JP2003165625A - Delivery information providing system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a delivery information providing system capable of providing more reliable information to consignors and increasing the reliability of baggage control. <P>SOLUTION: This delivery information providing system comprises a handy terminal 1 having a means for inputting information on completion of delivery, a means for recognizing information on confirmation of acceptance by consignees, and a means for transmitting the information to a control computer in a delivery information center through a mobile communication network, the control computer 2 having a means for receiving delivery completion information and acceptance confirmation information, a storage means, and information providing means for providing the information to the consignors, and an information terminal 3 having a receiving means for receiving the results of collation from the control computer and a display means for visually outputting the information on the results of collation on a screen. Thus, the completion of delivery of a luggage can be confirmed by the results of collation including the acceptance confirmation information displayed on the screen. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a delivery information providing system capable of confirming completion of package delivery.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A tracking system has been known as a delivery information providing system of this type. For example, the “Postal Tracking System” provided by the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications on its website on the Internet provides a service in which the shipping status can be referred to by sending the parcel number entered by the shipper on the screen.

Further, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-139540 discloses a parcel tracking system in which the delivery status of parcels can be confirmed by the communication terminal of the consignor, and a system that can be notified by a notifying method and a notifying timing designated by the consignor. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-268101 discloses a physical distribution information management system in which a shipper can easily view the ever-changing delivery status via the Internet.

[0004]

All of these conventional tracking systems perform unified management by a code number such as a package number attached to an invoice, and can be efficiently managed by using a bar code and a scanner. On the other hand, it is difficult to find a management error such as data processing, and there is a possibility that the consignor may enter an incorrect number when making an inquiry.

In such a case, in the conventional tracking system, there is a possibility that the parcel that has not actually arrived may be mistakenly recognized as having been delivered, and conversely, the parcel that has not arrived may be mistakenly recognized as having arrived. Therefore, especially in the case of important baggage or rushed baggage, there has been a demand for providing more reliable information services.

The present invention has been made in view of the current situation, and can provide more reliable information to the consignor.
It aims to provide a delivery information providing system that can improve the reliability of package management.

[0007]

That is, the present invention relates to an input means for inputting information indicating completion of delivery, a recognition means for recognizing receipt confirmation information of a consignee, and a management computer of a delivery information center. A handy terminal carried by a delivery person, comprising a transmitting means for transmitting receipt confirmation information recognized together with the delivery completion information through a mobile communication network, and a receiving means for receiving the delivery completion information and the receipt confirmation information. A management computer of a delivery information center having a storage means for managing the information and an information providing means for providing the information to the shipper; and a communication network for inquiring results of the delivery status from the management computer of the delivery information center. A shipper is provided with a receiving means for receiving the information via the display and a display means for visually outputting the acquired inquiry result information on the screen. And the information terminal which is more configured to provide delivery information providing system can confirm delivery completion of luggage by a query result including receipt confirmation information displayed on the screen.

In such a system, the receipt confirmation information of the recipient acquired by the handy terminal upon completion of delivery is managed by the delivery information center and is provided to the consignor as inquiry information. The fact of completion will become clearer, more reliable information about the delivery status will be provided, and the reliability of delivery management will be improved.

Here, the handy terminal is provided with a CCD camera as a recognition means, and the receipt confirmation information that is recognized is a consignee's receipt signature or imprint of a receipt stamp printed on the invoice photographed by the CCD camera. As for the object, the recognition means can be constructed at low cost, and the recognition becomes easy.

Further, the handy terminal includes a touch panel display section including a touch screen as a recognition means,
When the receipt confirmation information to be recognized is the receipt signature written on the touch screen by the consignee, the receipt signature is directly recognized without the operation of the delivery person, and the recognition work is completed efficiently.

It is preferable that the inquiry result information provided from the management computer to the shipper includes image data of receipt confirmation information and invoice image data created by the computer.

Further, receiving means for receiving delivery completion information and receipt confirmation information from the handy terminal, storage means for managing these information, and transmission for transmitting these information to a management computer of a delivery information center via a communication network. In the case where the branch computer of the collection and delivery center provided with the means is provided, the information taken in by the branch computer is transmitted to the management computer together with various business information, and the information management is made efficient.

Also, short-distance wireless data communication means for receiving delivery completion information and receipt confirmation information from the handy terminal, and transmission means for transmitting these information to the management computer of the delivery information center via the mobile communication network. A handy terminal is provided with an in-vehicle computer equipped with the delivery vehicle, and the handy terminal is provided with a short-distance wireless data communication means for transmitting delivery completion information and receipt confirmation information to the in-vehicle computer as a communication means. Is
It is possible to simplify the storage means and the communication means and reduce the cost.

