This invention relates generally to managing trailer repair and, in particular, to processing trailer repair requests submitted by carriers.
Carriers that haul loads of products between various facilities of a retailer typically use leased trailers. The trailers are typically leased from a trailer leasing agency by a retailer, assigned to trailer domicile facilities of carriers who haul loads for the retailer using the trailers, and returned to the trailer leasing agency by the retailer in an agreed upon condition upon the conclusion of the lease. Trailers sometimes break down and require repairs during use by the carriers. Generally, when a trailer is within a predetermined time period of being returned to the trailer leasing agency, the trailer can be returned to a trailer domicile facility of the carrier in order to perform any repairs necessary to bring the trailer to the turn-in condition agreed upon between the retailer and the trailer leasing agency. Any repair not completed before turning the trailer in to the trailer leasing agency becomes the financial responsibility of the retailer. This undesirably leads to situations, where the retailer ends up paying for repairs to trailer problems that occurred while the carrier was using the trailer to transport loads for the retailer, and which should have been the responsibility of the carrier and should have been repaired at the trailer domicile facility before the trailer was turned in to the trailer leasing agency.
Disclosed herein are embodiments of systems, apparatuses, methods, and systems pertaining to facilitating submission of repair requests by carriers having to repair trailers to domicile facilities associated with the trailers. This description includes drawings, wherein:
Elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions and/or relative positioning of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of various embodiments of the present invention. Also, common but well-understood elements that are useful or necessary in a commercially feasible embodiment are often not depicted in order to facilitate a less obstructed view of these various embodiments of the present invention. Certain actions and/or steps may be described or depicted in a particular order of occurrence while those skilled in the art will understand that such specificity with respect to sequence is not actually required. The terms and expressions used herein have the ordinary technical meaning as is accorded to such terms and expressions by persons skilled in the technical field as set forth above except where different specific meanings have otherwise been set forth herein.
The following description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, but is made merely for the purpose of describing the general principles of exemplary embodiments. Reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” or similar language means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus, appearances of the phrases “in one embodiment,” “in an embodiment,” and similar language throughout this specification may, but do not necessarily, all refer to the same embodiment.
Generally speaking, pursuant to various embodiments, systems and methods are provided for facilitating submission of repair requests by carriers having to repair trailers to domicile facilities associated with the trailers. A central computing device provides a graphical interface accessible by a computing device of a carrier having to repair a trailer in order to permit the carrier to submit a repair request indicating repair needed for the trailer. The central computing device then generates an invoice for the repair to the trailer directed to a domicile facility associated with the trailer. The central computing device also transmits an alert including the invoice to a computing device of the domicile facility associated with the trailer, receives a response from the computing device of the domicile facility associated with the trailer, and transmits a notification indicating whether the repair request was approved by the trailer domicile facility.
In some embodiments, a system for facilitating submission of repair requests by carriers having to repair trailers to domicile facilities associated with the trailers includes a central computing device including a processor-based control circuit and configured for communication with computing devices of the carriers over a communication network and an electronic database in communication with the central computing device and the computing devices of the plurality of carriers over the communication network. The central computing device is configured to provide a first graphical interface accessible on the central computing device over the communication network by a computing device of a carrier having to repair a trailer. The first graphical interface is also configured to permit the carrier to submit, to the central computing device and via the computing device of the carrier, a repair request indicating repair needed for the trailer. The central computing device is further configured to: generate, based on the repair request submitted by the carrier, an invoice for the repair to the trailer that is directed to a domicile facility associated with the trailer; transmit an alert including the invoice over the communication network to a computing device of the domicile facility associated with the trailer; receive from the computing device of the domicile facility associated with the trailer and over the communication network, a response of the domicile facility to the repair request submitted by the carrier; and transmit, over the communication network to the computing device of the carrier, a notification indicating whether the repair request has been approved by the domicile facility associated with the trailer.
