first carrier computing system that a parcel has been delivered by a first carrier to a transfer location for transfer of the parcel to a second carrier, wherein: (a) delivery of the parcel to a recipient is to be completed by the second carrier in response to determining that the parcel is designated for a delivery destination in a specific area, (b) the notification is generated by the first carrier computing system after at least a portion of a multi-carrier shipping label affixed to the exterior of the parcel is electronically read by the first carrier, (c) the multi-carrier shipping label comprises readable indicia of a first carrier-specific tracking number, associated with the first carrier, that is to be used by the first carrier in transporting the parcel through the first carrier's transportation and delivery network, (d) the multi-carrier shipping label comprises readable indicia of a second carrier-specific tracking number, associated with the second carrier, that is to be used by the second carrier in transporting the parcel through the second carrier's transportation and delivery network, the second carrier-specific tracking number differing from said first carrier-specific tracking number, and (e) the first carrier-specific tracking number is stored, in a tracking database of the second carrier computing system, in association with the second carrier-specific tracking number so as to generate consolidated tracking information associated with the parcel; and updating, via the second carrier computing system, said consolidated tracking information associated with the parcel, stored in the tracking database of the second carrier computing system, to reflect the parcel's presence at the transfer location, said updated consolidated tracking information being independently accessible via each of said first and said second carrier-specific tracking numbers. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 further comprising, after the second carrier transports the parcel to an intermediate location within the second carrier's transportation and delivery network, updating, via the second carrier computing system, the consolidated tracking information associated with the parcel to reflect the parcel's presence at the intermediate location. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2 further comprising, after the second carrier transports the parcel to the recipient's location within the second carrier's transportation and delivery network: electronically reading at least a portion of the multi-carrier shipping label; and updating, via the second carrier computing system, the consolidated tracking information associated with the parcel to reflect the parcel's presence at the recipient's location. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The method of claim 3 further comprising, after the second carrier transports the parcel to the recipient's location within the second carrier's transportation and delivery network, transmitting, to the first carrier computing system, the consolidated tracking information reflecting the parcel's presence at the recipient's location. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the indicia of the first carrier-specific tracking number associated with the first carrier and indicia of the second carrier-specific tracking number associated with the second carrier are selected from the group consisting of a barcode and a Maxicode. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 further comprising transmitting the consolidated tracking information, via the second carrier computing system, to the recipient of the parcel. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 further comprising pushing the consolidated tracking information from the second carrier computing system to the first carrier computing system. ### Claim 8 A non-transitory computer program product for tracking a parcel being transported by multiple carriers, the computer program product comprising at least one computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable program code portions stored therein, the computer-readable program code portions comprising: an executable portion configured to receive a notification from a first carrier computing system that a parcel has been delivered by a first carrier to a transfer location for transfer of the parcel to a second carrier, wherein: (a) delivery of the parcel to a recipient is to be completed by the second carrier in response to determining that the parcel is designated for a delivery destination in a specific area, (b) the notification is generated by the first carrier computing system after at least a portion of a multi-carrier shipping label affixed to the exterior of the parcel is electronically read by the first carrier, (c) the multi-carrier shipping label comprises readable indicia of a first carrier-specific tracking number, associated with the first carrier, that is to be used by the first carrier in transporting the parcel through the first carrier's transportation and delivery network, (d) the multi-carrier shipping label comprises readable indicia of a second carrier-specific tracking number, associated with the second carrier, that is to be used by the second carrier in transporting the parcel through the second carrier's transportation and delivery network, the second carrier-specific tracking number differing from said first carrier-specific tracking number, and (e) the first carrier-specific tracking number is stored, in a tracking database of the second carrier, in association with the second carrier-specific tracking number so as to generate consolidated tracking information associated with the parcel; and an executable portion configured to update said consolidated tracking information associated with the parcel, stored in the tracking database of the second carrier, to reflect the parcel's presence at the transfer location, said updated consolidated tracking information being independently accessible via each of said first and said second carrier-specific tracking numbers. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The non-transitory computer program product of claim 8 further comprising an executable portion configured to, after the second carrier transports the parcel to an intermediate location within the second carrier's transportation and delivery network, update the consolidated tracking information associated with the parcel to reflect the parcel's presence at the intermediate location. