Patent Application
20210224740
The present invention broadly relates to a management system and the like that manage distribution and delivery of products and commodities, and more specifically, to a system, program and the like for managing delivery and the like of commodities distributable in retail businesses and online shopping businesses.
Conventionally, to reduce the distribution cost, a technology of offering jobs for those who intend to provide distribution or delivery, instead of relying on a dedicated delivery business, and of assigning distribution or delivery operations and the like on a predetermined condition.
For example, conventional transportation operations are performed through dedicated transporter vehicles by dedicated transportation businesses and full-time staff members. In view of the fact that the transportation cost for timely transporting small quantities of packages not through a regular service or the like is high, an idea of performing transportation operations using traveling operations performed during daily commutes by corporate employees and students has been proposed (Patent Literature 1).
That is, Patent Literature 1 discloses the idea preliminarily assuming that jobs for temporary staff members transporting packages are offered on a website accessible from information terminals, such as personal computers and mobile phones, in transportation operations, interviews or the like are held as required, and employment contracts are signed.
Furthermore, a delivery system has also been proposed that uses existing facilities and networks to allow reduction in waste of energy consumption and, in turn, in cost (Patent Literature 2).
That is, Patent Literature 2 discloses a delivery system that includes: an Internet delivery server that constructs information about article delivery as a database, and manages delivery operations; a plurality of user communication terminals which are connected to the Internet delivery server and through which a delivery request and a delivery application are issued to the Internet delivery server, and a delivery request approval and a delivery application approval are obtained from the Internet delivery server; and a plurality of distribution stations where delivery articles are delegated from delivery clients, and the delivery articles are passed to a plurality of unemployed transporters, the unemployed transporters transporting articles about which the delivery application approval has been obtained from the Internet delivery server, wherein the delivery system uses the Internet and the unemployed transporters.
Furthermore, an effective distribution management device and the like have also been proposed that are capable of drastically reduce the distribution cost, and allowing a user to receive the distribution article on a desired date and time (Patent Literature 3).
That is, Patent Literature 3 discloses a distribution management device that includes: a distribution information reception part for receiving the input of shipping and deposit place information for a distribution object from a sender, and receiving the input of receiving place information for the distribution object from a receiver; a deliverer determination part for notifying at least the shipping and deposit place information and the receiving place information, recruiting users who wish to distribute the distribution object, and determining a deliverer based on a predetermined rule from among the recruited users; and a distribution procedure notification part for at least notifying the deliverer of the information necessary for taking out the distribution object from the shipping and deposit place, or a relay storage place where another deliverer stores the delivery article, and the information necessary for storing the delivery article in the relay storage place or the receiving place, and notifying the receiver of the information necessary for taking out the delivery article from the receiving place where the deliverer stores the delivery article.
However, the conventional distribution management device and the like have, for example, room for further improvement related to the deliverer recruiting method, the delegation method, compensation setting and the like. If such improvement can be achieved, it is expected to result in coming reform of working practices.
Accordingly, a commodity delivery management system according to one embodiment of the present invention is a commodity delivery management system including: a management server that manages delivery of a commodity from one or more near sites each having, as a delivery coverage area, a predetermined area allowing distribution to a customer home in a predetermined time period, to the customer home; a terminal of the customer; and a terminal of a delivery worker undertaking delivery of the commodity ordered from the terminal of the customer, wherein for assigning the delivery worker the commodity to be delivered, the management server issues, to the terminal of the delivery worker, a delivery offer notification that presents the commodity for each delivery destination area, and a compensation fee receivable when the commodity is delivered, and allows the delivery worker to which the delivery offer notification has been issued, to select the commodity for each delivery area, through the terminal of the delivery worker.
The compensation fee receivable when the commodity is delivered is determined according to a sales price of the commodity.
The commodity delivery management system and the like according to one embodiment of the present invention exert advantageous effects of allowing providing a system that improves an incentive for the deliverer to the distribution operation, by an improved method of offering jobs for deliverers, delegation method, and compensation setting and the like.
Hereinafter, a commodity delivery management system and the like according to one embodiment of the present invention are described in detail with reference to the drawings.
