AU2001263756B2

AU2001263756B2 - Method for the distribution of articles

Info

Publication number: AU2001263756B2
Application number: AU2001263756A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Walter Rosenbaum
Original assignee: Siemens AG
Current assignee: Siemens AG
Priority date: 2000-04-10
Filing date: 2001-04-09
Publication date: 2006-02-16
Anticipated expiration: 2021-04-09
Also published as: CA2405698A1; DE10017574A1; EP1275073A1; AU6375601A; WO2001077913A8; WO2001077913A2

Description

METHOD FOR THE DISTRIBUTION OF ITEMS The invention concerns a method for the distribution of items which were ordered from an online provider and which are no longer desired by the customer.

The purchase of merchandise, from online-providers, over the internet, is on the rise. Of course it can happen that the delivered merchandise does not meet the expectations of the customer because the items for example: don't have the ordered color; are defective; don't correspond to the expectations during visual inspection; or the ordering process was faulty and the desired items were not delivered.

In cases of return delivery, as is known in the art, the customer must repack the items (possibly in their original packing) provide reasons for their rejection, provide a new address, and make use of a shipping service. This method is undesired and expensive as it causes high shipping charges to the customer and high stock keeping costs to the provider.

On the other hand, it sometimes occurs that the customer does not pay for the ordered items after the delivery and by the due date and the provider must request the merchandise back.

Thus, a need exists to provide a method where the transportation and stock keeping cost for the return of items which were ordered from an online-provider, delivered, and which are no longer desired anymore by the customer, is reduced.

According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a method for the distribution of items which were electronically ordered from an online-provider and no longer desired by a customer, comprising the steps of: sending of an electronic order by the online-provider to a shipping service for the collection of items from the customer with the indication of: customer's data, like name and address; shipment data like delivery number, description of the article with the indication of size and weight; billing data and identification data of the shipment; and for the forwarding of the items to the producer(s)/manufacturer(s) or online-provider or for the execution of an auction for the sale of the items in an [R:\LIBQ]2756.doc:MIC la internet auction house with auxiliary indication of an initial price, a description of the article as well as an identification of the article, so as to be able to assign the outcome of the auction to the data of the items and to the subsequent delivery of the auctioned items to the purchaser(s); setting up of a database at the shipping service, with the transmitted data for the items being obtained from the customers, which updates continuously according to the executed steps; collecting the items from the customer and storing them; executing the arranged auction by the auction house and transmitting price, and name and address of the bidder who got accepted as the purchaser, agreed upon delivery time, data of the item, and original delivery number to the mail order house; and withdrawing of the article from the storage and delivery to the purchaser at the auction or to the online-provider, in particular the producer/manufacturer.

The electronic ordering of a shipping service by the online-provider, for the collection of the items from the customer, with all the necessary data of the customer and of the shipment data, such as: delivery number, article description, invoice data, and reference data of the shipmefit, and forwarding to the online-provider or producer/manufacturer or an internet auction house for the execution of an internet auction sale of items corresponding to the position of interests of the online provider (for example free stock capacity, stock keeping costs, shipping charges, condition of the items), results in an alleviation for the customer and savings of stock keeping costs and shipping charges for the on-line provider.

[R:\LIBQ]2756.doc:MIC Other embodiments of the invention are disclosed in the dependent claims.

The order to the shipping service for the collection of the item from the customer can be triggered based on an order by the customer to the online-provider including an indication of reasons for rejection.

Furthermore, the order for the pick-up from the online-provider can be triggered by itself, if the purchase price was not or not completely paid by the due date.

It is also advantageous if the internet auction house is part of the shipping service such that a faster internal communication is accordingly made possible.

To avoid additional shipping charges because of the absence of the customer at the scheduled collection of the item, it is advantageous to coordinate beforehand the pick-up date and time i between the shipping service and the customer.

The shipment which was picked up from the shipping service is verified according to another embodiment of the present invention to determine if the contents correspond to the invoiced contents which were communicated by the online-provider, the verification being performed by weighing the shipment without opening and/or x-raying it. The forwarding of the shipped S items occurs only upon compliance with the invoiced data.

It is also advantageous to open the packing material of the shipment picked-up from the V customer, at the shipping service, and to verify the condition and functionality of the item. A price valuation occurs for damage of the items or impairment of their functionality. Then the items are re-packed and the initial price is determined with the online-provider for the auction if an auction is scheduled before the internet auction house receives the order.

