17988246. COMPUTER IMPLEMENTED PRODUCT DELIVERY WITH FLEXIBLE PICKUP LOCATIONS simplified abstract (INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION)

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COMPUTER IMPLEMENTED PRODUCT DELIVERY WITH FLEXIBLE PICKUP LOCATIONS

Organization Name

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION

Inventor(s)

Saraswathi Sailaja Perumalla of Visakhapatnam (IN)

Shailendra Moyal of Pune (IN)

Sarbajit K. Rakshit of Kolkata (IN)

Partho Ghosh of Kolkata (IN)

COMPUTER IMPLEMENTED PRODUCT DELIVERY WITH FLEXIBLE PICKUP LOCATIONS - A simplified explanation of the abstract

This abstract first appeared for US patent application 17988246 titled 'COMPUTER IMPLEMENTED PRODUCT DELIVERY WITH FLEXIBLE PICKUP LOCATIONS

Simplified Explanation

The patent application describes a system for customer flexible pickup of product delivery, where customers can provide a main delivery address and choose pickup points for their products. Delivery vehicles with the products are sent into transit, and customer instructions are received for delivering products to pickup points. Products are matched to inventory in the delivery vehicles, and the vehicles are matched by inventory and location to the pickup points. Products are then delivered to the pickup points and the remainder of the order is delivered to the main delivery address.

  • Customer flexible pickup of product delivery system
  • Customers provide main delivery address and choose pickup points
  • Delivery vehicles with products are sent into transit
  • Customer instructions received for product delivery to pickup points
  • Products matched to inventory in delivery vehicles
  • Delivery vehicles matched to pickup points by inventory and location
  • Products delivered to pickup points with matched delivery vehicles
  • Remainder of products in the order delivered to main delivery address

Potential Applications

The technology could be applied in various industries such as e-commerce, retail, food delivery, and logistics.

Problems Solved

The system solves the problem of providing customers with flexibility in choosing pickup points for their product deliveries, improving efficiency in delivery operations.

Benefits

- Enhanced customer experience with flexible delivery options - Increased efficiency in delivery operations - Reduction in delivery times and costs

Potential Commercial Applications

The technology could be utilized by e-commerce platforms, retail chains, food delivery services, and logistics companies to improve their delivery processes.

Possible Prior Art

One possible prior art could be the use of mobile apps for tracking deliveries and providing real-time updates to customers. Another could be the use of automated delivery systems in warehouses for sorting and dispatching orders.

Unanswered Questions

How does the system handle returns or exchanges of products by customers?

The article does not mention how the system manages returns or exchanges of products by customers. This could be an important aspect to consider in the overall delivery process.

What measures are in place to ensure the security and safety of products during transit and at pickup points?

The article does not address the security and safety measures implemented to protect products during transit and at pickup points. This could be a critical factor in maintaining the integrity of the delivery process.


Original Abstract Submitted

Customer flexible pickup of product delivery that includes taking a product order from a customer to a merchant, wherein the customer provides a main delivery address, and providing pickup points to the customer for product delivery. Delivery vehicles with products for the product order are sent into transit. Customer instructions are received for at least one product of the product order to be delivered to at least one pickup point. At least one product is matched to the inventory in the delivery vehicles. Delivery vehicles are matched by inventory and location to the pickup point. At least one product is delivered to the at least one pickup point with matched delivery vehicle. A remainder of products in the product order are delivered to the main delivery address.