TWI833076B - Computer-implemented system and method for processing return without receiving item to minimize network load - Google Patents

Abstract

A computer-implemented system for processing a return without receiving an item to minimize network load is disclosed. The system may be configured to perform operations including: receiving a return application programming interface (API) call from a user device requesting a return of an undesired item; validating the return API call against data records of a networked database; comparing a parameter associated with the returned item against a reason code included in the return API call; generating a refund API call to process the return API call based on a result of the comparison; triggering an update to the data records of the networked database to record a refund; and transmitting a notification to the user device in response to the refund API call.

Description

Used to process returns without receiving the item to minimize Network load computer execution system and method

The present disclosure generally relates to computerized systems and methods that streamline selection processes to improve scalability. Specifically, embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to inventive and non-conventional systems that identify subsets of electronic requests that could benefit from more streamlined procedures, thereby reducing network load and improving scalability.

The development of computer network connections has moved many different programs online, allowing for fast, remote processing and automation. Specifically, an increasing number of business processes are now conducted online requiring human intervention, until hundreds of thousands or millions of transactions can occur within a company's network every day.

These transactions are typically performed using application programming interfaces (APIs) that enable communication between different systems, subsystems, and modules. Communications using APIs to process transactions, also known as API calls, are typically small in size (eg, less than a few hundred bytes) and do not impose a significant load on the network. The development of network communications that enables faster data transfer also ensures that networks can support larger loads.

However, as more systems, subsystems, or modules are added to the network to specialize in certain During the task, the problem arises and involves increasing the number to complete the transaction. For example, a simple request to return an item to an online shopping mall may involve an API call to: a system that receives the return request; a system that manages the initial order; a system that processes payment for the order; a system that manages return shipping ; A system for receiving and restocking returned items; and subsystems and modules that function in conjunction with said system. The problem is exacerbated when networks must support millions of users or transactions every day. Even a small API call of around 100 bytes can quickly bloat and crash the network.

The network load generated by simply applying the same set of API calls involving the same number of systems and subsystems for each new transaction (e.g., order processing) will only increase linearly with the number of new requests. . This means that an exponential increase in users and the transactions they generate will lead to an exponential increase in network load, which can quickly adapt to the network. Therefore, the set of API calls must be optimized to reduce network load and improve scalability to meet increased demand.

One aspect of this disclosure relates to a computer implementation system for processing returns without receiving the items to minimize network load. The system may include at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium configured to store instructions and at least one processor configured to execute the instructions to perform operations. Operations may include: receiving a Returns API call from a user device requesting a return of an undesired item; validating the Returns API call against data records in a networked database; and comparing parameters associated with the returned item with those included in the Returns API call. Compare the reason codes in the comparison; generate a refund API call based on the comparison result to process the return API call; trigger an update to the data record in the networked database to record the refund; and respond to the refund API call to notify transmitted to the user device.

Another aspect of the present disclosure relates to a computer implementation for processing returns without receiving the items to minimize network load. Methods may include: receiving a Returns API call from a user device requesting a return of an undesired item; validating the Returns API call against data records in a networked database; and comparing parameters associated with the returned item with those included in the Returns API call. Compare the reason code in User device.

Another aspect of the present disclosure relates to a computer implementation system for processing returns without receiving the items to minimize network load. The system may include at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium configured to store instructions and at least one processor configured to execute the instructions to perform operations. Operations may include: receiving a returns API call from a user device requesting a return of the returned item; validating the returns API call against a data record in a networked database; comparing the category identifier associated with the returned item with the one contained in Reason codes in returns API calls are compared. If the category identifier is acceptable relative to the reason code, the operations may further include: transmitting the refund API call to the payment management system; updating the data record in the networked database to record the refund; and transmitting the return API call. A notification of approval is transmitted to the user device. If the category identifier is not acceptable relative to the reason code, the operations may further include: generating a retrieval API call requesting retrieval of the returned item; capturing an object of the returned item after retrieval of the returned item identifier; update a data record in the networked database to record the retrieval of the returned item; transmit a refund API call to the payment management system; transmit a notification of approval of the return API call to the user device.

Other systems, methods, and computer-readable media are also discussed herein.

100:System

101: Shipping Authorization Technology Systems

102A:Mobile device/user device

102B: Computer/User Device

103:External front-end system

105: Internal front-end system

107:Transportation system

107A, 107B, 107C: mobile device

109:Seller Portal

111: Shipping and order tracking system

113: Fulfillment Optimization System

115: Execute communication reporting channel

117:Supply chain management system

119:Warehouse Management System

119A:Mobile device/tablet

119B:Mobile device/PDA

119C:Mobile device/computer

121A, 121B, 121C: 3rd party fulfillment system

123: Fulfillment Center Authorization System

125:Labor management system

200: Fulfillment Center

201, 222: Truck

202A, 202B, 208: Object

203: Inbound area

205:Buffer

206:Forklift

207:Unloading area

209: Picking area

210:Storage unit

211:Packaging area

213:hub area

214:Transportation agencies

215: Camp area

216:Wall

218, 220:Package

224A, 224B: Delivery workers

226:Car

300:Introducing subsystems

302: Source API

304: Endpoint API

306a, 306b, 306c, 306d, 306e: controller

308: validator

310:Exception handler

312:Data aggregator

314: Recording and tracking module

316:Tracker

318:Trace Analyzer

325:Output subsystem

327:Cretens Domain Module

329a: Cancel service

329b: Return service

329c:Exchange service

329d: Reduced price service

331:External service proxy module

333:External service worker

335:External API requester

337:Generator

339a:Ordering services

339b:Performance services

339c: Shipping services

339d: Welfare services

339e:Ticket service

350:Control subsystem

351:Rule management module

352:Event Management Module

353:Workflow management module

355: Subsystem/Graphical Representation

361: Return event storage area

362: Rule engine

363:Rule database

370:External data sources

371:Event storage area

372:Write to database

373A, 373B: Read database

374:Administrator database

375:Workflow subsystem

377:Frame Module

379a:Return Module/Programmed Module

379b:Exchange module/programmed module

379c: Cancel Mod/Stylized Mod

381: Creten Workflow Launcher

383a:Cancel Program Workflow/Cancel Program

383b:Return Procedure Workflow/Return Procedure

383c:Exchange procedure

383d: Delivery Tracking/Delivery Tracking Program

383e: Collection program

383f:Refund procedure

383g: Cancellation procedure

385:Workflow service module

387:Kreten Workflow Service Module

389a:Retail returns sub-module

389b: Third-party return sub-module

391:Workflow orchestration module

400:Network environment

600: Computerized Program

501, 502, 503, 504, 505, 506, 507, 508, 601, 602, 603, 604, 605, 606, 607: Steps

FIG. 1A is a schematic block diagram illustrating an exemplary embodiment of a network including computerized systems for communicating to implement shipping, transportation, and logistics operations consistent with the disclosed embodiments.

FIG. 1B depicts a sample Search Result Page (SRP) including one or more search results that satisfy a search request and interactive user interface elements consistent with the disclosed embodiments.

1C depicts a sample Single Detail Page (SDP) including products and information about the products and interactive user interface elements consistent with the disclosed embodiments.

Figure ID depicts a sample shopping cart page including objects in a virtual shopping cart and interactive user interface elements consistent with the disclosed embodiments.

Figure IE depicts a sample order page including items from a virtual shopping cart as well as information about purchasing and shipping and interactive user interface elements consistent with the disclosed embodiments.

2 is a diagrammatic illustration of an exemplary fulfillment center configured to utilize the disclosed computerized system consistent with the disclosed embodiments.

Figure 3A shows an exemplary graphical representation of an intake subsystem 300 consistent with the disclosed embodiments.

Figure 3B shows an exemplary graphical representation of output subsystem 325 consistent with the disclosed embodiments.

3C shows a graphical representation of an exemplary control subsystem, an exemplary return event store, an exemplary rules engine, and an exemplary external data source consistent with the disclosed embodiments.

Figure 3D shows an exemplary graphical representation of a workflow subsystem 375 consistent with the disclosed embodiments.

4 illustrates an exemplary graphical representation of a networked environment 400 for returns processing utilizing the presently disclosed embodiments.

Figure 5 illustrates an exemplary flow diagram of a computerized process for processing returns consistent with the disclosed embodiments.

6 illustrates an exemplary flow diagram of a computerized procedure for processing refunds consistent with the disclosed embodiments.

The following detailed description refers to the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers are used in the drawings and the following description to refer to the same or similar parts. Although several illustrative embodiments are described herein, modifications, adaptations, and other implementations are possible. For example, components and steps illustrated in the drawings may be substituted, added, or modified, and the methods described herein may be modified by replacing, reordering, removing, or adding steps to the disclosed methods. Indicative method. Accordingly, the following detailed description is not limited to the disclosed embodiments and examples. Rather, the true scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims.

Embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to inventive and non-conventional systems and methods configured to identify a subset of electronic requests that could benefit from a more streamlined process, thereby reducing the load on the overall network and improving Scalability. Compared with traditional or modern With processes, streamlined processes can be more advantageous in requiring less resources, such as network load, computing power, and/or man-hours.

Referring to FIG. 1A , illustrated is a schematic block diagram 100 illustrating an illustrative embodiment of a system including a computerized system for implementing communications for shipping, transportation, and logistics operations. As shown in Figure 1A, system 100 may include various systems, each of which may be connected to one another via one or more networks. The systems may also be connected to each other via direct connections (eg using cables). The depicted system includes a shipping authority technology (SAT) system 101, an external front-end system 103, an internal front-end system 105, a transportation system 107, a mobile device 107A, a mobile device 107B, and a mobile device 107C, a seller portal 109, shipping and Order tracking (shipment and order tracking; SOT) system 111, fulfillment optimization (fulfillment optimization; FO) system 113, fulfillment messaging gateway (FMG) 115, supply chain management (SCM) System 117, warehouse management system 119, mobile device 119A, mobile device 119B, and mobile device 119C (depicted as located within fulfillment center (FC) 200), 3rd party fulfillment system 121A, 3rd party fulfillment system 121B, and 3rd party fulfillment system 121A. 3-party fulfillment system 121C, fulfillment center authorization system (fulfillment center authorization; FC Auth) 123, and labor management system (LMS) 125.