Further, the handy terminal receives the inquiry result regarding the delivery status from the management computer of the delivery information center via the communication network, and the display means for visually outputting the acquired inquiry result information on the screen. , Which functions as an information terminal capable of confirming receipt of a package based on an inquiry result including receipt confirmation information displayed on the screen of the terminal, for example, through a handy terminal provided with the inquiry function, When
The recipient can inquire the delivery status of the package previously requested, which improves convenience. Further, the delivery person himself / herself can inquire the delivery status using the handy terminal and easily grasp the delivered package, which can improve the efficiency and reliability of the work and is convenient in the package management.

Further, the handy terminal is provided with a photographing means for photographing the image of the recipient, and the image data of the photographed recipient is transmitted to the management computer of the delivery information center together with the delivery completion information and managed by the storage means. In this case, the captured image data can be used for business as more reliable authentication information.

Further, the handy terminal is provided with a voice input means for inputting a voice message of the recipient, and the input voice message is transmitted to the management computer of the delivery information center together with the delivery completion information and managed by the storage means. At the same time, the information terminal includes a voice output unit for outputting the voice message acquired from the computer of the management center by the receiving unit, and the output voice message is transmitted to the consignor. , It becomes possible to convey the voice message of the recipient to the shipper, and a convenient and warm service is realized.

[0017]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is an explanatory view showing the overall configuration of a delivery information providing system according to the present invention. FIGS. 1 to 6 show a typical embodiment of the present invention, in which reference numeral 1 is a handy terminal,
Reference numeral 2 indicates a management computer, and 3 indicates an information terminal.

The delivery information providing system S according to the present invention is
As shown in FIG. 1, a handy terminal 1 carried by a delivery person.
, The management computer 2 of the delivery information center Si, which is communicatively connected to the handy terminal 1 via the mobile communication network M, and the management computer 2 via the communication network N.
Information terminal 3 of the shipper who receives information about delivery from
And the branch computer 4 of the collection / delivery center Sd, the entire system is configured, and by providing the shipper with the receipt confirmation information of the recipient acquired by the handy terminal 1,
It is a system that provides more reliable delivery information than before.

The inquiry information terminal 3 is provided with an input device such as a keyboard, a button, and a mouse, a display, an output device such as a printer, a communication control means for transmitting and receiving data by connecting to a communication network, and an HTML file. It is possible to use a terminal such as a conventional workstation or personal computer equipped with a Web browser that realizes the function of browsing the mobile communication network M in this example.
A mobile terminal that can acquire information through, especially a mobile phone having the above function is used.

FIG. 2 shows a handy terminal 1 carried by a delivery person.
In order to capture the receipt confirmation information written by the recipient, operation buttons 11 for inputting various information centering on the processing device 10, a touch panel display unit 12 for visually outputting various information on the screen are shown. The CCD camera 13 and the communication control unit 14 that transmits and receives various information via the mobile communication network are connected.

The processing device 10 is mainly composed of a microprocessor, has a storage section composed of a RAM and a ROM (not shown), and stores programs and processing data that define procedures of various processing operations. In addition to the delivery processing unit 10a for managing delivery operations, the CCD camera 1
Image recognition processing unit 10b that processes the image information acquired in 3
At least a signature recognition processing unit 10c for processing the received signature information input from the touch panel display unit and a transmission processing unit 10d for transmitting the information.

The touch panel display section 12 functions as an input means for displaying various information and for inputting information indicating that the delivery is completed. The delivery person inputs various information according to the screen display. Further, the handy terminal 1 is provided with a stylus for input, and the consignee recognizes the receipt confirmation information drawn on the touch screen on the screen to recognize the receipt confirmation information of the consignee together with the CCD camera 13. It also functions as a means.

The handy terminal 1 of this example also has the function of the above-mentioned information terminal. That is, the delivery status inquiry result composed of an HTML file or an image file is acquired from the management computer 2 via the mobile communication network M, and a Web browser for displaying this is provided, and the touch panel display unit 12 is provided. It functions as an information terminal that can confirm the receipt status based on the receipt confirmation information included in the inquiry result visually output on the screen. In this way, by providing the handy terminal 1 with the function of inquiring about the delivery status, for example, when the recipient has previously sent the package as the consignor, when the package is received, the package previously requested through the handy terminal can be used. The delivery status can be inquired, which improves convenience. Also, the delivery person himself / herself can inquire the delivery status using the handy terminal and easily grasp the delivered package, which can improve work efficiency and reliability and is convenient for package management.

