CN1449538A - Systems and methods for enabling return of consumer goods - Google Patents

Abstract

A network server (120) that enables consumer product return is provided. The web server is adapted to present one or more pages to a client (100) located on the web, the pages adapted to elicit consumer information comprising an identification of the consumer product to be returned and an identification of the current location of the consumer product. The server receives the consumer information and transmits to the client shipping label data that includes the consumer product destination and carrier service identification. The destination is selected based on the consumer information without regard to where the consumer product is purchased.

Description

Systems and methods for enabling return of consumer goods

Background technique

Field of the invention

The present invention is directed to a system and method for returning consumer goods using computers and networks. In a preferred embodiment, the present invention is intended to facilitate the return of used consumable products from the consumer to a destination preselected by the manufacturer for disposal, including for reconditioning and recycling.

Description of related technologies

There are many situations where it is desirable to ship product from the consumer back to the manufacturer for various reasons. In the area of laser toner cartridges, for example, it is desirable to ship used cartridges from the consumer back to the manufacturer so that the manufacturer can dispose of the cartridge, such as by reconditioning or recycling all or part thereof. This system allows the manufacturer to reuse some parts of the cartridges to make new cartridges, and restore other parts to reusable scrap. Disposing of cartridges in this manner allows manufacturers to manufacture new cartridges more economically and has a very positive effect on the environment.

U.S. Patent No. 5,965,858 to Suzuki, et al. propose a factory item recycling program. In this patent, items are manufactured at a factory, delivered to a store, and purchased by a consumer at the store. After a consumer has used an item for a given period of time, it is taken to a local disposal location (or store, which then sends it to the disposal location), where it is sorted based on class or grade, and then sent to the appropriate recycling facilities. In Suzuki et al., however, it is not stated how the item is transported from the consumer to the disposal location.

One traditional method of enabling delivery of consumer goods for disposal has been to include pre-authorized shipping labels with new purchases. Such labels are typically pre-printed with a pre-selected destination (such as a manufacturer's recycling facility) and pre-authorized by a particular carrier (such as United Parcel Service, for example). When the consumer has used up the product and is ready to return it, the consumer locates the label on the product, finds the box in which the product was placed, attaches the label and ships the labeled product in the box.

The methods described above are generally good and have been used to achieve very successful product disposal programs. However, this has several obvious drawbacks, most of which stem from the fact that this is an essentially static, non-adaptive system that cannot be easily modified as circumstances change. For example, if the label contained in the original packaging is lost, it is not easy for the consumer to effect the return of the product.

Another drawback associated with the traditional approach is that the manufacturer must select the destination for the return of the consumer product when the product is initially packaged and cannot change this destination thereafter. And because the choice must be made at the time of product packaging, before the manufacturer knows in whose hands the product will end up, it cannot be modified to suit a particular consumer. As such, manufacturers cannot direct consumer goods back to destinations close to the consumer in order to reduce shipping costs.

Another drawback of the traditional method of handling product returns is that it does not provide a modular way to interact with the user during the return process. In fact, product manufacturers generally cannot tell where the returned packaging came from, or whether the returned packaging actually contained the product.

In addition, the package pre-authorizes the shipping label with the consumable product locked at the factory to the carrier service company indicated on the shipping label. This reduces the possibility of manufacturers negotiating among potential carrier service companies to obtain the lowest cost.

There is thus a need for a system and method of enabling consumer product return that takes an entirely new approach and overcomes the deficiencies associated with the traditional methods discussed above.

Summary of the invention

In view of the above, according to one aspect of the present invention, a web server for realizing the return of consumer goods is provided. The web server is adapted to: (a) present to a client computer located on the network one or more list pages adapted to elicit consumer information including an identification of the consumable to be returned and an identification of the current location of the consumable; (b) receive a consumer and (c) transmitting shipping label data to the client, the label data including the consumer product destination and the carrier service company identification. Destinations were selected based on consumer information, regardless of where the consumer goods were purchased.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a method for returning consumer goods in a network environment is provided. The method includes a web server: (a) presenting to a client computer located on the web one or more listing pages adapted to elicit consumer information including an identification of the consumable to be returned and an identification of the current location of the consumable; (b) receiving consumer information; and (c) transmitting shipping label data to the client, the label data including the consumer product destination and carrier service company identification. Destinations were selected based on consumer information, regardless of where the consumer goods were purchased.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided computer code running on a web server to implement return of consumer goods. The code includes: (a) code for presenting to a client computer located on the network one or more table pages adapted to elicit customer information including an identification of the consumable to be returned and an identification of the current location of the consumable; (b) a code for receiving customer information; and (c) a code for transmitting shipping label data to the client, the label data including the consumer product destination and the carrier service company identification. Destinations were selected based on consumer information, regardless of where the consumer goods were purchased.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a device operating in a network environment is provided. The apparatus is adapted to effectuate the return of consumables and includes: (a) means for presenting to a client computer located on the network one or more list pages adapted to initiate a purchase order containing an identification of the consumable to be returned and an identification of the current location of the consumable; (b) means for receiving customer information; and (c) means for transmitting shipping label data to the client, the label data including a consumer product destination and a carrier service company identification. Destinations were selected based on consumer information, regardless of where the consumer goods were purchased.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a network client associated with a computer connected to a printer is provided. The client is located on a network linking the client to the web server and is adapted to: (a) transmit consumer information to the server, which includes information containing information to be returned identifying the consumer product and the current location of the consumer product; and ( b) Receive shipping label data from the server, this includes consumer product destination and carrier service company identification. Destinations were selected based on consumer information, regardless of where the consumer goods were purchased.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a web server for returning consumer goods is provided. The web server is adapted to: (a) present to a client computer located on the network one or more list pages adapted to elicit consumer information including an identification of the consumable product to be returned and an identification of the current location of the consumable product, and for the return of the product Whether the consumer needs packaging materials; (b) receive consumer information; (c) if the received consumer information indicates that the consumer needs packaging materials, then start the delivery of packaging materials according to the identified consumer information, and send to the client presenting a page requesting the consumer to contact the web server again to request a shipping label at that time when the packaging material is loaded; and (d) immediately transmitting to the client if the received consumer information indicates that the consumer does not require packaging material Shipping label data, the label data includes the destination of the consumer goods and the identification of the carrier service company. Destinations were selected based on consumer information, regardless of where the consumer goods were purchased.

Brief description of the drawings

From the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings, the above-mentioned and other objects, methods and advantages of the present invention will be better understood, wherein:

Figure 1 is a block diagram depicting elements of a system implemented in accordance with the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a flowchart depicting the operation of the system according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2A is a continuation of the flowchart of FIG. 2 .

3-8 are exemplary Web pages served by a Web server during operation of the system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 9 is a flow diagram illustrating the interaction between a client computer and a Web server in one embodiment of the present invention.

10A-N show several examples of Web pages served to client computers.

Figures 11A-C collectively form a flowchart showing the operation of the manufacturer server in one embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 12 is a flowchart showing the operation of the carrier server in one embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 13 is a flow chart showing the operation of the server of the first manufacturer, the server of the second manufacturer and the server of the carrier company and the interaction among them in an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 14 is an example of a data structure used to organize and store information.

