TWI895205B - Apparatus for processing item refund information and method thereof and non-transitory computer-readable recording medium - Google Patents

Abstract

According to the present invention, a method for processing device return information in an electronic device is disclosed, the method comprising the following steps: obtaining information regarding a return request for a first item; confirming whether the first item is included in a set of items; and, if the first item is included in the set of items, transmitting a collection request including information regarding the first item to a device of a first delivery person, the first delivery person being included in a first group corresponding to the set of items.

Description

Device and method for processing item return information and computer-readable non-temporary recording medium

The present invention relates to a device and method for processing item return information. More specifically, the present invention relates to a method and user device utilizing the method for transmitting an item pickup request to a device of a delivery person included in a first group corresponding to a set of items when the items subject to a return request are included in a set of items.

With the development of electronic technology, e-commerce has become a major player in the shopping world. Customers can purchase items online without having to visit a shopping mall, market, or store. Items purchased online are then delivered to the customer's requested location.

Because customers cannot directly verify the physical product of items ordered online, the condition or quality of the items may differ from their expectations. There is a risk of items being damaged or deteriorating during delivery, items no longer being needed due to delivery delays, or incorrect items being delivered.

Given the inherent nature of e-commerce, it's essential to provide a return feature for online orders to address various issues related to item transactions. However, unconditionally granting a refund upon a customer's request, even if the item is not refundable, when it's reasonably determined to be non-defective and delivery was completed normally, is not only detrimental to the seller but also leaves customers with significant room for malicious exploitation. Therefore, this practice is undesirable from an overall service operations perspective. In particular, when items are easily redeemable for cash or their value exceeds a certain amount, returns must be handled with caution to prevent malicious exploitation of the return system.

For related content, please refer to previous documents such as KR102216514B1 or KR20200062662A.

The present embodiment aims to solve the aforementioned problem by providing the following electronic device and method: The device receives information regarding a return request for a first item, confirms whether the first item is included in a set item set, and, if the first item is included in the set item set, transmits a collection request including information about the first item to a device of a first delivery person, who is included in a first group corresponding to the set item set.

The technical issues to be achieved by this embodiment are not limited to the above-mentioned technical issues. Other technical issues can be inferred based on the following embodiments.

A method for processing item return information in an electronic device according to one embodiment includes the following steps: obtaining information regarding a return request for a first item; determining whether the first item is included in a set item set; and, if the first item is included in the set item set, transmitting a collection request including information regarding the first item to a device of a first delivery person included in a first group corresponding to the set item set.

According to one embodiment, the set of items may include at least one item whose value exceeds the first threshold value.

According to one embodiment, based on the pickup request, a user interface including information for picking up the first item may be displayed on the first delivery person's device.

According to one embodiment, the method for processing item return information may further include: transmitting a request for acceptance of the first item to the device of the first delivery person.

According to one embodiment, the method for processing item return information may further include: receiving an inspection result of the first item from the first delivery person's device, and determining whether to process a return for the first item based on the inspection result.

According to one embodiment, the acceptance result may include a determination of the return reason corresponding to the first item, and a determination of whether to process the return of the first item is made based on the determination of the return reason.

According to one embodiment, the method for processing item return information may further include: if the acceptance result includes information of the first type, processing the return of the first item; the return processing step includes the following steps: transmitting a request to the first delivery person's device to transport the first item to an item recycling center; receiving information including a determination result regarding the first item from a device of a staff member at the item recycling center; and transmitting, based on the information including the determination result, instructions for handling the first item to the device of the staff member at the item recycling center.

According to one embodiment, when the acceptance result includes the second type of information, the method may further include transmitting information to the first delivery person's device indicating that the first delivery person should attempt to contact the user requesting the return of the first item within a set number of times.

According to one embodiment, the information regarding the pickup request for the first item may include a return reason corresponding to the first item, and the method for processing item return information further includes determining whether to transmit a receipt request for the first item to the first delivery person's device based on the return reason.

According to one embodiment, the step of transmitting the pickup request may include: obtaining first location information for picking up the first item; and determining whether there is an item to be picked up corresponding to the first location information. If there is a second item to be picked up corresponding to the first location information, the pickup request may further include information about the second item.

According to one embodiment, the method for processing item return information may further include: obtaining information regarding one or more return requests received within a set time period; identifying, among the one or more return requests, return requests for items included in the set item set; and determining, based on the results of identifying the return requests, one or more delivery personnel included in the first group.

According to one embodiment, the method for processing item return information may further include the following steps: obtaining item collection location information corresponding to each identified return request; and determining the movement path of one or more delivery personnel included in the first group based on the location information.

According to one embodiment, one or more delivery personnel in the first group may have a business proficiency level above the set level.

According to one embodiment, the one or more delivery personnel included in the first group may be delivery personnel hired in connection with the delivery service provided by the electronic device.

An electronic device for processing item return information in one embodiment includes a transceiver, a memory for storing commands, and a processor. The processor is configured to: connect to the transceiver and the memory, receive information regarding a return request for a first item, determine whether the first item is included in a set of items, and, if the first item is included in the set of items, transmit a collection request including information about the first item to a device of a first delivery person, who is included in a first group corresponding to the set of items.

Specific details of other embodiments are included in the detailed description and drawings.

According to the present invention, an electronic device and method for processing item return information can facilitate the smooth return of important items by having designated delivery personnel collect specific items.

