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WO2025208173A1 - Procédé et système d'identification d'un coursier pour la livraison de marchandises - Google Patents

Procédé et système d'identification d'un coursier pour la livraison de marchandises

Info

Publication number
WO2025208173A1
WO2025208173A1 PCT/AU2025/050311 AU2025050311W WO2025208173A1 WO 2025208173 A1 WO2025208173 A1 WO 2025208173A1 AU 2025050311 W AU2025050311 W AU 2025050311W WO 2025208173 A1 WO2025208173 A1 WO 2025208173A1
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
courier
delivery
data
retailer
score
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Pending
Application number
PCT/AU2025/050311
Other languages
English (en)
Inventor
Gail Macleod
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Atomiq Technologies Pty Ltd
Original Assignee
Atomiq Technologies Pty Ltd
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Priority claimed from AU2024900896A external-priority patent/AU2024900896A0/en
Application filed by Atomiq Technologies Pty Ltd filed Critical Atomiq Technologies Pty Ltd
Publication of WO2025208173A1 publication Critical patent/WO2025208173A1/fr
Pending legal-status Critical Current
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical

Links

Classifications

    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING OR CALCULATING; COUNTING
    • G06Q—INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • G06Q10/00—Administration; Management
    • G06Q10/04—Forecasting or optimisation specially adapted for administrative or management purposes, e.g. linear programming or "cutting stock problem"
    • G06Q10/047—Optimisation of routes or paths, e.g. travelling salesman problem
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING OR CALCULATING; COUNTING
    • G06Q—INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • G06Q10/00—Administration; Management
    • G06Q10/08—Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
    • G06Q10/083—Shipping
    • G06Q10/0834—Choice of carriers
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING OR CALCULATING; COUNTING
    • G06Q—INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • G06Q10/00—Administration; Management
    • G06Q10/08—Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
    • G06Q10/083—Shipping
    • G06Q10/08355—Routing methods
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING OR CALCULATING; COUNTING
    • G06Q—INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • G06Q10/00—Administration; Management
    • G06Q10/08—Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
    • G06Q10/083—Shipping
    • G06Q10/0843—Shipping using forecasting or optimisation
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING OR CALCULATING; COUNTING
    • G06Q—INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • G06Q50/00—Information and communication technology [ICT] specially adapted for implementation of business processes of specific business sectors, e.g. utilities or tourism
    • G06Q50/40—Business processes related to the transportation industry

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a method and system for identifying a courier to deliver goods. More specifically, the invention relates to a method and system for identifying a suitable courier to deliver goods sold, or being sold, from a retailer to a purchaser, the courier being identified based on data associated with the courier and a transaction completed between the retailer and the purchaser.
  • the retailers need to personally go to a physical courier services branch to deliver items that need to be couriered or forced to pay an extra fee for delivery of the items at their own premises.
  • This may, in some instances, be an obstacle as the relevant retailer may not have a vehicle with the desired capacity to transport bulk orders from their premises to a courier, or the couriers may refuse the bulk orders if they are unavailable to accommodate large volumes.
  • the couriers may only have large vehicle/transport fleets available and the retailer has to cover costs for rental or use of a large vehicle for even a small shipment.
  • a further problem which is also often faced by retailers is that couriers charge excessive fees for deliveries located outside of the city centre. For example, it is common for couriers to charge high courier fees for delivery in remote areas or areas located in the city outskirts. This is mainly due to fleet availability, operation costs and volume of orders in the outskirts.
  • a method for identifying a courier to deliver goods the method being performed by a server and comprising: receiving from a user, via a user device, a delivery request for delivery of goods to a purchaser, the delivery request including at least one of courier data, retailer data and/or transaction data; extracting the data included in the request and processing the extracted data to identify delivery related particulars; processing the delivery related particulars and determining a courier score associated with the delivery request; and outputting a delivery assignment to the courier based on the courier score.
  • the data included in the delivery request may be encrypted.
  • Processing the extracted data may include processing the extracted data while the data remains in the encrypted.
  • Processing the delivery related particulars may include processing the delivery related particulars to identify one or more of a delivery location; a retailer location; courier carrying capacity requirements; and latest delivery date.
  • Determining the courier score may include determining one or more courier subcategory scores and using the sub-category scores to determine the courier score.
  • Each sub-category score may represent a factor of the delivery score.
  • the sub-category scores are based on location data associated with one or more of the courier data, the transaction data or the retailer data, and a courier capacity associated with the courier.
  • Determining the courier score may further include comparing data included in the delivery related particulars with data associated with a courier record.
  • the data included in the delivery related particulars may be compared with data associated with one or more courier records.