In some embodiments, a method for facilitating submission of repair requests by carriers having to repair trailers to domicile facilities associated with the trailers includes: providing a central computing device including a processor-based control circuit and configured for communication with computing devices of the carriers over a communication network; providing an electronic database in communication with the central computing device and the computing devices of the plurality of carriers over the communication network; providing a first graphical interface accessible on the central computing device over the communication network by a computing device of a carrier having to repair a trailer and configured to permit the carrier to submit, to the central computing device and via the computing device of the carrier, a repair request indicating repair needed for the trailer; generating, at the central computing device and based on the repair request submitted by the carrier, an invoice for the repair to the trailer that is directed to a domicile facility associated with the trailer; transmitting, from the central computing device over the communication network to a computing device of the domicile facility associated with the trailer, an alert including the invoice; receiving, at the central computing device, a transmission over the communication network from the computing device of the domicile facility associated with the trailer indicating a response of the domicile facility to the repair request submitted by the carrier; and transmitting, from the central computing device over the communication network to the computing device of the carrier, a notification indicating whether the repair request has been approved by the domicile facility associated with the trailer.
The system 100 depicted in
The network 120 may be a wide-area network (WAN), a local area network (LAN), a personal area network (PAN), a wireless local area network (WLAN), or any other internet or intranet network, or combinations of such networks. Generally, communication between various electronic devices of system 100 may take place over hard-wired, wireless, cellular, Wi-Fi or Bluetooth networked components or the like. In some embodiments, one or more electronic devices of system 100 may include cloud-based features, such as cloud-based memory storage. In some embodiments, as will be described below, the central computing device 115 is configured to access an electronic database 130 and/or communicate with a carrier computing device 185 and/or communicate with a trailer domicile facility computing device 175 via the network 120 to facilitate the submission and/or processing of a repair request to a domicile facility 170 associated with a trailer 190 that is submitted by a carrier 180 having to repair trailer 190.
In the embodiment of
In some embodiments, a carrier 180 is permitted to set up an account for use in submitting repair requests for trailers 190 used by the carrier 180. In one aspect, when a carrier 180 initially sets up an online account, the system 100 (e.g., central computing device 115) is configured to permit the carrier 180 to generate a carrier profile including information of the carrier 180 (e.g., name, address, other identifying information (e.g., Standard Carrier Alpha Code (SCAS)), phone number, financial information (e.g., bank account information), and the like). In some embodiments, the information associated with the carriers 180 is stored in the electronic database 130 for subsequent retrieval by the central computing device 115 (e.g., in response to a repair request for a trailer 190 submitted by the carrier 180).
A carrier 180 may access the central computing device 115 over the network 120 via a carrier computing device 185, which may be a stationary, portable, and/or hand-held electronic device, for example, a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a tablet, a mobile phone, or any other electronic, processor-based device configured for data entry and communication with the central computing device 115. In some aspects, as the carrier 180 is connecting over the network 120 to the central computing device 115, the central computing device 115 may request a verification of the identity (e.g., username/password) of the carrier 180. The central computing device 115 may first verify the identity of the carrier 180 (e.g., by comparing the username/password data entered by the carrier 180 into the login interface against username/password data in the profile of the carrier 180 stored in the electronic database 130). The central computing device 115 may then associate the profile of the carrier 180 with the identity of the carrier 180, retrieve carrier account information stored in the profile and enable the carrier 180 to log in to the central computing device 115.
In some aspects, the central computing device 115 is configured to enable the carriers 180 to enter electronic data pertaining to repair requests, for one or more trailers 190 used by the carriers 180 when hauling loads, to the trailer domicile facilities 170 associated with such trailers 190. As mentioned above, the trailer domicile facility 170 can be operated by the carrier 180 (or by a third party for the carrier 180). In one aspect, the central computing device 115 is configured to generate a first graphical interface 125 accessible by the carriers 180 via carrier computing devices 185 that are logged in to the central computing device 115. In some embodiments, the graphical interface 125 is configured to permit the carriers 180 to submit their trailer repair requests without having to log in to the central computing device 115. For example, first graphical interface 125 can be an internet-based form having a defined uniform resource locator (URL) address and being accessible via an interne browser of the carrier computing device 185, or can be generated within a mobile application (app) installed on the carrier computing device 185.