Furthermore, according to one embodiment of the present invention, an electronic device and method for processing item return information can determine whether the return process will be executed and the refund amount by determining whether the reason for the item return is reasonable. Furthermore, for important items, a more enhanced determination process can be used to determine whether the return reason is reasonable, thereby preventing customers from maliciously exploiting the return system or confirming malicious abuse and imposing penalties.

The effects of the invention are not limited to those mentioned above. A person with common knowledge in the technical field can clearly understand other unmentioned effects based on the description in the patent application.

110: Electronic devices

120: First Delivery Personnel's Device

130: User's device

140: Worker's equipment

201: Return request information for item 1

202: Confirm whether item 1 is included in the set item set.

203: Request to collect information including item 1

301: Received information regarding the return request for item 1.

302: Determine whether it is a high-value item (HVI)

303: Assign designated operators

304: Conduct inspection of items. Items may be collected if they pass inspection.

305: Transfer the collected items to the center

306: If the quality assessment passes, a refund will be granted. If the quality assessment fails, the refund will be placed on hold.

307: If an item fails acceptance, the operator may attempt to contact the customer.

308: If the user has been contacted and agrees that the return request is inappropriate, the operator may refuse to accept the item and cancel the return.

309: If the first item is not of high value, it can be collected according to the normal process. In this case, a refund for the collected item can be approved after collection (even before QA) (Collected → Refund Granted).

410: User interface displayed on the delivery person's device

411: Information not requiring inspection

420: Interface for entering reasons for non-recovery

430: Interface for entering the reason for completing the recall

510: User Interface

511: Notify of information requiring inspection

520: Interface for entering reasons for non-recovery

530: Interface for entering the reason for completing the recall

610: Received information regarding the return request for item 1.

620: Confirm whether the first item is included in the set item set.

630: When the first item is included in the set item set, a collection request including information about the first item is transmitted to the first delivery person's device. The first item is included in the first group corresponding to the set item set.

710: Transceiver

720: Processor

730: Memory

Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing the structure of a system for processing item return information according to one embodiment.

Figure 2 is a flow chart of a method for processing return information of an electronic device in a system for processing item return information according to one embodiment.

FIG3 is a diagram illustrating an example of the process of performing a return in a system for processing item return information according to one embodiment.

FIG4 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary embodiment of a user interface for collecting information about general items.

FIG5 is a diagram illustrating a user interface for collecting information about a first item included in a set of items, according to an embodiment.

Figure 6 is a flowchart of a method for processing item return information using an electronic device according to one embodiment.

Figure 7 is an exemplary diagram of the structure of an electronic device for processing item return information according to one embodiment.

The terms used in the embodiments are selected from commonly used general terms, as much as possible, taking into account the functions of the present invention. However, these terms may vary depending on the intentions of those skilled in the art, precedents, the emergence of new technologies, and so on. Furthermore, in certain cases, the applicant may arbitrarily select terms. In such cases, their meanings will be detailed in the corresponding description. Therefore, the terms used in this invention should be defined based on their meanings and the overall content of the invention, not simply based on their names.

When a component is referred to throughout this specification as "including" another component, this does not exclude the inclusion of other components unless otherwise stated. Furthermore, terms such as "unit" and "module" used in this specification indicate a unit that performs at least one function or operation. Such a unit may be implemented by hardware or software, or a combination of hardware and software.

The phrase "at least one of a, b, and c" stated throughout the specification may include "a alone," "b alone," "c alone," "a and b," "a and c," "b and c," or "all three of a, b, and c."

The term "terminal" referred to below can be implemented as a computer or portable terminal connected to a server or other terminal via a network. Computers include, for example, laptops, desktops, and notebooks equipped with web browsers. Portable terminals include, for example, wireless communication devices that ensure portability and mobility. These include communication terminals based on IMT (International Mobile Telecommunication), CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access), W-CDMA (W-Code Division Multiple Access), and LTE (Long Term Evolution), as well as all types of handheld wireless communication devices such as smartphones and tablets.

The following describes an embodiment of the present invention in detail with reference to the drawings so that those skilled in the art can easily implement the present invention. However, the present invention can be implemented in various forms and is not limited to the embodiment described here.

Below, with reference to the drawings, the embodiments of the present invention are described in detail.

When describing the embodiments, descriptions of technical contents that are well-known in the art and not directly related to the present invention are omitted. This is done to clearly convey the main points of the present invention by omitting redundant descriptions and to avoid confusion.

For common reasons, some components may be exaggerated, omitted, or shown schematically in the drawings. Furthermore, the dimensions of each component do not necessarily reflect their actual dimensions. Identical or corresponding components in the drawings are designated by the same reference symbols.

The advantages and features of the present invention, as well as methods for achieving the same, can be clearly understood by referring to the drawings and the embodiments described in detail below. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed below and can be implemented in various forms. These embodiments are provided solely to fully disclose the present invention and fully inform those skilled in the art of the present invention of its scope. The present invention is defined solely by the scope of the patent applications. Throughout this specification, the same reference numerals denote the same components.