  • Updating the courier record associated with the courier may include updating a courier carrying capacity at least for a date range associated with the delivery assignment.
  • the retailer data may at least include, for one or more retailers: a retailer identifier and retailer location data.
  • Each retailer may be associated with a retailer record, which is associated with the retailer data and stored in a retailer database.
  • a system for identifying a courier to deliver goods comprising: a memory for storing computer-readable program code and a processor for executing the computer-readable program code; a delivery request receiving component for receiving from a user, via a user device, a delivery request for delivery of goods to a purchaser, the delivery request including at least one of courier data, retailer data and/or transaction data; a data extracting component for extracting the data included in the delivery request and processing the extracted data to identify delivery related particulars; a courier score determining component for processing the delivery related particulars and determining a courier score associated with the delivery request; and a delivery assignment outputting component for outputting a delivery assignment to the courier based on the courier score.
  • a computer program product for identifying a courier to deliver goods
  • the computer program product comprising a computer-readable medium having stored computer- readable program code for performing the steps of: receiving from a user, via a user device, a delivery request for delivery of goods to a purchaser, the delivery request including at least one of courier data, retailer data and/or transaction data; extracting the data included in the request and processing the extracted data to identify delivery related particulars; processing the delivery related particulars and determining a courier score associated with the delivery request; and outputting a delivery assignment to the courier based on the courier score.
  • the computer-readable medium to be a non-transitory computer-readable medium and for the computer-readable program code to be executable by a processing circuit.
  • Figure 1 is a schematic diagram which illustrates an example embodiment of a system for identifying a courier to deliver goods according to aspects of the present disclosure
  • Figure 2 is a swim-lane flow diagram which illustrates an example method for identifying a courier to deliver goods according to aspects of the present disclosure
  • Figure 3 is a flow diagram which illustrates an example method of assigning a delivery to a courier in response to a delivery request according to aspects of the present disclosure
  • Figure 5 is a block diagram which illustrates exemplary components of a retailer device in a system for identifying a courier to deliver goods according to aspects of the present disclosure
  • Figure 6 is a block diagram which illustrates exemplary components of a courier device in a system for identifying a courier to deliver goods according to aspects of the present disclosure.
  • the steps of identifying a courier to deliver goods from a retailer to a purchaser may include: receiving an instruction to process data including one or more of: retailer data; transaction data; and/or courier data.
  • the instruction may be generated and transmitted to the server in response to the retailer indicating that a transaction with a purchaser has been completed, or, in some embodiments, the instruction may automatically be generated and transmitted to the server in response to a transaction between the retailer and the purchaser being completed.
  • a transaction may, for example, be considered complete once a purchaser has completed payment of the transaction.
  • the instruction may be configured to include transaction related data or, alternatively, the instruction may include a pointer to transaction related data stored in a database and which is accessible to the server.
  • the instruction may preferably be in the form of a delivery request. In some embodiments, a request may be received from a courier wanting to perform a delivery.
  • the server may proceed to access and process the relevant data so as to identify a suitable courier, from a list of couriers, to offer a delivery assignment to, for at least one transaction.
  • the data to be processed may include at least one of retailer data, transaction data, and/or courier data.
  • the server may proceed to access and process the relevant data to determine if any suitable deliveries are available for a courier requesting a delivery instruction/assignment.
  • the retailer data may be associated with the retailer selling the goods and may include data provided by the retailer via a retailer user interface provided by a software application.
  • the retailer data may be provided during a registration process or in response to a prompt received by the retailer and stored, at least temporarily, in a retailer database (or a memory of the server).
  • the data may include at least one or both of a retailer name or identifier and retailer location information.
  • the server may have access to and, in some embodiments, maintain the retailer database.
  • the courier data may be associated with a courier using the service.
  • a courier may, for example, be required to register to offer courier services. During registration the courier may be required to provide courier data including: a name and surname of the courier; vehicle details; driver license details; consent to a background check; contact details; courier status; courier location data (discussed in more details below) and the like.
  • the courier data may be stored in a courier database (which may be linked to the retailer database) and which is also accessible by the server.
  • the courier location data may be updated at any time by the courier or by the server.
  • the server may, for example, update the courier location data automatically based on a recently completed trip of the courier.
  • Processing the data to identify a courier may include determining, for each of the couriers in the database, if the courier has a vehicle capable of carrying a required load and if the courier is available for a trip within a specific date range. If more than one couriers meet the above criteria, the number of potentially available couriers may be limited by processing the courier location information to determine if the available couriers are within a certain distance/radius from a location where the goods need to be delivered. Alternatively, if no couriers are currently available, the system may determine which courier may be open to accepting an assignment based on the trip history of the courier.