Note that the number of logistics centers 11 to 13 and the number of near sites 14 to 16 are not limited to these numbers. Any number of centers and any number of sites can be adopted. Hereinafter, for the sake of convenience of facilitating understanding of the present invention, description is made along the model shown in
In the commodity delivery management system according to one embodiment of the present invention includes, for example, at least two types of facilities. More specifically, besides logistics centers as conventional logistics sites, near sites are provided as geographical sites allowing distribution to customer homes in a predetermined time period.
That is, the near sites are distribution sites provided so as to allow distribution of commodities and the like to customers in a relatively short time period (for example, about 30 minutes to one hour; about several hours in some cases).
As shown in
Although not shown in
In
Likewise, the near area 150 indicates an area allowing delivery of commodities and the like from the near site 15 in a predetermined time period (for example, 30 minutes, one hour or the like; about several hours in some cases). This area schematically includes customer homes 151, 152, 153 and 199. The near area 160 indicates an area allowing delivery of commodities and the like from the near site 16 in a predetermined time period (for example, 30 minutes, one hour or the like; about several hours in some cases). This area schematically includes customer homes 162, 163, 164, 165 and 199.
Here, in this diagram, the customer home 199 is included in the near area 150 and also in the near area 160, for example. This means that commodities and the like can be delivered to the customer home 199 from the near site 15 and also from the near site 16 in the predetermined time period (for example, commodities and the like can be delivered from the near site 15 to the customer home 199 in 20 minutes, and commodities and the like can be delivered from the near site 16 to the customer home 199 in 30 minutes).
Parts described such that “commodities and the like can be delivered from the near site in the predetermined time period”, “if there is no inventory” and the like in the description so far, can be determined based on the fact that the time period (expected time period) required for distribution or delivery, and the number of inventory items at the site are managed in the system. An entire configuration example of the commodity delivery management system according to one embodiment of the present invention is described later with reference to
Consequently, each path in
For example, these alternative routes can be alternatively adopted according to traffic situations of the moment, and instructions can be issued to specific distribution facilities (sites) or delivery means (delivery vehicle).
In the commodity delivery management system according to one embodiment of the present invention, sales management of commodities and the like are also performed. The commodity delivery management system according to one embodiment of the present invention cooperates also with store POS registers and a mail-order (electronic commerce) system, not shown, and manages sales achievements at stores and sales achievements through mail order on a customer-by-customer basis. As a database therefor, the following databases (D1) to (D5) are included in the management server according to one embodiment. Reference and an update request are allowed for various terminals.
Note that the databases (D1) to (D5) are examples. Besides these databases, databases or tables can be appropriately generated as required.
This database is a database where items related to customers are registered, and personal information, such as customer names, addresses, and phone numbers, and supplementary information, such as held points and near sites, are registered.
This database is a database where items related to commodities are registered, and commodity names, commodity codes associated with JAN codes, and the like are registered and managed.
This database is a database which is for managing the commodity inventory on a site-by-site basis, and appropriately cooperates with the commodity management database to allow required tables to be derived and extracted.
This database is a database for managing the commodity inventory items stored in a warehouse of the logistics center or the like.
This database is an achievement management database related to commodities sold at each site or store.
The commodity delivery management system according to one embodiment of the present invention manages delivery from the near site, while having a characteristic of offering jobs for deliverers (also called delivery workers; hereinafter, the same applies), assigning delivery commodities (packages) on a predetermined condition, and managing delivery situations. A further major characteristic is that commodities (packages) are managed with respect to each delivery destination or each destination area, and transportation charges (compensations for delivery workers) are also managed on an area-by-area basis.
In the commodity delivery management system according to one embodiment of the present invention, as a database therefor, the following databases (D6) and (D7) are included in the management server. Reference and an update request are allowed for various terminals.
Note that the databases (D6) and (D7) are examples. Besides these databases, databases or tables can be appropriately generated as required.
This database is a database where items related to delivery workers are registered, for example, personal information, such as worker names, addresses, and phone numbers, supplementary information, such as credit ranks and achievements of the workers, and the worker's management information, such as desired delivery areas and desired delivery time slots, are registered.
Information items related to delivery management on a stage where commodities are passed to the delivery worker from the near site and delivered (for example, status information and the like on delivery commodities (packages)) are registered and managed.