Figure 15 is an example of a matrix of data that may be processed for determining return centers and carriers, provided by an embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiment

"Consumer" generally refers to any person or entity who wishes to return a consumer product. In a preferred embodiment, the customer is the person or entity who actually purchased and used the consumable product to be returned and is able to maintain a customer profile about them. In the broadest embodiment, however, the consumer is the entity effectuating the return of the consumable.

"Manufacturer" means the person or entity that organizes and authorizes the return of consumer products. In a preferred embodiment, as discussed in more detail below, the consumer product return entity is organized and authorized to actually manufacture the product and use the system of the present invention to track product usage information and consumer information. However, this is not required of the systems and methods disclosed in the broad sense herein.

A "consumer product" or sometimes simply a "product" refers to any product in the world. In a preferred embodiment, the consumer product to be returned is a recyclable product such as, for example, a recyclable laser printer toner cartridge. However, the systems and methods for enabling product returns according to the present invention are applicable to the return of any consumer product.

"Computer" may refer to a single computer or an interacting computer system. In general, a computer is a combination of a hardware system, a software operating system, and presumably one or more software applications. Examples of computers include, but are not limited to, IBM-type personal computers (PCs) with DOS, Windows, OX/2, or Linux operating systems; Macintosh computers; hardware with JAVA-OS operating systems; graphics workstations, such as UNIX operating systems; Sun Microsystems and Silicon graphics workstations; PalmPilots; and PilotPC.

"Network" means any connection between two or more computers that allows the transmission of data. An example of a network is the Internet.

A "client/server" architecture is a network architecture in which each computer or process on the network is either a "client" or a "server." A "server" is a computer or device on a network that manages network resources and is operable to receive requests from third parties on the network and to respond to those requests. Requests are sent to a server by a "client," typically an application program running on a personal computer or workstation that relies on the server to perform certain operations.

"User Identification Information" is computer information that uniquely describes a Customer and includes, but is not limited to, User ID and Password information.

"Web page" means any document written in a markup language, including but not limited to HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) or VRML (Virtual Reality Modeling Language), dynamic HTML, XML (Extensible Markup Language) or their related computer language, and the collection of such documents reachable through a particular Internet address or at any particular Web site, or any document available through a particular URL (Uniform Resource Locator).

"Web site" means at least one Web page, and preferably a plurality of Web pages, virtually linked to form an interlinked group.

"Web browser" means any client software program running on a computer capable of displaying text, graphics, or both from Web pages on a Web site. Examples of web browsers include, but are not limited to, Netscape Navigation and Microsoft Internet Explorer.

A "Web server" is a server capable of serving at least one Web page to a Web browser.

The term "displaying a Web page" includes all actions necessary to present at least a portion of information on a Web page available to a computer user. Thus, the term includes, but is not limited to, the static visual display of static graphical information, the audible production of audio information, the moving visual display of animation, and the visual display of streaming video data.

For the present invention, software applications can be written in essentially any programming language that can be readily chosen by a professional in the art. The programming language chosen should be compatible with the computer on which the software application is executed, and in particular with the computer's operating system. Examples of suitable programming languages include, but are not limited to, C, C++, CGI, Java, and Java Scripts. Furthermore, when described as a series of steps of a method, the functions of the present invention can be realized as a series of software instructions operated by a data processor, such as the present invention can be realized as software, firmware or hardware, or a combination thereof.

An example of the system of the present invention is shown simplified in FIG. 1 . As shown, the system includes a vendor's Web server 110 operatively connected to a database server 150 and a network 120 . Network 120 may be, for example, the Internet. Also connected to the network 120 is a client computer 100, such as a customer's client computer, which is also connected to a printer (preferably a laser printer) 160 that can print a shipping label 170 in a manner that will be described in more detail below.

Database server 150 preferably comprises a relational database management system in which information is stored in predetermined functionally arranged tables of rows and columns related to each other and accessible through a database query protocol such as Structured Query Language (SQL).

It should be readily understood that the illustration of Fig. 1 is only exemplary and that various modifications are naturally possible. For example, each computer 100 and 110 may be connected to their own network, which in turn is connected to network 120 . The system can also be implemented by multiple client computers and multiple Web servers. Other variants also operate.

Client computer 100 preferably includes communications hardware and an operating system with graphical user interface (GUI) functionality to allow interfacing with the Internet, and preferably has graphical World Wide Web (Web) browser software loaded thereon, such as Netscape Navigation or Microsoft Internet Explorer, and can read and send Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) forms to and from Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) servers on the Web.

The client computer 100 is preferably operable as a virtual machine running a Java applet or the like downloaded from a browser through a browser. Specifically, as will be explained below, the client computer 100 must be able to transmit customer information to the manufacturer server computer. Vendor Web server 110 preferably includes hardware, HTTP compliant software, operating system and Common Gateway Interface (CGI) software for interfacing with incoming queries and data sources. The web server 110 receives customer information and stores the customer information in the database server 150 .

Figure 1 also depicts a carrier Web server 180, which represents the Web server of the carrier service that will do the actual shipping of the returned product, such as from the customer's location to the location specified by the manufacturer. Examples of such carriers include United States Post Office, United Parcel Service, Federal Express, etc. The manufacturer web server 110 communicates with the carrier web server 180 via a transaction 120 . Carrier Web server 180 is operatively connected to its own database server 190 . In practice, of course, a manufacturer may use more than one carrier, in which case multiple carrier web servers and database servers will be part of the system (shown as carrier web server 180N and database server 190N).

Turning now to operation in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention with reference to FIG. 2 . As shown in FIG. 2, a consumer who has decided to return a product initially connects to the Web server 110 (S210), such as by entering the URL of such a Web page to the Web browser of the client computer 100, and retrieves and displays the Web page. This action is commonly referred to as "visiting the manufacturer's Web site" in today's day-to-day behavior. The URL and instructions for retrieving the Web page when wishing to return the product may have been provided to the consumer in or on the original packaging of the item.

An exemplary Web page 30 that Web server 110 may serve to client 100 upon initial connection is shown in FIG. 3 . As shown, this Web page asks the customer whether he is a first-time user of the program or has used the program before (S220). Two buttons 31 and 32 are equipped with correspondingly for the consumer. Several consumers are first-time users, and the Web server will offer to allow consumers to register with the program, such as the exemplary Web page 40 shown in FIG. 4 . This web page is a CGI form containing fields that allow (or require) the customer to enter various data, and a submit button 41 transmits this information to the web server. Once this information is received, it is stored in database server 150 . The particular fields shown in FIG. 4 are of course only exemplary, and other fields may be used in addition to or instead of all or part of them.

Preferably, the consumer's name and address are used to direct consumer products to the facility closest to the consumer. For example a particular manufacturer managing a recycling program may choose to establish two self-portrait facilities, one on the east coast and one on the west coast of the United States. The location of the consumer may be required by the manufacturer in order to direct product to the closest of the two facilities to the consumer.

