Patent Application
20160381025
The subject matter described herein relates to authentication and authorization of logistics network services.
Logistics networks, which can also be referred to as supply chains, delivery networks, or the like, are generally designed to handle service peaks by distributing required workloads through the members of a network of logistics providers (e.g. transportation or storage services, raw materials sources, or the like). Various aspects of “just in time” production as well as recent increases in Internet commerce have resulted in increasing demand for transportation and delivery of packages, parcels, and other shipments requiring transportation resources of a logistics network. In some cases, transportation providers can more efficiently handle peak demand by outsourcing certain transportation runs. However, outsourcing of such tasks can be complicated by requirements for establishing trust between different participants in a logistics network (e.g. for business to business interactions) and between participants and customers (e.g. for business to customer interactions).
In one aspect, a method includes providing an electronic authentication token from a server implemented on one or more computing machines to a first mobile device of an external logistics provider operator. The electronic authentication token authorizes the external logistics provider operator for a transport assignment. When a request for verification is received from an other transport participant in the transport assignment, the sever verifies that the external logistics provider operator is registered and authenticated for the transport assignment. The request for verification can include receipt at the server from a second mobile device of the other transport participant of the electronic authentication token that has been exchanged from the first mobile device to the second mobile device. The server then provides a notification, via a confirmation message to the second mobile device, that the external logistics provider operator is authenticated for the transport assignment.
In some variations one or more of the following features can optionally be included in any feasible combination. The method can further include receiving a registration request for the external logistics provider operator at the server (e.g. form the first mobile device) and authenticating the external logistics provider operator at the server. The electronic authentication token can include one or more of a quick response code, a bar code, and a near field communications code. The request for verification can be received from the other transport participant in the transport assignment after the second mobile device captures the electronic authentication token displayed on the first mobile device. The electronic authorization token can be logically linked to the transport assignment and only valid for a duration of the transport assignment. The method can further include providing a second electronic authentication token from the server to the first mobile device of the external logistics provider operator. The second electronic authentication token authorizes the external logistics provider operator for a second transport assignment.
Implementations of the current subject matter can include, but are not limited to, methods consistent with the descriptions provided herein as well as articles that comprise a tangibly embodied machine-readable medium operable to cause one or more machines (e.g., computers, etc.) to result in operations implementing one or more of the described features. Similarly, computer systems are also described that may include one or more processors and one or more memories coupled to the one or more processors. A memory, which can include a non-transitory computer-readable or machine-readable storage medium, may include, encode, store, or the like one or more programs that cause one or more processors to perform one or more of the operations described herein. Computer implemented methods consistent with one or more implementations of the current subject matter can be implemented by one or more data processors residing in a single computing system or multiple computing systems. Such multiple computing systems can be connected and can exchange data and/or commands or other instructions or the like via one or more connections, including but not limited to a connection over a network (e.g. the Internet, a wireless wide area network, a local area network, a wide area network, a wired network, or the like), via a direct connection between one or more of the multiple computing systems, etc.
The details of one or more variations of the subject matter described herein are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features and advantages of the subject matter described herein will be apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims. The claims that follow this disclosure are intended to define the scope of the protected subject matter.
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, show certain aspects of the subject matter disclosed herein and, together with the description, help explain some of the principles associated with the disclosed implementations. In the drawings,
When practical, similar reference numbers denote similar structures, features, or elements.
It can be necessary to quickly expand a logistics network in certain situations (for example due to equipment failure, unexpected transportation demands, etc.) and to do so by outsourcing at least some of the logistics workload to external logistics providers. These external logistics providers may also be requested to handle business to business (B2B) parcel exchanges, which need to be handled by trusted entities. Establishing trust towards external logistics providers is extremely important and is of a key value for all business customers, as parcels can be of high value, can contain confidential content, and can require handling with professional care. The term “parcel” is used herein to refer to any kind of physical cargo that might be handled by a logistics network, including but not limited to documents, materials, products, cargo, or the like.
The term “external” in this context refers to a logistics provider who is not part of a formal logistics organization (e.g. a transportation company, an alliance of affiliated transportation companies, etc.) and who wishes to take on a transport assignment on an ad-hoc basis. For example, an external logistics provider (ELP) can be an owner and/or an operator (e.g. driver) of one or more vehicles, which can be a truck, a car, a van, some other land vehicle, a boat, a ship, some other waterborne vehicle, an airplane, a helicopter, some other flying vehicle, or the like. A transport assignment includes transportation of one or more parcels from one point (a pick-up location) to another point (a drop-off location). The pick-up location can be a warehouse, production center, a distribution center, a customer location, or the like, or can be a location of another vehicle that needs to transfer one or more parcels to the ELP vehicle (e.g. due to a mechanical, electrical, or other problem; a regulation, illness, or other factor preventing an operator of the other operator from continuing transportation of the one or more parcels; a change in mode of transport such as land to air, truck to rail, land to water, etc.; or the like) to continue an existing transport assignment. The drop-off location can be a customer delivery location, a shipping or distribution center, or the like, or can be a location of another vehicle to which the one or more parcels are to be transferred for further transportation. Because the external logistics provider handles one or more transportation aspects relating to one or more parcels while not being part of the formal logistics organization, the external logistics provider requires some additional authentication, potentially at both pick-up and drop-off of the one or more parcels that are included in the transport assignment.