In some embodiments, SAT system 101 may be implemented as a computer system that monitors order status and delivery status. For example, the SAT system 101 may determine whether an order has exceeded its Promised Delivery Date (PDD) and may take appropriate actions, including initiating a new order, reshipping items in undelivered orders, canceling undelivered orders, initiating and ordering Customer contact, or similar. SAT System 101 can also monitor other information Materials, including outputs (such as the number of packages shipped during a specific period) and inputs (such as the number of empty cardboard boxes received for shipping). SAT system 101 may also act as a gateway between different devices in system 100, thereby enabling communications between devices such as external front-end system 103 and FO system 113 (eg, using store-and-forward or other techniques).

In some embodiments, external front-end system 103 may be implemented as a computer system that enables external users to interact with one or more systems in system 100 . For example, in embodiments where the system 100 enables presentation of the system to allow users to place orders for items, the external front-end system 103 may be implemented as a web server that receives retrieval requests, renders item pages, and requests payment information. For example, the external front-end system 103 may be implemented as a computer or computer running software, such as an Apache HTTP server, Microsoft Internet Information Service (IIS), NGINX, or the like. In other embodiments, external front-end system 103 may be configured to receive and process requests from external devices (eg, mobile device 102A or computer 102B), obtain information from databases and other data repositories based on those requests, and Custom web server software that provides responses to received requests based on the information obtained.

In some embodiments, the external front-end system 103 may include one or more of a web cache system, a database, a retrieval system, or a payment system. In one aspect, external front-end system 103 may include one or more of these systems, while in another aspect, external front-end system 103 may include an interface to one or more of these systems (e.g., , server to server, database to database, or other network connection).

It will be helpful to describe some of the operations of the external front-end system 103 through the exemplary set of steps shown in FIGS. 1B, 1C, 1D, and 1E. External front-end system System 103 may receive information from systems or devices in system 100 for presentation and/or display. For example, the external front-end system 103 may host or provide one or more web pages, including a search results page (SRP) (eg, FIG. 1B), a single detail page (Single Detail Page; SDP) (eg, FIG. 1C), A shopping cart page (eg, Figure 1D), or an order page (eg, Figure 1E). The user device (eg, using mobile device 102A or computer 102B) can navigate to external front-end system 103 and request a search by entering information into the search box. External front-end system 103 may request information from one or more systems in system 100 . For example, the external front-end system 103 may request information from the FO system 113 that satisfies the retrieval request. The external front-end system 103 may also request and receive (from the FO system 113) a promised delivery date or "PDD" for each product included in the search results. In some embodiments, the PDD may indicate when a package containing the product will arrive at the user's desired location or promise to deliver the product if ordered within a specific time period (e.g., by the end of the day (11:59 p.m.)). An estimate of the date at the user's desired location. (PDD is discussed further below with respect to FO system 113.)

The external front-end system 103 can prepare the SRP based on the information (eg, Figure 1B). The SRP can contain information that satisfies the search request. This could include, for example, images of products that satisfy the retrieval request. The SRP may also include an individual price for each product, or information related to each product's enhanced delivery options, PDD, weight, size, offers, discounts, or the like. The external front-end system 103 may send the SRP to the requesting user device (eg, via a network).

The user device may then select a product represented on the SRP, such as by clicking or tapping the user interface or using another input device to select a product from the SRP. The user device can formulate and send a request for information about the selected product to the external front-end system 103 . In response, the external front-end system 103 may request the selected product Related information. For example, the information may include additional information in addition to the information presented for the products on the respective SRP. This can include, for example, shelf life, country of origin, weight, size, number of items in the package, disposal instructions, or other information about the product. Information may also include recommendations for similar products (based on, for example, large amounts of data and/or machine learning analysis of customers who purchased this product and at least one other product), answers to frequently asked questions, reviews from customers, manufacturer information, image, or similar.

The external front-end system 103 may prepare an SDP (Single Detail Page) based on the received product information (eg, Figure 1C). The SDP may also contain other interactive elements, such as a "Buy Now" button, an "Add to Cart" button, a quantity bar, an image of an object, or the like. The SDP may further include a list of sellers offering products. The list can be sorted based on the price offered by each seller so that the seller offering the product for sale at the lowest price can be listed at the top. The listing can also be sorted based on seller ranking so that the highest ranking sellers are listed at the top. Seller rankings may be developed based on a number of factors, including, for example, the seller's past track record of meeting committed PDDs. The external front-end system 103 may deliver the SDP to the requesting user device (eg, via a network).

Requests that the user device can receive an SDP listing product information. After receiving the SDP, the user device can then interact with the SDP. For example, a user of the requesting user device may click or otherwise interact with an "Add to Cart" button on the SDP. This adds the product to the shopping cart associated with the user. The user device may transmit this request to add the product to the shopping cart to the external front-end system 103.

The external front-end system 103 may generate a shopping cart page (eg, Figure ID). In some embodiments, the shopping cart page lists products that the user has added to the virtual "shopping cart." User devices can click on the icons on the SRP, SDP or other pages or Interact with the icon in other ways to request a shopping cart page. In some embodiments, the shopping cart page may list all products that the user has added to the shopping cart, as well as information about the products in the shopping cart (such as the quantity of each product, the price of each item of each product, and the price of each item in the shopping cart). product price based on associated quantity), information about the PDD, delivery method, shipping cost, user interface elements for modifying products in the shopping cart (e.g., deleting or modifying quantities), for ordering additional products or setting up products options for recurring delivery, an option to set up interest payments, a user interface element to advance to a purchase, or the like. The user at the user device may click on or otherwise interact with a user interface element (e.g., a button that says "Buy Now") to initiate a purchase of the products in the shopping cart. Purchase. After doing so, the user device may transmit the request to initiate a purchase to the external front-end system 103.

The external front-end system 103 may generate an order page (eg, Figure IE) in response to receiving a request to initiate a purchase. In some embodiments, the order page relists the items from the shopping cart and requests entry of payment and shipping information. For example, the order page may include a request for information about the purchaser of the items in the shopping cart (e.g., name, address, email address, phone number), information about the recipient (e.g., name, address, phone number, delivery information), shipping information (e.g., speed/method of delivery and/or picking), payment information (e.g., credit card, bank transfer, check, stored points), requesting a cash receipt (e.g., for tax purposes) ), or similar. The external front-end system 103 may send the order page to the user device.

The user device can enter information about the order page and click or otherwise interact with user interface elements that send the information to the external front-end system 103 . From here, the external front-end system 103 can send information to different systems in the system 100 system to enable the creation and processing of new orders with products in the shopping cart.

In some embodiments, the external front-end system 103 may be further configured to enable the seller to transmit and receive order-related information.

In some embodiments, internal front-end system 105 may be implemented as a computer system that enables internal users (eg, employees of an organization that owns, operates, or leases system 100 ) to interact with one or more systems in system 100 . For example, in embodiments where the system 100 enables a presentation of the system to allow users to place orders for items, the internal front-end system 105 may implement actions that enable internal users to view diagnostic and statistical information about orders, modify item information, or review Web server for order-related statistics. For example, the internal front-end system 105 may be implemented as a computer or computer running software, such as an Apache HTTP server, Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS), NGINX, or the like. In other embodiments, the internal front-end system 105 may be configured to receive and process requests from the systems or devices depicted in the system 100 (and other devices not depicted), and from databases and other data stores based on those requests. The library obtains information and custom web server software that provides a response to a received request based on the obtained information.

In some embodiments, the internal front-end system 105 may include one or more of a web caching system, a database, a retrieval system, a payment system, an analytics system, an order monitoring system, or the like. In one aspect, the internal front-end system 105 may include one or more of these systems, while in another aspect, the internal front-end system 105 may include an interface to one or more of these systems (e.g., , server to server, database to database, or other network connection).

In some embodiments, transportation system 107 may be implemented to enable communication between systems or devices in system 100 and mobile devices 107A-107C. computer system. In some embodiments, transportation system 107 may receive information from one or more mobile devices 107A to 107C (eg, mobile phones, smartphones, PDAs, or the like). For example, in some embodiments, mobile devices 107A-107C may include devices operated by delivery workers. Delivery workers (who may be permanent employees, temporary employees, or shift employees) may utilize mobile devices 107A to 107C to effect delivery of packages containing products ordered by users. For example, to deliver a package, a delivery worker may receive notifications on the mobile device indicating which package to deliver and where to deliver the package. Upon arrival at the delivery location, the delivery worker may locate the package (e.g., in the back of a truck or in the package's crate), scan or otherwise capture an identifier (e.g., a barcode) on the package using a mobile device , image, text string, RFID tag, or the like) and deliver the package (e.g., by leaving it at the front door, leaving it with a guard, handing it to the recipient, or the like) . In some embodiments, a delivery worker may use a mobile device to capture a photo of the package and/or may obtain a signature. The mobile device can send information to the transportation system 107 including information about the delivery, including, for example, time, date, GPS location, photo, identifier associated with the delivery worker, identifier associated with the mobile device, Or something like that. Transportation system 107 may store this information in a database (not depicted) for access by other systems in system 100 . In some embodiments, shipping system 107 may use this information to prepare and send tracking data to other systems to indicate the location of a particular package.

In some embodiments, some users may use one type of mobile device (e.g., a permanent worker may use a dedicated PDA with customized hardware such as a barcode scanner, stylus, and other devices), while others may use workers may use other types of mobile devices (e.g. temporary workers or shift workers may use readily available mobile phones and/or smartphone).

In some embodiments, the transportation system 107 may associate a user with each device. For example, the transportation system 107 may store the user (represented by, for example, a user identifier, an employee identifier, or a phone number) and the mobile device (represented by, for example, an International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI), international mobile subscription The association between the identifier (International Mobile Subscription Identifier; IMSI), phone number, Universal Unique Identifier (UUID) or Globally Unique Identifier (GUID)). The transportation system 107 may use this correlation to analyze the data stored in the database in conjunction with the data received during the delivery to determine, inter alia, the location of the worker, the efficiency of the worker, or the speed of the worker.

In some embodiments, seller portal 109 may be implemented as a computer system that enables sellers or other external entities to communicate electronically with one or more systems in system 100 . For example, the seller may utilize a computer system (not depicted) to upload or provide product information, order information, contact information, or the like for products the seller wishes to sell via the system 100 using the seller portal 109 .