Upon submitting the form of Web page 40, the Web server serves a Web page, such as the Web page of FIG. 5, which allows the consumer to determine a user identification ("User ID") and password. Once these data are received by the Web server, the Web server stores them in the database server 150, and supplies a Web page confirming the user ID specified by the customer as shown in FIG. 6 to the client computer 100 (S222).

Once the user ID has been established by the web server, the consumer no longer needs to register packages S221 and S223 in order to enable product returns. But when accessing for the second time and subsequent, the Web server provides a Web page to provide a form for inputting the user ID and password (S222) that have been established, such as the Web page 70 shown in Figure 7.

In another embodiment, the user ID and password information are not manually entered by the customer, but are provided automatically through a cookie file placed on the client computer 100 by the Web server during the initial registration process.

In any case, when the user ID and the secret word are received by the Web server, the Web server performs a validity check (S224) to determine whether the user ID is valid. More specifically, the Web server compares the information received from the client computer with customer information stored in the database server 150 . Thus, if the given user ID does not exist, or does not correspond to the given customer name information, for example, it is possible to re-provision the Web page 70 for the customer to re-enter the user identification.

After a successful validity check (or after the user clicks the continuation button 61 of the Web page 60 for the first time), the client computer 100 is supplied with the Web page 80 shown in FIG. 8 at S230, which provides a form for input instructions. Information about the product being returned. Such information will generally include information indicating the type of product being returned, and possibly a model number or a textual description of the product. This information may be entered by the user via a keyboard or the like, or alternatively by the user selecting a product from a list of available products provided in the form of a pull-down menu or the like. The product type information entered at S224 is subject to the same type of validity check as performed in connection with user identification information confirmation, ie the entered product is compared with the product list stored in the database server 150 to determine if it is a valid product. If not a valid product, an appropriate message is returned to the client computer 100.

If the product type is valid, the destination will be determined and shipping label data will be transmitted as described below. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the product identification information includes not only information indicating the general type of product, but also an indication of a specific product serial number. In this case, the serial number is also checked for validity by comparing it with the list of serial numbers stored in the database server 150 . In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the Web server 110, after receiving the product information from the client computer 100, will serve a Web page that provides input on consumer usage of the product. Such usage information may include such things as whether the consumer is using the product in a home or office environment; how much the consumer uses the product; how much the consumer pays for the product; the product; and various other data of interest to the manufacturer. This information is stored in database server 150 once received by the web server. This information allows the database server to maintain rich information not only on specific customers, but also on specific products to be returned.

In another embodiment of the invention, a consumer product is equipped with a smart chip that collects information about the product during use. If the product is a printer cartridge, the information may include the number of prints made, the model of printer the cartridge was used in, or any other product-related information that the smart chip could be programmed to record. This information can be added to the database server 150 once received from the returned product. The product information collected from the smart chip is in the database server 150, for example, can be associated with a specific customer through the product serial number. In this way, the manufacturer can monitor the life cycle of the product more accurately.

Once the product information has been input and received by the web server, the web server will select the product return destination for the consumer goods, and the carrier service company that will undertake the transportation (S240). Generally, the Web server 110 will determine the destination of the product based on the product type in order to route the product to a facility where it can be processed. For example, in the event that a laser cartridge is to be returned for recycling, a recycling capable destination would be selected. Destinations can be further refined according to the location of the consumer, and whichever suitable destination is closest to the consumer can be selected to reduce shipping costs as much as possible. The database server maintains a list of all available destinations, their locations and processing capabilities, and is accessed by the Web server 110 when a destination is determined for a particular product.

Also maintained in the database server 150 is a list of all shipping service companies and their charges for specific shipments. Web server 110 also accesses this information in order to determine which shipping service company is the most economical, given the nature of the product to be returned (such as its weight and destination) and the pick-up and drop-off location. The carrier server 150 is preferably updated periodically to reflect changes in rates, new agreements, contracts, and the like.

Once the destination and shipping service company are selected, the Web server generates shipping label data (S250). The shipping label data includes sufficient data for the client computer 100 to direct the printer 160 to print a shipping label, including the selected destination and the identification of the shipping service company. Shipping label data also includes the data necessary to print on the label an implementation code indicating that shipment of the package to which the label is attached has been pre-authorized and that the recipient (ie, manufacturer) will pay for the shipment. The shipping label data preferably also includes the data necessary to print the sender's address.

Shipping label data is transmitted from the Web server 150 (S260) and received by the client computer 100 (S270), which is operatively connected to a printer 160 adapted to print shipping labels (S280). In a preferred embodiment, shipping label data is transmitted and received in a format that enables the customer to cause the label to be printed without installing additional software on the client computer. In any event, the returned product is placed by the consumer into an appropriate package with a printed label affixed thereto.

The delivery step (S290) is implemented by a carrier service company, such as United States Post Office, United Parcel Service, Federal Express, etc. Generally, the shipping service company will pick up the package from the customer and deliver the package to the destination printed on the shipping label.

In practice, the shipping service company typically has a contract with the manufacturer to license the delivery of the shipping label data, since it is the shipping service company that will accept authorization with respect to the shipping label. The carrier service itself is thus adapted to accept and transmit authorization information over the network.

In another separate embodiment, the client computer is located at the receiving site rather than at the consumer's home or facility. The receiving site may be the location where a different consumer discards the returned product. In this embodiment, the receiving site obtains the user ID and password in the same manner as the consumer obtained this information in the previous embodiments. However, as part of the customer information transmitted from the client computer to the manufacturer's Web server, an additional piece of customer information is required: "number of boxes requested".

As in the previous embodiments, the appropriate product destination is selected based on product type and customer information. However, instead of transmitting the shipping label data to the client computer as in the previous embodiment, an empty container to which a shipping label can be attached is mailed to the receiving site. The transmission and reception of the shipping label data and printing of the shipping label are then performed as in the embodiment described above. The shipping service company packs several products into boxes and delivers the boxes to the chosen destination.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart describing the interaction of a client computer 100 (in this example, a customer's client computer) and a Web server 110 (in this example, a manufacturer's Web server) according to an embodiment of the present invention. The process starts at S9000 with a client accessing a server. The server receives the access request (or data, as described below) at S9010, and analyzes and processes the request at S9020-S9030. The server serves appropriate Web pages to the client at S9040. A general example of a suitable web page is a form that prompts the consumer to enter certain information (ie, data); more specific examples are discussed below.

At S9050, the client receives the Web page served by the server and displays the page. At S9060, the customer enters the data required by the page (if required), and the client displays these data to the customer on the Web page. At S9070, the client waits until processing is effected by the consumer, for example, the consumer clicks a submit button on the displayed page. When the processing is realized, the client transitions to S9080, where the data input by the consumer is sent to the server by the client. Reception of such data causes the server to return at S9010. After S9010, the server goes through each of its steps as discussed above, reaching an end at S9040, where the server serves another Web page to the client. This process is repeated until the client has received all necessary web pages from the server and has submitted all necessary data to the server.