  • the best courier for a particular assignment may be determined in pre-determined intervals. For example, a courier check may be carried out once a day, so that one or more orders may be pooled or sent with the single courier if two or more delivery locations are within a certain radius of each other and within the planned courier route.
  • the courier database therefore also needs to store planned courier routes, which may, for example, be uploaded by a courier prior to the courier wanting to take the trip.
  • the courier trip may, for example, include a start location, intermediate locations, an end location and a date range.
  • the planned courier routes may, for example, be based on personal trips that the courier plan on taking from one destination to another at a particular date. This would enable the courier to complete an assignment, while on a trip to run another errand or go on holiday, for example.
  • a preferred courier may be selected based on a courier score.
  • the courier score may be determined by the server and be based on various parameters, such as a courier customer rating, trip history (location and quantity), vehicle type, and the like.
  • a higher parameter value may, for example, be afforded to a trip history indicating that a courier completed their last offer a week ago compared to a courier that completed an order the previous day.
  • the score may be configured to include a load sharing factor to ensure that couriers are afforded equal opportunity and not just impacted by a customer rating.
  • a courier having a 4.2 customer rating and a last trip completion day of 14 days ago may have a higher courier score than, for example, a courier having a 4.5 courier rating with a last trip completion day of less than 24 hours.
  • the scoring system will be disclosed in more detail below.
  • the method may include offering a delivery assignment to the identified courier via a notification/prompt.
  • the delivery assignment notification/prompt may include a time limit within which the courier needs to either accept or reject the assignment. Should the time limit be exceeded or the relevant courier reject the assignment, the assignment may be pushed to another courier, preferably the courier having the second highest courier score. This may be repeated until a courier accepts the assignment. In some embodiments, if, for example, none of the top 3 couriers accept the assignment, the assignment may be made available to all the couriers and the first courier to accept the assignment may be approved for said assignment.
  • the retailer may receive a notification indicating that the assignment has been accepted by a courier.
  • the notification may include a date, and optionally time range, within which the courier will collect the goods from the retailer, as well as a date, and optionally time range, of when the goods will be delivered to the relevant purchaser. This will enable the retailer to keep the purchaser up to date with the delivery process.
  • the fees payable to the courier for delivery may be based on the number of goods delivered with a single trip and the distance to be completed by the courier, from the pick-up location (being the retailer location) to the delivery location, so as to incentivise the couriers to accept more delivery assignments.
  • the server may push instructions to couriers based on the courier route history in an effort to find a suitable courier that may be able to complete the delivery within a short time.
  • the fees offered to the couriers for express delivery may be more compared to the fees of standard trips. It should further be appreciated that the fees need to be carried by the purchasers, even via their own reserves or via purchaser funds.
  • one or more retailers may connect/communicate with the server and a courier may be selected to pool orders/deliveries from two or more different retailers at the same time.
  • the system may accommodate single retailers seeking delivery for single goods/products being sold, single retailers seeking delivery for multiple goods/products being sold and delivered to different purchasers, or in cases where retailers supply/sells goods/products to certain purchasers at regular intervals, the same couriers may be used to facilitate such orders for reliability reasons, or the like.
  • the above description is provided to facilitate an understanding of the invention and how it may practically be implemented.
  • Figure 1 is a schematic diagram which illustrates an exemplary system (100) for identifying a courier to deliver goods by a retailer to a purchaser according to aspects of the present disclosure.
  • Various combinations of the described features and aspects may be used in a given implementation.
  • the system (100) may include a service provider platform (102), a retailer device (104) and a courier device (106).
  • the system may include a purchaser device (not shown), which is discussed in more detail below.
  • the service provider platform (102), retailer device (104) and courier device (106) may be in data communication with each other via an appropriate communication network (108), such as the Internet or any other suitable public communication network.
  • the retailer device (104) may be in the possession and under the control of a retailer (105).
  • the courier device (106) may be in the possession and under the control of a courier/driver (107).
  • the service provider platform (102) may be configured to interface with the retailer device (104) and courier device (106) (or any other devices, discussed below) via the communication network (108).
  • the communication network (108) may be any network via which data and/or messages may be transmitted to and received from the respective devices (104, 106).
  • the service provider platform (102) may be provided by any suitable computing device or devices and may for example include a server (110).
  • the server (110) may, for example, be any suitable computing device configured to perform the role of a server such as a server cluster, a distributed server, a cloud-based server, or the like.
  • the server (110) may be maintained by the third-party service provider providing a courier finding (logistics) service to the retailer.
  • the server (110) may be configured to interface with other devices in the network via, for example, an appropriate API.
  • the service provider platform (102) may have access to and, in some embodiments, maintain a retailer database (112) in which a retailer record (114) associated with the retailer (105) and/or retailer device (104) is stored.