On the other hand, the management computer 2 of the delivery information center is realized by a single computer or a plurality of computers, and as shown in FIG. 3, a storage means 21 and a communication control means 24 are connected to a processing means 20 mainly composed of a microprocessor. The information processing unit 2 for managing the delivery completion information and the authentication information received from the handy terminal by the storage unit 21.
0a, and at least a Web server unit 20b as an information providing means for providing the information to the shipper.

The storage means 21 of the management computer 2 is a data storage unit 2 for managing the information acquired from the handy terminal.
In addition to 1a, it has at least a provision information storage unit 21b for providing these information to the information terminal and other business data storage unit 21c.

The management computer 2 as described above includes, for example, a communication server that receives various data from the handy terminal 1 and transmits the data to the host computer, and a WWW server that serves the Web server unit and provides information to the shipper and the like. ,
It is realized by an image server that stores and manages the acquired data and a host computer that controls overall delivery work. In particular, high reliability is maintained by using inter-application communication as communication between the communication server and the host computer. .

The authentication information obtained by the communication server is stored in the image server. At this time, it is preferable to create invoice image data and manage it separately from the image data of the authentication information. Further, a website for providing delivery information is constructed by the WWW server, and is configured to be accessible from the information terminal of the shipper through the communication network. When making a package inquiry, the package number corresponds to the corresponding delivery completion information. By extracting the image data of the invoice and the image data of the authentication information and transmitting them, a screen as shown in FIG. 6 described later is output and displayed on the information terminal.

Next, the branch computer 4 of the collection and delivery center Sd is composed of a single computer or a plurality of computers, and as shown in FIG. 4, a storage means 41 and an adapter device centering on a processing means 40 mainly composed of a microprocessor. 42 and the communication control means 44 are connected to manage the work information of the entire delivery work in the branch office.

The adapter device 42 is provided at the collection / delivery center Sd.
The delivery completion information and the authentication information are collected by mounting the handy terminal 1 of the delivery person who has returned to, and the acquired text data of the delivery completion information and the image data of the authentication information are managed in the storage means 41. These pieces of information are appropriately transmitted to the management computer 2 via the communication network N, and then managed by the management computer 2 as described above. In this example, the branch computer 4 and the management computer 2 are communicatively connected to each other via a dedicated line.

FIG. 5 is a schematic flow chart showing an embodiment of the processing procedure in the delivery information providing system S.

At the time of delivery, the delivery person inputs delivery person information such as the car number and the delivery person's ID number into the handy terminal (step 10
1) The information on the number and the number of packages is also input as the package information (step 102). Here, it is also preferable that the delivery person information is stored in the handy terminal in advance, for example, when starting a delivery service for one day.
A preferred example is also one in which a C-card mounting portion is provided and the information is acquired from the IC card of the mounted delivery person.
Further, if the baggage information is associated with a bar code provided on the invoice and a handy terminal is provided with a reader unit for reading the bar code, the baggage information can be efficiently and accurately input.

Next, the recognition means for recognizing the receipt confirmation information of the consignee is selected (step 103). The recognition means is CC
When either D-camera photography or touch panel display section reading of the receipt signature is selected and photography is selected, the receipt sign of the consignee or the imprint of the receipt stamp on the invoice is photographed (step 104), and the receipt signature is obtained. If you choose to read, the consignee will sign the receipt on the touch screen with a special stylus and read it (step
105).

If the handy terminal is provided with a photographing means for photographing the figure of the recipient, and the image data including the figure of the recipient is acquired together with the receipt confirmation information, this can be used as authentication information. Become.

If the voice input means for inputting the voice message of the recipient is provided in the handy terminal and the voice message of the recipient is acquired together with the receipt confirmation information, the voice message of the recipient can be obtained at the time of inquiry described later. By providing the voice message to the shipper, the voice message service can be provided.

Further, in the case where the handy terminal is provided with the function of the videophone, for example, the function of automatically dialing the phone of the shipper based on the inputted baggage information is provided, it becomes possible to provide a more convenient service.

The delivery person confirms the photographed receipt signature or imprint or the read receipt signature on the screen, and a screen is displayed as to whether or not to send the receipt confirmation information and the entered delivery completion information to the management computer of the center. Select above (step 106) and select the confirm button (step 10)
7) Complete recognition of receipt confirmation information.