A specific example of a Web page that may be served by a server to a client upon initial access is shown in FIG. 10A. This page contains a hyperlink 1000 (the word "Here") that can be clicked on by the consumer to obtain the necessary next Web page to begin the process of requesting a carton and/or shipping label for product return, which will follow below More details. Examples of other Web pages are shown in Figures 10B-10N, many of which are also mentioned below.

An example of the next page that may be served to the client after clicking on the hyperlink 1000 is shown in FIG. 10B. Through this page, the registered user is able to log into the system by entering his email ID and password in fields 1001 and 1002 respectively and clicking on the "login into" button 1003. In addition, registered users who have forgotten their password can be provided with the password by clicking on the hyperlink 1004 . Finally, non-registered consumers can complete the registration process by clicking on the "Register Now!" button 1005.

An example of a Web page served to a customer who has clicked the "Register Now!" button 1005 is shown in FIG. 10C. The page has multiple fields for entering required information (e.g., first name, last name, user type, address, city, state, zip code, email, secret word, and confirmation secret word) and optional information (e.g., title, company, phone number), and a button 1006 for mentioning input data, and a button 1007 for resetting the form. The page may also have a field 1008 indicating whether you wish to be notified of new products and services. As shown, the user type field and field 1008 are presented with default inputs. In any event, all data entered by the customer is provided by the client to the server for analysis and processing according to the steps depicted in FIG. 9 and the process described below. Once the customer has provided the required information through the Web page of Figure 10C, his or her registration is confirmed by the server and the relevant client is re-provisioned with the Web page of Figure 10B through which the newly obtained email The user who is currently registered with ID and password can log in.

An example of a Web page that may be served to a customer who has clicked on the "Forgot password?" hyperlink 1004 is shown in FIG. 10D. This page includes a field 1009 for entering an email address and a button 1010 for submitting the address. Once submitted, the entered data (i.e. email address) is provided to the server, which analyzes and processes it, associates it with the appropriate password stored in its database, and passes it to the given email address email to consumers with this password. This process for notifying a user who has forgotten to register a password is well known in the art. In any event, once the form of FIG. 10D is submitted to the server, the exemplary Web page of FIG. 10E may be provided to the relevant client, which notifies that the secret key has been sent and provides a "continue" for obtaining the login page of FIG. 10B. "Proceed" button 1011.

An example of a "Welcome" Web page served to a client that has successfully completed the login process is shown in Figure 1OF. This page includes a welcome message, and a message 1017 inviting the consumer to select one of several menu options by clicking on the hyperlinks 1012-1016 on the left. Some exemplary hyperlinks are the "Return Container" hyperlink 1012 (for initiating the return process); the "View Return History" hyperlink 1013 (for viewing the product's Comprehensive History); "Update Profile" hyperlink 1014 (for allowing the consumer to update his user profile, such as by changing an email address)"; "Site Feedback" hyperlink 1015 (for allowing the consumer to give information about the site feedback); and the self-explanatory "exit" hyperlink 1016. It will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that these menu options are exemplary only and that other options are possible. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, all or some of the Web pages following the "Welcome" Web page will display all or some of the menu option hyperlinks 1012-1016 on the left so that the customer can access them at any time.

An exemplary Web page that is served to the client when the container hyperlink 1012 is returned is shown in FIG. 10G. This page includes a field 1018 for entering the exact model number of the product being returned; and a field 1019 for entering the quantity of the product being returned. In cases where the product is consumable for use with a larger machine (such as a consumable laser toner cartridge used in conjunction with a laser printer), an additional key for entering the model of the machine (such as a laser printer) is also available Field 1020 and a field 1021 for entering a particular machine serial number. In any event, the information for fields 1018-1021 may be entered by the customer therein, or otherwise, in many instances, synthesized through the use of well-known pull-down menus. The Web page of FIG. 10G also includes a field 1022a for selecting a shipping label, and a field 1022b for selecting a multiplexed shipping box. In the figure, field 1022 is selected by default. Of course, a button 1023 for submitting input data to the server, and a button 1024 for resetting the form are also included.

In the event that the customer requests multiplexed shipping boxes (field 1022b), the client may be further served a page along the line of FIG. Visit the Web site again for lots of shipping labels. This type of bulk return is more efficient, less costly and more environmentally friendly than individual bulk returns. Furthermore, such a delay in providing the shipping label makes the system more dynamic, allowing the decisions of exactly where the product is to be sent, as well as keeping the carrier itself as close to the actual shipping date as possible to optimize those decisions. For example, assume that the manufacturer obtains the most favorable rate from carrier X when requesting to reuse the shipping box, and later negotiates a more favorable rate from carrier Y before the consumer packs the box. The delay in providing the shipping label in this situation would allow the manufacturer to use carrier Y instead of carrier X, thus allowing the box to be shipped at the best rate possible.

As far as the benefits of bulk returns are concerned, in some cases it may be desirable to offer incentives to consumers to choose the bulk return route, such as requesting shipping of a box that can hold multiple products first and requesting a shipping label later, And wait until the shipping box is full before making the actual return. An example of such an incentive would be to provide a coupon to the consumer when ordering a reusable shipping box or upon receipt of a filled reusable shipping box. Coupons work well for free products, a percentage off the purchase price of a product, a fixed dollar volume discount off the purchase price of a product, etc. Coupons can be mailed to the customer's address in hard copy form, or can otherwise be provided to the customer in electronic form, such as on a Web page for printing at the customer's end, or provided by email. Another example of a reward is to enter consumers who order or return multiplex bins into a contest to win a reward. Winners of prizes may be randomly determined on a periodic basis, such as monthly, and notified on a Web page or by email.

In order to maximize the effect of the inducement, the Web page of Figure 10G should be modified to give an indication to the consumer that there is an incentive associated with ordering and/or using the multiplexing bin. A convenient way of doing this is to provide a button labeled with a message along the line "Click here for information on the Reuse Shipping Box Incentive Program". Clicking on this button will cause a new Web page to be served (or cause a window to be opened) that explains the benefits of bulk returns, encourages consumers to make bulk returns, and outlines the details of the rewards offered at that time.

It should be noted that the incentive program described above works not only to induce consumers to return in batches rather than individually, but to induce consumers to use the system to return in the first place. This inducement is particularly useful when the invention is used for the return of products for which the consumer would otherwise have no other incentive to return, such as when the invention is used to facilitate the return of used consumables for disposal including reconditioning and recycling.

Returning to Figure 10G, where the customer requests a shipping label (field 1022a), the client can then be served pages along the lines of Figure 10I. This page displays details of the shipping label to be provided, including sender information 1025 and container information 1026 . The consumer is prompted to click the "Continue" button 1027 to print the label if the information is correct; or click the "Update Profile" hyperlink 1014 if the sender information needs to be edited. A "Delete" button 1028 is also provided for the situation where the customer wishes to delete his tag request.