A portion of an exemplary first graphical interface 325 is illustrated in
In the embodiment illustrated in
For example, the first graphical interface 425 of
In addition the first graphical interface 425 of
In some embodiments, the first graphical interface 425 is configured to permit the carrier 180 to submit the repair request only if the repair request is for a monetary amount that exceeds a predetermined threshold. In one aspect, the first graphical interface 425 is configured such that the graphical button 426 that causes the repair request to be submitted is only clickable by the operator of the carrier computing device 185 when the repair request is for a monetary amount that exceeds a predetermined monetary threshold. The predetermined threshold may be any monetary amount considered by the carrier 180 and/or trailer domicile facility 170 to be a significant repair to the trailer 190, for example, $100, $200, $300, $400, $500, $750, $1000, etc.
With reference to
The control unit 210 of the central computing device 115 can be configured (for example, by using corresponding programming stored in the memory 220 as will be well understood by those skilled in the art) to carry out one or more of the steps, actions, and/or functions described herein. In some embodiments, the memory 220 may be integral to the processor-based control unit 210 or can be physically discrete (in whole or in part) from the control unit 210 and is configured non-transitorily store the computer instructions that, when executed by the control unit 210, cause the control unit 210 to behave as described herein. (As used herein, this reference to “non-transitorily” will be understood to refer to a non-ephemeral state for the stored contents (and hence excludes when the stored contents merely constitute signals or waves) rather than volatility of the storage media itself and hence includes both non-volatile memory (such as read-only memory (ROM)) as well as volatile memory (such as an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM))). Accordingly, the memory and/or the control unit may be referred to as a non-transitory medium or non-transitory computer readable medium.
The control unit 210 of the central computing device 115 is electrically coupled via a connection 235 to an input/output 240 that can receive signals from electronic devices in communication over the network 120 with the central computing device 115 (e.g., data from the carrier computing device 185 relating to a repair request being submitted by the carrier 180, data from the trailer domicile facility computing device 175 indicating a response to (e.g., approval or denial) the repair request submitted by the carrier 180, etc.). The input/output 240 of the central computing device 115 can also send signals to electronic devices in communication over the network 120 with the central computing device 115 (e.g., carrier-submitted data relating to a repair request to the electronic database 130, trailer domicile facility 170—uploaded data responsive to a repair request to electronic database 130, etc.).
In the embodiment shown in
In some embodiments, the display screen 260 of central computing device 115 is configured to display various graphical interface-based menus, options, and/or notifications/alerts that may be transmitted to the central computing device 115 and displayed on the display screen 260 in connection with various aspects of the repair requests submitted by the carriers 180 and approvals/denials by the trailer domicile facilities 170. The inputs 270 of the central computing device 115 may be configured to permit an operator to navigate through the on-screen menus on the central computing device 115. It will be appreciated that the display screen 260 may be configured as both a display screen and an input 270 (e.g., a touch-screen that permits an operator to press on the display screen 260 to enter text and/or execute commands.)
As discussed above, in some aspects, the control circuit 210 of the central computing device 115 is programmed to generate a first graphical interface 125 accessible on the central computing device 115 over the communication network 120 by a computing device 185 of a carrier 180 having to repair a trailer 190. As discussed above, this first graphical interface 425 is configured (e.g., by including clickable graphical buttons 426, drop-down menus 427, and text input fields 428) to permit the carrier 180, via the carrier computing device 185, to submit one or more trailer repair requests. In some embodiments, after a repair request is submitted by the carrier 180 as discussed above, the control circuit 210 of the central computing device 115 is programmed to process and/or extract the information submitted in the repair request, and to cause the central computing device 115 to transmit the information extracted from the repair request submitted by the carrier 180 to the electronic database 130 for storage and/or future retrieval by the central computing device 115 (e.g., to determine most often occurring repairs required by trailers 190).