At the near site, the logistics system that includes the commodity delivery management system according to one embodiment of the present invention has the following roles (system operations, operations by operation personnel, such as staff at the site, are collectively listed).
(1) Storing and sorting of target commodities, and update management of target commodities.
(2) Distribution process when an order is placed on a target commodity from a customer in the near area (picking out an ordered commodity, and destination labeling).
(3) Upon delivery from the logistics center, temporary storing of the commodity ordered by the customer in the near area, and distribution to the customer home (typically, the commodity is passed to the near site in a state with destination-labelled).
(4) Bundled distribution of commodities ordered by the customer in the near area (in the case of bundled distribution, a bundling operation and a destination labeling operation are performed at the near site).
(5) Redelivery in case the customer in the near area is absent when delivery is tried.
(6) Concurrent distribution of an additionally ordered commodity when an additional order for the commodity is placed in the case of redelivery in (5).
(7) Handover of the commodity to the delivery worker.
(8) Reception of the commodity from the delivery worker in case the delivery destination is absent.
(9) Redistribution arrangement process for the aforementioned (8).
Note that in one embodiment of the present invention, distribution from the logistics center to the near site is performed as an operation by the same business operator, and is not delegated to another delivery business or the like. For example, the target commodities are distributed several times a day by a distribution opportunity by the business operator itself or the like.
As shown in
Here, the access point is a wireless device for connecting wireless terminals, such as PCs and smartphones, to each other, and for connecting these terminals to another network. Typically, this device operates according to communication protocols on the first layer (physical layer) and the second layer (data link layer) in the OSI reference model.
Note that many mobile phones, mobile information terminals or tablets at the time of application of the present application have a processing capability (a communication processing rate, an image processing capability, etc.) equivalent to that of a personal computer (PC), and should be called small-sized computers.
The program or software required to implement the present invention is, typically, installed or stored in an HDD, an SSD or the like in the storage of the PC or the mobile information terminal, is read, as all or some of software modules, onto the memory in the storage as required during execution of the program or the software, and is computed and executed in a CPU.
Alternatively, a browser-based computer or a mobile information terminal can be adopted. In this case, a configuration is achieved where the program is distributed from another server or computer as required, and a browser on the terminal executes this program.
Basically, the hardware configuration of the management server 21 can basically adopt a PC (described later with reference to
The commodity delivery management and the like according to one embodiment of the present invention can be executed by this management server and the information processing apparatus (the delivery worker terminal and/or the user terminal) described later.
In
These modules are appropriately connected by a communication bus and a power feeder as required (in
The program or software to be executed on the management server 300 required to implement the present invention is, typically, installed or stored in any of a hard disk drive, an SSD (Solid State Drive), a flash memory and the like that constitute the storage 302, is read, as all or some of software modules, onto the memory in the storage 302 as required during execution of the program or the software, and is computed and executed in the CPU 301.
Note that the computation and execution are not necessarily executed in a central processing unit, such as the CPU 301. Alternatively, an auxiliary operation unit, such as a digital signal processor (DSP), not shown, can be adopted.
The display 222 includes a multi-touch input panel. Touch input position coordinates on the touch input panel are transmitted to the processing system (CPU) of the smartphone or the tablet terminal 22 via an input device interface (not shown), and are processed. The multi-touch input panel is configured so as to be capable of simultaneously detecting multiple contact points on the panel. The detection (sensor) can be achieved by any of various methods, and is not necessarily limited to a contact sensor. The indication point to the panel can be extracted using an optical sensor, for example. Not only the contact sensor and the optical sensor, but also a capacitive sensor that senses contact with human skin can be adopted instead.
Although not shown in
In
Note that the sensor unit 509 may include a GPS sensor module for identifying the position of the smartphone or the tablet terminal 500 (22). Signals detected by the image sensor, such as CMOS, the infrared sensor and the like constituting the sensor unit 509 can be processed as input information at the input unit 501.
The program or software to be executed on the smartphone or the tablet terminal 500 required to implement the present invention is, typically, installed or stored in any of a hard disk, an SSD (Solid State Drive), a flash memory and the like that constitute the storage 502, is read, as all or some of software modules, on the memory in the storage 502 as required during execution of the program or the software, and is computed and executed in the CPU 503.