The Web page of FIG. 10I also includes a graphical representation of the actual shipping label 1029 . In addition to the actual shipping label 1029, this page includes instructions for attaching labels to packages and enabling pick-and-drop. Of course, the label 1029 is required to authorize the shipment of the relevant shipment and is in the format of the particular carrier that will make the shipment. The label 1029 includes the sender's address 1029a; the destination address 1029b; the weight of the package 1029c and information 1029d used by the carrier company to pick up and track the package (such as tracking numbers and certain machine-readable barcodes). The tracking number may be provided to the manufacturer by the carrier company upon request; or alternatively, may be generated by the manufacturer based on rules provided to it by the carrier company.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the Web page of FIG. 10I also includes a hyperlink 1030 that a consumer can click to obtain information about the location of the carrier's drop-off facility. A convenient way to provide this information is to simply redirect the client to the carrier's Web site, which, at least in the case of larger carriers, will already include tools for identifying their nearest facility. Alternatively, the manufacturer's server may provide this information directly by transmitting the customer's address to the carrier server and receiving from the carrier server the location of the drop site closest to that location. Figure 10J shows an example of a Web page that provides this information in the format of a map of the customer's local area, marked with an "X" at the exact location of the customer and a "C" at the location of the carrier's nearest facility .

Figure 10K illustrates an exemplary Web page that may be displayed when a consumer clicks on the "View Back to History" hyperlink 1013 of Figure 10F (or any Web page that contains such a hyperlink). For each return (only one is shown in Figure 10K), the page displays return date and time 1031; tracking number 1032; carrier identification 1033 (hypothetical carrier "XYZ" in this example); product identification 1034; quantity 1035 ; machine model number 1036; machine serial number 1037; Return date and time 1031 represents the date and time the shipping label was provided to the client. Tracking number 1032 is the tracking number assigned by the carrier (or by the manufacturer according to the carrier's rules) and is a hyperlink to obtain information about the package associated with it. The carrier company item 1033 is also a hyperlink, generally leading to the home page of the carrier company's Web site. Hyperlink 1038 links to the pages of the manufacturer's Web site along the lines shown in Figure 10G, fields 1018-1021 have been populated with the same information as the associated summary line information, and do so as to obtain the same product shipping label as the product that has been returned shortcut.

FIG. 10L illustrates an exemplary Web page that is displayed when a consumer clicks on the "Update Profile" hyperlink 1014 of FIG. 10F (or any Web page that contains the hyperlink). This page closely resembles the Web page of Figure 10C provided to the customer upon initial registration, as a legend, and remains at the top of the page due to the fact that the form is already populated with the customer's current information. The consumer may leave or edit the entered information as he or she deems appropriate. However, for security reasons, the Secret and Confirm Secret fields are filled with asterisks instead of actual characters, as is common in the industry. The Web page of FIG. 10L also has an "update" button 1039 to transfer data to the server, and a button 1040 to reset the table.

Figure 10M illustrates an exemplary Web page that is displayed when a consumer clicks on the "Site Feedback" hyperlink of Figure 10F (or any Web page that contains such a hyperlink). This page contains a series of questions (four in this example) that were generated from customer feedback regarding the quality of the Web site and product return procedures. Some questions are of the yes or no type; others provide several graded responses, such as "satisfied," "fair," and "dissatisfied." Fields are also provided for entering free text comments. Clicking of the "Submit Feedback" button 1042 transmits the input data to the server. Upon receipt of this data, the server may serve the client a Web page of the type shown in Figure 10N, thanking the customer for his feedback and inviting him to proceed via one of the menu options on the left side of the box.

11A-C will now illustrate the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the manufacturer's server in analyzing and processing the client's access request and/or the operation of the received data (ie S9020 and S9030 in FIG. 9). The process starts at S1101. At S1102, the server determines whether to respond to the initial access request, that is, whether to respond to a click on the hyperlink ("here") in FIG. 10A. If yes, then at S1103 the server prepares and serves a Web page along the lines of Figure 10B. If not, the server determines at S1104 whether to respond to the click of the "Register Now!" button 1005 of FIG. 10B. If so, the server prepares and serves a Web page along the lines of FIG. 10C at S1105.

If not, the server determines at S1106 whether to respond to the click of the "login" button 1003 of FIG. 10B. If yes, the server executes S1107-1110. At S1107, the server authenticates the email ID and secret (ie, the data entered into fields 1001 and 1102) by comparing those data with the data stored in its database to determine that the email ID is valid and the secret corresponds to it. The server determines at S1108 whether the email ID and password are approved, and if so, prepares and serves the "Welcome" Web page of FIG. 10F at S1109. If they are not approved, the server prepares to re-enter the Web page at S1110, notifies such consumer, and provides the consumer with an opportunity to re-enter its ID and password.

If the server determines in S1106 that there is no response to the click of the "login" button 1003, then in S1111 it is determined whether to respond to the click of the "forgot password?" hyperlink 1004. If so, the server prepares a Web page along the line of Figure 10D at S1112. The server receives the email address entered and transmitted by the customer at S1113, and authenticates the email address by comparing it with the email ID stored in its database at S1114. If the email address is approved at S1115, the server obtains the secret word corresponding to the email ID from the database at S1117, sends the secret word to the email address at S1118, and prepares and serves the Web page along the line of FIG. 10E at S1118. . If the e-mail address is not approved at S1115, the server prepares a re-entry Web page at S1119, which notifies such consumers and provides them with an opportunity to re-enter their e-mail addresses.

If the server determines in S1111 that there is no response to the click of the "forgot the password?" hyperlink, it determines in S1120 whether it has received information from the consumer for registration. If yes, then the server sends the address information input by the consumer to the server of one of its carrier companies (preferably the carrier company used by the manufacturer for the consumer's geographical area) in step S1121, and receives information for address confirmation from the carrier company . A check for address confirmation is performed at S1122. If the address is valid, the server stores the information entered by the customer in its database at S1123, and prepares and serves the "Welcome" Web page of Figure 10F at S1124. If the address is invalid, the server prepares and serves a Web page at S1125 indicating that the address information entered by the customer does not match any address in the carrier's database.

If the server determines at S1120 that the consumer information for registration has not been received, the server determines at S1126 whether the consumer has clicked on the "return container" hyperlink 1012. If so, the server prepares and serves a Web page along the line of FIG. 10G at S1127. If not, the server determines at S1128 whether the offer has clicked the "Submit" button 1023 to submit product information and related requests for shipping labels or multiplex boxes.

If so, the server checks the submitted product, machine model and machine serial number information at S1130 by checking the information against information stored in its database, and determines whether there is an error at S1131. If there is an error, the server prepares a Web page indicating information that does not match at S1132. If there is no error, the server determines whether the request is a tag request at S1133. If not, the request is a multiplex request, and the server prepares and serves a Web page along the line of FIG. 10H at S1134. Then at S1135, the server instructs the customer to ship the package.

If the request is a label request, the server selects a destination for product return (S1137) based on the product type and consumer location; it is determined whether the selected destination is appropriate (S1137), and if not appropriate, an overflow or a Alternate destination (S1138); and also determine carrier based on customer location (S1139). In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the server will contact the servers of multiple carriers at this time to obtain rate quotes from each and automatically select the carrier it determines offers the best rate.