At this point, it should be understood that the combination of each block in the process flow chart and the flowchart can be implemented using computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be loaded into a processor of a general-purpose computer, special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing device. Therefore, when these instructions are executed by the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing device, they produce a method for performing the functions described in the blocks of the flowchart. To implement the functions in a specific manner, these computer program instructions can be stored in a computer-usable or computer-readable memory that is readable by the computer or other programmable data processing device. The instructions stored in the computer-usable or computer-readable memory can also produce an article of manufacture that includes the instruction method for performing the functions described in the blocks of the flowchart. Computer program instructions can also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing device, thereby executing a series of action steps on the computer or other programmable data processing device to generate a process executed by the computer. The instructions executed by the computer or other programmable data processing device can also provide steps for performing the functions described in the blocks of the flowchart.

Furthermore, each block may represent a module, segment, or portion of code that includes one or more executable instructions for performing a specific logical function. Furthermore, in some alternative embodiments, the functions described in the blocks may not occur in the order in which they are presented. For example, two blocks shown in succession may be executed substantially simultaneously, or may occasionally be executed in the reverse order depending on the corresponding functions.

Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing the structure of a system for processing item return information according to one embodiment.

According to various embodiments, a system for processing item return information includes an electronic device 110 and a first delivery person's device 120. One embodiment of the system for processing item return information may further include at least one of a user's device 130 and a device 140 of a recycling center employee. One embodiment of the system for processing item return information may further include: the electronic device 110, the first delivery person's device 120, the user's device 130, the recycling center employee's device 140, and a network that supports the transmission and reception of information between at least some of the external devices.

The electronic device 110 of the system for processing item return information, the first delivery person's device 120, the user device 130, and the recycling center staff's device 140 may include a transceiver, memory, and a processor. Furthermore, the electronic device 110, the first delivery person's device 120, the user device 130, and the recycling center staff's device 140 each refer to a unit that processes at least one function or action, which may be implemented by hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software.

Meanwhile, throughout this embodiment, the electronic device 110, the first delivery driver's device 120, the user device 130, and the recycling center staff's device 140 are described as separate devices and a server. However, this may be a logically separate structure, implemented by separating functions from a single device or server. For example, the electronic device 110 may include the first delivery driver's device 120, or may be combined with the first delivery driver's device 120 to form a single entity. In this case, however, the series of methods for processing item return information, implemented by exchanging data between the electronic device 110, the first delivery driver's device 120, the user device 130, and the recycling center staff's device 140, can be similarly implemented. For example, in the case of a device that includes the first delivery person's device 120 or is integrated with the first delivery person's device 120, communication with the first delivery person's device 120 can be understood as a process of exchanging data between its internal components (e.g., with the device's processor).

According to one embodiment, electronic device 110, first delivery person's device 120, user device 130, and recycling center staff's device 140 may include multiple computer systems or computer software implemented by a network server. For example, at least a portion of electronic device 110, first delivery person's device 120, user device 130, and recycling center staff's device 140 may be connected to a lower-level device capable of communicating with other network servers via a computer network such as an intranet or the Internet, accepting requests to perform tasks and providing results of performing the tasks. Furthermore, at least a portion of the electronic device 110, the first delivery person's device 120, the user device 130, and the recycling center staff's device 140 can be understood as a broad concept, including a series of applications and various internally constructed databases that can operate on a network server. For example, at least a portion of the electronic device 110, the first delivery person's device 120, the user device 130, and the recycling center staff's device 140 can be implemented using various network server programs provided by operating systems such as Disk Operating System (DOS), Windows Operating System (Windows), Linux Operating System (Linux), UNIX Operating System (UNIX), or Mac Operating System (macOS).

Electronic device 110 can be a device that generates various information and provides it to other servers and devices, including computers, mobile communication terminals, and servers. For example, electronic device 110 can receive item return request information from a user and transmit a pickup request including the item information to a delivery person.

More specifically, electronic device 110 receives information regarding a return request for a first item and determines whether the first item is included in a set of items. Information regarding a return request for the first item may be received from user device 130, but is not limited thereto. The set of items may include, but is not limited to, one or more items whose value exceeds the first threshold value.

When the first item is included in the set item collection, the electronic device 110 transmits a collection request including information about the first item to the device 120 of the first delivery person, who is included in the first group corresponding to the set item collection. The first group may include one or more delivery persons, one or more delivery persons' devices, or both.

According to one embodiment, electronic device 110 may also transmit a request for acceptance of the first item to the first delivery person's device 120. Furthermore, electronic device 110 may receive the acceptance result of the first item from the first delivery person's device 120 and, based on the acceptance result, determine whether to return the first item.

The first deliveryman's device 120 can be a device used by the first deliveryman to perform delivery-related business, including a computer device, a mobile communication terminal, and a server. The first deliveryman's device 120 can send and receive various information with other devices such as the electronic device 110, the user's device 130, and the device 140 of the employee of the item recycling center through the network. The first deliveryman's device 120 can be used not only for delivery business, but also for various businesses related to collection and delivery, such as return business (including item collection business and item acceptance business). For example, the first deliveryman's device 120 receives a collection request for the first item from the electronic device 110, etc., generates a user interface including information for collection of the first item based on the collection request, and can display the generated interface. Therefore, the first delivery person can receive a request to collect the first item and obtain relevant information. Furthermore, the first delivery person's device 120 can perform various functions, allowing the first delivery person to perform delivery-related tasks, such as receiving an inspection request for the first item from the electronic device 110 and providing it to the first delivery person, receiving an inspection result from the first delivery person and providing it to the electronic device 110, or receiving a transport request for the first item from the electronic device 110 to a recycling center and providing it to the first delivery person.