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The non-transitory computer program product of claim 9 further comprising an executable portion configured to, after the second carrier transports the parcel to the recipient's location within the second carrier's transportation and delivery network, update the consolidated tracking information associated with the parcel to reflect the parcel's presence at the recipient's location. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The non-transitory computer program product of claim 10 further comprising an executable portion configured to transmit, to the first carrier computing system, the consolidated tracking information reflecting the parcel's presence at the recipient's location. ### Claim 12 (depends on 8) The non-transitory computer program product of claim 8, wherein the indicia of the first carrier-specific tracking number associated with the first carrier and indicia of the second carrier-specific tracking number associated with the second carrier are selected from the group consisting of a barcode and a Maxicode. ### Claim 13 (depends on 8) The non-transitory computer program product of claim 8 further comprising an executable portion configured to provide the consolidated tracking information to the recipient of the parcel. ### Claim 14 (depends on 8) The non-transitory computer program product of claim 8 further comprising an executable portion configured to push the consolidated tracking information to the first carrier computing system. ### Claim 15 An apparatus comprising at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus to at least: receive a notification from a first carrier computing system that a parcel has been delivered by a first carrier to a transfer location for transfer of the parcel to a second carrier, wherein: (a) delivery of the parcel to a recipient is to be completed by the second carrier in response to determining that the parcel is designated for a delivery destination in a specific area, (b) the notification is generated by the first carrier computing system after at least a portion of a multi-carrier shipping label affixed to the exterior of the parcel is electronically read by the first carrier, (c) the multi-carrier shipping label comprises readable indicia of a first carrier-specific tracking number, associated with the first carrier, that is to be used by the first carrier in transporting the parcel through the first carrier's transportation and delivery network, (d) the multi-carrier shipping label comprises readable indicia of a second carrier-specific tracking number, associated with the second carrier, that is to be used by the second carrier in transporting the parcel through the second carrier's transportation and delivery network, the second carrier-specific tracking number differing from said first carrier-specific tracking number, and (e) the first carrier-specific tracking number is stored, in a tracking database of the second carrier, in association with the second carrier-specific tracking number so as to generate consolidated tracking information associated with the parcel; and update said consolidated tracking information associated with the parcel, stored in the tracking database of the second carrier, to reflect the parcel's presence at the transfer location, said updated consolidated tracking information being independently accessible via each of said first and said second carrier-specific tracking numbers. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the memory and computer program code are further configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus to, after the second carrier transports the parcel to an intermediate location within the second carrier's transportation and delivery network, update the consolidated tracking information associated with the parcel to reflect the parcel's presence at the intermediate location. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the memory and computer program code are further configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus to, after the second carrier transports the parcel to the recipient's location within the second carrier's transportation and delivery network, update the consolidated tracking information associated with the parcel to reflect the parcel's presence at the recipient's location. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the memory and computer program code are further configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus to transmit, to the first carrier computing system, the consolidated tracking information reflecting the parcel's presence at the recipient's location. ### Claim 19 (depends on 15) The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the indicia of the first carrier-specific tracking number associated with the first carrier and indicia of the second carrier-specific tracking number associated with the second carrier are selected from the group consisting of a barcode and a Maxicode. ### Claim 20 (depends on 15) The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the memory and computer program code are further configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus to provide the consolidated tracking information to the recipient of the parcel. ### Claim 21 (depends on 15) The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the memory and computer program code are further configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus to push the consolidated tracking information to the first carrier computing system. ### Claim 22 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: determining that the delivery destination is in the specific area in response to determining that the delivery to the delivery destination is not cost-effective for the first carrier based in part on a lack of facilities in the specific area. ### Claim 23 (depends on 8) The non-transitory computer program product of claim 8, further comprising: an executable portion configured to determine that the delivery destination is in the specific area in response to determining that the delivery to the delivery destination is not cost-effective for the first carrier based in part on a lack of facilities in the specific area. ### Claim 24 (depends on 15) The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the memory and computer program code are further configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus to: determine that the delivery destination is in the specific area in response to determining that the delivery to the delivery destination is not cost-effective for the first carrier based in part on a lack of facilities in the specific area.