Note that the computation and execution are not necessarily executed in a central processing unit 503, such as the CPU. Alternatively, an auxiliary operation unit, such as a digital signal processor (DSP), not shown, can be adopted.
The commodity delivery management system according to one embodiment of the present invention in
The user-oriented front system 610 is a software module serving as an intermediate about a transaction or procedures between the core 620 of the commodity delivery management system according to one embodiment of the present invention, and the customer-terminal-oriented web site 602 and the terminal application 603, such as a customer terminal, and operates on the management server 21 or another server. The front system 610 includes, as its sub-modules: a commodity recommendation logic 611 that recommend the customer terminal and the like for commodities; a behavior log logic 612 that is viewed from the customer terminal, and tracks ordered commodities; and a logic 613 made up of another processing system.
The core system 620 includes: a sales management processing system 621 including a sales management DB; a warehouse management processing system 622 including a warehouse management DB; an inventory management processing system 623 including an inventory management DB; a customer management processing system 624 including a customer management DB; a commodity management processing system 625 including a customer management DB; a delivery worker management processing system 626 including a delivery worker management DB; a delivery management processing system 627 including a delivery management DB; and another processing system 628 including another DB.
The delivery-worker-oriented front system 640 is a software module serving as an intermediate about a transaction or procedures between the core 620 of the commodity delivery management system according to one embodiment of the present invention and the terminal application 604, such as a worker terminal, and operates on the management server 21 or another server. The delivery-worker-oriented front system 640 includes, as its sub-modules: a preference filter logic 641 that issues a preference notification based on the credit rank or the like of the delivery worker; and a logic 642 made up of another processing system.
As shown in
The present invention is not limited thereto. However, the data accumulated in the data warehouse is, typically, a large amount of integrated business data orderly arranged in a time-series manner. The relationships between various items are analyzed. For example, relationships between individual elements that have not been found from a conventional simple aggregation and include “men in 40s and 50s purchasing fitness goods on weekends often purchase related books together” and “daily commodities, such as waterproof spray, sell best on days before rainy days”, are found out from sales data at the store 601.
The basic concept of the present invention is herein described again. The present invention resolves a driver shortage problem in the logistics industry, and further resolves a problem of increase in small-lot packages, a problem of requesting reduction in delivery time period, and a problem of increase in cost due to redelivery, which are present in parallel with the driver shortage problem. Furthermore, by resolving these problems, reform of working practices of workers is improved.
The commodity delivery management system according to one embodiment of the present invention provides information or services for delivery workers on behalf of insufficient drivers.
The delivery workers are not necessarily full-time drivers. One embodiment of the present invention can adopt a mode where a company that operates distribution by the own company delegates driver operations to people outside of the company. Various measures are taken for drivers (delivery workers) having a delegation contract to prevent damage to the company delegating operations; the measures include that identification is strictly authenticated, a security deposit is preliminarily paid at the time of a contract through procedures, not shown (since this point is a matter of delivery operation execution itself, detailed description thereof is omitted).
The delivery worker may be an employee (staff member) of the company operating the distribution by the own company. In this case, authentication and the like of the delivery worker who is an employee (staff member) may be achieved through reuse of information or the like having already been managed in the company.
In one embodiment of the present invention, a method of determining a compensation for the delivery worker is not a conventional unit price scheme of determination based on a certain price per unit package, but is a variational scheme of determining several percent of the value (sales price) of a carried package. This point is one of characteristics of the present invention. Furthermore, in situations where the distribution operation is difficult owing to external factors, such as snow, a typhoon, and traffic regulations, control can be performed such that the competition principle can work by increasing the compensation allocation rate and adding an incentive bonus.
For the delivery worker, control is performed so as to present information on a distribution target (the area, the number of packages, the compensation fee, etc.) through the application, allow the delivery worker themselves to select a desired operation, and to assign the packages appropriately.
Adjustment and control can be performed such that packages that the delivery workers cannot handle (undertake delivery) are distributed by staff members of the delegating company that delegates the driver operations.