User device 130 can be a device used by users to purchase items through e-commerce websites, including computers, mobile communication terminals, and servers. User device 130 can be a terminal operated and managed by the user and used to implement a series of return processes. User device 130 can also exchange various information with other devices, such as electronic device 110 and the first delivery person's device 120, via the network. For example, user device 130 can be used to input a user's return request and transmit return request information to electronic device 110. Furthermore, the user's device 130 can perform various functions, allowing the user to request a return or confirm the progress of a return, such as receiving inspection results of the returned item from the first delivery person's device 120 and providing it to the user.

The recycling center staff member's device 140 can be used by the recycling center staff to make decisions related to item handling, and may include a computer, mobile communication terminal, and server. The recycling center staff member's device 140 can exchange various information with other devices, such as the electronic device 110 and the first delivery person's device 120, via a network. For example, the recycling center staff member's device 140 can perform various functions, such as receiving information including the decision result regarding the first item from the recycling center staff and providing it to the electronic device 110, or receiving instructions for handling the first item from the electronic device 110 and providing them to the recycling center staff.

In this regard, a recycling center may include various types of locations where items are processed for final processing following a return request.

According to various embodiments, a series of actions related to the information processing method can be implemented by a single physical device or by a plurality of physical devices in an organic combination. For example, a portion of the components included in the system for processing item return information can be implemented by a certain physical device, and the remaining portion can be implemented by other physical devices. For example, a certain physical device can be implemented as a part of the electronic device 110, and other physical devices can also be implemented as a part of the first delivery person's device 120 or a part of another external device. Depending on the circumstances, the various components included in the system for processing item return information are dispersedly configured on different physical devices, and the dispersed components can also be implemented in the following manner: organically combined to implement the functions and actions of the system for processing item return information. For example, the electronic device 110 in this specification includes at least one sub-device. A portion of the actions described as being performed by the electronic device 110 is performed by the first sub-device, while another portion of the actions may also be performed by the second sub-device.

Figure 2 is a flow chart of a method for processing return information of an electronic device in a system for processing item return information according to one embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 2 , an electronic device 110 in one embodiment obtains information 201 regarding a return request for a first item. As described above, the information regarding the return request for the first item is received from the user's device 130 , but the present invention is not limited thereto.

According to one embodiment, electronic device 110 may receive feedback from the user of item 1 and, based on this information, determine whether to return item 1. In this case, even if item 1 is determined to be returned, information regarding the return request for item 1 is only available upon final user approval.

The electronic device 110 determines whether the first item is included in the set item set 202. According to one embodiment, the set item set may include at least one item whose value exceeds the first threshold value. However, this is merely an example, and the set item set may be configured according to various embodiments, such as easily damaged items, easily redeemable items, and items that the electronic device 110 has identified as defective.

For ease of explanation, items with a value exceeding the first threshold are referred to as high-value items (HVI). The focus of this description is on an embodiment in which the set of items includes high-value items. However, this is for illustrative purposes only, and the set of items may include other items besides high-value items. While it is difficult to quantify the value of high-value items beyond those exceeding the first threshold, it can be understood to include valuable items or high-end electronic products.

When the first item is included in the set item collection, the electronic device 110 transmits a collection request 203 including information about the first item to the device 120 of the first delivery person, who is included in the first group corresponding to the set item collection. The first group can be a group including one or more delivery persons, a group including one or more delivery persons' devices, or both. For ease of explanation, the following describes an embodiment in which the first group includes one or more delivery persons, but this description also applies to the case in which the first group includes one or more delivery persons' devices.

According to one embodiment, one or more delivery personnel in the first group may have a predetermined level of proficiency. This minimizes operational errors or mistakes that may occur when returning the first item in the predetermined item set.

According to one embodiment, one or more delivery personnel included in the first group may be hired in connection with the delivery service provided by electronic device 110. In this regard, "hired delivery personnel" does not refer to those working as freelancers, but rather refers to delivery personnel formally employed in connection with the delivery service, but is not limited to this. This minimizes operational errors or mistakes that may occur when returning the first item in the set of items, and also minimizes potential incidents during return operations (e.g., theft by delivery personnel).

According to one embodiment, the electronic device 110 may also determine that one or more delivery personnel are included in the first group. More details regarding this are described below.

According to one embodiment, electronic device 110 can obtain first location information for a first item to be collected and include it in a collection request. Simultaneously, electronic device 110 can determine whether there are more items to be collected that correspond to the first location information. If there are more second items to be collected that correspond to the first location information, a collection request can be transmitted that includes information about the second items. In this case, the second item may not be included in the set item collection. This is to prevent operational inefficiencies such as the situation where multiple items at corresponding locations, even if not included in the set item collection, are collected sequentially by multiple delivery personnel rather than by a single delivery person, potentially reducing overall operational efficiency.

However, in this case, if the workload assigned to the first delivery person is already extremely heavy, or if the size or weight of the second item exceeds a certain standard, processing the return would require considerable labor, then the first delivery person may not be asked to pick up the second item. Alternatively, the electronic device 110 may notify the first delivery person that the second item is a collection item located at the location corresponding to the first item, but the first delivery person may also decide on their own whether to pick it up.