  • the retailer record (114) may include at least one or more of: a retailer identifier associated with, and unique to, the retailer; a retailer name and surname; retailer contract details; and retailer location data.
  • the retailer location data is, preferably, indicative of the location where the retailer stores goods that they trade with.
  • the location data may provide information, such as coordinates, of a warehouse where the retailer stores goods that they trade with.
  • the service provider platform (102) may have access to and, in some embodiments, maintain a courier database (116) in which a courier record (118) associated with a courier (107) and/or courier device (106) is stored.
  • the courier database (116) may include one or more courier records (118) and each of the courier records may be associated with a courier (106) and/or courier device (107) registered with the service provider platform (102), during enrolment.
  • Each courier record (118) may include one or more of: a name and surname of the courier; a courier identifier unique to, and associated with, the courier; courier vehicle details; courier driver license details; indicator to consent to background checks; courier contact details; courier status; courier location data; and courier trip data.
  • the courier vehicle details may, for example include details such as: vehicle make and model; year of manufacture; vehicle type (utility, sport utility, sedan, or the like); canopy (yes/no) and canopy dimensions; or the like.
  • vehicle details may also include details on the storage dimensions of the vehicle, such as boot space (in litres), the size of the flat bed tray or cargo bed, or the like. These details may be obtained automatically from publicly available datasheets, or, in some cases, the relevant courier may be required to manually provide the details. This would particularly be relevant in cases where the courier has modified the vehicle.
  • the service provider platform (102) and/or server (110) may be configured to facilitate transactions between the retailer and a purchaser, as discussed above.
  • the service provider platform may therefore be configured to interface and/or integrate with a platform of a financial institution allowing the transfer of funds from the purchaser to the retailer to facilitate a normal e- commerce transaction.
  • the server (110) may be configured to interface with an e-commerce platform and/or financial institution via an appropriate API.
  • the service provider platform (102) may also have access to a transaction database (120).
  • the transaction database may, in some embodiments, be maintained by the service provider platform (102).
  • the server may be configured to maintain the transaction database.
  • the service provider platform (102) may simply be provided access to the transaction database (120) by the relevant third party.
  • the transaction database (120) may include one or more transaction records (122), with each of the one or more transaction records linked to one or both of a retailer and/or purchaser.
  • the transaction record may include one or more of: data associated with the goods being sold, such as quantity, size, packaging, material properties, etc.; date, time and cost information (typically in a value of currency); a retailer identifier or retailer data (or a pointer to particular record stored in the retailer database); and purchaser data (or a pointer to a particular record stored in a purchaser database maintained by a third party server).
  • data associated with the goods being sold such as quantity, size, packaging, material properties, etc.
  • date, time and cost information typically in a value of currency
  • a retailer identifier or retailer data or a pointer to particular record stored in the retailer database
  • purchaser data or a pointer to a particular record stored in a purchaser database maintained by a third party server.
  • the purchaser data may, for example, include a purchaser identifier; a purchaser name and surname; purchaser location data (being a delivery address), purchaser order history, or the like.
  • the transaction database and the retailer database may be the same database and the retailer record may be configured to include details on transactions associated with the particular retailer.
  • the server need not have any direct link to the purchaser whatsoever and all communications between the purchaser and the retailer may be facilitated by a third-party platform.
  • the service provider platform (102) may be configured to be the central point and manage communication between the retailer device, a purchaser device, the courier device and the applicable financial institutions to facilitate communication and other transactions between the relevant parties.
  • the retailer device (104) and/or courier device (106) may be any suitable electronic device with a communication functionality, such as a mobile handset (e.g., a feature phone, a smartphone, tablet computer, etc.), a desktop or laptop computer, a wearable computing device, a smart appliance or other internet-of- things (loT) device or the like.
  • a mobile handset e.g., a feature phone, a smartphone, tablet computer, etc.
  • a desktop or laptop computer e.g., a wearable computing device, a smart appliance or other internet-of- things (loT) device or the like.
  • a smart appliance e.g., a smart appliance or other internet-of- things (loT) device or the like.
  • LoT internet-of- things
  • software units arranged to manage and/or process data on behalf of the retailer device (104) and/or courier device (106) may be provided remotely.
  • Some or all of the functionality of the devices may be provided by a software application downloadable onto and executable on the relevant device (104, 106).
  • each of the devices (104, 106) may have a software application resident therein and installed thereon.
  • the software application may be provided for download from a third-party software application repository, by the logistics service provider or a third-party e-commerce service provider, as the case may be.
  • the software application may be created and maintained by the logistics service provider and, in some embodiments, a particular software application resident on a particular device (104, 106) may be linked to a particular retailer record or courier record, which ever the case may be.
