GB2555606A

GB2555606A - Tracking system and method

Info

Publication number: GB2555606A
Application number: GB1618553.0A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Titterton Joseph
Original assignee: House Of Batteries Ltd
Current assignee: House Of Batteries Ltd
Priority date: 2016-11-03
Filing date: 2016-11-03
Publication date: 2018-05-09

Abstract

Method of tracking items that comprises assigning a code to an item and assigning a group code to a group of said items. The codes are connected in a database in order to automatically change the record for an item according to changes recorded for the group and vice versa. Further disclosed is an item-tracking system that comprises a server 100 configured with a database and in communication with tagging means 160, 161 for assigning to the item a tag 162 including a unique code for the item. A plurality of item tracking devices 131, each having a GPS location receiver that can detect the unique code for an item and transmit to the server 100 a tracking event and location co-ordinates, which are recorded in the database in association with the item code. A scanning device can read the codes. The tags may be RFID tags.

Description

(54) Title of the Invention: Tracking system and method Abstract Title: Item tracking system using codes (57) Method of tracking items that comprises assigning a code to an item and assigning a group code to a group of said items. The codes are connected in a database in order to automatically change the record for an item according to changes recorded for the group and vice versa. Further disclosed is an item-tracking system that comprises a server 100 configured with a database and in communication with tagging means 160, 161 for assigning to the item a tag 162 including a unique code for the item. A plurality of item tracking devices 131, each having a GPS location receiver that can detect the unique code for an item and transmit to the server 100 a tracking event and location coordinates, which are recorded in the database in association with the item code. A scanning device can read the codes. The tags may be RFID tags.

110 U^sers ©

160

User

Portal

Print

Item

Labels

Item

Labels

431

Mobile Scanner

Delivery Process

Order Process


WWW.	Online
......................Z±S...............................	Marketplaces
Online Shops

At least one drawing originally filed was informal and the print reproduced here is taken from a later filed formal copy.

1/2

2/2 ο

Courier Delivery Flowing Delivery Process

- 1 TRACKING SYSTEM AND METHOD Field of the Invention

This invention relates to a tracking system, for example for mail or goods delivery.

Background to the Invention

One method of tracking the progress of a mail item through a mail system may be by recording the item’s arrival at and/or departure from a particular location. Where the item is carried as part of a batch of items, for example in a bag of such items, or a pallet load, its progress may be tracked by tracking the bag or load, or the vehicle in which it is conveyed.

While such systems can, if properly applied, give a good indication of an item’s progress, they can be open to errors. For example, where a bag, pallet, box or any type of container containing multiple items is tracked current tracking systems are incapable of relating specific items to their container while also al15 lowing them to be tracked individually and are usually entirely reliant upon some form of manual manifest. This means that no item level tracking can be provided, and that if an item is not present when expected (although the container or collection of containers it was assumed to be within are) it can be difficult to establish where the error occurred. Furthermore, it is practically impossible for those collecting the containers to scan individual items that have been or need to be placed amongst other items within them for transport.

Summary of the Invention

Accordingly, the present invention provides a method of tracking items, comprising assigning a code to an item and assigning a group code to a group of said items and connecting the codes in a database to automatically change the record for an item according to changes recorded for the group and to change the record for the group according to changes recorded for an item.

The method may further comprise assigning a collection code to a collection of groups and connecting together the group codes in the database to au30 tomatically change the record for a group according to changes recorded for a collection and to change the record for the collection according to changes recorded for a group. Disposal of one item automatically reconstitutes the group,

- 2 for example. It will be appreciated that this tree structure could be extended further, so that, for example, collections could be further grouped if desired.

The invention further provides a method of tracking items, comprising assigning a unique machine-readable code to each of a plurality of items, stor5 ing the code and identifying details for each item in a database, and using a scanning device at each stage of progress of the item which can read the unique code and transmit to the database the code, the time and the location of the item for recording in the database.

Assigning the machine-readable code may comprise printing a visual code on an adhesive label and then attaching the label to the item or to packaging therefor, and wherein the or each scanning device is an optical scanning device. For example, the visual code could be a barcode or a QR code. In another embodiment, assigning the machine-readable code may comprise recording the code in a radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag, and wherein the or each scanning device is an RFID reader.