It is also advantageous, if the online-provider determines for each kind of article if a return to the producer/manufacturer or an online-provider, or if an auction sale at an internet auction house should take place after the collection of the item from the customer. Accordingly, substantial handling charges can be saved.

The items are only sent to the respective producer/manufacturer by the shipping service in a further embodiment, if a specified minimum amount of articles are picked up by the customers and intermediately stored.

Below, the invention is further disclosed by way of example and according to the following drawings which show: FIG 1 a schematic process of the method for the distribution of the items picked up by the customer without an internet auction; and FIG 2 a schematic process of the method for the distribution of the items picked up by the customer with an internet-auction.

9

**S

An online-provider (mail-order house) 2 stores electronically ordered and delivered items 9* received from an end user, such as customer 1, the items being returned by the customer 1.

The reasons for the return could be that the items don't meet the expectations of the customer (wrong color, functionality), the wrong item was delivered, transportation damages, faults or other defects are present, etc. In this case, customer 1 sends an electronic order to the onlineprovider 2 for the collection of the delivered items. Then, the online-provider 2 transmits an electronic order B for the collection of the rejected delivered items from the customer 1, the S order including: customer data (name, address); and the shipment data such as shipment number, description of the article with indication of size and weight, billing data, and reference data of the shipment 5; to a shipping service 3, in this case a select post office. The order for the collection of the delivered items B is also sent from the online-provider 2 to the shipping service 3 if the customer 1 has not or not fully paid for the article by the due date.

The transmitted data is stored in a database by the shipping service 3. Before the collection of the shipment is executed, a practical coordination of the collection date and time between the shipping service 3 and the customer 1, occurs so as to avoid additional pick-up trips. The shipment 5 in the shipping service 3 is stored after collection in an automatic warehouse 4 which belongs to the shipping service 3, as outlined by the dashed line. To create a simple and secure further distribution process, a transponder is installed on the shipment as an identification marker. This transponder can for example contain the shipment number, previous identification data or a new identification which is then filed into the data set. The advantage of a transponder is that no optical reading process has to be carried out for the identification during the distribution. This can of course take place without a transponder, but then the address of the customer or other identification data has to be read from the shipment A determination of the content 4 of the shipment 5 occurs before or after the storing or a verification of the condition G of the item by opening the packing material as well as the electronic transmission of a confirmation of collection D to the online-provider 2.

It depends on the pick-up order A and the procedures derived from same within the scope of the order B to the shipping service what is carried out. If the pick-up order A was triggered by customer 1, for example because he received the wrong article or because the commodity's characteristics don't fit the perceived description, a verification of content is generally sufficient without opening the shipment 5, for example by weighing or by x-raying, i.e. it is determined if the shipment content is in compliance with the invoiced value. If this is the case (as disclosed in FIG then the received shipment to the producer/manufacturer or the online-provider 2 should be forwarded according to necessity F based on the present procedures of the online-provider 2. However, this will occur only when a determined minimum amount of items 6 for the addressee are present, be it items of the same or varying articles. This means that the shipments 5 are intermediately stored and a relocation and shipment to the producer/manufacturer, in particular online-provider 2, occurs F when the necessary minimum amount 6 is present. If a non-match with the invoiced data has to be registered during the determination of the content without opening the packing material of the S: shipment then the delivery is opened and the results are communicated to the onlineprovider who then decides if a forwarding as scheduled or if an auction in an internetauction house should occur.

The method steps disclosed in FIG2 disclose the case of an issuing of an auction decree by the online-provider 2 based on the transportation, storage, and cost situation.

The first steps proceed as disclosed in FIG 1, i.e. the online-provider 2 sends an electronic order B to the shipping service 3 for the collection of the rejected items delivered to the customer after the pick-up order A of the customer 1. This order also contains the customer's data (name, address) and the shipment data, such as: shipment number, description of the article with indication of size and weight, billing data, and identification data of the shipment.