  • the retailer database (112) and the courier database (116) may include data which is provided by respective retailers and couriers during an enrolment procedure.
  • the enrolment procedure may be a standard enrolment procedure, in that the user (being a retailer or courier) may select an option to create a new account and then follow prompts to provide a required user input.
  • a retailer may be required to provide information such as a retailer name (including a business name and/or representative name and surname), retailer contact details, and retailer location data.
  • the retailer location data may, for example, be provided manually or automatically determined by using a global positioning system (GPS) of the retailer device.
  • GPS global positioning system
  • a user may be requested to provide access to a software application (provided by the logistics service provider), to access GPS data via a third-party application, such as Google MapsTM, via an appropriate API, for example.
  • the provided information may be verified by consulting publicly available records or requesting consent form the retailer to do so, via the software application. For example, in order to prevent fraudulent retailers from signing up for the system, the retailers may need to be verified by providing a tax file number, proof of address, proof of incorporation, or the like, which may be validated by the logistics service provider.
  • the software application may be provided consent, by the relevant retailer, to obtain other user identifiers to verify the user identity. This could, for example, include obtaining login details from other applications resident on the retailer device.
  • all information provided by the relevant retailer (105) or courier (107) during enrolment may be encrypted using one or more encryption standards.
  • the information provided by a retailer (105) during enrolment may, for example, immediately be encrypted at the retailer device (104), transferred (in the encrypted form) to the service provider platform (102), where it is stored in the retailer database (116).
  • the data may remain encrypted even when being processed by the server (110) (or service provider platform (102)).
  • homomorphic encryption may be used as it allows computations to be performed on encrypted data without first having to decrypt it.
  • the resulting computations may then be left in an encrypted form which, when decrypted, result in an output that is identical to that produced had the operations been performed on the unencrypted data.
  • the data may, for example, be decrypted at a courier device so that the courier may view the required processed data and accept or reject a delivery assignment offered to them.
  • the retailer (105) may, for example, ensure the safeguarding of purchaser information that need to be processed in order to create a delivery request to be presented to a courier (107).
  • the third-party logistics service provider does not need to know any information of the purchaser, such as the purchaser name and location.
  • all data being processed by the server may be encrypted data so as to safeguard the data and prevent nefarious third parties from hacking the databases to gain access to the data in unencrypted form.
  • the server therefore does not need to decrypt the data before processing the data.
  • the data may be encrypted at the courier device or the retailer device (which ever the case may be) prior to being transmitted to the server (110). In other words, the data may be end-to-end encrypted.
  • the data may be encrypted by the server (110) when the data is received.
  • the data may be transferred to the server via a secured communication network.
  • TLS transport payer security
  • the courier (107) may be required to undergo a similar registration process to that of the retailer (105), discussed above.
  • the courier (107) may, for example, be required to provide the following information during registration: proof of identify (including a name and surname); vehicle details; driving licence details; and contact details.
  • the courier identification, vehicle details, and driving licence may need to be verified for safety reasons. This may include requesting consent from the courier to conduct background checks or requesting potential couriers to submit verified documentation (and/or background checks) during registration, for example.
  • the courier may need to be approved before that courier is registered and the courier data is captured in a courier record (118) stored in the courier database (116). Couriers may be manually verified, or, in some cases, machine learning algorithms may be put in place to verify a courier.
  • the retailer may simply be an interested seller interested in making use of a courier service offered by the third-party logistics service provider.
  • the retailer data may simply be temporarily stored in a memory of the server, or a database or record maintained by the third-party logistics service provider.
  • a retailer may use the services facilitated by the service provider platform (102) without being registered.
  • the relevant retailer data may be stored (at least temporarily) in a transaction record, which is stored in a transaction database.
  • a first exemplary method of matching a courier to a retailer selling goods is illustrated in the swim-lane flow diagram of Figure 2, in which respective swimlanes delineate steps, operations or procedures performed by respective entities or devices.
  • the delineation illustrates one example embodiment and in other embodiments other delineations may be applied.
  • the retailer device (104) may transmit (207) the delivery request to the service provider platform (102).
  • the service provider platform (102) may receive (209) the delivery request and process (211) the request to identify a courier (107) to facilitate the delivery of the purchased goods.
  • Processing (211) the delivery request may include the service provider platform (102) extracting (213) the data included in the delivery request and processing (215) the data by executing one or more sets of instructions on the data to obtain/identify delivery related particulars.
  • Processing (215) the data may include accessing a retailer record associated with the retailer identifier extracted from the delivery request.
  • the retailer record (114) may be accessed in order to determine the location data associated with the retailer and which may be used as a collection location.