The invention further provides an item-tracking system, comprising a server configured with a database and in communication with tagging means for assigning to the item a tag including a unique code for the item, the tagging means communicating to the database the assigned unique code and identify20 ing details for the item, a plurality of item tracking devices, each having a GPS location receiver and being operable to detect the unique code for an item and configured to transmit to the server a tracking event and location co-ordinates for that event, the server further being programmed to receive from the item tracking devices the tracking events and associated location co-ordinates and to record these in the database in association with the item code.

The system also allows for a unique part of the software, or for a unique device to be related to an item code or multiple item codes. This means that it is possible to ensure that a particular code, or codes, require a scan from a particular device, or unique part of the software, to be moved along the delivery flow.

This can replace the need for a signature as proof of delivery, instead, for example, requiring the person receiving the item to use a unique device (for example their own) and/or unique part of software to provide an acceptance scan.

-3This eliminates the possibility of the delivering or receiving person providing a forged signature, thereby drastically reducing the risk of fraud.

Brief Description of the Drawings

In the drawings, which illustrate exemplary embodiments of the invention:

Figure 1 is a diagram showing the interrelationship of the database records in a system according to one embodiment of the invention; and

Figure 2 is a diagrammatic representation of a distribution system for online sales of products.

Detailed Description of the Illustrated Embodiment

Referring first to Figure 1, a database system records, for example, product stock details. A product record 1a to 1h, 2a to 2h etc. may contain basic details for the product and the number of examples of the product in stock. However, the products, especially if they are small items, may be physically stored in, say, a box with a plurality of other such products. The product may thus be sold individually or by the box-full. The box record 10a to 10h, 11a to 11 h etc. may contain basic details for the box of products together with the number of boxes of the product in stock. Additionally, each product record is linked to the box record, so that, for example, if each box contains normally twenty of the products, the product records will reflect the total number of prod20 ucts from the boxes in stock, and if one product is taken out of a box for sale, the box record will be updated to show the changed total in the box, while the product record will be updated to reduce the overall total accordingly.

Additionally, boxes of products may be grouped together on pallets, for example, for sale as a pallet-load or individually, and the database can establish a similar relationship, linking upwards to a collection or pallet record 20a to 20h, and downwards to the product record 1,2 so that the sale of a single product, a box of products, or a pallet-load of boxes will lead to updating of the other records accordingly.

The invention can be used to generate a label or tag (such as an RFID tag) that can then be scanned or read by a device in order to update the database to amend the stock holding records in the way described above, or to interrogate the database to show the current stockholding position. Current stock

-4control systems are not able to dynamically control interrelated records in the way described. They require specific SKU’s (Stock Keeping Units) such as boxes, items, pallets etc. to be held and altered independently.

Figure 2 is a diagram representing a distribution system for the online sale of products, to illustrate a tracking method according to the invention. A central database system 100 is linked to users 110 controlling and managing sales of products via an order process 120 through an online shop or online marketplace such as ebay®, amazon® or the like. The central database system 100 is also linked to a delivery process 130, as will be described hereinafter.

In use, customers 140 place orders for products through an online shop or marketplace and the order process 120 communicates the orders to the user 110 via an Application Programming Interface (API) 150 with the user’s system. The users 110 manage the order despatch process through a user portal 160, which prints item labels 162 via a label or other printer 161, the labels 162 including a machine-readable unique identifying code such as a QR code. In this context, it is assumed that “item” means an item or group of items conveyed in a single package. The items are picked and packed in the fulfilment warehouse and the item labels 162 applied. The user portal 160 communicates to the central database system 100 the details of the order with the unique identifying code.

The user portal 160 also identifies the routing of the packages/items and causes the label printer 161 to print bag labels 163 for bags containing the items that are to be carried together, for example to a common distribution point. The database 100 records the unique identifier code for the bag and associates that record with the records for the individual items contained in the bag.

