TWI839137B - Operating method for providing packing information and electronic apparatus supporting thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

Disclosed is a method of providing packing information by an electronic apparatus, the method including identifying information on one or more items ordered by a user on a service related to the electronic apparatus and information on a fulfillment center for delivering the one or more items, acquiring type information and stock information on coolant to be used for item packing in the fulfillment center, setting coolant packing information including one or more coolant types to be used for packing the one or more items and a packing quantity of each coolant corresponding to the one or more coolant types based on the type information and the stock information, and providing packing information including the coolant packing information and item packing information on the one or more items.

Description

Methods of operation for providing packaging information and electronic equipment supporting the method

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for providing packaging information, and more particularly, the present invention relates to a method and electronic apparatus for providing packaging information including information about a coolant to be packaged together with an item ordered by a user.

With the development of electronic technology, e-commerce has been established as a shopping field. Customers can buy goods online without going to a shopping mall or market in person. The items purchased online are delivered to the delivery destination requested by the customer.

A logistics information management system for e-commerce services can operate multiple distribution centers to provide services with increased efficiency. For example, when a buyer makes an order request for an item, the logistics information management system can determine a distribution center to handle the order based on the attributes of the order (such as a delivery address, a stock quantity in the distribution center, etc.) and assign (allocate) the corresponding order to the determined distribution center.

From this point on, relevant documents (such as KR100932262B1 and similar) may be incorporated by reference.

[Technical objectives]

According to one aspect, an electronic device for providing packaging information may provide packaging information including information about a type and quantity of coolants to be packaged together for delivery of an item ordered by a user.

The technical objectives to be achieved in the present invention are not limited to the technical objectives described above, and those familiar with this technology will clearly understand other technical objectives not mentioned in this article from the following description. [Technical Solution]

Various example embodiments may provide a method of operating an electronic device for providing package information and an electronic device for supporting the method.

According to various example embodiments, a method for providing packaging information by an electronic device is provided, the method comprising: identifying information about one or more items ordered by a user on a service related to the electronic device and information about a distribution center used to deliver the one or more items; obtaining type information and inventory information about coolants to be used for packaging items in the distribution center; setting coolant packaging information including one or more types of coolants to be used for packaging the one or more items and a packaging quantity of each coolant corresponding to the one or more coolant types based on the type information and the inventory information; and providing packaging information including the coolant packaging information and item packaging information about the one or more items.

The type information may include at least a portion of the refrigerant types prepared in the distribution center among a plurality of refrigerant types managed for the packaging of items in the service.

The plurality of coolant types may include a first coolant type using dry ice, a second coolant type using a low capacity polymer, a third coolant type using a high capacity polymer, and a fourth coolant type using a phase change material (PCM).

The inventory information may include information about the current storage quantity of each refrigerant corresponding to the at least one portion of the refrigerant type at the distribution center.

The method may further include obtaining price information about each coolant type included in the type information, and supply and demand scheduling information about the distribution center for each coolant type included in the type information.

The supply and demand scheduling message may include information regarding an estimated quantity and an estimated date on which coolant of each coolant type included in the type message is to be supplied to the distribution center.

The method may further include determining the one or more coolant types and a packaging quantity of each coolant corresponding to the one or more coolant types based on the supply and demand information, the price information, and the current storage quantity information about the distribution center for each coolant type included in the type information.

The method may further include: identifying information about a delivery type of the one or more items; identifying a package maintenance temperature of the one or more items based on the information about the delivery type; and determining the one or more coolant types and a packaging quantity of each coolant corresponding to the one or more coolant types based on the package maintenance temperature.

The delivery type may include at least one of a room temperature delivery type, a refrigerated delivery type, and a frozen delivery type.

The determination of the one or more coolant types and a packaging quantity of each coolant corresponding to the one or more coolant types may include: obtaining information about a temperature maintenance function of each coolant type included in the type information; and determining the one or more coolant types and a packaging quantity of each coolant corresponding to the one or more coolant types based on the information about the temperature maintenance function and the package maintenance temperature. The temperature maintenance function may include at least one of a freezing temperature maintenance function and a refrigeration temperature maintenance function.

The method may further include determining a packaging box type used to package the one or more items.

The packaging box type may be determined to correspond to the information regarding the delivery type.

The method may further include: identifying a first message including information indicating that the one or more items correspond to a first delivery type; identifying a first packaging box type determined to correspond to the first delivery type based on the first message; and setting the packaging message to include information about a first packaging box corresponding to the first packaging box type.