In some embodiments, shipping and order tracking system 111 may be implemented as a computer system that receives, stores, and forwards information regarding the location of packages containing products ordered by customers (eg, from users using device 102A to device 102B) . In some embodiments, the shipping and order tracking system 111 may request or store information from a web server (not depicted) operated by a shipping company that delivers packages containing products ordered by customers.

In some embodiments, shipping and order tracking system 111 may request and store information from the system depicted in system 100 . For example, shipping and orders Tracking system 111 may request information from transportation system 107 . As discussed above, the transportation system 107 may be from one or more mobile devices 107A associated with one or more of a user (e.g., a delivery worker) or a vehicle (e.g., a delivery truck) to a mobile device 107C (e.g., a delivery truck) , mobile phone, smart phone, PDA or similar) to receive information. In some embodiments, the shipping and order tracking system 111 may also request information from a warehouse management system (WMS) 119 to determine the location of individual products within a fulfillment center (eg, fulfillment center 200). Shipping and order tracking system 111 may request data from one or more of shipping system 107 or WMS 119, process the data upon request, and present the data to devices (e.g., user device 102A and user device 102A). 102B).

In some embodiments, fulfillment optimization (FO) system 113 may be implemented as a computer system that stores information about customer orders from other systems (eg, external front-end system 103 and/or shipping and order tracking system 111 ). The FO system 113 may also store information describing where specific objects are kept or stored. For example, some items may be stored in only one fulfillment center, while certain other items may be stored in multiple fulfillment centers. In still other embodiments, certain fulfillment centers may be designed to stock only specific sets of items (eg, freshly produced or frozen products). The FO system 113 stores this information and associated information (eg, quantity, size, receipt date, expiration date, etc.).

The FO system 113 may also calculate the corresponding PDD (Promised Delivery Date) for each product. In some embodiments, PDD may be based on one or more factors. For example, the FO system 113 may calculate the PDD for a product based on past demand for the product (e.g., how many times the product has been ordered over a period of time), expected demand for the product (e.g., forecasts for the product in the near future). how many customers will order the product during an upcoming period), network-wide past demand indicating how many products were ordered during a period, indicating network-wide expected demand indicating how many products are expected to be ordered during the upcoming period, one or more counts of products stored in each fulfillment center 200, which fulfillment center stores each product, the expected or Current order, or similar.

In some embodiments, the FO system 113 can determine the PDD of each product periodically (eg, every hour) and store it in a database for retrieval or send to other systems (eg, external front-end system 103, SAT system 101. Shipping and order tracking system 111). In other embodiments, FO system 113 may receive electronic requests from one or more systems (eg, external front-end system 103, SAT system 101, shipping and order tracking system 111) and calculate PDD on demand.

In some embodiments, Fulfillment Communications Gateway (FMG) 115 may be operative to receive requests or responses in one format or protocol from one or more systems in system 100 (such as FO system 113), convert them into another A computer in a format or protocol and forwards it in the converted format or protocol to other systems (such as WMS 119 or 3rd party fulfillment system 121A, 3rd party fulfillment system 121B or 3rd party fulfillment system 121C) and vice versa system.

In some embodiments, the supply chain management (SCM) system 117 may be implemented as a computer system that performs forecasting functions. For example, the SCM system 117 may predict the level of demand for a particular product based on, for example, past demand for the product, expected demand for the product, network-wide past demand, network-wide expected demand, stored in each A count of products in the fulfillment center 200, expected or current orders for each product, or the like. In response to this forecast level and the volume of each product in all fulfillment centers, the SCM system 117 may generate one or more purchase orders to purchase and reserve sufficient quantities to satisfy the forecast demand for a particular product.

In some embodiments, warehouse management system (WMS) 119 may implement behavior monitoring Computer systems that view workflow. For example, WMS 119 may receive event data indicative of discrete events from individual devices (eg, device 107A through device 107C or device 119A through device 119C). For example, WMS 119 may receive event data indicating that a package was scanned using one of these devices. As discussed below with respect to fulfillment center 200 and FIG. 2 , during the fulfillment process, the process may be performed by machines at specific stages (e.g., automated or handheld barcode scanners, RFID readers, high-speed cameras, such as tablet computer 119A , mobile device/PDA 119B, computer 119C device, or the like) to scan or read the package identifier (eg, barcode or RFID tag data). WMS 119 may store each event indicating a scan or reading of a package identifier, along with the package identifier, time, date, location, user identifier, or other information in a corresponding database (not depicted), and may Information is provided to other systems (e.g., shipping and order tracking system 111).

In some embodiments, WMS 119 may store a link between one or more devices (eg, device 107A through device 107C or device 119A through device 119C) and one or more users (eg, the one or more users associated with system 100 Related) related information. For example, in some situations, a user (such as a part-time or full-time employee) may be associated with a mobile device because the user owns the mobile device (eg, the mobile device is a smartphone). In other situations, a user may be associated with a mobile device because the user has custody of the mobile device temporarily (e.g., the user gets the mobile device at the beginning of the day, will use the mobile device during the day, and will use the mobile device during the day). The mobile device is returned at the end of the day).

In some embodiments, WMS 119 may maintain a log of work for each user associated with system 100 . For example, WMS 119 can store information associated with each employee, including any specified process (e.g., self-unloading from truck, self-picking zone picking items, rebin wall jobs, packing items), user identifier, location (e.g., floor or zone in fulfillment center 200), number of units moved by the employee through the system (e.g., picked number of items taken, number of items packaged), an identifier associated with the device (eg, device 119A through device 119C), or the like. In some embodiments, WMS 119 may receive check-in and log-out information from a timekeeping system, such as a timekeeping system operating on device 119A through device 119C.

In some embodiments, 3rd party fulfillment (3PL) systems 121A-121C represent computer systems associated with third-party providers of logistics and products. For example, while some products are stored in fulfillment center 200 (as discussed below with respect to FIG. 2 ), other products may be stored off-site, may be produced on demand, or may otherwise not be available for storage in fulfillment center 200 . 3PL systems 121A-121C may be configured to receive orders from FO system 113 (eg, via FMG 115) and may provide products and/or services directly to customers (eg, delivery or installation). In some embodiments, one or more of 3PL systems 121A - 121C may be part of system 100 , while in other embodiments, one or more of 3PL systems 121A - 121C may be part of system 100 External (e.g., owned or operated by a third-party provider).

In some embodiments, fulfillment center Auth system (FC Auth) 123 may be implemented as a computer system with various functions. For example, in some embodiments, FC Auth 123 may serve as a single-sign on (SSO) service for one or more other systems in system 100 . For example, FC Auth 123 may enable the user to log, determine via internal front-end system 105 that the user has similar privileges to access resources at shipping and order tracking system 111, and enable the user to Obtain their privileges where secondary recording procedures are required. In other embodiments, FC Auth 123 may enable users (eg, employees) to associate themselves with specific tasks. For example, some employees may not have electronic devices (such as device 119A-119C) and may actually move within fulfillment center 200 from task to task and zone to zone during the course of a day. FC Auth 123 can be configured to enable employees to indicate what tasks they are working on and where they are located at different times of the day.

In some embodiments, the labor management system (LMS) 125 may be implemented as a computer system that stores attendance and overtime information of employees (including full-time employees and part-time employees). For example, LMS 125 may receive information from FC Auth 123, WMS 119, device 119A through device 119C, transportation system 107, and/or device 107A through device 107C.

The specific configuration depicted in Figure 1A is an example only. For example, although FIG. 1A depicts FC Auth system 123 connected to FO system 113, not all embodiments require this specific configuration. In fact, in some embodiments, systems in system 100 may be connected to each other via one or more public or private networks, including the Internet, an intranet, and a wide-area network. ; WAN), Metropolitan-Area Network (MAN), wireless network compliant with IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n standards, leased lines, or similar. In some embodiments, one or more of the systems in system 100 may be implemented as one or more virtual servers executing at a data center, server farm, or the like.

Figure 2 depicts a fulfillment center 200. Fulfillment center 200 is an example of a physical location that stores items for shipment to customers upon ordering. Fulfillment center (FC) 200 may be divided into multiple zones, each of which is depicted in FIG. 2 . In some embodiments , these "zones" can be thought of as virtual divisions between the different stages of the process of receiving an object, storing an object, retrieving an object, and shipping an object. Thus, although "zones" are depicted in Figure 2, other zone divisions are possible, and in some embodiments the zones in Figure 2 may be omitted, duplicated, or modified.

Inbound area 203 represents the area of FC 200 that receives items from sellers wishing to sell products using system 100 from Figure 1A. For example, the seller may use truck 201 to deliver item 202A and item 202B. Item 202A may represent a single item large enough to occupy its own shipping pallet, while item 202B may represent a collection of items stacked together on the same pallet to save space.

The worker will receive the object in the inbound area 203 and may optionally check the object for damage and correctness using a computer system (not depicted). For example, a worker may use a computer system to compare the quantities of items 202A and 202B to the ordered quantities of the items. If the quantities do not match, the worker may reject one or more of item 202A or item 202B. If the quantities do match, workers can move the items to buffer 205 (using, for example, a dolly, a trolley, a forklift, or manually). Buffer 205 may be a temporary storage area for items that do not currently need to be in the picking area (eg, because there is a high enough number of items in the picking area to meet forecast demand). In some embodiments, forklift 206 operates to move items around buffer zone 205 and between inbound zone 203 and unloading zone 207 . If item 202A or item 202B is needed in the picking area (eg, due to forecasted demand), a forklift may move item 202A or item 202B to unloading area 207 .

Unloading area 207 may be an area of FC 200 where items are stored before being moved to picking area 209 . A worker assigned to the picking task ("picker") can approach items 202A and 202B in the picking area using a mobile device (e.g., device 119B) to scan the barcode in the picking area and scan the barcode associated with item 202A and item 202B. The picker may then retrieve the items to picking area 209 (eg, by placing the items on a cart or carrying the items).

Picking area 209 may be an area of FC 200 where items 208 are stored on storage units 210 . In some embodiments, storage unit 210 may include one or more of physical shelves, bookshelves, boxes, totes, refrigerators, freezers, cold storage areas, or the like. In some embodiments, picking area 209 may be organized into multiple floors. In some embodiments, workers or machines may move items into the picking area 209 in a variety of ways, including, for example, forklifts, elevators, conveyor belts, carts, hand trucks, dolly, automated robots or devices, or manually. . For example, the picker may place the items 202A and 202B on a hand truck or cart in the unloading area 207 and move the items 202A and 202B to the picking area 209 .