Furthermore, the scope of "items to be collected corresponding to the first location information" may vary depending on the implementation. For example, it may include items located in the same building in the same apartment complex (e.g., AA Apartment Building 101), items located on the same floor in the same building (e.g., AA Apartment Building 101, Floor 12), or items located in consecutive units with the same number of households (e.g., AA Apartment Building 101, Unit 1201). Various settings are possible, and the scope can be flexibly adjusted based on the number of returns in the implementation.

According to one embodiment, the pickup request transmitted by electronic device 110 may include a return reason corresponding to the first item. The first delivery person may inspect and accept the first item based on the return reason included in the pickup request. For example, the first delivery person may verify the return reason, and the inspection result received from the first delivery person's device 120 may include the result of determining the return reason corresponding to the first item. More details regarding this are described below.

Based on the pickup request transmitted by electronic device 110 , a user interface including information for picking up the first item may be displayed on the first delivery person's device 120 . FIG. 5 illustrates further details regarding the user interface displayed on the first delivery person's device 120 when the first item is included in the configured item collection.

According to one embodiment, the electronic device 110 may transmit a request for acceptance of the first item to the first delivery person's device. According to one embodiment, the acceptance request may be transmitted separately from the pickup request, or the acceptance request and pickup request may be transmitted as a combined request.

According to this embodiment, electronic device 110 can also determine whether to transmit a request for acceptance of the first item to the first delivery person's device 120 based on the reason for the return corresponding to the first item. For example, if a user initially claims that the item did not arrive or that the box arrived empty, the request for acceptance of the first item may not be transmitted to the first delivery person's device 120. The first item can be immediately transported to the item recycling center without the first delivery person's acceptance. This allows for the omission of on-site acceptance for return requests where individual acceptance is unlikely, thereby improving business efficiency.

On the other hand, in this situation, additional measures may be developed to curb intentional abuse by users, such as centralized controls on users who frequently exhibit abnormal purchasing patterns or return products too frequently.

According to one embodiment, electronic device 110 may also identify one or more delivery personnel included in group 1. Specifically, electronic device 110 may obtain information about one or more return requests received within a set time period (e.g., the past 24 hours or the previous business day) and, among the one or more return requests, identify return requests for items included in a set item set. Identifying the return requests may include determining the quantity of items included in the set item set in the return request.

The electronic device 110 can then determine one or more delivery drivers to include in the first group based on the result of identifying the return request. This can include specifying one or more delivery drivers, specifying a number of delivery drivers to include in the first group, and determining one or more delivery drivers based on various methods. This allows the electronic device 110 to flexibly configure the first group based on the return workload it needs to handle.

For example, electronic device 110 may set up a first group for items included in the set item set within the previous 24 hours by specifying the number of couriers to be included in the first group. For example, if the number of returned items received is less than 100, group 1 should include one couriers; if the number of returned items is between 100 and 200, group 1 should include two couriers; if the number of returned items is between 200 and 300, group 1 should include three couriers; and if the number of returned items exceeds 300, group 1 should include four couriers.

On the other hand, according to an embodiment, electronic device 110 can obtain item collection location information corresponding to each identified return request and, based on the obtained location information, determine the movement paths of one or more delivery personnel included in the first group. Due to the low-intensity nature of return operations, multiple subroutes (subroutes: route information generally assigned to efficiently execute delivery operations) may be used for each delivery personnel, but the present invention is not limited to this. On the other hand, when electronic device 110 determines the movement paths of one or more delivery personnel, electronic device 110 may display the determined movement paths on the user interface described below. However, in this case, the first delivery person can also determine the movement route for business processing based on independent judgment without being constrained by the movement route determined by the electronic device 110.

According to one embodiment, the electronic device 110 may not transmit an acceptance request for items not included in the set item set. However, this is exemplary, and the scope of the present invention is not limited to an embodiment in which an acceptance request is transmitted for items included in the set item set.

Electronic device 110 may receive an inspection result for the first item from device 120 of the first delivery person. In this case, based on the inspection result received from device 120 of the first delivery person, a determination may be made as to whether to process a return for the first item. In this regard, according to one embodiment, the inspection result may include a determination of a return reason corresponding to the first item, and a determination as to whether to process a return for the first item may be made based on the determination of the return reason. Return reasons may include reasons entered by the first delivery person and reasons entered by the user.

Figure 5 shows an example of a user interface including information for collecting the first item. Further referring to Figure 5 , the user interface 510 displayed on the first delivery person's device 120 may include basic information required for collection operations, such as user information, item collection location information (e.g., the first location information mentioned above), and user contact information. It may also include information 511 informing that inspection is required. In this case, information 511 informing that inspection is required may correspond to an inspection request transmitted by the electronic device 110.

Furthermore, the user interface 510 displayed on the first delivery person's device 120 may further include a portion for inputting an acceptance result. According to one example, it may include buttons such as "Not Returned" and "Return Completed," but the present invention is not limited to this. In this example, if the first delivery person inputs "Return Completed," it can be understood that the first delivery person has determined that there are no issues with the acceptance result. If the first delivery person inputs "Not Returned," it can be understood that the first delivery person has determined that there are issues with the acceptance result. However, the present invention is not limited to these examples.