Furthermore, after completion of the delivery of packages, the customer can be asked to evaluate the delivery worker, and the evaluation can be aggregated and managed. Operations can be performed such that packages to be assigned and information to be provided can be differentiated according to the accumulated evaluation.
As shown in
As shown in
On the other hand, if the delivery destination is absent in the delivery step (P75), the delivery commodity (package) is once brought back to the near site by the delivery worker in the one embodiment of the present invention. Accordingly, there is a return step (P78) of returning a package undelivered owing to absence.
The commodity (package) brought back to the near site owing to absence of the delivery destination can be placed in the delivery offer step (P72) again (not shown in
Here, the commodity or package is conveyed from a logistics center 801 to each area distribution site (each near site) 802. In one embodiment of the present invention, the delivery worker is not necessarily assigned to this conveyance (hereinafter, the same applies). In one embodiment, conveyance is performed by the own company or a dedicated delivery business.
Package information on each near site (pieces of information including the number of packages, the scheduled distribution time period, and the commodity value) is grasped and managed by a management server 803 in the delivery management system. In one embodiment of the present invention, the number of packages, the delivery time period, the compensation fee and the like with respect to each delivery destination area are notified to the management server 803 by the site server in each near site or a terminal (not shown). In one embodiment, during job offering for a delivery worker and the like, information, such as on the delivery time slot, the number of commodities (packages), and the compensation fee with respect to each delivery destination area may be notified to a delivery worker terminal 805 (including what is triggered by push notification).
In one embodiment of the present invention, upon receipt of area selection notified by the delivery worker terminal 805, information about the delivery worker in charge with respect to each delivery destination area can be notified by the management server 803 to the site server in each near site (or the terminal).
In one embodiment of the present invention, a delivery worker (contract driver) 804 may install a dedicated application in the own terminal 805 through means, not shown, thereby allowing the worker to activate the application and look for a job when intending to work (undertake a delivery operation). Alternatively, an intention related to the delivery operations (a desired area of the delivery destination, desired delivery time slot, etc.) may be registered through the dedicated application in advance, thereby allowing a request for a desired job to be received through a push notification.
The delivery worker can set a delivery destination area and the like in which the worker intends delivery, through the terminal 805. The management server 803 is notified of the setting contents.
On the dedicated application installed in the delivery worker terminal 805, a map including each delivery destination area, and information, such as on “delivery time slot”, “the number of packages” and “compensation fee”, is displayed. The delivery worker 804 selects the desired delivery destination area and delivery time slot, thereby performing a delivery application process. If a predetermined condition is satisfied, the delivery request process for the delivery worker 804 is determined.
As shown in
The delivery worker 804, for whom the delivery request process has been determined, goes to a designated near site 802 and receives the commodity (package) to be delivered. Delivery by the delivery worker 804 to the customer home 806 and the like is started here.
The delivery worker 804 delivers the commodity (package) to the customer home 806 or the like in conformity with the designated time. In one embodiment of the present invention, after completion of the delivery, the delivery worker 804 can verify the compensation fee and an after-mentioned evaluation on the dedicated application installed in the terminal.
After reception of the commodity (package), a customer 807 can evaluate the delivery worker 804 through a customer-oriented application installed in the customer terminal 807 or a website.
In one embodiment of the present invention, an evaluation result of the delivery worker 804 described above can be reflected in a preferential selection right and the like of the deliverable area and delivery target commodity (package) in the next delivery operation and thereafter. For example, as for the map display on the delivery worker terminal described above, high compensation areas and jobs are preferentially displayed on the terminal of the highly evaluated delivery worker (to this extent, this delivery worker can perform an application process for the delivery earlier than the others).
Next,
To achieve the variation of order acceptance/distribution described with reference to
At time t1 in
Although the present invention is not limited thereto, the delivery worker subsequently waits for information notification about a delivery offer or the like (coming into what is called a standby state).
At time t2 (which is not necessarily after t1; this is only an example), the order process for the commodity is performed from the user terminal to the management server (step S902), and from time t2 to t3, the order acceptance process is performed in the management server (step S903). In the order acceptance process in step S903, it is found out that the ordered commodity is stocked in the logistics center, at time t3, a conveyance instruction for the ordered commodity from the logistics center to the near site is issued from the management server to the logistics center server (or terminal) (step S904).