Pickers may receive instructions to place (or "stack") items at specific points in picking area 209 (such as specific spaces on storage units 210). For example, a picker may use a mobile device (eg, device 119B) to scan item 202A. The device may instruct the picker where items 202A should be stacked, for example using a system indicating aisles, shelves and locations. The device may then prompt the picker to scan the barcode at the location before stacking item 202A at the location. The device may send data (eg, via a wireless network) to a computer system such as WMS 119 in FIG. 1A indicating that item 202A has been stacked at the location by a user using device 119B.

Once the user places an order, the picker can receive instructions on device 119B to retrieve one or more items 208 from storage unit 210 . The picker can retrieve the item 208, scan the barcode on the item 208, and place the item 208 on the transport mechanism 214 superior. Although the transportation mechanism 214 is shown as a slide, in some embodiments, the transportation mechanism may be implemented as one or more of a conveyor belt, an elevator, a cart, a forklift, a hand truck, a dolly, or the like. Item 208 may then arrive at packaging area 211.

Packaging area 211 may be the area where items are received by the pick-to-pick area 209 of FC 200 and packed into boxes or bags for final shipment to the customer. In the packing area 211, the worker assigned to receive the items (the "merging worker") will receive the items 208 from the picking area 209 and determine which order the item 208 corresponds to. For example, the convergence worker may use a device such as computer 119C to scan a barcode on item 208. Computer 119C can visually indicate which order item 208 is associated with. This may include, for example, the spaces or "cells" on wall 216 that correspond to the order. Once the order is complete (for example, because the cell contains all items for the order), the merging worker can instruct the packaging worker (or "packer") that the order is complete. Packers can retrieve items from cells and place the items in boxes or bags for shipping. The packer may then send the boxes or packages to hub zone 213, such as via forklift, cart, dolly, hand truck, conveyor belt, manually, or otherwise.

Hub area 213 may be the area of FC 200 that receives all boxes or packages ("packages") from packaging area 211 . Workers and/or machines in hub zone 213 can retrieve packages 218 and determine which part of the delivery area each package is intended to go to, and deliver the packages to the appropriate camp zone 215 . For example, if the delivery area has two smaller sub-areas, the package will go to one of the two camp areas 215. In some embodiments, a worker or machine may scan a package (eg, using one of devices 119A through 119C) to determine its final destination. Delivering the package to the camp area 215 may include, for example, determining a portion of the geographic area to which the package is destined (eg, based on a zip code) and determining the camp area 215 associated with the portion of the geographic area.

In some embodiments, camp area 215 may include one or more buildings, one or more physical spaces, or one or more areas where packages are received from hub area 213 for sorting to routes and/or sub-routes. middle. In some embodiments, camp area 215 is physically separate from FC 200, while in other embodiments, camp area 215 may form part of FC 200.

Workers and/or machines in camp area 215 may determine which route and/or sub-route a package 220 should be associated with, for example based on comparison of the destination to existing routes and/or sub-routes, a comparison of each route and/or sub-route, Calculations of workload for routes and/or sub-routes, timings, shipping methods, costs of shipping package 220, PDDs associated with items in package 220, or the like. In some embodiments, a worker or machine may scan a package (eg, using one of devices 119A through 119C) to determine its final destination. Once a package 220 is assigned to a specific route and/or sub-route, workers and/or machines can move the package 220 for delivery. In illustrative Figure 2, camp area 215 includes trucks 222, cars 226, and delivery workers 224A and 224B. In some embodiments, truck 222 may be driven by a delivery worker 224A, who is a full-time employee delivering packages for FC 200, and truck 222 is owned, leased, or operated by the same company that owns, leases, or operates FC 200. In some embodiments, the car 226 may be driven by a delivery worker 224B, which is a "flexible" or temporary worker who delivers on an as-needed basis (eg, seasonally). Car 226 may be owned, rented, or operated by delivery worker 224B.

FIG. 3A shows an exemplary graphical representation of the ingestion subsystem 300. Ingest subsystem 300 may be designated for initial processing of communications from source application program interface (API) 302 . Source API 302 may be any of several APIs that may be specifically configured to provide administrator and/or seller. Source API 302 may execute on a computing device having a processor, memory component, and/or communications component, such as a mobile device, desktop computer, adapter, controller, server, or capable of sending and/or receiving API communications. any other device. In some embodiments, drop-in subsystem 300 and/or components of drop-in subsystem 300 may be communicatively coupled to other subsystems (eg, as described in Figures 3B-3D).

The import subsystem 300 may also include a number of endpoint APIs 304 to which the source API 302 may be communicatively coupled. In some embodiments, endpoint API 304 may be only a single endpoint API. Endpoint API 304 may include multiple controllers, adapters, and/or other computing devices, which may be managed by an API provider (not shown). For example, endpoint API 304 may be implemented by a combination of controllers, such as controller 306a, controller 306b, controller 306c, controller 306d, and/or controller 306e. In some embodiments, a controller may be designated to handle the operations of a specific entity (eg, a seller). A controller may be a hardware device or software program that may manage the flow of data between different entities (eg, between source API 302 and data aggregator 312). For example, the controller may be, but is not limited to, a flash controller, an application delivery controller, a primary domain controller, a backplane management controller, and/or a session border controller. In some embodiments, communications from source API 302 may be directed to a specific endpoint API or controller based on the source associated with the communication. For example, the API provider may receive the communication from the source API 302 and may determine the source of the communication (e.g., based on a message identifier, IP address, MAC address, communication format, and/or other unique identifier) and/or type. Based on the identified communication source and/or communication type, the API provider can direct the communication to a specific controller that can be configured for communication with a specific source and/or type. By way of other examples, the API provider may determine that communications from source API 302 have a consumer device as the source of the communications. and a return request as its communication type, and the communication can be directed to an endpoint API 304 (e.g., controller 306b), which can be configured to handle the source with the received communication and or type of communication (eg, configured for return request communication).

The ingestion subsystem 300 may also include a validator 308 , which may authenticate communications from the source API 302 and may be communicatively coupled to the endpoint API 304 . Validator 308 may exist within endpoint API 304 (eg, as part of a controller), or may exist as a separate component, such as a server, to which endpoint API 304 may be connected. Verifier 308 may include various components (eg, modules, devices, processors, etc.) configured to perform verification procedures (eg, procedures for verifying communications received from source API 302). For example, validator 308 may include a validator caller, a validation preprocessor (e.g., for reformatting data from a communication), a validator processor (e.g., for performing validation operations on the data), a validator A post-processor (e.g., for reformatting the validated data into a format understandable by another entity, such as rules engine 362 in Figure 3C), a validation manager, and/or a message publisher (which can direct the message to another subsystem).

The ingestion subsystem 300 may also include an exception handler 310 to which the verifier 308 may be communicatively coupled. Exception handler 310 may be part of validator 308, or may be a separate device or component, such as a server or mobile device. In some embodiments, validator 308 may direct the communication to exception handler 310 based on the validation results of the communication that may have been determined by validator 308 . For example, if the communication invalidates at least one rule or algorithm implemented by validator 308, validator 308 may direct the communication to exception handler 310. In some embodiments, the exception handler 310 may be configured to reformat based on at least one rule or algorithm failed by the communication. liquefy, split, parse, tag, and/or otherwise reconfigure or transmit information from communications (e.g., to alert an administrator device). Exception handler 310 may be communicatively coupled to data aggregator 312 and/or logging and tracing module 314.

The ingestion subsystem 300 may also include a data aggregator 312 that may aggregate data from disparate sources such as the endpoint API 304, the exception handler 310, and/or the logging and tracing module 314. Data aggregator 312 may be communicatively coupled to any device and/or component of subsystem 300, as well as other systems, including subsystem 325 in Figure 3B, subsystem 355 in Figure 3C, and subsystem 375 in Figure 3D ) devices and/or components. Data aggregator 312 may be part of a device with another purpose (eg, authenticator 308), or may be a separate device or component, such as a server or mobile device. In some embodiments, data aggregator 312 may include a program configured to perform a data aggregation process (eg, a program for aggregating and/or analyzing data from sources such as source API 302 and/or exception handler 310 ). Various components (e.g., modules, devices, processors, etc.). For example, the data aggregator 312 may include a data cache component, a data aggregator component, a data transformation component, a data mapping component, and/or a service router.

Ingestion subsystem 300 may also include a logging and tracing module 314 that may log and/or trace data associated with communications (eg, communications from API source 302). Logging and tracking module 314 may be part of a device with another purpose (eg, data aggregator 312), or may be a separate device or component, such as a server or mobile device. In some embodiments, logging and tracing module 314 may include procedures configured to perform data aggregation procedures (eg, procedures for tracking and/or logging data from sources such as source API 302 and/or exception handler 310 ) various components (e.g., modules, devices, processors, etc.). For example, logging and tracking models Group 314 may include tracers 316 and/or trace analyzers 318 .

Tracker 316 may perform the function of tracking information, such as information associated with communications from API sources 302, validators 308, and the like. In some embodiments, tracker 316 may be configured to add tracking identifiers and/or span identifiers to data associated with communications. In some embodiments, tracker 316 may maintain definitions related to logging and tracing (e.g., user-defined, machine-defined, and/or a combination of user-defined and machine-defined), such as for transmitting trace and/or logging data. Definition, the threshold number of trace and/or log files maintained, the data format, the specific combination of identifiers transmitted, and/or the specific library for the trace. In some embodiments, tracker 316 may implement a function provider aspect, such as service link tracking (Spring Cloud Sleuth).

Trace analyzer 318 may perform the function of analyzing data, such as trace data and/or logging data, that may be associated with communications from a device (eg, a device executing source API 302). For example, trace analyzer 318 may aggregate timing data (e.g., time of exception occurrence, frequency of exceptions, etc.), flags, rule failure data, rule satisfaction data, device identifiers, message identifiers, and/or related to source API 302 any information associated with it. In some embodiments, trace analyzer 318 may generate visual representations of trace and/or logged data (e.g., charts, line graphs of filterable data, recommendations generated by statistical and/or machine learning algorithms, etc.). In some embodiments, trace analyzer 318 may implement a feature provider, such as Zipkin.