In one aspect, after the control circuit 210 processes the electronic information submitted by the carrier 180 via the first graphical interface 425 as part of a repair request for a trailer 190, the control circuit 210 is programmed to generate an invoice directed to the trailer domicile facility 170 associated with that trailer 190, with the invoice to the trailer domicile facility 170 reflecting the repair to the trailer 190 indicated in the repair request submitted by the carrier 180. In some embodiments, after the control circuit 210 of the central computing device 115 processes the repair request for a trailer 190 submitted by the carrier 180 and generates an invoice to the trailer domicile facility 170 associated the trailer 190, the control circuit 210 of the central computing device 115 is programmed to transmit (over the network 120) a signal including an electronic alert or notification to the computing device 175 of the trailer domicile facility 170.
In some aspects, the electronic notification sent by the central computing device 115 over the network 120 to the trailer domicile carrier computing device 175 includes but is not limited to a short message service (SMS) message, an electronic mail (e-mail) message, an instant messenger message, and/or a push notification. The electronic notification, when received by the computing device 175 of the trailer domicile facility 170, indicates to the trailer domicile facility 170 that a repair request for one of the trailers 190 domiciled at this facility has been submitted by a carrier 180. As will be described in more detail below, in some embodiments, after a trailer domicile facility 170 receives a notification of a repair request for a trailer 190 submitted by a carrier 180, the trailer domicile facility 170 can log in to the central computing device 115.
In some embodiments, when a trailer domicile facility 170 initially sets up an online account, the system 100 (e.g., central computing device 115) is configured to permit the trailer domicile facility 170 to generate a carrier profile including information of the trailer domicile facility 170 (e.g., name, address, other identifying and/or contact (e.g., phone, email, etc.) information), financial information (e.g., bank account information), and identifying information for each trailer 190 associated with the trailer domicile facility 170). Again, since the trailer domicile facility 170 is in some aspects operated by the carrier 180, some of the identifying information associated with the carrier 180 and the trailer domicile facility 170 may overlap. In some embodiments, all information associated with the trailer domicile facilities 170 is stored in the electronic database 130 for subsequent retrieval by the central computing device 115 (e.g., when the control circuit 210 receives and/or processes a trailer repair request).
A trailer domicile facility 170 may access the central computing device 115 over the network 120 via a trailer domicile facility computing device 175, which may be a stationary, portable, and/or hand-held electronic device, for example, a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a tablet, a mobile phone, or any other electronic, processor-based device configured for data entry and communication with the central computing device 115. In some aspects, as the trailer domicile facility 170 is connecting over the network 120 to the central computing device 115 via the trailer domicile facility computing device 175, the central computing device 115 may request a verification of the identity (e.g., username/password) of the trailer domicile facility 170. The central computing device 115 may first verify the identity of the trailer domicile facility 170 (e.g., by comparing the username/password data entered by the trailer domicile facility 170 into the login interface against username/password data in the profile of the trailer domicile facility 170 stored in the electronic database 130). The central computing device 115 then associates the profile of the trailer domicile facility 170 with the identity of the trailer domicile facility 170, retrieves trailer domicile facility account information stored in the profile, and enables the carrier computing device 185 to log in to the central computing device 115.
In some embodiments, after the trailer domicile facility computing device 175 is permitted to log in to the central computing device 115, the operator (e.g., employee or manager) of the trailer domicile facility 170 is permitted to browse through a listing of repair requests submitted by drivers of a carrier 180 to that trailer domicile facility 170 in order to view the repair request, and to either approve or deny the repair request. In some aspects, after the operator of the trailer domicile facility 170 logs in to the central computing device 115 in response to a notification of a repair request, the control circuit 210 of the central computing device 115 is programmed to generate (and present on a display screen of the trailer domicile facility computing device 175) a second graphical interface 535 shown in
A portion of an exemplary second graphical interface 535 and 635 is illustrated in
The exemplary second graphical interface 535, 635 of
In some embodiments, after the operator of the trailer domicile facility computing device 175 responds to the repair request of the carrier 160 by approving the repair request via the second graphical interface 535 as described above, the central computing device 115 receives this response over the network 120 from the trailer domicile facility computing device 175, the control circuit 210 of the central computing device 115 is programmed to record this approval-indicating response in the electronic database 130, and to cause the central computing device 115 to transmit to a carrier computing device 185, an electronic notification or alert over the network 120 indicating to the carrier 180 that the repair request has been approved by the trailer domicile facility 170. In one aspect, the electronic notification transmitted from the central computing device 115 to the carrier computing device 185 includes an electronic document (e.g., in .docx, .pdf, or xlsx format) that represents a purchase order from the trailer domicile facility 170 that covers the repairs indicated in the repair request submitted by the carrier 180 and approved by the operator of the trailer domicile facility computing device 175.