For example, it is possible to determine whether the first delivery person has received the first item and whether there is a problem with the acceptance result of the first item. If the first delivery person enters "not received," an interface 520 for entering a reason for not receiving the item may be displayed. If the first delivery person enters "received," an interface 530 for entering a reason for completed receipt may be displayed. In this case, at least a portion of the reason for not receiving the item or the reason for completed receipt may reflect the item acceptance result. For example, among the reasons for not receiving the item, "[High-Priced] Item Inconsistency" refers to a situation where the item requested by the customer for return is inconsistent with the item placed at the receiving location, which is equivalent to a situation where the acceptance result of the first item is not suitable for return. Conversely, "No Return" may refer to a situation where the first item does not exist at the receiving location, which is equivalent to a situation where the first item itself has not been inspected. That is, the reasons the delivery person can enter include not only the inspection results for the first item, but also various reasons such as reasons for not being able to conduct an inspection ("lack of time," "already received," etc.), or reasons why no inspection is required.

Furthermore, the acceptance result of one embodiment may include the result of determining the return reason corresponding to the first item, and based on the result of the return reason determination, a determination is made as to whether the first item should be returned. For example, "Product Inconsistency" in drawing number 530 may indicate a situation where the return reason corresponding to the first item is confirmed to be product inconsistency. In other words, "Product Inconsistency" in drawing number 530 may indicate confirmation that item B, rather than item A originally ordered by the user, was delivered to the user and that item B was returned, including a determination that the return reason of "Product Inconsistency" is acceptable.

Similarly, reasons such as "partial return" or "empty box" in drawing number 530 may also indicate that the return reason has been verified and determined to be correct. Alternatively, according to an embodiment, one or more return reasons in drawing number 530 may include situations where the first delivery person confirms the existence of a specific return reason and proceeds to collect the items, even if it differs from the return reason originally claimed by the user. For example, a customer claims "product discrepancy," but upon on-site verification, the first delivery person discovers that the customer originally received an empty box, although the product is not discrepant. In any case, if a return reason exists, the first delivery person may enter "empty box" as the reason and proceed to collect the items to process the return.

However, the above embodiment is merely one example. According to this embodiment, among the reasons for drawing number 530, only "product inconsistency" is used when the return reason verification result is correct. For other return reason verification results, there are problems. This can correspond to situations where the item must be collected despite such problems. For example, if there is a problem with the return reason verification result and attempts to contact the user are unsuccessful, the first delivery person can select a reason for which the return reason verification result indicates a problem (e.g., "product inconsistency") and collect the item. For example, if the first item is included in the collection, not collecting it and leaving it outside could lead to more negative consequences (such as theft or damage). Therefore, if the item being returned is included in the collection, even if there is no reason for return and it is difficult to contact the user, a process for collecting the item first can be included.

On the other hand, even if the returned item is not included in the set item collection, a user interface including information for collecting the item can be displayed on the delivery person's device. An example is shown in Figure 4. Referring to Figure 4, user interface 410 displayed on the delivery person's device includes basic information required for collection, such as user information, item collection location information, and user contact information. This is similar to user interface 510 in Figure 5. However, it may include information 411 indicating that no acceptance is required, or may not include other information related to acceptance. In this respect, it may differ from user interface 510 in Figure 5.

On the other hand, when the return item is not included in the set item collection, the delivery staff will not inspect it. Therefore, in the interface 420 for entering the reason for non-return and the interface 430 for entering the reason for completed return, reasons such as "product consistency", "product inconsistency", "partial return" and "empty box" that require specific confirmation of the return item may not be displayed as options. That is, when the return item is not included in the set item collection, reasons other than those related to the item itself are displayed as options: the item does not exist ("Return does not exist"), the customer requested ("Customer request"), the service was unable to process due to insufficient time ("Insufficient time"), the item was already collected by another delivery person ("Collected"), and the customer canceled the return request ("Customer canceled return"). In these cases, the option to enter the reason for the return may not be available on the interface 430 for entering the reason for the return.

Returning to Figure 2 , if the acceptance result includes Type 1 information, electronic device 110 can process the return of the first item. In this regard, Type 1 information may include, but is not limited to, information notifying that the item's acceptance has been approved. As described in the example of Figure 5 , this may also include situations where the item has been received despite issues with the return reason verification result, or situations where the item has been received despite being unable to be accepted or requiring verification.

According to one embodiment, electronic device 110 may transmit a transport request to a recycling center for the first item to device 120 of the first delivery person for return processing. According to this embodiment, the transport request to the recycling center may include various information required by the first delivery person to transport the first item to the recycling center, such as the location of the recycling center and information on a route to the recycling center.

After the first delivery person transports the first item to the recycling center, the first item is delivered to the recycling center staff. The recycling center staff can then make additional assessments of the first item. For example, this assessment may include determining the condition of the first item (e.g., whether the item is unusable, resaleable, or resaleable after partial repair), or directly determining the disposal direction of the first item (e.g., whether to discard the item, send it to a repair center, or resell it).

Electronic device 110 may receive information including the judgment result regarding the first item from device 140 of a staff member at the item recycling center. Based on the information including the judgment result regarding the first item, electronic device 110 may transmit handling instructions regarding the first item to the staff member's device at the item recycling center. Such handling instructions may include information regarding the availability of the first item and, according to embodiments, may further include whether to refund the user the amount associated with the first item. Furthermore, according to embodiments, the handling instructions may include information regarding a specific refund amount. Such a refund amount may be determined based on, but is not limited to, whether to refund the user's paid item amount, whether to refund the delivery fee (or whether to refund after deducting the delivery fee), and whether to pay an additional compensation amount.