Figure 3B shows an exemplary graphical representation of output subsystem 325. Output subsystem 325 may be designated to process the output of workflow subsystem 375 in Figure 3D. The output subsystem 325 may pass the processed output to the external data source 370 in FIG. 3C to one or more of the external services 339e to be used by the logging and tracking module 314 and/or the external service 339a in FIG. 3A recorded and/or tracked processed output. The output subsystem 325 may be specifically configured for use by consumers, delivery personnel, administrators, and/or sellers. Output subsystem 325 may execute on a computing device having a processor, memory components, and/or communications components. In some embodiments, output subsystem 325 and/or components of output subsystem 325 may be communicatively coupled to other subsystems (eg, as described in Figures 3A-3D).

The output subsystem 325 may include several Creturns domain modules 327, which may be communicatively coupled to the workflow subsystem 375 in Figure 3D. In some embodiments, Cretens domain module 327 may include various services 329a through 329d. Examples of services as shown in Figure 3B may include cancellation service 329a, return service 329b, exchange service 329c, and/or price reduction service 329d. Services 329a through 329d may each be responsible for processing output from respective workflow tasks in workflow subsystem 375 in Figure 3D. For example, cancel procedure workflow 383a in Figure 3D may pass output to cancellation service 329a, while return procedure workflow 383b in Figure 3D may pass output to returns service 329b. The architecture of Cretens Domain Module 327 was modified to add additional services as needed.

The Creitens domain module 327 can pass the processed information to the external data source 370 in Figure 3C for recording and tracking using the recording and tracking module 314 and/or the external service agent module 331 in Figure 3A. Information passed to external data source 370 is stored as described in the section with reference to Figure 3C. Information passed to the logging and tracking module 314 is logged and processed as described earlier with reference to the section in Figure 3A.

The external service proxy module 331 (which is part of the output subsystem 325) may receive processed output from the Cretens domain module 327 for further directing to the appropriate external service 339a to external service 339e. The output subsystem 325 can use the external service proxy module 331 to connect to the same service over and over again without the cost of The time and computing resources required to initialize the service agent more than once. The external service proxy module 331 may be implemented as a software or hardware system between the Cretens domain module 327 and the external services 339a to 339e. External service proxy module 331 may reside on the same machine as output subsystem 325 or on a separate server. The external service agent module 331 may be specifically configured for use by consumers, administrators, and/or sellers. The external service agent module 331 may execute on a computing device having a processor, memory component, and/or communication component.

The external service agent module 331 may also include an external service worker 333, which may receive data directly from the Creten workflow launcher 381 in FIG. 3D and may be communicatively coupled to the workflow subsystem in FIG. 3D. 375. The external service worker 333 may exist within the external service proxy module 331 , or may exist as a separate component, such as a server, to which the external service proxy module 331 may be connected. External service worker 333 may include various components (eg, modules, devices, processors, etc.) configured for output processing. For example, the external service worker 333 may handle data that is not handled by the Cretens domain module 327 .

The external service proxy module 331 may also include an external API requester 335 to which the external service worker 333 may be communicatively coupled. External API requestor 335 may be part of external service proxy module 331, or may be a separate device or component, such as a server or virtual execution entity. In some embodiments, the external service proxy module 331 may have direct communication with the external API requester 335 based on which of the external services 339a through 339e is required to pass output to the external API requestor 335 , which may Determined by Cretens Domain Module 327 or External Service Worker 333. For example, if an external service requires an API for communication, the external API requester 335 may request the appropriate API information to establish the Connections to external services. In some embodiments, the external API requester 335 may be configured to reformat, split, parse, tag, and/or otherwise reconfigure or transmit based on at least one rule or algorithm used by the external service Information from communications.

The external service proxy module 331 may also include a generator 337 to which the external service worker 333 may be communicatively coupled. Generator 337 may be part of an external service agent module 331, or may be a separate device or component, such as a server or virtual execution entity. Generator 337 is used to publish messages to topics. A topic can be divided into several partitions, which contain messages. Each message in a partition is assigned and identified by its unique offset. The message itself contains information about which topic and partition to publish to so that the same producer can publish data to different topics. In some embodiments, generator 337 may be implemented using Kafka.

The external service agent module 331 can pass the processed information to the logging and tracking module 314 in FIG. 3A and/or the external services 339a to 339e. Information passed to the logging and tracking module 314 is logged and processed as described earlier with reference to the section in Figure 3A. External services 339a to 339e initiate actions based on the request. Examples of services as shown on Figure 3B may include ordering service 339a, fulfillment service 339b, shipping service 329c, benefits service 339d, and/or ticketing service 339e. Each of services 329a through 329d may be responsible for initiating specific actions. For example, in the event, workflow subsystem 375 in Figure 3D passes output for exchange service 329c processing, which can initiate several external services. The exchange of items may involve output to the ordering service 339a for ordering (the ordering instructions may include instructions to purchase the item from the supplier, tell the picker to prepare the item, purchase the item online, go to a third-party storage area and pick the item , or other instructions for obtaining objects) new objects items, an output to shipping service 339c to generate a return shipping label, and/or an output to fulfillment service 339b to process return items. The architecture of output subsystem 325 can be modified to add additional external services as needed.

3C illustrates a graphical representation 355 of an exemplary control subsystem 350, an exemplary return event store 361, an exemplary rules engine 362, and an exemplary external data source 370 consistent with the disclosed embodiments.

Control subsystem 350 may be configured to create, update, maintain, and/or manage data used by various components of system 300 in Figure 3A, system 325 in Figure 3B, and system 375 in Figure 3D. For example, control subsystem 350 may be configured to create, update, and/or modify parameters for managing customer returns (e.g., rules for approving and rejecting customer returns), manage work for processing returns. Parameters for the process and/or parameters for storing specific return events.

As shown in FIG. 3C , the control subsystem 350 may include a rule management module 351 , an event management module 352 , and a workflow management module 353 .

The rules management module 351 may be configured to manage rules for processing customer returns. For example, the rules management module 351 may be configured to create and/or modify rules for denying a customer's return request. By way of example, the rules management module 351 may be configured to create and/or modify rules for denying a customer's return request based on various parameters, including, for example, information related to the customer's previous returns, information related to the return request The monetary amount, the type of goods to be returned, etc. For example, if a customer returns an empty (or partially empty) box within the past predetermined number of days (eg, 180 days), the rules management module 351 may create a rule for denying the customer's return request, which may instruct the customer An attempt may have been made to defraud the system.

In some embodiments, the rules management module 351 may be configured to control Rules are created and/or modified using input from a user of the control system 350. For example, the rules management module 351 may receive input from a user for modifying one or more parameters of a rule for validating return requests and modify the parameters of the rule accordingly.

Event management module 352 may be configured to create, modify, and/or manage events stored in return event storage 361 . For example, the event management module 352 can create a series of events for return requests initiated by customers or the system and store the events in the return event storage area 361 . By way of example, a customer may initiate a return of an order via a user device associated with the customer. The event management module 352 may create an event for receiving a return request and store the event in the return event storage area 361 . In some embodiments, events may include information related to returns, customers, and orders associated with the returns. For example, the event management module 352 may create a first event for a return requested by a customer, which may include information about the return request, a timestamp of receipt of the return request, information related to the customer, or the like, or a combination thereof. The event management module 352 may create a second event when receiving one or more items that have been returned from the customer, which may include information related to the received items (e.g., quantity, condition, etc.), the time when the items were received stamp etc. The event management module 352 may also store the first event and the second event as a series of events related to the return in the return event storage area 361 .

In some embodiments, return event store 361 may include, ^for example ^, an Oracle ^TM database, a Sybase ^TM database, or other relational or non-relational databases, such as Haidup. ^{Hadoop TM sequence archive, HBase TM or Cassandra TM .} Return event store 361 may include a NoSQL database such as Hagibis, MongoDB ^™ , or Cassandra ^™ . Alternatively, return event store 361 may include a relational database such as Oracle, MySQL, and Microsoft SQL Server. In some embodiments, return event storage 361 may be in the form of a server, a general purpose computer, a mainframe computer, or any combination of these components.

Workflow management module 353 may be configured to create, modify, and/or manage workflows used by various components of system 300 in Figure 3A, system 325 in Figure 3B, and system 375 in Figure 3D. For example, the workflow management module 353 may be configured to create, modify, and/or manage cancellation procedures 383a, returns procedures 383b, exchange procedures 383c, Delivery tracking 383d, collection procedure 383e, refund procedure 383f and cancellation procedure 383g.

In some embodiments, control subsystem 350 may be configured to create, modify, and/or manage services used by Creitens domain module 327 (shown in Figure 3B). For example, control subsystem 350 may be configured to create, modify, and/or manage cancellation service 329a, return service 329b, exchange service 329c, and/or markdown service 329d. Cretens domain module 327 may obtain one or more services from control subsystem 350 .

Rules engine 362 may be configured to obtain rules for processing returns from control subsystem 350 and store and/or manage rules for other components of workflow subsystem 375 in Figure 3D. For example, workflow subsystem 375 in Figure 3D may be configured to obtain rules from rules engine 362 for validating return requests. In some embodiments, the rules engine 362 may include a rules database 363 for storing rules for managing and/or processing returns.

External data source 370 may be configured to store data for various components of the system including subsystem 300 in Figure 3A, subsystem 325 in Figure 3B, and subsystem 375 in Figure 3D. For example, the external data source 370 may store various services created and/or updated by the control subsystem 350, including, for example, cancellation service 329a, return service 329b, exchange service 329c, and/or price reduction service 329d. cretens field Module 327 may obtain one or more services from external data sources 370 .

As another example, external data source 370 may include an event store 371 configured to store data related to events (eg, return events). In some embodiments, event storage 371 may include a write database 372 configured to write data in response to write commands. The event store may also include one or more read databases configured to read data only in response to query commands (eg, read database 373A, read database 373B, etc.). In some embodiments, the read database may contain the same data that is contained in write database 372. For example, if data stored in write database 372 is updated in response to a write command, the corresponding data in the read database may be updated accordingly, such that write database 372 and read database may include Same information. In some embodiments, external data sources 370 may include an administrator database 374 configured to store management data for control subsystem 350 .

