The present invention relates to the field of logistics concerning the shipping of goods, parcels, or packets, or any other article, and it relates more particularly to an optimized system for tracking the delivery of such goods.
The logistics systems for tracking articles that are presently used by carriers are well known. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,313,051, there is described a system for tracking articles which comprises a portable terminal held in the hand of a delivery person and provided with a bar code reader and a touch-sensitive screen, and also with radio communications means for transferring information to a central computer of the carrier, in particular the information input via the screen by the delivery person such as the identity and the signature of the addressee. Such a system enables the carrier to have information available in real time relating to delivered goods. Nevertheless, that information is not directly available to clients. In addition, the delivery receipt which constitutes proof of delivery can be consulted by the client only once the delivery round has been finished, and all of the receipts have been handed over to a scanner center, from which it becomes possible to consult them via a telecommunications network.
An object of the present invention is thus to mitigate the above-mentioned drawbacks by means of a method and a system for tracking the delivery of articles that enable a client of a carrier to have proof in real time of the delivery of the goods to their destination. An object of the invention is also to make consulting the transport documents needed for all goods delivery easier and more informative.
These objects are achieved with a method of tracking the delivery of an article in which an addressee of the article identifies his/her/itself on a touch-sensitive display screen of a portable terminal held in the hand of a delivery person and including a radio interface for transmitting the identity data to a remote management computer center, wherein the portable terminal has an image sensor for taking a picture of an article delivery receipt that has previously been filled in by the addressee, and said image is transmitted together with the identity data to the management computer center in order to enable them to be consulted remotely via a telecommunications network. Preferably, the image sensor means of the portable terminal are also used for taking a digital picture of the article as delivered and/or of the addressee.
Thus, the data input by the delivery person can be consulted on line immediately after it has been input, together with the photograph of the delivery receipt and a photograph of any damage that has been suffered by a defective parcel, which could constitute decisive evidence in the event of a dispute between the carrier and the carrier's client.
When the receipt does not carry the signature of the addressee of the article, provision can be made for the addressee of the article to sign on the touch-sensitive display screen of the portable terminal, with this signature then being transmitted to the management computer center together with the identity data.
Advantageously, the portable terminal has a voice recording sensor which is used for recording a voice comment by the delivery person or by the addressee, and a position sensor, e.g. of the global positioning system (GPS) type, can be used to determine the coordinates of the place where the article is delivered.
The telecommunications network is preferably the Internet.
In the intended implementation, information concerning reservations relating to the delivery, to equipment on deposit that is recovered during the delivery, and/or to sums of money received during the delivery can be input via the touch-sensitive screen of the portable terminal, with the information input via the touch-sensitive screen of the portable terminal being transmitted to the management computer center together with the other data.
The present invention also provides a portable terminal for tracking the delivery of an article, the terminal serving to receive information about the article in order to enable said information to be consulted, the terminal including a touch-sensitive display screen to enable an addressee of the article to identify his/her/itself, and further including a radio interface for transmitting the identity data and signature data to a remote management computer center, the terminal further including an image sensor for taking an image of an article delivery receipt has previously been filled in by the addressee, and wherein the radio interface transmits said image together with the identity data to the remote computer center in order to enable them to be consulted remotely via a telecommunications network.
If the receipt does not carry the signature of the addressee of the article, provision can be made for the addressee to sign directly on the touch-sensitive display screen of the portable terminal.
Advantageously, the image sensor is a sensor of the complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) type or of the charge-coupled device (CCD) type, the radio interface is a radio modem of the general packet radio service (GPRS) type or of the universal mobile telephone system (UMTS) type, and the telecommunications network is the Internet.
The terminal may also include a voice recording sensor for recording a voice commentary, and a position sensor, e.g. of the GPS type, for determining the coordinates of the place where the article is delivered. The terminal may advantageously include an integrated printer device for issuing a receipt and an integrated reader-interrogator of a radiofrequency transponder.
The invention will be better understood in the light of the following detailed description accompanied by non-limiting illustrative examples in the following figures, in which:
FIGS. 3 to 13 show different screen pages of the
With this architecture, the client of a carrier can follow the delivery of goods in real time to their destination. This tracking is performed very simply via the Internet 12 from any computer station of the client, e.g. a personal computer 14 or any other computer equipment giving access to the Internet, with the information relating to delivery (name and signature of addressee, bar code of article that has been delivered, etc.) being previously input at the destination via the multifunction portable terminal 16 held by employee of the carrier, in general a driver and delivery person, and transmitted immediately in real time via the telecommunications network 18 to the computer center 10 for managing this information. It should be observed that it is not necessary for the management computer center to belong to the carrier, and that it is quite possible for a third party to provide a delivery tracking services in its own name.