The choice of product destination at S1137 is based on prescribed rules, taking into account the geographic location of the consumer (ie the point of origin of the package) and the nature of the returned product, made by the manufacturer. For example, a rule may state that all Class A products returned by consumers west of the Mississippi River in the United States are destined for a facility in Los Angeles; all Class A products returned by consumers east of the Mississippi River in the United States are destined for a facility in New York; Class B product returns from consumers west of the US Mississippi River are destined for the facility in San Francisco; and all Class B product returns from consumers east of the Mississippi River US are destined for the facility in Miami. Of course, the above rules are exemplary only and other rules are of course possible, including rules to accommodate more product types and more possible destinations, as well as rules that take into account additional factors. However, in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the manufacturer's server provides tools that enable authorized administrators to specify the rules for destination selection in good time at the initial start-up of the program, and to change or update those rules throughout the life cycle of the program. rule.

In any case, once the carrier company is determined, the server sends information to the server of the selected carrier company at S1140, and the information includes: the starting point and destination location of the steps, the size and weight of the steps, and so on. At S1141, the server receives rate information from the carrier company server, and stores the information in its database. At S1142, the server prepares and serves the Web pages along the lines of FIG. 10I based on the data, information and rules provided to it by the relevant carrier company.

If the server determines at S1128 that the "Submit" button 1023 has not been clicked, it determines at S1143 whether the user has clicked the "View Back History" hyperlink 1013. If so, the server retrieves the customer return history from its database at S1144 and uses this data to prepare and serve a Web page along the lines of Figure 10K at S1145. If not, the server determines at S1146 whether the "LABEL" hyperlink 1038 has been clicked, so as to realize the shortcut request for the label. If yes, the server executes S1130-S1142 using data corresponding to rows of the returned history as appropriate.

If the "LABEL" hyperlink 1038 has not been clicked, the server determines whether to respond to the click of the "here" hyperlink 1030 of FIG. 10I at S1147. If so, the server sends consumer information including the customer's location (ie address) to the carrier company server at S1148, and receives the latest delivery location from the carrier company server. The server prepares and serves a Web page along the line of FIG. 10J at S1149, so as to inform the consumer of the location of the delivery site.

In an enhanced embodiment of the present invention, the Web page of FIG. 101 is provided with a hyperlink that can be clicked by the customer to request that the package be picked up by the carrier company at the customer's location. This feature is only available, for example, to larger customers, where such customer-operated carriers can manage to create routine pickup facilities. In any case, in a system incorporating the above features, the server determines at S1150 whether a pickup request has been made by the customer, and if so, sends a pickup request message to the carrier server at S1151, and receives from the carrier server a confirmation that pickup will occur confirmation. Then at S1152, the server prepares and serves the Web page confirming the pickup to the consumer.

At S1153 the server determines whether the tracking number hyperlink 1032 of FIG. 10K is clicked. If so, the server sends a request to the carrier server for information on the tracking number at S1154 and receives this information; and prepares and serves a Web page presenting this information to the customer at S1155. If not, the server determines whether the carrier hyperlink 1033 has been clicked at S1156, and if so, redirects the client to the carrier server at S1157.

At S1158, the server determines whether the consumer clicked on the "Update Profile" hyperlink 1014. If so, the server retrieves the customer profile data from its database at S1159 and prepares and serves at S1160 a Web page along the lines of Figure 10L populated with customer information and ready for editing.

If not, the server determines at S1161 whether the "Site Feedback" hyperlink 1015 has been clicked, and if so, prepares and serves a Web page along the line of FIG. 10M at S1162. If not, the server determines in S1163 whether the "submit feedback" button of step 1042 has been clicked. If so, the server stores the submitted approval information in its database at S1164 and prepares and serves the Web page along the lines of Figure 10N at S1165. If not, the server determines at S1166 whether the "logout" hyperlink 1916 indicating that the user wishes to log out of the system has been clicked. If yes, the server prepares and serves the exit Web page at S1167. If not, the server prepares and serves an error Web page at S1168, indicating that an action that cannot be processed has been made.

The operation of the above embodiment of the present invention will now be described from the perspective of the carrier company server with reference to FIG. 12 . Operation starts at S1201 and proceeds as follows:

• If the manufacturer server is making an address confirmation request (S1202), the carrier server verifies the address, city, state and zip provided to it using information from its database at S1203; and notifies the manufacturer server whether the information is valid at S1204.

• If the manufacturer is making a rate request (S1205), the carrier server retrieves the shipping rate from its database at S1206; and sends the rate information to the manufacturer's server at S1207.

· If the manufacturer server is making a request for the latest location (S1208), the carrier server determines its location closest to the customer's facility specified by the manufacturer server at S1209; and prepares and supplies location data to the manufacturer server at S1210.

• If the manufacturer server is making a pickup request (S1211), the carrier server registers the pickup request at S1212 that it will be fulfilled, and sends a confirmation to the manufacturer server.

• The manufacturer's server is making a request for tracking information (S1213), the carrier's server retrieves the relevant tracking information from its database at S1214; and prepares and sends the information to the manufacturer's server at S1215.

• If the manufacturer is making a carrier homepage access request (S1216), the carrier server connects the client to its homepage at S1217.

Figure 13 depicts another embodiment of the invention. In this embodiment, the returned product is manufactured by a first manufacturer for use in a consumable product in a larger machine manufactured by a second manufacturer. The product is returned to and disposed of by the first manufacturer, but the consumer interfaces with the second manufacturer's Web server.

This embodiment would be used in a situation where, for example, a laser toner cartridge is manufactured by a first manufacturer for use in a laser printer manufactured by a second manufacturer. In this case, this embodiment would allow the printer purchaser to access the printer manufacturer's Web site and allow them to obtain shipping labels for shipping the cartridges to the cartridge manufacturer's facility for disposal, such as for recovery and recycling.

Figure 13 is a flow chart illustrating the operation and interaction between a first manufacturer (eg, a cartridge manufacturer), a second manufacturer (eg, a printer manufacturer), and a shipping company. The consumer connects to the Web site of the second manufacturer at S1301, and transmits its address information, product information, etc. (in a preferred embodiment, all information required by the form of Fig. 10C and 10G) to the server of the second manufacturer at S1302 . Certain information - such as the customer's state, city and zip code - is transmitted from the second manufacturer's server to the carrier server, and the carrier server realizes the address at S1303 by comparing this information with information stored in its database. verification. Then the carrier company server notifies the second manufacturer whether the server address is valid.

As shown at S1304, if the address is not valid, the process loops back to S1302 of the update in order to receive a transmission of the update. If the address is valid, the manufacturer's server stores the customer's information in a temporary text file (such as a flat file in the database) at S1305. The manufacturer's server may also permanently store this information for related purposes unrelated to the return procedure. Anyway, customer address information and product information are transmitted from the second manufacturer's server to the first manufacturer's server, so that the first manufacturer's server stores the information in its data at S1306.

In S1307, the first manufacturer's server determines the destination of the product according to the above method; and generates a tracking number according to the rules provided to it by the carrier company. The second manufacturer's server then provides this information to the first manufacturer's server, so that the first manufacturer's server, at S1308, links this information with other consumer information stored in its database to generate a shipping label. Then the process ends at S1309.