In some embodiments, the event store 371 and/or the administrator database 374 may include, for example, an Oracle ^™ database, a Sybase ^™ database, or other relational or non-relational databases such as Haidup ^™. Sequence Archives, ^HagibisTM or ^CassandraTM . Event store 371 and/or administrator database 374 may include a NoSQL database such as Hagibis, MongoDB ^™ , or Cassandra ^™ . Alternatively, event store 371 and/or administrator database 374 may include relational databases such as Oracle, MySQL, and Microsoft SQL Server. In some embodiments, the event store 371 and/or the administrator database 374 may be in the form of a server, a general purpose computer, a mainframe computer, or any combination of these components.

Figure 3D shows an exemplary graphical representation of workflow subsystem 375. Workflow subsystem 375 may be designated to process the output of incoming subsystem 300 . Work Process subsystem 375 may pass validator 308 output to output subsystem 325 . Workflow subsystem 375 may be specifically configured for use by consumers, delivery personnel, administrators, and/or sellers. Workflow subsystem 375 may execute on a computing device having a processor, memory components, and/or communications components. In some embodiments, workflow subsystem 375 and/or components of workflow subsystem 375 may be communicatively coupled to other subsystems (eg, as described in Figures 3A-3D).

Workflow subsystem 375 may include framework modules 377 . Framework module 377 can take advantage of Spring WebFlux or similar technologies. The framework module 377 can provide non-blocking web page stacking to handle parallelism with a small number of threads and scale with less hardware resources. The framework module 377 may include various stylized modules. Examples of modules as shown in Figure 3D may include a return module 379a, an exchange module 379b, and a cancellation module 379c. Modules 379a through 379c may contain processing logic for retail, third-party, and ticket provisioning. Modules 379a through 379c may also include APIs for communicating with subsystems responsible for respective data.

The workflow subsystem 375 may also include a workflow initiator 381 , which may be communicatively coupled to the framework module 377 . Workflow launcher 381 may contain a manifest of procedures 383a through 383g that may initiate a workflow based on input received from framework module 377 . Examples of procedures as shown in Figure 3D may include a cancellation procedure 383a (containing instructions for initiating a workflow initiated by canceling an order by a customer, supplier, or another order processor), a returns procedure 383b ( Contains instructions for initiating a workflow initiated by the return of a complete or partial order by a customer, supplier, or another order processor), Exchange Procedure 383c (contains instructions for initiating a workflow initiated by a customer, supplier, or Instructions for a workflow initiated by another order processor to exchange goods for a complete or partial order), delivery Tracking 383d (containing instructions for initiating a workflow initiated by a customer, supplier, or another order processor to track the delivery status of a complete or partial order), Collection process 383e (containing instructions for initiating a borrowing process) Instructions for a workflow initiated by a request by a customer, supplier, or another order processor for information tracking a complete or partial order), refund procedures 383f (containing instructions for initiating a request by a customer, supplier, or or another order processor initiates a request for a refund of a complete or partial order) and the revocation procedure 383g (containing instructions for initiating a revocation initiated by a customer, supplier, or another order processor Instructions for workflow initiated by a complete or partial order).

Additionally, each of the programmed modules 379a - 379c of the framework module 377 may initiate a plurality of programs 383a - 383g. For example, the cancellation module 379c can initiate the delivery tracking process 383d to determine whether the canceled item has been delivered or is still in the possession of the delivery person. The same cancellation module 379c can also initiate a refund procedure 383f to issue a refund to the customer.

Various combinations may be programmed and may be specifically configured for use by consumers, delivery personnel, administrators, and/or sellers. Workflow launcher 381 may execute on a computing device having a processor, memory component, and/or communication component. In some embodiments, workflow initiator 381 and/or components of workflow initiator 381 may be communicatively coupled to other portions of workflow subsystem 375 (eg, as described in Figure 3D). Additionally, the architecture of workflow subsystem 375 is modified to add additional procedures and programmatic modules as needed.

Workflow subsystem 375 may also include a workflow service module 385 , which may be communicatively coupled to workflow initiator 381 and output subsystem 325 . Workflow service module 385 can be designated for work Process control and design. The workflow service module 385 may include the Creten workflow service module 387 and the workflow orchestration module 391 . Workflow service module 385 may provide output for processing by output subsystem 325 .

The Creton workflow service module 387 may include several sub-modules 389a - 389b that may control workflows based on input received from the workflow launcher 381 . Examples of programs as shown in Figure 3D may include a retail returns sub-module 389a (which allows the design and/or control of workflows for returns of retail items) and a third-party returns sub-module 389b (which allows the use of Design and/or control of workflow for returns of third-party items). The architecture of the Creten Workflow Service Module 387 can be modified to add additional sub-modules as needed. Workflows within the Creten Workflow Service Module 387 can be controlled and/or designed by consumers, delivery personnel, administrators and/or sellers. Creton workflow service module 387 may execute on a computing device having a processor, memory component, and/or communication component, and may be communicatively coupled to other portions of workflow subsystem 375 .

Workflow orchestration module 391 may include a collection of workflow controls accessible by customers, delivery personnel, administrators, and/or sellers. The workflow orchestration module 391 can be implemented by a business process management (BPM) engine and support framework, and an example thereof can be Activiti using Spring Boot/Docker. The workflow orchestration module 391 engine has the following core goals: take a program definition consisting of human tasks and service calls and execute the human tasks and service calls in an order, while exposing various APIs to launch, manage, and query information about It defines the processing case data. The workflow orchestration module 391 may be executed on a computing device having a processor, memory component, and/or communication component. Workflow orchestration module 391 may be communicatively coupled to other portions of workflow subsystem 375 .

4 illustrates an exemplary graphical representation of a networked environment 400 for returns processing utilizing the presently disclosed embodiments. Although only a subset of the various systems, subsystems, and modules shown in Figures 3A-3D are shown in Figure 4 for purposes of clarity and further explanation, other elements of Figures 3A-3D may include In a networked environment 400. In addition, the configuration and functionality of the elements disclosed below can be implemented in any combination of corresponding elements in FIGS. 3A to 3D .

In some embodiments, source API 302 may include any number of APIs configured to transmit electronic requests for returns. Each of the source APIs 302 may reside on a communication device, such as the customer's mobile device 102A or an internal customer service system, which a worker may use to manually register a return request from the customer. Using these devices, for example, the source API 302 may include: a mobile application installed on the customer's mobile device that transmits API calls to the endpoint API 304; a web page accessed from the customer's computer that transmits similar API calls; An application for manually typing return requests on a customer service agent's computer; or the like.

Endpoint API 304 may then receive API calls from source API 302 and route them to the appropriate systems, subsystems, and/or modules in networked environment 400 . In some embodiments, the endpoint API may use the controllers 306a - 306e described above to further regulate received API calls and employ the communication protocol of the network environment 400 (eg, Java, HTML, CSS, or other programming language).

In some embodiments, one of the entities receiving the routed API call may be the validator 308. Validator 308 may be configured to examine data included in routed API calls to ensure, for example, that all required information is present and conforms to the respective data type and format.

In some embodiments, authenticated API calls may be made via, for example, a framework module 377 and the workflow initiator 381 are sent to the workflow service module 385. The workflow service module 385 can be configured to handle the validated API calls based on different rules initiated by different procedures in the workflow launcher 381 (eg, returns procedure 383b or refund procedure 383f), thereby taking appropriate actions. Various actions for each request represented by API calls.

Consistent with the embodiments disclosed herein, some of the rules may be directed toward identifying return request calls suitable for streamlining the process. The identification may be based on consideration of the data contained in each API call as a whole, with the values of the different parameters in the API call analyzed in combination with each other. For example, the workflow service module 385 may analyze one or more of the following: customer-specified code, the type of item to be returned, the price of the item to be returned, the customer's past return history, the location of the seller , or the returned items and other aspects of the corresponding order.

In some embodiments, rules used by the workflow service module 385 may be stored in the rules management module 351 . As disclosed above with respect to Figure 3C, the rules management module 351 may be configured to manage rules for processing returns as requested in each return request call. The rule management module 351 can utilize the rule engine technology through the rules engine 362, which can provide the ability to centrally store rules (or corresponding business logic) in the rules database 363, such as return qualification criteria or streamline efficiency procedure qualifications. guidelines. This allows the rules to be easily changed, for example, to quickly meet new customer demands, regulatory changes and/or competition in the market.

Once the return request call is processed by the workflow service module 385 (e.g., to determine whether to approve or deny the return request, or to determine whether the return request is suitable for a streamlined process), the workflow service module 385 can generate and transmit a series of Additional API calls to signal other systems, subsystems or modules to take appropriate action. For example In other words, when the workflow service module 385 determines that the return request call is approved, the workflow service module 385 may generate a call to the external service agent 331 via the Cretens domain module 327 to activate the fulfillment service 339b and/or the shipping service. 339c. The process through which an approved return request call goes is described below with respect to FIG. 5 .

Figure 5 is a flowchart of an exemplary computerized procedure for processing returns utilizing the presently disclosed embodiments. Although the program is described as being applicable to returns processing, such use is illustrative only, and the program may be modified to adapt other programs to reduce network load and improve scalability. The process may be performed by any system, network of systems, servers, or the like tasked with processing returns, such as the systems described above with respect to FIGS. 3A-3D and 4 . The procedures are described below with reference to the subsystems of Figures 3A-3D and the networked environment 400 of Figure 4, but any other configuration of systems, subsystems, or modules may be used to conduct the procedures.

The procedures depict two illustrative procedures for reviewing and executing return requests: the general procedures represented by steps 501 through 506, which improve the accuracy of managing returns (eg, receiving requests and receiving returned items); and step 501 Step 503, step 507, and step 508 represent a streamlined process that increases the speed of reviewing and executing returns. In some embodiments, both parts of the program may be performed by the systems, subsystems, and modules depicted in FIGS. 3A-3D , a subset of which are also depicted in FIG. 4 . Variations on both procedures are also within the scope of the disclosed embodiments, and the procedures may also include other procedures for reviewing and executing return requests.

At step 501, the normal process may be initiated by receiving a return request from the client device to return the item. In some embodiments, the return request may be a return request call generated and transmitted by the source API 302. As an example, a return request may be generated by the customer One of the items that can be used to return an order he/she previously placed and received. In some embodiments, the endpoint API 304 may route the return request call to the appropriate destination as disclosed above.

At step 502, validator 308 may validate the return request call against system records. For example, the validator 308 may extract basic information from the return request call, such as the customer information, the item identifier of the item to be returned, and the order identifier of the original order associated with the item, and look up the information in the FO system 113 to Verify that the customer is actually the person who ordered the item and that the item is actually the item included in the order in the correct quantity. In some embodiments, the validator 308 may also use the extracted information to determine whether the item is suitable for return. Such rules may be part of the rules stored in the rules management module 351 described above.