According to one embodiment, when the acceptance result includes the second type of information, the electronic device 110 may transmit information instructing the first delivery person's device 120 to attempt to contact the user requesting the return of the first item. The second type of information may include, but is not limited to, information notifying that the acceptance of the item was not approved. Furthermore, the information instructing the delivery person to attempt to contact the user may include, but is not limited to, information on the user's contact method. According to one embodiment, the information instructing the delivery person to attempt to contact the user includes a set number of attempts, and the first delivery person may attempt to contact the user up to the specified number of attempts.

Upon contacting the user, the first delivery driver may provide the user with information related to the second type of information. For ease of explanation, this information will be referred to as the reason for rejection of acceptance.

As shown in the example in Figure 5, according to one example, if there is a problem with the return reason verification result and the user is unsuccessful in contacting the user, the first delivery person may temporarily reclaim the item. Alternatively, if the user is successfully contacted but disagrees with the reason for not approving the item (for example, if the user requests a return claiming that the item is defective, the first delivery person determines that there is no problem and notifies the user, but the user continues to claim that the item is defective), the first delivery person may also temporarily reclaim the item. However, if the user cannot be contacted or the user disagrees with the reason for rejection of the item, the first delivery person may notify at least one of the electronic device 110 and the device 140 of the recycling center staff member of this situation via the first delivery person's device 120. This notification can be implemented, for example, by the first delivery person selecting a reason indicating a problem with the return reason verification result (e.g., "product inconsistency") on the interface displayed on the first delivery person's device 120, as shown in FIG5 .

FIG3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a return process in a system for processing item return information according to an embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 3 , in a system for processing item return information according to one embodiment, a return invoice is generated after a user requests a return, allowing the electronic device 110 to obtain information 301 regarding the return request for the first item.

The electronic device 110 determines whether the first item is included in the configured item set. According to one example, the electronic device 110 may determine whether the first item is included in the configured item set by determining whether the first item is a high-value item (HVI) 302.

If the first item is a high-value item, the electronic device 110 can assign a designated worker (corresponding to the first delivery person in Figures 1 and 2) 303. The designated worker inspects the item and, if qualified, collects the item 304. The collected item is then transferred to a center (corresponding to the item recycling center in Figures 1 and 2) 305 for a quality assessment (QA). If the quality assessment passes, a refund is granted. If the quality assessment fails, the refund is placed on hold 306.

On the other hand, if an item fails acceptance, the operator may attempt to contact the customer (corresponding to the user in Figures 1 and 2) 307. If the user cannot be contacted, or if the user disagrees with the return request even after being contacted, the operator may collect the item and report the fact. In this regard, the operator may also take photos of the item for record keeping.

Once the user has been contacted and agrees that the return request is inappropriate, the operator may refuse to accept the item and cancel the return transaction.

On the other hand, if the first item is not a high-value item, it can be collected according to the normal process. In this case, a refund for the collected item can be approved after the item is collected (even before QA) (Collected → Refund Granted) 309.

Figure 6 is a flowchart of a method for processing item return information using an electronic device according to one embodiment.

6 , an electronic device 110 according to one embodiment obtains information 610 regarding a return request for a first item. The information regarding the return request for the first item may be received from a user's device 130 .

The electronic device 110 determines whether the first item is included in the set item set 620. The set item set may include at least one item whose value exceeds the first threshold value.

When the first item is included in the set item collection, the electronic device 110 transmits a collection request including information about the first item to the device 120 of the first delivery person, who is included in the first group corresponding to the set item collection 630. The first group may include one or more delivery persons, or may include one or more delivery persons' devices.

According to one embodiment, electronic device 110 may also transmit a request for acceptance of the first item to the first delivery person's device 120. In this case, electronic device 110 may receive the acceptance result of the first item from the first delivery person's device 120 and, based on the acceptance result, determine whether to return the first item.

Figure 7 is an exemplary diagram of the structure of an electronic device for processing item return information according to one embodiment.

7 , electronic device 110 includes a transceiver 710, a processor 720, and a memory 730. Electronic device 110 can connect to other external devices via transceiver 710 to exchange data.

The processor 720 may include at least one of the devices described in Figures 1 to 6 or may implement at least one of the methods described in Figures 1 to 6. The memory 730 may store information used to implement at least one of the methods described in Figures 1 to 6. The memory 730 may be a volatile memory or a non-volatile memory.

The processor 720 can execute programs and control the electronic device 110 to provide information. The code of the program executed by the processor 720 can be stored in the memory 730.

Furthermore, the electronic device 110 of one embodiment may further include an interface that can provide information to the user.

On the other hand, this specification and drawings disclose preferred embodiments of the present invention. Although specific terms are used, they are used only to facilitate explanation of the technical content of the present invention and to aid understanding of the invention in a general sense, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that in addition to the embodiments disclosed herein, other variations based on the technical principles of the present invention may be implemented.