In a particularly preferred embodiment of the present invention, the carrier company Web server and the first manufacturer's Web server use the X12 Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) standard promulgated by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) to communicate with each other periodically (such as every day) transfer data. The data provided by the carrier server to the first manufacturer's server may include, for example, data describing what packages the carrier has in its jurisdiction, and the delivery schedule for those packages. The data provided by the manufacturer's server to the carrier's server may include, for example, data describing an electronic tag that has been generated to let the carrier know that the package may be on its way. Such data are of course only exemplary, and other types of data are naturally possible.

In order to implement the consumer product return program according to the present invention, the database server 150 communicating with the manufacturer's Web server 110 must of course store various types of data, such as data about registered consumers, administrators, return centers, products, and the like. FIG. 14 shows an example of a data structure for organizing and storing such information. Data is preferably stored in relational tables and managed and accessed through a relational database management system, such as those commercially available from Oracle, Sybase, and the like. In the data format shown in Figure 14, the entire database is divided into several parts, each of which stores data related to a different aspect of the system.

Section 1401 labeled "Administrative Data" stores data related to those administrators who are authorized to log into the system to perform administrative functions. For each administrator A...N, this section contains data records containing information such as administrator name, company department, e-mail address, login ID, password, etc. A section 1402 labeled "Customer Data" is used to store a similar type of information, but pertaining to users who are registered to access the system as customers. For each customer A...N, this section contains data containing information such as the customer's name, address, email address, phone number, login ID, password, etc., as well as return history information describing what returns the customer has made Record. The data records in the two sections 1401 and 1402 are generated when the relevant administrator or customer (where possible) registers into the system as a new user using the information necessary to register. These data records are of course modified when users update their profiles and as users use the system to effectuate transactions.

Section 1403 labeled "Return Center Data" contains data records for each return center to which consumer products may be returned. Data records for each return center A...N can be generated by authorized administrators who have logged into the system and will contain information such as center code, center name, address, telephone number, fax machine number, name of administrator who initialized the data record , and information on the types of returned consumer products that can be shipped there. Data records for a given return center A may be modified by authorized administrators, such as when it is determined that a given return center A is to receive different or additional types of consumer products.

Section 1404 labeled "Product Data" contains data records for each type of consumer product that can be returned using the system. Each such data record A...N includes a product code, product name, product description, etc. The data record preferably also includes the dimensions of the product, such as its length, width, height and weight, which are used to estimate or calculate shipping costs. Also, if the product is a consumable used in conjunction with a larger machine, the data record may include an identification of the machine or machines with which the product may be used in conjunction. For example, if the product is a structural toner cartridge, the data record may contain the model number of the machine that the cartridge can be used with. In any case, data records for those returning consumables using the system are created and updated by authorized administrators.

In a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, the data record for each product A...N includes an additional piece of information, namely the product group code specified by the administrator at the time the data record was created. Typically, several types of similar products will be assigned the same grouping code. Dividing products into groups in this manner eases the process of sorting returned products because it enables similar and similarly processed products to be grouped together.

Section 1405 labeled "Comment Data" stores various responses and comments submitted by consumers who have provided feedback on the system. Section 1406 labeled "Carrier Data" contains data records for each carrier A...N used by the system, these data records will contain such information as the name of the carrier, the code of the carrier, the website of the carrier The Uniform Resource Locator (URL) for , and basic information about the carrier's fee structure. Section 1407 labeled "Model Data" stores a data record for each larger machine in which the product recorded in section 1404 may be used. Each model record A...N contains the model name, the model code and the identification of those products with which it can be used (for example in the code or group code of the product).

Section 1408 labeled "Auto Select Data" stores data that is used to determine to which return center a given product should be returned and to determine the carrier company that will effectuate the shipment. Data stored in this section is entered and updated by authorized administrators. A preferred way of organizing this data is as a matrix of rows and or columns that can be scanned in a predetermined manner to determine the correct return center and carrier for each customer request.

An example of such a matrix is shown in Figure 15. This example includes the following columns: Product (the identification of the product being returned); State (the state from which the product was returned); Return Center (the center to which the product was returned); and Carrier (the identification of the carrier that made the shipment). In determining the identity of the return center and carrier for a given product, the system scans this matrix by scanning each row 1...3 sequentially, starting with the first row. As each row is scanned, the system determines whether the product's ID and location match the row's items. If Yes, the system determines that the product will be shipped to this return center by the carrier indicated on this line. A number of No, then the next line will be processed in a similar fashion, etc., until a match is found. This processing is expressed in the following example:

Example 1

A consumer has submitted a request to return a label for Product B from its location in New York State. The system will look at row 1 and determine that all products A, B or C originating in New York are shipped by carrier X to return center NE ("North East"); and generate the appropriate label.

Example 2

A customer has submitted a request to return a label for Product C from its location in California. The system will look at row 1 and determine that while the product standard is compliant (product C is in range A-C), the state standard is not compliant. The system will then proceed to look at row 2 and determine that any California origin products are to be shipped by carrier Y to return center SW ("Southwest") and generate an appropriate label.

Example 3

A customer has submitted a request to return a label for product D from its location in New York. The system will look at row 1 and determine that while the slag standard is met, the product standard is not met (product D is outside range A-C). The system will then move on to row 2 and determine that while this row applies to all product types, it only applies to returns originating in California. The system will thus proceed to look at row 3 and determine that this row applies to any product from any state (ie any product can be returned using the system). Any system determines that product D is returned by carrier Z to hub MW ("Midwest"); and generates the appropriate label.

It should naturally be understood that in a data configuration of the type exemplified in Figure 15, the order of the rows will directly affect the final result. For example row 3 says "any" product from "any" state is shipped by carrier Z back to hub MW and row 2 says "any" product from California is shipped by carrier Y back to SW. And because row 2 is considered before row 3, it will have control priority so that all products from California will be shipped by Y to SW, not by Z to MW.

The matrix of Figure 15 is of course only exemplary and should not be construed as limiting in any way. Of course more complex matrices including additional rows and accommodating additional products, return centers and shipping companies are obviously possible. Other columns are obviously possible, allowing the determination of the destination and carrier to be based on other or additional factors (such as the code of the product group being returned, or the customer's country, region, city and/or zip code). Other configurations are also possible.

More generally, the foregoing detailed description is exemplary rather than restrictive of the invention, which is defined by the claims. For example, while much of the above description is for product disposition procedures, the systems and methods of the present invention can be used to effectuate product returns for any reason, such as product service, product repair, customer dissatisfaction, and the like. Various other modifications are also possible.

Claims (40)

1. webserver that returns that is used to realize the consumer goods, this webserver is suitable for:

(a) present one or more table pages to the client computer that is positioned on the network, these pages are suitable for causing and comprise the consumer goods sign that will return and the consumer information of consumer goods current location sign;

(b) receive consumer information; And

(c) transmit the shipping labels data to client computer, this label data comprises consumer goods destination and courier service logo, and the destination is selected according to consumer information, and does not consider that the consumer goods buy there.