At step 503, the workflow services module 385 may analyze the return request call to determine its eligibility for the streamlined process. Step 503 is described in more detail below with respect to the streamlining process. In some embodiments where the process includes only conventional processes or streamlined processes, step 503 may be omitted or replaced to perform another function. In other embodiments, step 503 may also include using various modules to determine whether to approve the return request, such as the Creten workflow service module 387 described above, the retail returns sub-module 389a, third-party Return sub-module 389b and workflow orchestration module 391.

At step 504, the workflow service module 385 may generate and transmit a series of API calls to other systems, subsystems, or modules, such as Creitens Domain 327, external service agent 331, fulfillment as described above. service 339b and shipping service 339c. In some embodiments, the workflow service module 385 may generate one or more API calls to request the retrieval of items to be returned, which may include, for example, generating a return shipping label or assign a courier to pick up the item from the customer. Additionally or alternatively, one or more API calls may also cause an autonomous system, such as an autonomous robot, vehicle, or drone, to travel to the customer address specified in the corresponding return request call and retrieve the item.

In other embodiments, step 504 may also include receiving the returned items and restocking them at the fulfillment center, which may also be performed using autonomous robots, vehicles, or the like. For example, step 504 may include capturing (e.g., using a camera, scanner, RFID sensor, etc.) the item identifier of the returned item after the returned item arrives at the fulfillment center and updating the data record in the external data source 370 to record Retrieval or arrival of objects.

As described above with respect to Figure 3B, retrieving and restocking objects can involve a complex network of modules each communicating using API calls. For example, returns service 329b may receive output from workflow service module 385 that triggers a series of subsequent calls to downstream modules (eg, external service agent 331 or elements in service 339a through service 339e) that The groups are each associated with the physical movement of the item from the customer's address to various locations within the fulfillment center (eg, FC 200) as the item is retrieved and restocked.

At step 505, upon receipt of the returned item at the fulfillment center (eg, FC 200), output subsystem 325 may generate yet another set of API calls to request a refund for the price of the returned item. In some embodiments, the workflow service module 385 may generate the set of API calls for refunds and transmit them to a payment management system (not depicted) for communicating with the financial institution and ultimately releasing the payment. The API call for a refund may also prompt the external data source 370 to update the data record regarding the customer requesting the return.

Furthermore, at step 506, the output subsystem 325 may generate a notification (e.g. e.g. text message, in-app push notification, email, etc.) and transmit it to the customer device associated with the customer requesting the return. This notification may be transmitted in response to completion of the API call for the refund. In some embodiments, the customer device may be the device that originally transmitted the return request call at step 501 above. Additionally or alternatively the client device may be a different device authenticated using the client's login credentials.

Although the exchange of API calls across a network of different systems, subsystems, and modules may appear complex, such exchanges may allow different functional units (ie, subsystems or modules) to specialize in specific tasks. This increases efficiency and reduces error rates compared to traditional procedures for managing returns. In some embodiments, this separation of different tasks enables modular implementation of each subsystem or module, which may also improve flexibility in the event of a failure of any of the subsystems or modules, thereby allowing The rest of the network functions independently.

Streamlining processes, on the other hand, can increase the speed of managing returns by omitting some of the steps performed in the regular process, such as retrieving and restocking returned items. While routine procedures can improve the efficiency and accuracy of managing returns, each of the API calls exchanged between different subsystems and modules in response to each return request call as described above will affect the system, subsystem and apply load on the module's network. As the number of return request calls increases, the load (although it may be small) can quickly accumulate to choke or overwhelm the network.

For example, as the system processes and tracks return request calls, more than 10 API calls per return request may be made to shipping service 339c in a single day. Each of the more than 10 API calls may also trigger a series of subsequent calls within other networked systems (eg, SAT system 101) described above with respect to FIG. 1A, thereby adding to the network load. In summary, step 504 may take up space to process returns through the program. Most of the resources consumed.

The streamlined process eliminates the need for these API calls for a subset of return request calls, thereby reducing network load. While the savings achieved through streamlined procedures may be negligible for individual return request calls, the savings achieved across hundreds of thousands or millions of users and their requests can add up to improved network significant advantages of scalability. In other words, the reduction in network resources caused by processing return request calls through streamlined procedures ensures low latency and optimal network utilization, even when the number of users and their requests increases exponentially. These savings in turn result in lower operating costs in maintaining and operating the network.

Furthermore, streamlined processes can also reduce operating costs in terms of actual man-hours and physical resources required for routine processes. For example, where step 504 involves retrieving a returned item from a customer, a staff member must be dispatched to the customer's address, obtain the returned item, and return it. Multiple visits may also be necessary if the client is not home and staff must be assigned again. In another example, there are also costs of inspecting and restocking returned items, which can further complicate routine procedures if returned items are damaged or must be relocated in compliance with environmental regulations. Thus, streamlined procedures for a subset of eligible return requests yield both technical and business advantages over conventional procedures.

Go to the streamline efficiency procedure represented by steps 501 to 503, step 507, and step 508, which may share steps 501 to 503 with the conventional procedure. In such embodiments, all return request calls may pass through step 501 and step 502 before they are divided into the regular process described above or the streamlined process below.

At step 503, the workflow services module 385 may analyze the return request call to determine eligibility for the streamlined process. Determinations may be based on stored in regulations Then a set of rules in the management module 351. In some embodiments, rules may correspond to one or more different scenarios in which a return request call falls. Exemplary scenarios are described below, and other scenarios or variations thereof are within the scope of the disclosed embodiments.

As an initial matter, some of these return request calls may be received before the corresponding order is shipped to the customer. Therefore, the workflow service module 385 can be configured to confirm whether the corresponding order has been shipped. The workflow service module 385 may implement this operation by making an API call to the FO system 113 using the corresponding order identifier and receiving the status of the order. If the order has not been shipped, the workflow service module 385 may then cancel the order and generate a refund request as discussed above, or otherwise proceed to determine whether the return request call is suitable for the streamlined process.

In some embodiments, one or more of the rules may determine eligibility based on a customer-specified code indicating a reason for requesting a return. The customer-specific code may be specified, for example, by a customer submitting a return request via a mobile application or website, and included as a parameter in the corresponding return request call. Customer-specific code may contain any collection of predetermined alphanumeric strings of text associated with different contexts. Possible situations may include, for example, psychological changes, incorrect items, damage in transit, inconsistencies with the item description, missing items, or the like.

In some embodiments, return request calls containing customer-specific code associated with a lost item may be configured to streamline the process because if the item was lost in the first place (e.g., lost or undelivered), then The customer cannot physically return the item. In some embodiments, the workflow service module 385 may also compare the item identifier corresponding to the item to be returned to a list of items suitable for streamlining the process. Alternatively or in addition, other codes associated with different scenarios may also be configured to streamline the process, as determined by desired enterprise practices.

Furthermore, the workflow service module 385 may look up records associated with the customer requesting a return to verify whether the customer may have selected the reason code for the missing item with fraudulent intent. This determination may be made by a fraud detection system (not depicted) that maintains detailed records of each customer's purchasing and return activities. The fraud detection system can then use machine learning algorithms to analyze the records to identify suspicious requests. For example, records may track the types of items purchased by the customer, their prices, the subset of items returned, the prices and conditions of the items returned, or any other information that is included directly or indirectly in the customer's return request. . Additionally or alternatively, the workflow service module 385 may still disqualify return request calls containing customer-specified code associated with the missing item if the purchase price of the item is greater than a predetermined threshold. This may allow the workflow service module 385 to more thoroughly review return request calls and identify any fraudulent requests as they go through the regular process.

Returning to step 503, another set of rules may determine eligibility based on information contained in the return request call indicating that the customer has shipped the item to the fulfillment center. For example, the information may include one of the customer-specific codes described above and/or tracking numbers for return shipments. In such cases, the workflow service module 385 may determine that there is no need to generate a retrieval request as described above with respect to step 504, and determine that the corresponding return request call is suitable for a streamlined process. The workflow service module 385 may also generate and transmit API calls to update records associated with specific items to be returned by the customer to contain information about the customer's own return shipment. In some embodiments, the workflow service module 385 may proceed to generate a refund request and transmit a notification to the customer device in the manner described above with respect to steps 507 and 508 .

In other embodiments, a further set of rules may determine eligibility for the streamlined process based on the type of returned item. Eligible types may include, for example, Perishable items that will not arrive at the fulfillment center without resaleability or items purchased from outside vendors can incur relatively high return shipping costs. In some embodiments, the workflow service module 385 may respond by sending an electronic query to a connected database (e.g., external data source 370) with the object identifier included in the return request call and receiving a parameter of the object type. to determine the object type.

The connected database may be configured to maintain a list of object identifiers with recommended storage temperatures and respond to electronic queries with eligibility determinations based on corresponding storage temperatures. For example, an item with a recommended storage temperature below freezing may be considered ineligible due to its potential to rot during transportation. In other embodiments, the list of item identifiers in the connected database may specify whether some of the items are sold by outside vendors. The cost of retrieving the corresponding items and shipping them back to the outside supplier may be so great that in some cases it is better not to capture the items. Therefore, if the purchase price of these objects is below a predetermined threshold, the connected database may determine that these objects should be suitable for streamlined processes (and therefore refund the purchase price without retrieving the objects).

Once the workflow service module 385 determines that the type of the returned item matches one of the predetermined set of item types, the workflow service module 385 may further determine that the corresponding return request call is suitable for the streamlined process. In some embodiments, this may be because the returned item will likely be non-resaleable or unprofitable and does not require generating a retrieval request as described above with respect to step 504. In some embodiments, the workflow service module 385 may again proceed to generate a refund request and transmit a notification to the customer device in the manner described above with respect to steps 507 and 508 .

In some embodiments, a record of a customer requesting a return suitable for a streamlined process may be updated to reflect that the customer is eligible for a refund without returning the item. This type The records may later be used by a fraud detection system (not depicted) to analyze and identify fraudulent return request calls that appear to be consistent with another chargeback without a return.