The electronic device or terminal of the above-described embodiment may include: a processor, a memory for storing and executing program data, permanent storage such as a disk drive, a communication port for communicating with external devices, and a user interface device such as a touch panel, keys, or buttons. The computer-readable code or program commands executed on the processor by the method implemented by the software module or algorithm may be stored on a computer-readable recording medium. Here, computer-readable recording media include magnetic storage media (e.g., ROM (read-only memory), RAM (random-access memory), floppy disks, hard disks, etc.) and optical readable media (e.g., compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) and digital versatile disc (DVD)). Computer-readable recording media are distributed among computer systems connected to a network, enabling the storage and execution of computer-readable code in a distributed manner. The media can be read by the computer, stored in memory, and executed by the processor.

The present embodiment may be represented by a functional block structure and various processing steps. Such functional blocks may be implemented by various amounts of hardware and/or software components that perform specific functions. For example, the embodiment may be implemented using integrated circuits that can perform various functions, such as memory, processing, logic, look-up tables, etc., controlled by one or more microprocessors or other control devices. Components may be implemented by software programs or software components. Similarly, the present embodiment includes algorithms implemented as a combination of data structures, programs, routines, or other program structures, and thus may be implemented using programming or scripting languages such as C, C++, Java, assemblers, Python, etc. Functionally, this can be achieved through algorithms executed on one or more processors. Furthermore, this embodiment can utilize existing technologies for electronic environment configuration, signal processing, and/or data processing. Terms such as "mechanism," "element," "mechanism," and "composition" are used broadly and are not limited to mechanical or physical structures. These terms can be associated with processors and include a series of software processes (routines).

The above embodiment is only one example, and other embodiments may be implemented within the scope of the invention patent application described below.

110: Electronic devices

120: First Delivery Personnel's Device

130: User's device

201: Return request information for item 1

202: Confirm whether item 1 is included in the set item set.

203: Request to collect information including item 1

Claims (14)

A method for processing item return information in an electronic device comprises the following steps: Receiving, via a processor of the electronic device, information regarding a return request for a first item from a user; Confirming, via the processor, whether the first item is included in a set of items; and If the first item is included in the set of items, Identifying, via the processor, the reason for returning the first item as stated by the user; Determining, via the processor, whether to ignore acceptance of the first item based on the user's service usage history and the reason for returning the first item as stated by the user; and When it is determined that the acceptance of the first item is not to be ignored, a transceiver of the electronic device connected to the processor transmits a collection request including information about the first item and an acceptance request for the first item to a device of a first delivery person included in the first group corresponding to the set item set. In the method for processing item return information as recited in claim 1, the item set includes at least one item having a value exceeding a first threshold value. A method for processing item return information as recited in claim 1, wherein, based on the collection request, a user interface for collecting information about the first item is displayed on the device of the first delivery person. The method for processing item return information of claim 1 further comprises: receiving, via the transceiver, an inspection result of the first item from the first delivery person's device; determining whether to process a return for the first item based on the inspection result. A method for processing item return information as recited in claim 4, wherein the acceptance result includes a determination of a return reason corresponding to the first item, and a determination of whether to process a return of the first item based on the determination of the return reason. The method for processing item return information of claim 4 further comprises: if the acceptance result includes information of the first type, processing the return of the first item by the processor; The return processing step includes the following steps: Transmitting, by the transceiver, a request to transport the first item to an item recycling center to the device of the first delivery person; Receiving, by the transceiver, information including a determination result regarding the first item from a device of a staff member at the item recycling center; and Transmitting, by the transceiver, a handling instruction for the first item to the device of the staff member at the item recycling center based on the information including the determination result. The method for processing item return information as recited in claim 4, further comprising: When the acceptance result includes information of the second type, transmitting, via the transceiver, to the first delivery person's device within a predetermined number of times, information indicating an attempt to contact the user requesting the return of the first item. The method for processing item return information as recited in claim 1, wherein the step of transmitting a pickup request comprises: obtaining, by the processor, first location information of the first item to be picked up; determining, by the processor, whether an item corresponding to the first location information exists to be picked up; and if a second item corresponding to the first location information exists to be picked up, the pickup request further includes information about the second item. The method for processing item return information of claim 1 further comprises the following steps: Acquiring, by the processor, information regarding one or more return requests received within a set time period; Identifying, by the processor, return requests for items included in the set item set among the one or more return requests; and Determining, by the processor, one or more delivery personnel included in the first group based on the results of identifying the return requests. The method for processing item return information of claim 9 further comprises the following steps: Obtaining, by the processor, item collection location information corresponding to the identified return request; and Determining, by the processor, the movement path of one or more delivery personnel included in the first group based on the location information. In the method for processing item return information as recited in claim 1, at least one of the delivery personnel in the first group has a business proficiency level exceeding the prescribed level. The method for processing item return information as recited in claim 1, wherein the one or more delivery personnel included in the aforementioned group 1 are delivery personnel hired in connection with the delivery service provided by the aforementioned electronic device. A computer-readable non-transitory recording medium records a program for executing the method of claim 1 on a computer. An electronic device for processing item return information includes a transceiver, a memory for storing commands, and a processor. The processor: is connected to the transceiver and the memory; receives information regarding a return request for a first item from a user; confirms whether the first item is included in a set of items; if the first item is included in the set of items, identifies the reason for returning the first item as stated by the user; determines whether to ignore acceptance of the first item based on the user's service usage history and the reason for returning the first item as stated by the user; and When it is determined that the acceptance of the first item is not to be ignored, a collection request including information about the first item is transmitted to the device of the first delivery person, who is included in the first group corresponding to the set item set.