In some aspects, after the trailer domicile facility 170 approves the repair request, and after the carrier 180 is provided with a purchase order covering the repairs as described above, and after the carrier 180 proceeds with repairing the trailer 190, the carrier 180 is permitted to log in to the central computing device 115 in order to indicate that the repairs approved by the carrier domicile facility 170 have been made to the trailer 190 at a repair facility initially indicated in the repair request submitted by the carrier 180. In one aspect, after receiving a notification from the carrier 180 indicating that the repairs have been made, the control circuit 210 of the central computing device 115 is programmed to access the electronic database 130 over the communication network 120, retrieve the repair request stored in the electronic database 130 in association with the trailer 190, and generate a report indicating the repairs made to the trailer 190. In one aspect, the control circuit 210 of the central computing device 115 is programmed to include in the report an identification of each facility where repairs to the trailer 190 were made, each carrier facility where the trailer 190 stopped, and the trailer domicile facility 170 of the trailer 190.
In some embodiments, after the operator of the trailer domicile facility computing device 175 responds to the repair request of the carrier 160 by denying the repair request via the second graphical interface 635 as described above, and after the central computing device 115 receives this response over the network 120 from the trailer domicile facility computing device 175, the control circuit 210 of the central computing device 115 is programmed to record this denial-indicating response in the electronic database 130, and to cause the central computing device 115 to transmit (e.g., over the network 120) to a computing device 185 of the carrier 180, an electronic notification or alert indicating to the carrier 180 that the repair request has been denied by the trailer domicile facility 170. In one aspect, the electronic notification or alert transmitted from the central computing device 115 to the carrier computing device 185 includes an electronic document (e.g., in .docx, .pdf, or xlsx format) that represents the written justification submitted by the trailer domicile facility 170 that provides the reasons indicating why the repair request submitted by the carrier 180 was denied by the trailer domicile facility 170.
As described above, in some embodiments, carriers 180 are permitted to submit repair requests for trailers 190 associated with trailer domicile facilities 170. In one aspect, as discussed above, the method 700 includes, providing a first graphical interface 435 accessible on the central computing device 115 over the communication network 120 by a computing device 185 of a carrier 180 having to repair a trailer 190, such that the first graphical interface 435 is configured to permit the carrier 180 to submit, to the central computing device 115 and via the carrier computing device 185, a repair request indicating the repair needed for the trailer 190 (step 730). Portions of exemplary first graphical interface 325, 425 are illustrated in
As discussed above, in one aspect, the method 700 includes processing, via the control circuit 210 of the central computing device 115, the repair request received by the central computing device 115 from the carrier computing devices 185. In the embodiment of
After the invoice for estimated repairs to the trailer 190 is generated at the central computing device 115, the exemplary method 700 of
After the trailer domicile facility 170 receives a notification from the central computing device 115 indicating that a carrier 180 has filed a repair request with respect to a trailer 190 associated with a trailer domicile facility 170, the trailer domicile facility 170 is permitted to log in to the central computing device 115, review the repair request, and approve or deny the repair request via an exemplary second graphical interface 535, 635, which was described in more detail above with reference to
In the embodiment illustrated in
In one aspect, after the carrier 180 pays for the completed repairs to the trailer 190 at the repair facility via the purchase order provided by the trailer domicile facility 170, an operator of the carrier computing device 185 transmits a notification to the central computing device 115 over the network 120 to indicate that the repairs to the trailer 190 have been made. The central computing device 115 then accesses the electronic database 130 over the network 120, retrieves the repair request stored in the electronic database 130 in association with the trailer 190, and generates a report indicating the repairs that were made to the trailer 190 referenced in the repair request. In one aspect, the generated report includes an identification of each facility where repairs to the trailer 190 were made, each facility of the carrier 180 where the trailer 190 stopped, and the trailer domicile facility 170 associated with the trailer 190. In some aspects, such reports can be used not only as a record of repairs made by a carrier 180 with respect to a given trailer 190 during use, but also to identify common repair-requiring problems that are missed (i.e., not repaired in advance prior to returning the trailer 190 to a trailer leasing agency) by one or more carriers 180.