When the transmission is selected in step 106, the delivery completion information and the receipt confirmation information are transmitted to the management computer of the delivery information center via the mobile communication network (step 108), and the communication server receiving the information receives the information. The details of the delivery completion information are transmitted to the host computer by inter-application communication (step 112) and managed by the storage means (step 113). Further, the communication server stores the image data of the invoice included in the delivery completion information in the image server and transfers the receipt confirmation information which is also the image data to the image server (step 11).
Four). Both of these image data are stored in directories divided according to the invoice number (step 115).

On the other hand, when the non-transmission is selected in step 106, after the delivery person returns to the collection and delivery center, the information stored in the handy terminal is taken into the branch computer via the adapter device (step 109), It is managed by the storage device of the computer (step 11).
0). These pieces of information are collectively transmitted to the management computer together with other business data, for example (step
111).

By the way, the delivery vehicle 6 is always located near the delivery person carrying the handy terminal while the delivery person performs the delivery work for one day. Therefore, when transmitting information to the management computer via the mobile communication network as described above,
It is also possible to transmit the information to the vehicle-mounted computer provided in the delivery vehicle and then transmit it from the computer to the management computer through the mobile communication network.

Specifically, the information of the handy terminal can be taken in from the adapter device provided in the vehicle-mounted computer, but preferably the vehicle-mounted computer and the handy terminal are provided with short-distance wireless data communication means so that they can be delivered from the site where the package is delivered. Alternatively, it is possible to wirelessly transmit after returning to the delivery vehicle 6. As the short-distance wireless data communication means, a 2.4 GHz ISM that does not require a license for a carrier frequency is used.
Those using the (Industrial Scientific Medical) band are preferable, and among them, it is preferable to adopt the "Bluetooth" method in terms of low cost.

Further, although it may be transmitted directly from the vehicle-mounted computer to the management computer through the mobile communication network,
For example, it is also preferable that an in-vehicle computer is provided with an IC card mounting unit, information is stored in the IC card mounted on this unit, and the information stored via the card is collectively input to a branch computer as business data for one day. Here is an example.

For the inquiry of the delivery status, the information terminal accesses the Web site on the Internet managed by the WWW server of the management computer, and the parcel number is input and transmitted as the inquiry number. The WWW server makes a search request to the host computer based on the package number received from the information terminal, obtains delivery completion information corresponding to the number, performs HTML conversion, and returns the information to the information terminal. In this HTML document, invoice image data of the invoice number and image data of receipt confirmation information extracted from the image server are embedded, and as shown in FIG. 6, the delivery completion information 50 is displayed on the display unit 5 of the information terminal. These image data 51 and 52 are displayed, and the shipper can confirm the delivery status from these information.

[0044]

As described above, according to the delivery information providing system of the present invention, the receipt confirmation information of the recipient acquired by the handy terminal when the delivery is completed is provided to the consignor as the inquiry information. With this, the fact that the delivery has been completed becomes clearer, it is possible to provide more reliable information than before, and it is also possible to perform delivery management more accurately.

Since the receipt confirmation information recognized by the handy terminal is the receipt signature or imprint of the receipt stamp on the invoice photographed by the CCD camera, the recognizing means can be constructed at low cost and The recognition work is also easy.

Since the receipt confirmation information recognized by the handy terminal is the receipt sign written on the touch screen of the touch panel display by the consignee, the receipt sign can be directly recognized without the operation of the delivery person. The recognition work can be made efficient.

Since the branch computer of the collection / delivery center is provided for transmitting the delivery completion information and the receipt confirmation information fetched from the handy terminal to the management computer of the delivery information center through the communication network, the branch computer can perform various operations on the information. The information can be sent to the management computer at the same time, and the information management becomes efficient.

The short-distance wireless data communication means for receiving the delivery completion information and the receipt confirmation information from the handy terminal, and the transmitting means for transmitting the information to the management computer of the delivery information center via the mobile communication network. Since the in-vehicle computer of the delivery vehicle is provided, the burden on the handy terminal is reduced, the storage means and the communication means are simplified, and the cost can be reduced.

Since the handy terminal also functions as an information terminal, for example, when receiving a package, it is possible to inquire the delivery status of the package previously requested by the recipient, which improves convenience. Also, the delivery person himself / herself can refer to the delivery status and easily grasp the delivered package, which can improve the efficiency and reliability of the work and is convenient for the package management.