  • the delivery related particulars may, at least temporarily, be stored in a memory of the server (110) for use in further calculations.
  • the delivery related particulars may include the following: a purchase completion date and/or a latest delivery date; information on the quantity and size of the sold goods, the pickup location (retailer location); the delivery location; and purchaser particulars.
  • the purchaser particulars may include purchaser identification details and contact details.
  • the method may further include processing (217) the delivery related particulars and determining a courier score associated with the delivery request.
  • Processing (217) the delivery related particulars may include various sub-steps that need to be completed by the service provider platform (102).
  • processing the delivery related particulars may include the service provider platform (102) accessing and processing (219) courier data associated with one or more courier devices (106).
  • Accessing (219) the courier data may include the service provider platform (102) accessing the courier data records stored in the courier database. This may include determining, for each of the one or more couriers having courier records stored in the courier database, whether the courier record indicates that the courier is available for deliveries.
  • Determining whether a courier is available for a delivery may include determining whether the courier has indicated that they are available by either setting a courier availability status as “active” or, in some embodiments, this may include determining whether the courier has recorded an upcoming trip (albeit another courier trip or a private trip) before a pre-determined date range.
  • a courier score may be determined (221) for said courier. It should be appreciated that in cases where more than one courier is identified as being available, a courier score may be determined for each available courier.
  • the courier score may be determined (221) by using the courier data and delivery related particulars.
  • the courier score may be an indication of how suitable a particular courier is for a delivery instruction. For example, a high courier score may indicate that a courier is a good match for a particular delivery assignment and vice versa.
  • the courier score may be based on the following subcategories: average courier rating (this may be a rating out of five, normally provided by the retailer based on purchaser feedback, for example, after completion of a delivery assignment); location data (including the proximity of the delivery location and courier location data, the proximity of the collection/retailer location and courier location data and courier travel history); courier carrying capacity; courier delivery history; or the like.
  • average courier rating this may be a rating out of five, normally provided by the retailer based on purchaser feedback, for example, after completion of a delivery assignment
  • location data including the proximity of the delivery location and courier location data, the proximity of the collection/retailer location and courier location data and courier travel history
  • courier carrying capacity courier delivery history
  • courier delivery history may be awarded a sub-category score which may be based on relevant data elements from the delivery related particulars and may form the base of the courier score. Accordingly, each sub-category-score may represent a factor of the courier score.
  • the purchaser may also be in data communication with the service provider platform (102) and, in such cases, the purchaser may directly provide a rating to the courier via the service provider platform.
  • the purchaser may indicate a courier rating I delivery rating on a third-party purchaser platform, which may then be submitted to the service provider platform (102) by the retailer.
  • both the purchaser and retailer ratings may be taken into account in such circumstances.
  • Such tools may enable the service provider platform (102) to plot precise courier travel routes (based on location information associated with the transaction), calculate distances and identify optimal paths based on real-time and historical geodata, such as traffic data, expected time of travel data, or the like.
  • the courier may simply submit location data in the form of a start point and an end point (for a planned route), and the additional tools may be used to determine the above data/information.
  • Determining the courier score may also include calculating or identifying the total size and weight of the goods to be delivered based on the delivery instruction.
  • a retailer may, for example, when requesting delivery be prompted to provide information such as the wight and size requirements for transporting the goods. Generally, this would simply be the dimensions of the box/boxes that the goods are packed in and its respective weight.
  • the total size and weight of the goods may be compared to the total carrying capacity stored in each of the relevant courier records and, again, each of the couriers having sufficient space may be provided a score value based on the available space.
  • calculating a capacity sub score may also include determining whether the courier has an enclosed cargo space, such as a UTE with a rear canopy. For example, a courier having enclosed cargo space may be afforded a higher score for safety reasons and because it limits exposure of the sun to the goods to be delivered.
  • a user may receive a zero score. For example, if the courier is not travelling in the direction of the delivery location, or if the courier carrying capacity is less than the capacity required for the goods to be delivered. Accordingly, in a preferred embodiment, for a courier to be considered suitable, or at least capable of completing a delivery, the courier may be required to have a score larger than zero (>0) for each category. If a score of zero is scored for a category, it is an indication that the courier may not be able to complete the delivery assignment, and the courier may be eliminated from contention for a delivery assignment.
  • Not all categories may necessarily be eligible for a zero-score value. For example, even if the courier location data is not ideal, if the courier is willing to complete a delivery, the courier may be offered the delivery as no real limitations exist. The courier may therefore be afforded a low location-based score, but the courier would not be completely incapable of completing the delivery. Whereas, if the courier does not have sufficient carrying/cargo capacity, the courier would be unable to facilitate delivery of the goods due to physical constraints.