From time t3 to t4, in the logistics center, shipping preparation of the ordered commodity is prepared (step S905). At time t4, conveyance is started (step S906). At time t4b, the ordered commodity arrives at the near site (step S907), and a notification about the arrival is issued from the near site server (or terminal) to the management server (step S908).
The management server having received the notification in step S908 updates the status information about ordered commodity management (step S909). Package management information with respect to each delivery destination area and each delivery time slot is updated and processed (step S910).
In one embodiment of the present invention, what is shown in the following table is adopted as an ordered commodity management table managed in the management server.
indicates data missing or illegible when filed
Identification information (besides a JAN code, a management code or the like numbered originally by the own company) that can uniquely identify the commodity is adopted as the commodity ID of the ordered commodity. In the current position (inventory site), position information on where the ordered commodity is (where it is stored, or being moved) is recorded and managed. In the delivery destination information, besides the address (including the area) designated by the orderer, the destination name, the desired delivery date and time information and the like are recorded and managed as required, or link information to these pieces of information is recorded.
In one embodiment of the present invention, what is shown in the following table is adopted as a package management information table, with respect to each delivery destination area and each delivery time slot, managed by the management server.
indicates data missing or illegible when filed
Note that in one embodiment, the management server may appropriately calculate and manage a scheduled delivery compensation fee based on the price of the ordered commodity with respect to each delivery destination area. In this case, the fee can be orderly arranged with respect to each delivery destination area and each desired delivery time slot.
Alternatively, in one embodiment, the management server may appropriately calculate and manage a scheduled delivery compensation fee based on the scheduled traveling distance with respect to each delivery destination area.
Although not shown in
In
At time t5, the management server detects that the distribution assigning rate falls below the threshold, and for example, a process of determining how to issue the delivery offer notification is performed (step S912). Specifically, when there are delivery workers to be preferentially notified, these workers are extracted and preferentially notified.
At time t6, a notification about offering jobs for delivery is issued to the delivery workers to be notified (step S913).
From time t6 to time t7, the notified delivery worker (step S913) accesses the management server or the like via the own terminal (delivery worker terminal), and packages with respect to each area and each time slot are confirmed (step S914). This is confirmation of presenting information, such as the number of packages and the compensation fee, displayed on the map. In one embodiment of the present invention, this is a screen shown in
As shown in
In one embodiment of the present invention, the delivery worker selects (clicks or taps) an area that they intend to perform (undertake) delivery, from the presented information, to cause the screen to transition to a screen, not shown, thus performing a delivery application process for all or some of the packages in the area (described later).
In relation to
Not only current presence-at-home ratio but also the ratio in the past can be displayed at the presence-at-home information 1174. By such information presentation, it can be preliminarily known whether the delivery operations in the same area smoothly advances or not.
Returning to
At time t8, an acceptance process is performed by the management server (step S916). From time t8 to time t9, a process of assigning the packages to the delivery worker (driver) is performed (step S917). At time t9, an instruction for shipping the assigned packages is issued from the management server to the near site (step S918). From time t9 to t10, at the near site, shipping preparation for the packages instructed by the management server is performed (step S919).
Note that in one embodiment of the present invention, after input of the application for the delivery operations at time t8, in response to a notification about a reception place (near site) for the packages pertaining to the delivery operation issued by the management server, the delivery worker moves to the near site.
At time t10, the delivery worker reaches the near site instructed by the management server, and the packages prepared for shipping preparation are loaded (step S920).
After time t10, the delivery worker having completed the package loading starts delivery to the delivery destination (step S921).
At time t23, the delivery worker reaches, with the packages, the user's home at the delivery destination, and delivers the packages to the user at home (step S1004). In one embodiment, the packages are delivered to the user by hand. Alternatively, other delivery means, such as a delivery locker, may be used.
Next, the delivery worker having completed the delivery performs a delivery completion registration application process, in the management server through the terminal (time t24, step S1005). From time t24 to time t25, the management server performs the delivery completion registration process (step S1006). From the management server to the user terminal, a delivery completion notification about the packages having been delivered is transmitted (time t25, step S1007).