The shipment 5 is then intermediately stored in the warehouse 4 of the shipping service 3 after the collection of the rejected articles. Should the items be auctioned based on the procedures set out in the order B, then the shipment 5 is opened before the intermediate storage in the warehouse 4 and a verification of content occurs, i.e. the items are checked regarding their condition and if necessary their functionality and a valuation occurs if required. The opening of the shipment and the verification of the condition of the items also occur if the verification of the content of the shipment without opening the packing material has shown that a difference from the invoiced value is present. Should the item(s) be auctioned based on the order B of the online-provider 2, without claiming their condition or functionality by the customer 1, the procedures also contains the initial price for the auction. If the condition of the item is imperfect (result of the content's verification), then a valuation occurs and the condition and the assessed value are then sent to the online-provider 2, who, following this, transmits the modified initial price to the shipping service 3. Afterwards, the shipping service electronically sends an auctioning order I with the initial price and the information about the :*So items (technical data, picture) to an internet auction house which then carries out the auction.

Modified data with the help of the transmitted data is then printed (for example a new invoice) for the accepted auction bidder 7, the shipment is withdrawn from the storage according to the stored data in the database, and the corresponding identifications of the shipment 5 (advantageously a coded transponder) made ready for shipment to the new receiver and is delivered to him K. Simultaneously, the result from the auction is sent to the online-provider 2 J. If the items could not be sold at the auction, their whereabouts are coordinated with the online-provider 2.

4* 4000 •l004 0

Claims

1. A method for the distribution of items which were electronically s ordered from an online-provider and no longer desired by a customer, comprising the steps of: sending of an electronic order by the online-provider to a shipping service for the collection of items from the customer with the indication of: customer's data, like name and address; shipment data like delivery number, description of the article with the indication of size and weight; billing data and identification data of the shipment; and for the forwarding of the items to the producer(s)/manufacturer(s) or online-provider or for the execution of an auction for the sale of the items in an internet auction house with auxiliary indication of an initial price, a description of the article as well as an identification of the article, so as to be able to assign the outcome of the auction to the data of the items and to the subsequent delivery of the auctioned items to the purchaser(s); setting up of a database at the shipping service, with the transmitted data for the items being obtained from the customers, which updates continuously according to the executed steps; collecting the items from the customer and storing them; executing the arranged auction by the auction house and transmitting price, and name and address of the bidder who got accepted as the purchaser, agreed upon delivery time, data of the item, and original delivery number to the mail order house; and withdrawing of the article from the storage and delivery to the purchaser at the auction or to the online-provider, in particular the producer/manufacturer.

2. The method according to claim 1, comprising the further step of: triggering the order to the shipping service for the collection of the items from the customer, based upon an order by the customer to the online-provider, including an indication of reasons for rejection.

3. The method according to claim 1, comprising the further step of: [R:\LIBQ]2756.doc:MIC triggering the order to the shipping service for the collection of the item from the customer by the online-provider, because the purchasing price was not or not completely paid by the customer by the due date.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the internet auction house is part of the shipping service.

The method according to claim 1, wherein the shipping service electronically coordinates with the customer the pickup date and time before the collection of the item.

6. The method according to claim 1, comprising the further steps of: verifying the item without opening the packing material by weighing and/or x- raying at the shipping service, before forwarding of the content of the delivery item picked up from the customer; and forwarding the item in compliance with the invoiced data.

7. The method according to claim 1, comprising the further steps of: opening the packing material of the delivery item, picked up from the customer, at the shipping service; verifying the condition and functionality of the items; performing a price assessment if damage to the items or impairment of their functionality is detected; re-packing the item; and co-ordinating, per scheduled auction, the initial price for the auction with the online-provider before the internet auction house gets an order.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1, 6 or 7, comprising the further step of: electronically informing the online-provider by the shipping service about the entry, condition, and value of the respective item.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, comprising the further step of: (R:\LIBQ]2756.doc:MIC transmitting an auction order in dependence from: the free storage capacities at the online-provider or the producers/manufacturers, the free transportation capacities and the transportation costs, and condition of the item, from the online-provider to the shipping service.

The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, comprising the further step of: the online-provider determining, for each kind of item, if a return delivery to the producers/manufacturers or online-providers, or if an auction sale at an internet auction house, occurs after the collection of the articles from the customer.

11. The method according to claim 1, comprising the further step of: sending items from the shipping service to the respective producers/manufacturers or online-providers only if a specified minimum amount of the items are collected and stored by the customer.

12. A method for the distribution of items which were electronically ordered from an online-provider and no longer desired by a customer, said method being substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings. DATED this fifth Day of January, 2006 Siemens Aktiengesellschaft Patent Attorneys for the Applicant SPRUSON FERGUSON [R:\LIBQ]2756.doc:MIC