US 7,680,674 B2Granted

System and method for providing a price quotation for a transportation service having promotional event notification capabilities

AssigneeCanadian National Railway Company

InventorsLeonard John Podgurny, Anita Ernesaks

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Abstract

A method and system for providing a price quotation information for shipping goods by rail. A computer delivers first information to a user prompting the user to enter at the computer a parameter, the parameter specifying a given characteristic of a transportation service. In response to an entry by the user, a database of promotional events, including a plurality of entries mapping one or more discount eligibility criteria to a promotional event, is processed to identify an entry associated to a certain discount data element and to a certain promotional event. The certain discount eligibility criterion in the identified entry is such that it would be satisfied if the parameter provided by the user was altered. The computer then delivers second information to the user indicative of the certain promotional event.

Claims16

Dependent claims

A method allowing a railway transportation company to take an order from a customer for shipping a commodity, the method comprising:

a. receiving at a network server that communicates with a customer's computer over a data network information on shipping parameters, the information on shipping parameters conveying a type of commodity to be shipped and a type of railcar to use for shipping the commodity;
b. performing a search on a network server to determine if the shipping parameters match a promotional event in a promotional event database that entitles the customer to a promotion selected in the group consisting of a discount and an awarding of merchandise;
c. when the search performed matches with a promotional event, the network server sending information to the customer's computer to advise the customer that the promotion applies to the shipping of the commodity;
d. when the search performed does not match with a promotional event:
i. the network server identifying a change in at least one of the type of commodity to be shipped and the type of railcar to use for shipping the commodity conveyed by the information on shipping parameters received from the customer's computer, the identified change being effected would create a match with a promotional event in the promotional events database;
ii. the network server sending information to the customer's computer to advise the customer that a promotion would apply to the shipping of the commodity if the identified change was accepted by the customer;
and
iii. the network server being responsive to reception of information originating from the customer's computer indicating that the customer accepts the identified change such that the shipping of—the commodity according to the shipping parameters including the identified change can be performed.

5 more elements

A computer readable storage medium storing a program element for execution by a processor, said program element implementing a graphical user interface on a customer computer to allow a customer to order from a railway transportation company the shipping of a commodity, the graphical user interface being configured for:

a. displaying on the customer computer information input components allowing the customer to input a set of shipping parameters, said set of shipping parameters including a type of commodity to be shipped and a type of railcar for use in shipping the commodity;
b. transmitting to a network server information conveying the set of shipping parameters input by the customer;
c. receiving information from the network server conveying a suggested change to at least one of the type of commodity to be shipped and the type of railcar to use for shipping the commodity, the suggested change being derived at least in part based on a search performed on the network server to determine if the set of shipping parameters input by the customer match a promotional event in a promotional event database;
d. displaying on the customer computer information display components to display the suggested change to at least one of the type of commodity to be shipped and the type of railcar to use for shipping the commodity, whereby the suggested change if accepted would entitle the customer to a promotion selected in the group consisting of discount and award of merchandise;
e. displaying on the customer computer a control component operable by the customer and presenting the customer with an option to order from the railway transportation company a transportation service for shipping the commodity according to the shipping parameters including the suggested change.

2 more elements

A method for ordering from a railway transportation company a shipping service for shipping a commodity by rail, the method including:

a. using a customer computer to establish a communication with a network server associated with the railway transportation company, the communication being established over a data network;
b. using the customer computer to receive data originating from the network server, the customer computer being responsive to the data for causing a web browser running on the customer computer to display a transportation order web page associated with the railway transportation company;
c. enabling a user at the customer computer to input via the web browser, shipping parameters for a transportation service, the shipping parameters including a type of railcar for use in the shipping;
d. causing the customer computer to transmit the shipping parameters to the network server via the data network;
e. receiving at a communication interface associated with the customer computer promotional event information originating from the network server, the promotional event information being derived at least in part based on a search performed on the network server to determine if the shipping parameters match a promotional event in a promotional event database, the customer computer being responsive to reception of the promotional event information for causing the web browser to display information related to the promotional event information indicating that the transportation service would be entitled to a promotion if the shipping parameters were changed to use a railcar type different from the railcar type input in c., wherein the promotion includes either one of a discount and an award of merchandise;
f. enabling a user at the customer computer to input via the web browser order placement information to place the order for shipping the commodity according to the changed shipping parameters.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 10/355,210Filed 31 Jan 2003 · continuation in part
Priority: 1 Feb 2002
Published: US 2004/0176997 A19 Sep 2004
Granted: 16 Mar 2010
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification4 codes

G06Q 10/08
Administration; Management: logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
G06Q 30/0239
Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates: online discounts or incentives
G06Q 30/06
Commerce: buying, selling or leasing transactions
G06Q
Information and communication technology [ict] specially adapted for administrative, commercial, financial, managerial

Family

Application10/060,405Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 1 Feb 2002
Application60/436,637Us provisional application · filed 30 Dec 2002
US 2004/0176997 A1Pre-grant publication · published 9 Sep 2004
US 2003/0163332 A1Published application
US 7,680,674 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.