From time t25 to time t26, the user inputs an evaluation of the delivery worker (driver) having visited to deliver the packages through the user terminal, (step S1008). At time t26, the input evaluation is transmitted to the management server (step S1009), and evaluation information, such as the rank of the evaluated delivery worker is updated (time t26 to time t27, step S1010).
The present invention is not limited to this timing. In one embodiment, from time t28 to time t29, the compensation for the delivery worker is calculated (step S1101), and a calculation result is transmitted to the delivery worker terminal (time t29, step S1012). Accordingly, the delivery worker can confirm the compensation fee obtained by the delivery this time.
Note that another embodiment of the present invention may have a configuration where at timing after time t24 when the delivery worker performs the delivery completion registration application process, the scheduled compensation fee can be calculated and can be referred to by viewing through the delivery worker terminal. In this case, if the evaluation by the user is not bad, the scheduled compensation fee is not reduced. When a specifically high evaluation is obtained from the user, a little bonus or tip or a point is sometimes added to the scheduled compensation fee.
From time t21 to time 29 in
At time t31 in
At this time, absence registration is performed through the delivery worker terminal (not shown), and from the delivery worker terminal to the management server via the near site server (or terminal), or from the delivery worker terminal directly to the management server, a notification thereabout (absence) is issued (time t32, step S1054).
Meanwhile, the packages brought back to the near site by the delivery worker are rewarehoused (step S1055).
In one embodiment of the present invention, at timing on and after time t32, the status information on the packages brought back to the near site owing to absence is updated, and the package management information with respect to each delivery destination area and each delivery time slot is updated and processed (step S1057). In one embodiment, the packages subsequently become standby for redelivery.
After the processing is started in step S1201, the processing proceeds to step S1202, in which a flag (for managing a status, described later) is reset. Typically, the flag is initialized to zero.
In step S1203, for determination (calculation) of the compensation, it is determined whether an actual traveling distance required for delivery is considered or not. In one embodiment, presence or absence of such a determination process itself is switched according to setting in the management server or the like. In the case of No in step S1203, the processing proceeds to step S1205. In the case of Yes, the processing proceeds to step S1204, in which addition is performed to the compensation on the basis of the actual traveling distance (in one embodiment, multiplication by a coefficient, not shown, is made). The flag is then turned on.
In step S1205, for determination (calculation) of the compensation, it is determined whether the scheduled traveling distance required for delivery is considered or not. In one embodiment, presence or absence of such a determination process itself is switched according to setting in the management server or the like. In the case of No in step S1205, the processing proceeds to step S1207. In the case of Yes, the processing proceeds to step S1206, in which addition is performed to the compensation on the basis of the scheduled traveling distance (in one embodiment, multiplication by a coefficient, not shown, is made). The flag is then turned on.
In step S1207, for determination (calculation) of the compensation, it is determined whether the time period required for delivery is considered or not. In one embodiment, presence or absence of such a determination process itself is switched according to setting in the management server or the like. In the case of No in step S1207, the processing proceeds to step S1209. In the case of Yes, the processing proceeds to step S1208, in which addition is performed to the compensation on the basis of the time period required for delivery (in one embodiment, multiplication by a coefficient, not shown, is made). The flag is then turned on.
In step S1209, it is determined whether the flag has been turned on at least in any of steps S1203, S1205 and S1207. In the case of Yes, the processing is skipped to step S1211, in which this flow is finished. In the case of No, the processing proceeds to step S1210, in which a standard compensation (for example, based on the sizes and the number of packages and the like) is calculated.
Note that addition based on steps S1204, S1206 and S1208 is not prevented from being redundantly considered. However, the addition may be alternative. In the latter case, in steps S1205 and S1207, “the flag is still off” is added as an AND condition to the determination.
After the processing is started in step S1301, the processing proceeds to step S1302, in which a flag (for managing a status, described later) is reset. Typically, the flag is initialized to zero.
In step S1303, for determination (calculation) of the compensation, it is determined whether the commodity price is considered or not. In one embodiment, presence or absence of such a determination process itself is switched according to setting in the management server or the like. In the case of No in step S1303, the processing proceeds to step S1305. In the case of Yes, the processing proceeds to step S1304, in which addition is performed to the compensation on the basis of the commodity price (in one embodiment, multiplication by a rate, not shown, is made). The flag is then turned on.