In comparison to the existing members of a formal logistics organization, which typically have long time trustful customer relationships, external logistics providers do not have this trust per se. Improved approaches are needed to establish the trust between business customers and these external logistics providers, for example to support an ELP in authenticating and authorizing himself or herself in an end-to-end fashion from the pick-up to the drop-off of every delivery with as little manual effort as possible. In addition, the time from the first contact between the trusted logistics network and the external logistics provider until initiation of a transport assignment is desirably reduced to the smallest amount possible (i.e. ad-hoc).
Currently available approaches generally do not satisfy these criteria.
Implementations of the current subject matter can provide a mobile solution for external logistics providers that eases the on-boarding process (initially entering the network) as well as identification at a customer or other transport participant site (e.g. a pick-up and/or drop-off location for transported cargo). Certain advantages can be realized through use of various implementations, which can, for example, allow for online compliance checking during the on-boarding process, enable authorization and authentication at the customer or other transport participant site, and set-up a trust-enabled mobile ad-hoc logistics network.
A customer 106, or alternatively another member of the logistics network, can use different functionality of the mobile app, or alternatively a second mobile app 210. This second mobile app 210 can include access to a camera 212 of a mobile device (or optionally a camera providing images to a computer (e.g. a laptop computer, a desktop computer, a tablet computer, etc.), and user interface functionality 214 for capturing and verifying the verification token, when the user interface functionality 206 for displaying the verification token is employed on the mobile app 202 of the ELP operator 110. The “customer” 106 can be interchanged with another member of the LN (which can be either an in-network logistics provider, a second ELP, or any other transport participant), for example when the transport assignment involves a pick-up or drop-off to another transport provider vehicle or location.
A manager 216 (or other authorized decision maker) of the LN can use a LN management application 220, which can include a native application or a Web application running on any kind of computing device (e.g. a desktop, a laptop, a smart phone, a tablet computer, or the like). The management application 220 can include user interface functionality 222 for displaying and verifying user information. As noted above, it will be understood that the mobile app 202, the second mobile app 210, and the management application 220 can be separate software applications with functionality specific to a given type of user (e.g. ELP 110, other transport participant 106 or other transport provider, or manager 216). Alternatively, a single application (e.g. a Web application capable of running on mobile devices and/or other computing devices) can provide all of the noted functionality such that different types of users can access relevant features according to their specific roles. For the remainder of this discussion, the term “mobile app” refers to a combined application with specific features for specific user roles.
All of the mobile app 202, the second mobile app 210, and the computer-implemented on-boarding functionality 220 can all communicate (e.g. over networked connections, which can be wired, wireless, or a combination thereof) with a server 230. The server 230 can be a discrete set of one or more dedicated machines, or alternatively, it can be implemented as a cloud server. The server 230 can support multiple Idol services 232, including identification 232 and on-boarding 234 and can also include a persistency 236. The on-boarding service 234 can include a token generator module 238, an account manager module 240, a profile manager module 242, and a verification adapter 244, which can communicate with a verification service 246, which can optionally be implemented external to the server 230.
An external logistics provider can register himself or herself or one or more ELP operators/drivers who work for him or her at the trusted logistics network, which can be operated either by a single company or by a set of companies. The external logistics provider can become registered as an ELP operator or driver (terms that are used interchangeably herein) or can register multiple ELP operators (e.g. of a external logistics provider company) through the mobile app via which he or she can enter one more properties of the operator (e.g. name, photo, contact details, driver license, insurance information, driving record, etc.), and one or more properties of the operated vehicle (e.g. brand, type, license plate, photos ensuring the □suitability of the vehicle, etc.).□
A network manager or other authorized user of the trusted logistics network receives the operator and vehicle properties data, for example via a user interface such as that shown in the view 500 of
When the network manager approves a registration request, the ELP operator 110 receives an authentication token via the mobile app on his or her mobile device as shown in the views 600, 620 of
Another participant in a transport assignment can validate the authentication token using other features of the mobile app as discussed below. The other transport participant 106 can be a customer, other member of the logistics organization, or even another ELP operator. A customer can be involved as either or both of the sender and recipient of the one or more parcels of a transport assignment. The other transportation participant can be a sender or recipient of the one or more parcels, such as for example a shipping or distribution center worker, another vehicle operator, a business owner or employee, etc. The authentication token can be specific to a given transportation assignment, and can be required to be shown at either or both of the pick-up and drop-off locations for a transport assignment.