2. according to the webserver of claim 1, this webserver also is suitable for selecting courier service company transmitting client's shipping labels eve based on the factor that comprises current acknowledgement of consignment rate.

3. according to the webserver of claim 1, be suitable for the consumer information that storage is received in database server.

4. according to the webserver of claim 3, wherein consumer information comprises the product ID data.

5. according to the webserver of claim 3, also be suitable for receiving consumer's name and address information as the consumer information composition.

6. according to the webserver of claim 1, wherein the webserver is a Web server, and client computer is a Web browser, and network is the Internet.

7. according to the webserver of claim 1, but wherein consumer goods recycle, and the destination is the recycle facility.

8. according to the webserver of claim 1, also be suitable for receiving the information of using about the consumer goods as the consumer information composition.

9. according to the webserver of claim 7, wherein the consumer goods are laser printer toner cartridges, and wherein client computer operate in can with the computing machine of laser printer attended operation on.

10. realize a kind of method that the consumer goods return in network environment, this method comprises a webserver:

(a) present one or more table pages to the client computer that is positioned on the network, these pages are suitable for causing and comprise the consumer goods sign that will return and the consumer information of consumer goods current location sign;

(b) receive consumer information; And

(c) transmit the shipping labels data to client computer, this label data comprises consumer goods destination and courier service logo, and the destination is selected according to consumer information, and does not consider that the consumer goods buy there.

11. according to the method for claim 10, also be included in and transmit client's shipping labels eve, select courier service company based on the factor that comprises current acknowledgement of consignment rate.

12., also be included in the consumer information that storage is received in the database server according to the method for claim 10.

13. according to the method for claim 12, wherein consumer information comprises the product ID data.

14., also comprise the consumer name and address information of reception as the consumer information composition according to the method for claim 12.

15. according to the method for claim 10, wherein the webserver is a Web server, client computer is a Web browser, and network is the Internet.

16. according to the method for claim 10, but wherein consumer goods recycle, and the destination is the recycle facility.

17., also receive the information of using about the consumer goods as the consumer information composition according to the method for claim 10.

18. according to the method for claim 16, wherein the consumer goods are laser printer toner cartridges, and wherein client computer operate in can with the computing machine of laser printer attended operation on.

Be used to the computer code of realizing that the consumer goods return on the webserver 19. operate in, comprise:

(a) be used for to being positioned at the code that client computer on the network presents one or more table pages, these pages are suitable for causing and comprise the consumer goods sign that will return and the consumer information of consumer goods current location sign;

(b) be used to receive the code of consumer information; And

(c) be used for transmitting to client computer the code of shipping labels data, this label data comprises consumer goods destination and courier service logo, and the destination is selected according to consumer information, and does not consider that the consumer goods buy there.

20. according to the computer code of claim 19, also comprise being used for transmitting client's shipping labels eve, select the code of courier service company based on the factor that comprises current acknowledgement of consignment rate.

21., also comprise the code that is used for storing the consumer information of receiving at database server according to the computer code of claim 19.

22. according to the computer code of claim 21, wherein consumer information comprises the product ID data.

23., also comprise the code that is used to receive as consumer's name and address information of consumer information composition according to the computer code of claim 21.

24. according to the computer code of claim 19, wherein the webserver is a Web server, client computer is a Web browser, and network is the Internet.

25. according to the computer code of claim 19, but wherein consumer goods recycle, and the destination is the recycle facility.

26., also comprise being used to receive as the code of consumer information composition about the information of consumer goods use according to the computer code of claim 19.

27. according to the computer code of claim 25, wherein the consumer goods are laser printer toner cartridges, and wherein client computer operate in can with the computing machine of laser printer attended operation on.

Be suitable for a kind of equipment of realizing that the consumer goods return in the network environment 28. operate in, this equipment comprises:

(a) be used for to being positioned at the device that client computer on the network presents one or more table pages, these pages are suitable for causing and comprise the consumer goods sign that will return and the consumer information of consumer goods current location sign;

(b) be used to receive the device of consumer information; And

(c) be used for transmitting to client computer the device of shipping labels data, this label data comprises the sign of consumer goods destination and courier service company, and the destination is selected according to consumer information, and does not consider that the consumer goods buy there.

29. according to the equipment of claim 28, also comprise being used for transmitting client's shipping labels eve, select the device of courier service company based on the factor that comprises current acknowledgement of consignment rate.

30., also comprise the device that is used for storing the consumer information of receiving at database server according to the equipment of claim 28.

31. according to the equipment of claim 30, wherein consumer information comprises the product ID data.

32., also comprise the device that is used to receive as consumer's name and address information of consumer information composition according to the equipment of claim 30.

33. according to the equipment of claim 28, wherein equipment is Web server, client computer is a Web browser, and network is the Internet.

34. according to the equipment of claim 28, but wherein consumer goods recycle, and the destination is the recycle facility.

35., also comprise being used to receive as the device of consumer information composition about the information of consumer goods use according to the equipment of claim 28.

36. according to the equipment of claim 34, wherein the consumer goods are laser printer toner cartridges, and wherein client computer operate in can with the computing machine of laser printer attended operation on.

37. a kind of net computer that is associated with computing machine that printer can be operatively connected, this client computer are positioned on the network of the link client computer and the webserver, and are suitable for:

(a) transmit consumer information to server, this comprises the information of the sign that comprises the consumer goods sign that will return and consumer goods current location; And

(b) receive the shipping labels data from server, this comprises consumer goods destination and courier service logo, and the destination is selected according to consumer information, and does not consider that the consumer goods buy there.

38., also be suitable for transmitting the shipping labels data, to cause the printer prints shipping labels to printer according to the net computer of claim 37.

39. be used to a kind of webserver of realizing that the consumer goods return, this webserver is suitable for:

(a) present one or more table pages to the client computer that is positioned on the network, these pages are suitable for causing and comprise the consumer goods sign that will return and the consumer information of consumer goods current location sign, and returning the consumer and whether need wrappage for product;

(b) receive consumer information;

(c) if the consumer information of receiving indication consumer wants wrappage, then start the shipping of wrappage according to the consumer information that is identified, and present the page request consumer to client computer and when wrappage are loaded, contact with the webserver once more, so that at this moment ask shipping labels; And

(d) if the consumer information of receiving indication consumer does not need wrappage, then transmit the shipping labels data to client computer immediately, this label data comprises the sign of consumer goods destination and courier service company, the destination is selected according to consumer information, and does not consider that the consumer goods buy there.

40. be used for realizing the method that the consumer goods return in network environment, this method comprises a webserver:

(a) present one or more table pages to the client computer that is positioned on the network, these pages are suitable for comprising the consumer information that the consumer goods identify and consumer goods current location identifies that will return from consumer's initiation;

(b) receive consumer information; And

(c) transmit the shipping labels data to client computer, this label data comprises consumer goods destination and courier service logo, and the destination is selected according to consumer information, and does not consider that the consumer goods buy there,

Wherein the consumer is presented a kind of inducing so that the guide consumption person uses shipping labels to return a plurality of consumer goods.

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