  • the courier (107) may, via the courier device (106), receive (229) the delivery assignment and either accept (231) or reject (not shown) the assignment. If accepted, the courier device (106) may generate and transmit (232) an acceptance notification to the service provider platform (102). The service provider platform (102) may receive (233) the acceptance notification and generate and transmit (235) an assignment acceptance notification to the retailer device (103). The retailer (105) may receive (236) the acceptance notification and report (237) the information to a purchaser to inform the purchaser that a courier has accepted an offer to deliver the goods.
  • the assignment acceptance notification may include courier details, such as a courier name and contact details and/or courier vehicle details to enable the purchaser and/or retailer to identify the courier.
  • the notification may include a link to enable the purchaser to track the order.
  • the tracking functionality may be provided by the server provider platform (102) via the one or more location tools discussed above. Reporting the acceptance notification and additional information to the purchaser may include generating the report and providing the purchaser with the tracking link to track the delivery, for example. In some embodiments only the retailer may track the delivery and will manually report to the purchaser when delivery can be expected.
  • the purchaser platform (or third-party e-commerce platform) may be configured to provide delivery tracking functionalities based on the tracking link provided by the service provider platform (102). If the courier does not accept the notification, a rejection or time-out notification may be transmitted (not shown) to the service provider platform (102).
  • the service provider platform (102) may offer the notification to the next available courier with the second highest score. It should be appreciated that the service provider platform may only offer the delivery assignment to a limited number of available couriers.
  • the service provider platform (102) may find a suitable courier in another way. This may include service provider platform (102) accessing one or more courier records and processing the courier records to determine if a courier has previously, or within a predetermined period, completed a trip with high similarity to the path/route required for delivery. This may include mapping the location data of the courier’s delivery history to the location data of the present delivery instruction. If the location data shows a high level of similarity (which may be determined similar to how the courier score is determined), the service provider platform may determine a delivery score for said courier and, if the delivery score exceeds a predetermined threshold, push a delivery assignment request to the courier. The courier may either accept or reject the assignment. The assignment may again be rejected by way of an active rejection message sent by the courier device, or by way of time-out.
  • the same steps may be repeated for each of the couriers.
  • the delivery assignment may be confirmed to the first courier that accepts the assignment.
  • the other couriers may be informed that the assignment has been accepted by another courier, or that the assignment has timed-out.
  • the service provider platform (102) may be required to access the records to identify one or more suitable couriers and then push the assignment to those couriers.
  • the service provider platform (102) may enable a courier device (105) to request a delivery assignment from the service provider platform (102).
  • the courier device (105) may request a delivery assignment, instead of a retailer submitting a delivery request. This may essentially be done by the courier (107) marking themselves as available for a delivery assignment and requesting the service provider platform (102) to find them a delivery assignment.
  • the service provider platform (102) may store one or more delivery requests for a period of time and make relevant delivery requests available to couriers that request delivery assignments and that has a high enough courier score to qualify for delivery of selected available delivery requests. For example, if a purchaser orders goods, but due to circumstances requests a delay in delivery, the delivery may be allocated to a courier requesting a delivery assignment. In such an embodiment, the courier (107) may need to meet a predetermined courier score threshold for a particular delivery instruction before a deliver assignment may be allocated or offered to the courier.
  • processing the data to determine delivery related particulars may also include the service provider platform (102) accessing one or more stored delivery requests (this could be stored in a retailer database or transaction database) and processing the requests to determine the potential pick-up location (retailer location) for the delivery, the dimensions of the goods to be delivered, and the delivery location (purchaser location).
  • the service provider platform (102) may process (307) the delivery related particulars and determine (309) a courier score using the processed delivery particulars. If the courier score, for example, is greater than a pre-determined threshold for a particular stored delivery request, the courier may output (311) a delivery assignment to the courier, based on the courier score. The courier may choose to accept or reject the delivery assignment. If the courier score does not meet the desired threshold, the same steps may be repeated for another request.
  • the service provider platform (102) may be configured to receive delivery requests in real time, but to only perform the next steps (such as extracting data from the request and processing the extracted data) at a later time, such as at a pre-determined interval. This may enable the service provider to more easily pool orders to a single courier, as the courier may receive a single delivery assignment for multiple orders, or multiple assignments for different orders at a single time. For example, the service provider platform may process delivery requests once a day so that one or more orders, sharing similarities, may be pooled.
  • the service provider platform (102) may be configured to compare one or more delivery requests with one another and, if the delivery requests share similarities, such as the same retailer location and delivery locations within a pre-determined acceptable radius of each other, the delivery requests may be pooled (or combined) into a single delivery assignment and the courier score may be determined taking the plurality of delivery requests into account.