In step S1305, for determination (calculation) of the compensation, it is determined whether a work unit is considered or not. Here, the work unit is an aggregation (group) of any number of packages. Typically, the work unit is configured on an area-by-area basis. Among packages in a certain delivery destination area, 10 packages may be grouped as one work, or other five packages may be grouped as one work. Such a group is recorded and managed as a group by the management server or the like.
In one embodiment, presence or absence of such a determination process itself is switched according to setting in the management server or the like. In the case of No in step S1305, the processing proceeds to step S1307. In the case of Yes, the processing proceeds to step S1306, in which the compensation is calculated on the basis of the average price of the commodities in the work (in one embodiment, multiplication by a rate, not shown, is made). The flag is then turned on.
In step S1307, it is determined whether the flag has been turned on at least in any of steps S1304 and S1306. In the case of Yes, the processing is skipped to step S1309, in which this flow is finished. In the case of No, the processing proceeds to step S1308, in which a standard compensation (for example, based on the sizes and the number of packages and the like) is calculated.
Hereinafter, detailed description is made.
After start of the processing in step S1401, the processing proceeds to step S1402, in which information about the delivery workers to be notified is read. For example, the delivery workers having preferences with respect to each delivery destination area and each delivery time slot are read from the database, and are listed, for example.
Next, the processing proceeds to step S1403. It is determined whether there is any highly graded worker in the read list or not. For example, if there are a group of workers having a rank A and a group of workers having a rank B, those in the group of workers having the rank A are assumed as highly graded workers. Alternatively, if there are groups of workers having ranks A to E, those having the most highly graded rank A are assumed as highly graded workers.
In the case of No in step S1403, the processing proceeds to step S1406 (workers having different grades or ranks are not present in this case), a notification is broadcast to the delivery workers remaining in the list, and this flow is finished (step S1407). In the case of Yes in step S1403, the processing proceeds to step S1404, in which the highly graded workers in the list (the highest workers if there are three or more grades) are extracted, a notification is preferentially broadcast to them. The processing then proceeds to step S1405, in which the processing stands by for a predetermined time period (for example, any time period, such as 5 minutes or 10 minutes). In this period, the workers to which the notification has been broadcast in the previous step are excluded from the list serving as the notification target.
Next, the processing returns to step S1403, in which it is determined whether there are highly graded (or most highly graded) workers in the remaining list or not. Hereinafter, every time of determination of Yes, the processes in steps S1404 and S1405 described above are repeated.
The processing is then returned to step S1403. In the case of determination of No in this step, a notification is broadcast to the delivery workers having last grades (rank) (step S1406), and this flow is finished (step S1407).
The embodiment of the commodity delivery management system and the like has been described based on the specific examples. However, besides a method or a program for implementing a system or an apparatus, a storage medium storing a program (for example, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, a CD-ROM, a CD-R, a CD-RW, magnetic tape, a hard disk, and a memory card) and the like can be adopted as embodiments of the present invention.
Program implementation modes are not limited to application programs, such as object code to be compiled by a compiler, and program code to be executed by an interpreter, and may be modes, such as program modules and the like implemented in an operating system.
Furthermore, not all the processes of the program are necessarily executed only on a CPU on a control board. A configuration may be adopted where some or all of the processes are executed by another processing unit (DSP etc.) implemented on an extension board or an extension unit, as required.
All the configuration elements described in this specification (including claims, abstract and drawings) and/or all the disclosed methods or all the steps of processes can be combined according to any combination except combinations with the features being exclusive from each other.
Each of the features described in this specification (including claims, abstract and drawings) can be replaced with an alternative feature functioning for an identical purpose, an equivalent purpose, or a similar purpose, unless explicitly negated. Consequently, unless explicitly negated, the disclosed features are only examples of a comprehensive series of the identical or equivalent features.
Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to any of the specific configurations of the embodiments described above. The present invention can be extended to all the novel features described in this specification (including claims, abstract and drawings) or a combination thereof, or all the described novel methods or steps of processes, or a combination thereof.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-119958 | Jun 2018 | JP | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/JP2019/016920 | 4/22/2019 | WO | 00 |