When the first distribution type corresponds to a delivery type of a refrigerated delivery type and a frozen delivery type, the coolant packaging information may include the one or more coolant types determined based on a packaging maintenance temperature of the one or more items identified according to the one delivery type and a packaging quantity of each coolant corresponding to the one or more coolant types.

When the first delivery type corresponds to a room temperature delivery type, the coolant packaging message may be configured to include a message indicating that the coolant will not be packaged.

The method may further include: identifying a second message including information indicating that a portion of the items included in the one or more items corresponds to a second delivery type and a third message including information indicating that a remaining item other than the portion of the items in the one or more items corresponds to a third delivery type; identifying a second packaging box type determined to correspond to the second delivery type based on the second message; identifying a third packaging box type determined to correspond to the third delivery type based on the third message; and setting the packaging message to include information about a second packaging box corresponding to the second packaging box type and information about a third packaging box corresponding to the third packaging box type.

A first coolant packaging message for the portion of the items may be set, a second coolant packaging message for the remaining items may be set, and the first coolant packaging message and the second coolant packaging message may be included in the coolant packaging message.

A packaging quantity of each coolant corresponding to the one or more coolant types may be determined based on a volume of the one or more items.

According to various example embodiments, an electronic device for providing packaging information is provided, the electronic device comprising a processor and one or more memories storing one or more instructions therein, wherein when executed, the one or more instructions control the processor to perform: identifying information about one or more items ordered by a user on a service associated with the electronic device and information about a distribution center for delivering the one or more items; The method comprises obtaining type information and inventory information about the coolant to be used for packaging items in the distribution center; setting coolant packaging information including one or more coolant types to be used for packaging the one or more items and a packaging quantity of each coolant corresponding to the one or more coolant types based on the type information and the inventory information; and providing packaging information including the coolant packaging information and item packaging information about the one or more items.

The exemplary embodiments of the present invention described above are only some exemplary embodiments of the present invention. Those skilled in the art will understand that various exemplary embodiments reflecting the technical features of various exemplary embodiments of the present invention can be derived based on the following detailed description. [Effect]

The present invention has the following technical effects: the convenience of packaging an item can be enhanced by presenting a method of providing packaging information including information about the type and quantity of coolants to be packaged together for delivery of an item ordered by a user through an electronic device.

The effects to be obtained in the present invention are not limited to the aforementioned effects, and those skilled in the art will clearly understand other effects not mentioned herein from the following description.

The following example embodiments are obtained by combining the components and features of various example embodiments in a predetermined form. Unless otherwise clearly stated, each component or feature may be considered as optional. Each component or feature may be defined in a form that is not coupled to another component or feature. In addition, some components and features may be combined with each other to implement various example embodiments. The order of the operations described in the various example embodiments may be changed. Some components or features of any one of the example embodiments may be included in other example embodiments, or may be replaced by corresponding components or features of other example embodiments.

In the description of the drawings, procedures or steps and the like that may make the gist of various exemplary embodiments unclear have not been described, and procedures or steps that can be understood by those skilled in the art have not been described either.

When throughout the specification, a part "includes or includes" a component, this means that the part may further include other components, rather than excluding other components (unless otherwise specified). In addition, the terms used herein (such as "part", "-device,-" "module" and the like) may refer to a unit that performs at least one function or operation, which may be implemented as hardware or software, or may be implemented as a combination of hardware and software. In addition, unless otherwise expressly specified in the content describing various example embodiments (specifically, the content in the scope of the invention application), the words "a (a or an)", "one", "the" and similar words may be used to include singular or plural forms.

Various exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The detailed description to be disclosed below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings is intended to describe examples of various exemplary embodiments and is not limited thereto.

Furthermore, the terms used in various example embodiments are provided to facilitate overall understanding of the various example embodiments, and the use of these specific terms may be changed to other terms without departing from the technical concepts of the various example embodiments.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a packaging information providing system for implementing an operating method of an electronic device for providing packaging information according to various exemplary embodiments.

Referring to FIG. 1 , the packaging information providing system according to various example embodiments can be implemented for various types of electronic devices. For example, the packaging information providing system can be implemented in a server device 100 for providing a service, a server device 200 of a distribution center associated with the service, and a user device 300. In other words, each of the server device 100 for providing the service, the server device 200 of the distribution center, and the user device 300 can perform operations according to various example embodiments of the present invention based on a packaging information providing system implemented in each device. However, the packaging information providing system according to various example embodiments is not limited to the system shown in FIG. 1 but can be implemented using other various types of electronic devices and servers.