The bags are then passed to the Delivery Process 130, where the bag labels are scanned with a mobile scanner 131 which is provided with a location identifier such as a GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver to provide coordinates identifying the location at which the scanning takes place. The mobile scanner 131 is configured to transmit to the database 100 the bag identifier along with the time and the location. This scanner 131, or similar such scan- 5ners, are used at each stage of the delivery process 130, firstly to track the passage of the bag, and secondly to track removal, processing and/or final delivery of the individual items or packages from the bag. Since the database 100 relates the individual item codes to the bag codes, the passage of the item is rec5 orded at each stage, either as part of the bag or individually. An important advantage of this is that a delivery driver, for example, will only need to scan a bag label to acknowledge receipt of all the items in the bag, rather than having to scan the individual item labels. Each item can then be scanned when it is removed from the bag, for example for sorting, processing or final delivery, and the database is updated accordingly at each scan event so that the bag code represents a reconfigured set of item codes after each item scan.

The tracking data contained in the database 100 can be accessed by a separate web tracking portal 170 when customers 140 wish to track the progress of items from fulfilment to delivery. Equally, the user API enables the us15 ers 110 to track progress of orders in a similar manner.

Because the geographic location is transmitted to the database 100 each time an article or a bag is scanned, the progress of items through the system can be tracked accurately, rather than having to infer location from the lastknown scanning point, as is the case with some current tracking systems.

A further level of tracking can be achieved by, for example, assigning a unique consignment code for tracking a plurality of bags loaded into a delivery vehicle, for carriage from one depot to another, and the database 100 will associate that consignment code with bag codes and with individual item codes so that, if the database records an item as being in a particular bag, and the partic25 ular bag is recorded as being in a particular consignment, then tracking the consignment will necessarily track the bags and their contents. When a bag is removed from the consignment and its code is scanned at that stage, the database 100 records the modification of the consignment so that further tracking of the consignment is not taken to be tracking of the bag or the individual items in it. Similarly, when the bag reaches the distribution point, the individual items can be scanned on removal from the bag with the database recording the new constitution of the bag so that further tracking can be at an individual item level for

- 6the items that have been removed, or still at bag level for the bag and items that remain within it. Items can also be scanned into the bag to constitute or reconstitute the databases record of the bag and its amended contents, meaning that the bag and its contents can still be tracked via a scan of the existing bag label.

In a further refinement of the system of the invention, the database 100 may be configured to associate the individual items and/or bags with the devices and/or software installation which will be used to scan the codes at different stages in the delivery flow. When the device scans the item or bag code, it transmits to the database a unique identifier for the device and/or the software installed on it, alongside the location and time data. In this way, when the item or bag is scanned, this can be checked against the device or software identifier where necessary to validate the scan.

While the invention has been particularly described in relation to online shopping, it will be appreciated that it is applicable to a wide range of warehous15 ing and distribution applications.

Claims

1. A method of tracking items, comprising assigning a code to an item and assigning a group code to a group of said items and connecting the codes in a database to automatically change the record for an item according to

5 changes recorded for the group and to change the record for the group according to changes recorded for an item.

2. A method according to Claim 1, comprising assigning a collection code to a collection of groups and connecting together the group codes in the database to automatically change the record for a group according to changes

10 recorded for a collection and to change the record for the collection according to changes recorded for a group.

3. A method of tracking items, comprising assigning a unique machine-readable code to each of a plurality of items, storing the code and identifying details for each item in a database, and using a scanning device at each

15 stage of progress of the item which can read the unique code and transmit to the database the code, the time and the location of the item for recording in the database.

4. A method according to Claim 3, wherein assigning the machinereadable code comprises printing a visual code on an adhesive label and then

20 attaching the label to the item or to packaging therefor, and wherein the or each scanning device is an optical scanning device.

5. A method according to Claim 3, wherein assigning the machinereadable code comprises recording the code in a radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag, and wherein the or each scanning device is an RFID reader.

25

6. An item-tracking system, comprising a server configured with a database and in communication with tagging means for assigning to the item a tag including a unique code for the item, the tagging means communicating to the database the assigned unique code and identifying details for the item, a plurality of item tracking devices, each having a GPS location receiver and be30 ing operable to detect the unique code for an item and configured to transmit to the server a tracking event and location co-ordinates for that event, the server further being programmed to receive from the item tracking devices the tracking

- 8events and associated location co-ordinates and to record these in the database in association with the item code.

7. An item-tracking system according to Claim 6, wherein each item tracking device is adapted to transmit to the server together with the tracking

5 event and location a unique identifier for the device and/or the software installed on it.

8. An item-tracking system, substantially as described with reference to the drawings.

9. A method of tracking items, substantially as described with refer1 o ence to the drawings.