The internal structure of the multifunction portable terminal is shown in
Naturally, it should be observed that the processor conventionally comprises a clock and a read-only memory (ROM) and a read-write memory (RAM), and that the stylus may optionally be replaced merely by a finger. It should also be observed that the terminal may advantageously be provided with a keypad or a keyboard.
In the invention, the terminal further comprises a digital image sensor 172 of the CMOS or CCD type, for taking an image of an article delivery receipt, which receipt is previously filled in by the addressee, and a digital voice recorder 174 for recording voice commentary by the driver or by the addressee and associated with the delivery, e.g. if a complaint is made, the digital processor being programmed to store in memory the digital data relating both to the image and to the recorded voice comment. In addition, a position sensor is preferably also provided, e.g. a GPS sensor 176, in order to determine accurately the coordinates of the place where the article is delivered, the digital processor also being programmed to store these position coordinates in the digital data memory. Naturally, the sensor may also serve to geolocate the vehicle and to track delivery during shipping. Optionally, the terminal may also include a radiofrequency transponder reader-interrogator 178 when these are provided, and advantageously a printer device 180 for delivering a receipt that the addressee can fill in or in order to replace the delivery receipt (the printer device may also be external). It should be observed that the portable terminal may advantageously be connected to a payment card reader for implementing any financial transaction that might be associated with the delivery.
The method of the invention for tracking shipping is described below with reference to FIGS. 3 to 13 which show various screen pages that appear in succession on the multifunction portable terminal, depending on the commands selected by its user, in principle a driver delivering goods to one or more addressees.
For example, by clicking on the third line 306, the screen page shown in
Detail about the parcels can be obtained by clicking on line 308 corresponding to a number of parcels, for example. This causes the screen page of
It should be observed that it is also possible to add a parcel whose bar code has just been displayed in addition to the pre-established list, for example if the operator places the bar code reader in front of a parcel not on the list. It should also be observed that this identification is generally performed in the presence of the addressee, particularly when giving the status “parcel refused”.
In addition, under such circumstances, it can be advantageous to obtain proof concerning the reason for the addressee refusing to accept the parcel by taking a photograph of the parcel that has been refused, e.g. because it is damaged. This can be done very simply by clicking on a specific icon 312 which actuates the image sensor of the terminal. The photograph that is taken then appears as shown in
Similarly, acting on a comment icon 316 makes it possible, where necessary, to add a voice comment made by the driver or by the addressee, by giving access to the screen page shown in
A first of these is a deposit icon 324 which when actuated gives access to a new screen page shown in
The second icon is a payment icon 326 for displaying the screen page shown in
Activating the signature icon 328 takes place on almost all occasions since that is the guarantee that the goods have indeed been received by some particular person. This is done by displaying the screen page shown in
Once the data has been received by the management computer center, it can be consulted freely by the client, possibly after supplying an account number and a password, for example. The client thus has real time access immediately after the end of transmission, i.e. almost at the instant of delivery, to all of the data associated with the delivery, and in particular to an image of the delivery receipt, the identity and the signature of the person receiving the goods, together with reservations, if any, possibly accompanied by an image of a refused parcel and explicit comments, if necessary. The client can then make contact immediately with the addressee in order to discuss the problems encountered, thus reducing the risk of subsequent dispute.
Thus, with the method of the invention, the client is better informed and is informed immediately about any problems that the driver may encounter when making a delivery. The client also has more information about the delivery (equipment on deposit, sums paid) which can be consulted on line from any location by making access via the Internet. Such a method combines ease of use with a single portable terminal, improved performance, and an image providing delivery. In addition, the present bulk scanning of all delivery receipts, which is particularly burdensome, can be eliminated, with such receipts merely being stored in case they turn out to be useful, since the scanning is performed individually and directly by the portable terminal.
Naturally, the present invention is not limited merely to tracking the delivery of goods, and it can also be used for tracking the collection of goods from the addressee, for confirming that articles have indeed been handed over to a driver, with this being done using the driver's multifunction portable terminal. The photograph of the delivery receipt is then replaced by a photograph of a transmission sheet or a transfer sheet which the sender confirms, e.g. by signing on the terminal. All of this information that is collected relating to such shipping is then sent to the management computer center for subsequent consultation.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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04 02681 | Mar 2004 | FR | national |