Through use of additional features of the mobile app operating on a device of the other transport participant, the other transport participant can ensure that the ELP operator is part of the trusted logistics network even thought the other participant may have never met or even seen the ELP operator prior to encountering him or her at the pick-up or drop-off location. Based on this authentication, the ELP operator can conduct the authorized transport assignment as though he or she were a trusted partner of the logistics organization. □
As noted above, to allow authorization for a particular transport assignment, the external logistics provider receives the valid authorization token for that transport assignment. This authorization token authenticates and authorizes the ELP operator 110 to pick up and drop off the one or more parcels of the transport assignment. The authorization token is always logically linked to a specific transport assignment and thereby only valid for the duration of that transport assignment. Whenever the ELP operator 110 picks-up or delivers a parcel other transport participant 106, the ELP operator 110 can show this token. The other transport participant 106 also uses the app and scans the QR code. The captured token is validated by the server 230. If the scanned token is successfully verified the parcel or parcel can be handed over.
One or more aspects or features of the subject matter described herein can be realized in digital electronic circuitry, integrated circuitry, specially designed application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) computer hardware, firmware, software, and/or combinations thereof. These various aspects or features can include implementation in one or more computer programs that are executable and/or interpretable on a programmable system including at least one programmable processor, which can be special or general purpose, coupled to receive data and instructions from, and to transmit data and instructions to, a storage system, at least one input device, and at least one output device. The programmable system or computing system may include clients and servers. A client and server are generally remote from each other and typically interact through a communication network. The relationship of client and server arises by virtue of computer programs running on the respective computers and having a client-server relationship to each other.
These computer programs, which can also be referred to programs, software, software applications, applications, components, or code, include machine instructions for a programmable processor, and can be implemented in a high-level procedural language, an object-oriented programming language, a functional programming language, a logical programming language, and/or in assembly/machine language. As used herein, the term “machine-readable medium” refers to any computer program product, apparatus and/or device, such as for example magnetic discs, optical disks, memory, and Programmable Logic Devices (PLDs), used to provide machine instructions and/or data to a programmable processor, including a machine-readable medium that receives machine instructions as a machine-readable signal. The term “machine-readable signal” refers to any signal used to provide machine instructions and/or data to a programmable processor. The machine-readable medium can store such machine instructions non-transitorily, such as for example as would a non-transient solid-state memory or a magnetic hard drive or any equivalent storage medium. The machine-readable medium can alternatively or additionally store such machine instructions in a transient manner, such as for example as would a processor cache or other random access memory associated with one or more physical processor cores.
To provide for interaction with a user, one or more aspects or features of the subject matter described herein can be implemented on a computer having a display device, such as for example a cathode ray tube (CRT) or a liquid crystal display (LCD) or a light emitting diode (LED) monitor for displaying information to the user and a keyboard and a pointing device, such as for example a mouse or a trackball, by which the user may provide input to the computer. Other kinds of devices can be used to provide for interaction with a user as well. For example, feedback provided to the user can be any form of sensory feedback, such as for example visual feedback, auditory feedback, or tactile feedback; and input from the user may be received in any form, including, but not limited to, acoustic, speech, or tactile input. Other possible input devices include, but are not limited to, touch screens or other touch-sensitive devices such as single or multi-point resistive or capacitive trackpads, voice recognition hardware and software, optical scanners, optical pointers, digital image capture devices and associated interpretation software, and the like.
In the descriptions above and in the claims, phrases such as “at least one of” or “one or more of” may occur followed by a conjunctive list of elements or features. The term “and/or” may also occur in a list of two or more elements or features. Unless otherwise implicitly or explicitly contradicted by the context in which it used, such a phrase is intended to mean any of the listed elements or features individually or any of the recited elements or features in combination with any of the other recited elements or features. For example, the phrases “at least one of A and B;” “one or more of A and B;” and “A and/or B” are each intended to mean “A alone, B alone, or A and B together.” A similar interpretation is also intended for lists including three or more items. For example, the phrases “at least one of A, B, and C;” “one or more of A, B, and C;” and “A, B, and/or C” are each intended to mean “A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, or A and B and C together.” Use of the term “based on,” above and in the claims is intended to mean, “based at least in part on,” such that an unrecited feature or element is also permissible.
The subject matter described herein can be embodied in systems, apparatus, methods, and/or articles depending on the desired configuration. The implementations set forth in the foregoing description do not represent all implementations consistent with the subject matter described herein. Instead, they are merely some examples consistent with aspects related to the described subject matter. Although a few variations have been described in detail above, other modifications or additions are possible. In particular, further features and/or variations can be provided in addition to those set forth herein. For example, the implementations described above can be directed to various combinations and subcombinations of the disclosed features and/or combinations and subcombinations of several further features disclosed above. In addition, the logic flows depicted in the accompanying figures and/or described herein do not necessarily require the particular order shown, or sequential order, to achieve desirable results. Other implementations may be within the scope of the following claims.