  • the assignment offer I delivery assignment provided to a courier may include a monetary compensation value representing a courier I delivery fee.
  • the monetary compensation value may be unique for each delivery request and determined using a number of factors. For example, the monetary compensation value may be based on at least one of the distance between the retailer location and the delivery location, the dimensions and weight of the goods sold, the required delivery dates, the number of available couriers, or the like. Deliveries that specify an imminent delivery date may, for example, include a higher compensation value than deliveries specifying an extended future delivery date. Similarly, the offered compensation value may increase if a lower number of couriers are available for a particular delivery.
  • the service provider platform may communicate to the retailer that a courier fee of A$10 is payable for a delivery request. If the retailer accepts the request, the final offer I assignment presented to the courier may indicate a delivery compensation of A$9. The remaining A$1 may be reserved for the logistics service provider.
  • the courier and retailer may have an agreement with the logistics service provider to pay subscription fees for making use of the services offered.
  • the subscription fees may be based on various factors, such as subscription length, limits on delivery requests, or the like.
  • the change in courier capacity would affect the courier score, based on the above criteria, but the courier may still be a good match for a second delivery request.
  • a single courier performs multiple delivery assignments in a single courier trip, as it could lower the cost of the retailer while increasing the revenue of the courier.
  • the carbon footprint is reduced as only one courier completes a delivery route as opposed to two couriers completing similar delivery routes, for example.
  • identifying that a courier has accepted an assignment offer associated with a first delivery request during the steps of calculating a courier score for a second delivery request, may increase the courier score associated with the second request.
  • “order pooling” may be another category which may be used to determine a courier score.
  • the courier score gets updated regularly so as to prevent a single courier accepting multiple delivery assignments without having the capacity to carry all the goods associated with the delivery assignments.
  • the courier score may be updated automatically in response to courier and/or retailer requests or actions.
  • a courier score associated with a courier may be updated in response to the courier updating a courier profile (or courier record) to indicate that the courier drives a new vehicle.
  • the server (110) may include a processor (402) for executing the functions of components described below, which may be provided by hardware or by software units executing on the server (110).
  • the software units may be stored in a memory component (404) and instructions may be provided to the processor (402) to carry out the functionality of the described components.
  • software units arranged to manage and/or process data on behalf of the server (110) may be provided remotely.
  • the server (110) may include a request receiving component (406) arranged to receive a request for the delivery of goods to a purchaser.
  • the delivery request may include at least one of courier data, retailer data and/or transaction data.
  • the delivery request is received from a retailer device (104) the delivery request includes retailer data and transaction data.
  • the delivery request is received from a courier device (106), the delivery request preferably includes courier data.
  • the server (110) may include a data extracting component (408) arranged to extract the data included in the delivery request, from the delivery request.
  • the data extracting component (408) may be configured to extract the data in encrypted form for processing by the server (110) while the data remains in the encrypted form.
  • the processor (402) may be configured to process the extracted data to identify delivery related particulars.
  • the processor (402) may process the delivery related particulars to enable determining of a courier score.
  • the server (110) may further include an updating component (414) arranged to facilitate updating of one or both of the retailer records and courier records.
  • the retailer records and courier records may be updated based on instructions received from a courier or a retailer.
  • the records may be updated automatically by the server (110) in response to a delivery being completed.
  • the system may further include a retailer device (104).
  • Figure 5 is a block diagram which illustrates exemplary components of a retailer device (104) in a system for identifying a courier to deliver goods by a retailer to a purchaser.
  • RESTful APIs may be implemented to integrate with external services like the Google Maps API, ensuring access to up-to-date traffic conditions and geographic information. This may also enable the service provider platform to provide real-time navigation services to the courier once the courier starts with the actual execution of a delivery assignment.

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Abstract

L'invention concerne un procédé d'identification d'un coursier pour la livraison de marchandises, le procédé étant mis en œuvre par un serveur et consistant : à recevoir, en provenance d'un utilisateur, par l'intermédiaire d'un dispositif utilisateur, une demande de livraison pour la livraison de marchandises à un acheteur, la demande de livraison comprenant des données de coursier, des données de détaillant et/ou des données de transaction ; à extraire les données incluses dans la demande et à traiter les données extraites afin d'identifier des détails liés à la livraison ; à traiter les détails liés à la livraison et à déterminer un score de coursier associé à la demande de livraison ; et à émettre en sortie une attribution de livraison au coursier en fonction du score de coursier.
PCT/AU2025/050311 2024-04-02 2025-04-02 Procédé et système d'identification d'un coursier pour la livraison de marchandises Pending WO2025208173A1 (fr)

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AU2024900896A AU2024900896A0 (en) 2024-04-02 Method and system for identifying a courier to deliver goods

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