In some embodiments, after the trailer domicile facility 170 responds to the repair request of the carrier 160 by denying the repair request, the central computing device 115 records the denial-indicating response of the trailer domicile facility 170 in the electronic database 130, and transmits over the network 120 an electronic notification to the carrier computing device 185 to indicate to the carrier 180 that the repair request has been denied by the trailer domicile facility 170. In one aspect, the electronic notification or alert transmitted from the central computing device 115 to the carrier computing device 185 can include a written justification submitted by the trailer domicile facility 170 that provides the reasons indicating why the repair request submitted by the carrier 180 was denied by the trailer domicile facility 170.
The systems and methods described herein advantageously allow carriers to easily submit trailer repair requests to a trailer domicile facility while using the trailers to haul loads for a retailer, but also enable the trailer domicile facilities to easily review, approve and/or deny the repair requests, and provide the carrier with a purchase order for approved trailer repairs and/or a written justification for denied trailer repairs. Such systems and methods not only provide an easy to use system for carriers that haul loads for a retailer using trailers that are leased and later returned to trailer leasing agencies, but also provide a clear record of repair-requiring issues associated with the trailers and permit appropriate allocation of financial responsibility for such repairs.
Those skilled in the art will recognize that a wide variety of other modifications, alterations, and combinations can also be made with respect to the above described embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention, and that such modifications, alterations, and combinations are to be viewed as being within the ambit of the inventive concept.
This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 17/010,109, filed Sep. 2, 2020, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 15/883,816, filed Jan. 30, 2018, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,796,287, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/464,563, filed Feb. 28, 2017, each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
6308120 | Good | Oct 2001 | B1 |
10796287 | Millhouse | Oct 2020 | B2 |
11250389 | Millhouse | Feb 2022 | B2 |
20030182138 | Jeanneret | Sep 2003 | A1 |
20030195790 | Wepfer | Oct 2003 | A1 |
20070179868 | Bozym | Aug 2007 | A1 |
20080046261 | Cunningham | Feb 2008 | A1 |
20080059272 | Jeanneret | Mar 2008 | A1 |
20110087505 | Terlep | Apr 2011 | A1 |
20140019280 | Medeiros | Jan 2014 | A1 |
20140067666 | McClintic | Mar 2014 | A1 |
20140088866 | Knapp | Mar 2014 | A1 |
20150100505 | Binion | Apr 2015 | A1 |
20150286994 | Elder | Oct 2015 | A1 |
20160019497 | Carvajal | Jan 2016 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country |
---|---|---|
2005071180 | Mar 2005 | JP |
2015103187 | Jun 2015 | JP |
2018160294 | Sep 2018 | WO |
Entry |
---|
PCT; App. No. PCT/US2018/014990; International Search Report and Written Opinion dated Apr. 12, 2018; (pp. 1-10). |
U.S. Appl. No. 15/883,816; Notice of Allowance dated Jun. 5, 2020, (pp. 1-13). |
U.S. Appl. No. 17/010,109; Notice of Allowance dated Oct. 20, 2021; (pp. 1-7). |
U.S. Appl. No. 17/010,109; Office Action dated Sep. 27, 2021; (pp. 1-8). |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
20220129864 A1 | Apr 2022 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
62464563 | Feb 2017 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
Parent | 17010109 | Sep 2020 | US |
Child | 17569387 | US | |
Parent | 15883816 | Jan 2018 | US |
Child | 17010109 | US |