The handy terminal is equipped with a photographing means for photographing the image of the recipient, and the image data of the photographed recipient is sent to the management computer of the delivery information center together with the delivery completion information. It can be used for management work as more reliable authentication information.

Since the handy terminal is provided with a voice input means for inputting a voice message of the recipient, and the input voice message is provided to the consignor, when the package inquiry is made,
It is possible to convey the voice message of the recipient to the consignor, which realizes a convenient and warm service.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an overall configuration of a delivery information providing system according to a representative embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration of a handy terminal.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration of a management computer of a delivery information center.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration of a branch computer of a collection and delivery center.

FIG. 5 is a schematic flowchart showing a processing procedure from delivery completion to information management.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a display unit of the information terminal that displays a delivery status inquiry result.

[Explanation of symbols]

S delivery information system Si delivery information center Sd Collection and Delivery Center N communication network M mobile communication network 1 Handy terminal 2 management computer 3 information terminals 4 branch computers 5 Display 6 delivery vehicles 10 processor 10a Delivery processing department 10b Image recognition processing unit 10c Sign recognition processing unit 10d transmission processing unit 11 operation buttons 12 Touch panel display 13 CCD camera 14 Communication control unit 20 processing means 20a Information processing unit 20b Web server unit 21 storage means 21a data storage unit 21b Information providing storage unit 21c Business data storage unit 24 Communication control means 40 processing means 41 storage means 42 Adapter device 44 Communication control means 50 Delivery completion information 51,52 image data

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. An input means for inputting information indicating completion of delivery, a recognition means for recognizing receipt confirmation information of the consignee, and a receipt recognized together with the delivery completion information to the management computer of the delivery information center. A handy terminal carried by a delivery person, which is provided with a transmitting means for transmitting confirmation information via a mobile communication network, a receiving means for receiving the delivery completion information and the receipt confirmation information, and a storage means for managing these information. A delivery information center management computer including information providing means for providing these information to the consignor, and receiving means for receiving a query result regarding the delivery status from the delivery information center management computer via a communication network, An information terminal used by the shipper, which comprises a display means for visually outputting the acquired inquiry result information on the screen; A delivery information providing system that can confirm the delivery completion of packages by the inquiry result including the receipt confirmation information displayed on the screen. 2. The handy terminal is CC as a recognition means.
A D camera is provided, and the receipt confirmation information recognized is the CC
2. The delivery information providing system according to claim 1, wherein the delivery information providing system is a receipt signature or an imprint of a receipt stamp on a consignee recorded on an invoice photographed by a D camera. 3. The delivery information provision according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the handy terminal includes a touch panel display unit as a recognizing means, and the receipt confirmation information recognized is a receipt signature written on the touch screen by the consignee. system. 4. The information of the inquiry result provided from the management computer to the shipper, image data of receipt confirmation information,
The delivery information providing system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising invoice image data created by the computer. 5. A receiving means for receiving delivery completion information and receipt confirmation information from the handy terminal, a storage means for managing these information, and a transmission for transmitting these information to a management computer of a delivery information center via a communication network. The delivery information providing system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising a branch computer of a collection and delivery center including means. 6. A short-range wireless data communication means for receiving delivery completion information and receipt confirmation information from the handy terminal,
An in-vehicle computer of a delivery vehicle provided with a transmitting means for transmitting these information to a management computer of a delivery information center via a mobile communication network is provided, and the handy terminal, as a communication means, delivers delivery completion information and receipt confirmation information. 6. A short-range wireless data communication unit for transmitting to the vehicle-mounted computer, according to claim 1.
Delivery information provision system described in section. 7. The receiving means for the handy terminal to receive the inquiry result regarding the delivery status from the management computer of the delivery information center via the communication network, and the display for visually outputting the acquired inquiry result information on the screen. The delivery information providing system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising: means for functioning as an information terminal capable of confirming receipt of a package by an inquiry result including receipt confirmation information displayed on the screen of the terminal. 8. The handy terminal is provided with a photographing means for photographing the figure of the recipient, and the image data of the photographed recipient is transmitted to the management computer of the delivery information center together with the delivery completion information and stored by the storage means. The delivery information providing system according to claim 1, which is managed. 9. The handy terminal includes voice input means for inputting a voice message of a recipient, and the voice message input is transmitted to a management computer of a delivery information center together with delivery completion information and managed by a storage means. In addition, the information terminal includes a voice output unit for outputting the voice message acquired from the computer of the management center by the receiving unit, and the output voice message is transmitted to the consignor. The delivery information providing system according to item 1.