At step 507, once the workflow service module 385 determines that the return request call is suitable for streamlining the process, the workflow service module 385 may proceed to request a refund as described above with respect to step 505. However, rather than the refund request being in response to step 505 of receiving the returned item, the workflow service module 385 may generate the API call for the refund request after determining that the corresponding return request call is suitable for the streamlined process.

Alternatively or additionally, the workflow service module 385 may perform additional checks to identify fraudulent return requests before issuing a refund. The workflow service module 385 may transmit an API call with information about the corresponding return request call and the customer to the fraud detection system. In response to the API call, the fraud detection system may return a determination as to whether the return request call may be fraudulent. . A positive determination may cause the workflow service module 385 to reject the refund request and process the return request call under normal procedures starting at step 504 . In some embodiments, the workflow service module 385 may also notify the shipping service 339c to specify that no items are to be returned, and step 508 transmits the notification to the customer device as described above with respect to step 506.

Figure 6 illustrates an exemplary flow diagram of a computerized program 600 for processing refunds. Process 600 may be performed in conjunction with any refund request generated by the system described above, including, but not limited to, refund requests generated at step 505 of the conventional process and step 507 of the streamlined process. Process 600 may be performed by any system, network of systems, servers, or the like tasked with processing refunds, such as the systems described above with respect to FIGS. 3A-3D and 4 . The process 600 is described below with reference to the subsystems of FIGS. 3A to 3D and the networked environment 400 of FIG. 4 , but the system, subsystem Any other configuration of the system or module may be used to perform procedure 600.

At step 601, the workflow initiator 381 may begin a refund process by receiving a refund request to refund the purchase price of one or more items. The refund request may be in the form of an API call generated and transmitted by the workflow service module 385. In some embodiments, step 601 may further include adding the refund request to the refund request queue via refund procedure 383f.

At step 602, the workflow service module 385 may send a request with the information identifying the order to the benefits service 339d and receive the benefit data to calculate the correct refund amount. Benefits information may include information about discounts and promotions that corresponding customers receive when making purchases. Discounts and promotions may have been offered by various entities such as suppliers, online retailers, online marketplaces, payment processors, banks or the like. In some embodiments, the workflow service module 385 may transmit such information to the payment processing module (not depicted) via the order service 339a.

At step 603, the payment processing module may update the payment status and order status of the corresponding order, which may include updating corresponding records in one or more network databases to reflect the total payment amount after the refund and the returned items. .

At step 604, the payment processing module may check the type of payment previously made by the customer by retrieving corresponding information while updating the order status. In some embodiments, the payment processing module may use benefit data and associated order information to identify entities that must be contacted in order to cancel a previous transaction (e.g., for reinstatement of a cash back or membership rewards transaction) and determine that a refund must be made to the customer's quantity.

At step 605, the payment processing module may transmit a set of API calls containing individual refund requests to the appropriate payment intermediary. Here, the payment intermediary may include the entities identified above at step 604 as well as payment for the payment method used by the customer. processor.

At step 606, the payment processing module may receive an external refund confirmation from each of the payment intermediaries, thereby confirming that the individual refund request has been completed and a refund has been issued (or will be issued after further processing).

At step 607, upon receiving the external refund confirmation from each payment intermediary, the payment processing module may transmit the internal refund confirmation back to the workflow service module 385. In some embodiments, an internal refund confirmation may indicate to the workflow service module 385 that a refund has been issued and it may proceed to transmitting a notification to the customer device as described above at steps 506 and 508 .

Although the present disclosure has been illustrated and described with reference to specific embodiments of the present disclosure, it is to be understood that the present disclosure may be practiced in other environments without modification. The foregoing description has been presented for purposes of illustration. The foregoing description is not exhaustive and is not limited to the precise forms or embodiments disclosed. Modifications and adaptations will become apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of this specification and practice of the disclosed embodiments. Additionally, although aspects of the disclosed embodiments are described as being stored in memory, those of ordinary skill in the art will understand that such aspects may also be stored on other types of computer-readable media, such as level storage device, such as a hard drive or CD ROM, or other form of RAM or ROM, USB media, DVD, Blu-ray, or other optical drive media.

Computer programming based on the written description and disclosed methods is within the skill of an experienced developer. Various programs or program modules may be created using any of the techniques known to those of ordinary skill in the art or may be designed in conjunction with existing software. For example, program sections or program modules may be implemented using the .Net Framework, the .Net Compact Framework (and related Languages such as Visual Basic (Visual Basic, C, etc.), Java, C++, Objective-C (Objective-C), HTML, HTML/AJAX combination, XML or HTML containing Java applets.

Furthermore, although illustrative embodiments have been described herein, those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize, based on this disclosure, that there are equivalent elements, modifications, omissions, combinations (eg, aspects of the various embodiments) , adaptations and/or changes within the scope of any and all embodiments. Limitations in a claim are to be construed broadly based on the language employed in the claim and are not limited to the examples described in this specification or during the prosecution of this application. Instances shall be considered non-exclusive. Furthermore, the steps of the disclosed methods may be modified in any way, including by reordering steps and/or inserting or deleting steps. Therefore, it is intended that the specification and examples be considered illustrative only, with the true scope and spirit being indicated by the full scope of the following claims and their equivalents.

302: Source API

304: Endpoint API

308: validator

327:Cretens Domain Module

331:External service proxy module

339b:Performance services

339c: Shipping services

351:Rule management module

370:External data sources

377:Frame Module

381: Creten Workflow Launcher

385:Workflow service module

400:Network environment

Claims (20)

A computer-implemented system for processing returns without receiving items to minimize network load, the system including: at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium configured to store instructions; and at least one processor , which is configured to execute the instructions to perform operations including: receiving a Returns Application Programming Interface (API) call from a user device requesting a return of an unwanted item; verifying the return against a data record in a networked database; making the returns API call; comparing the parameters associated with the item being returned with the reason code included in the returns API call; if all the parameters associated with the item being returned are If the above parameters are acceptable relative to the reason code, then: it is determined that the returned item is suitable for the streamlined process and does not need to be returned; the refund application programming interface call is transmitted to the payment management system without Generate a search request to retrieve the returned item, update the data record in the networked database to record a refund, and transmit a notification of approval of the refund to the user device; and if said parameter associated with said item being returned is unacceptable with respect to said reason code: Determining that the returned item is not suitable for the streamlined process and does not need to be returned; generating a retrieval application programming interface call requesting the retrieval of the returned item, at all locations of the returned item After the retrieval, the object identifier of the returned object is captured, the data record of the networked database is updated to record the retrieval of the returned object, and the refund application is The design interface call is transmitted to the payment management system, and the notification regarding approval of the refund application design interface call is transmitted to the user device. The computer execution system of claim 1, wherein verifying the returns application programming interface call is based on one or more system rules stored in a centralized repository. The computer execution system of claim 2, wherein verifying the returns API call includes verifying compliance of the returns API call with at least one of the one or more system rules. The computer execution system of claim 1, wherein the reason code corresponds to at least one of a set of predefined situations. The computer-implemented system of claim 1, wherein the parameters associated with the returned item indicate whether the returned item meets one or more requirements of the reason code. The computer execution system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said exit occurs The payment API call includes transmitting the refund API call to the payment management system. The computer execution system of claim 1, wherein generating the fetch API call includes generating a return shipping label. The computer execution system of claim 1, wherein the refund API call is further generated in response to a determination that the retrieval API call is processed. The computer execution system of claim 1, wherein the retrieval API call is configured to generate a signal for a networked subsystem to retrieve the returned object. The computer execution system of claim 1, wherein the notification to the user device is a push notification. A computer-implemented method for processing returns without receiving the item to minimize network load, the method comprising: receiving a returns application programming interface (API) call from a user device requesting a return of an undesired item; Validating the returns API call against a data record in a networked database; comparing a parameter associated with the item being returned with a reason code included in the returns API call; if If the parameter associated with the returned item is acceptable with respect to the reason code, then: it is determined that the returned item is suitable for the streamlined process and does not need to be returned; transmitting a refund application programming interface call to a payment management system without generating a retrieval request to retrieve the returned item, updating the data record in the networked database to record the refund, and transferring information regarding transmitting a notification of approval of the refund to the user device; and if the parameters associated with the returned item are unacceptable with respect to the reason code: determining that the returned item is unsuitable Streamlining the process without the need for returns; generating a retrieval API call requesting the retrieval of the returned item, capturing the returned item after the retrieval of the returned item an object identifier of the object, updating the data record in the networked database to record the retrieval of the returned object, transmitting the refund API call to a payment management system , and transmitting the notification regarding the approval of the refund API call to the user device. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, wherein verifying that the returns application programming interface call is based on one or more system rules stored in a centralized repository. A computer execution method as described in claim 12, wherein verifying said exit The return API call includes verifying compliance of the return API call with at least one of the one or more system rules. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, wherein the reason code corresponds to at least one of a set of predefined situations. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, wherein the parameters associated with the returned item indicate whether the returned item meets one or more requirements of the reason code. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, wherein generating the refund API call includes transmitting the refund API call to a payment management system. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, wherein generating the fetch API call includes generating a return shipping label. The computer implementation method of claim 11, wherein the refund API call is further generated in response to a determination that the retrieval API call is processed. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, wherein the retrieval application programming interface call is configured to generate a signal for a networked subsystem to retrieve the returned object. A computer-implemented system for processing returns without receiving items to minimize network load, the system including: at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium configured to store instructions; and at least one processor , which is configured to execute the instructions to perform operations including: receiving a returns application from a user device requesting a return of the returned item Design an interface (API) call; verify the returns API call against a data record in a networked database; compare the category identifier associated with the returned item with the one included in the returns API call The reason code in the call is compared; if the category identifier is acceptable relative to the reason code, then: it is determined that the returned item is suitable for the streamlined process and does not need to be returned, and the refund is applied Programming interface calls are transmitted to the payment management system without generating a retrieval request to retrieve the returned items, update the data record in the networked database to record the refund; and transfer information about the refund transmitting an approval notification to the user device; and if the category identifier is unacceptable with respect to the reason code, then: determining that the returned item is not suitable for the streamlined process without Return is required, generating a retrieval API call requesting the retrieval of the returned object, capturing the object identifier of the returned object after the retrieval of the returned object, updating all the data record in the networked database to record the retrieval of the returned item, transmitting the retrieval application interface call to the payment management system, and transmitting information about the retrieval application to the payment management system The notification of approval of the design interface call is transmitted to the user device.

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