The server device 100 for providing services according to various exemplary embodiments may be a device that performs wired and wireless communications with a plurality of server devices 200 of a distribution center and includes a large-capacity storage. For example, the server device 100 for providing services may be a cloud device interlocked with a plurality of server devices 200 of a distribution center.

The server device 200 of the distribution center according to various exemplary embodiments may be a device that performs wired and wireless communications with the server device 100 for providing services or a plurality of user devices 300 and includes a large capacity storage. For example, the server device 200 of the distribution center may be a cloud device interlocked with the server device 100 for providing services or a plurality of user devices 300.

The user device 300 according to various exemplary embodiments may be a device that can be used by an individual user or a staff member in a distribution center, such as a desktop personal computer (PC), a tablet PC, a mobile terminal, or the like. In addition, other electronic devices that perform similar functions may be used as the user device 300.

According to various examples of implementation, the packaged information providing system may include various modules for operation. The modules included in the packaged information providing system may be computer program codes or one or more instructions, which are implemented so that a physical device (for example, a server device 100 for providing services, a server device 200 of a distribution center, and a user device 300) that implements the packaged information providing system (or included in the physical device) performs operations assigned to it. In other words, in the physical device that implements the packaged information providing system, a plurality of modules can be stored in a memory in the form of a computer program code. When executed by a computer, the plurality of modules stored in the memory can be configured so that the physical device performs assigned operations corresponding to the plurality of modules.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a server device and a user device according to various example embodiments.

2 , a server device 100 for providing a service, a server device 200 of a distribution center, and a user device 300 may each include an input/output portion 210 , a communication portion 220 , a storage 230 , and a processor 240 .

The input/output portion 210 may be various interfaces, various ports, or the like that receive a user input or output information to the user. The input/output portion 210 may include an input module and an output module. The input module receives a user input from a user. The user input may have various forms of input, including key input, touch input, and voice input. Examples of input modules for receiving messenger input may include a traditional keypad or keyboard, a mouse and a touch sensor for sensing a user's touch, a microphone for receiving an audio signal, a camera for recognizing a gesture or the like through image recognition, a proximity sensor for sensing the approach of a user including at least one of an illumination sensor or an infrared sensor, a motion sensor for recognizing a user's movement through an accelerometer or a gyroscope sensor, and at least one of various forms of input portions for sensing or inputting various forms of user input, and an input module according to an example embodiment of the present invention may include at least one of the devices listed above. Here, the touch sensor may be implemented using a piezoelectric or capacitive touch sensor that senses a touch via a touch panel or a touch film attached to a display panel, an optical touch sensor that senses a touch by an optical method, or the like. In addition, the input module may be implemented in the form of an input interface (USB port, PS/2 port, or the like) to which user input is received rather than by a device that senses user input itself. In addition, the output module may output multiple messages of various types. The output module may include at least one of a display for outputting an image, a speaker for outputting a sound, a tactile device for generating a vibration, and various other forms of output parts. In addition, the output module can also be implemented in the form of an output interface of a port type connected to the aforementioned individual output parts.

As an example, an output module in the form of a display can display a text, a still image, and a moving image. The display can include at least one of a liquid crystal display (LCD), a light emitting diode (LED) display, an organic light emitting diode (OLED) display, a flat panel display (FPD), a transparent display, a curved display, a flexible display, a three-dimensional display, a holographic display, a projector, and other types of devices capable of performing image output functions. Such a display can have the form of a touch display configured integrally with the touch sensor of the input module.

The communication part 220 can communicate with another device. Therefore, each of the server device 100 for providing services, the server device 200 of the distribution center, and the user device 300 can transmit a message to another device or receive a message from another device via the communication part 220. For example, the server device 100 for providing services, the server device 200 of the distribution center, and the user device 300 can communicate with each other or with another device using the communication part 220.

Here, communication, i.e., transmission and reception of data, can be performed in a wired or wireless manner. For this purpose, the communication part may include a wired communication module connected to the Internet or the like via a local area network (LAN), a mobile communication module connected to a mobile communication network via a mobile communication base station to transmit and receive data, and a near field communication module using a wireless local area network (WLAN) series communication solution (such as wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi)) or a wireless personal area network (WPAN) series communication solution (such as Bluetooth or Zigbee), a satellite communication module using a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) (such as a global positioning system) or a combination thereof.

The memory 230 can store various messages. The memory can store data temporarily or semi-permanently. For example, an operating system (OS) for driving the server device 100 for providing services or the server device 200 of the distribution center, data for hosting a website, data about a program or application for generating braille (e.g., a web application), or the like can be stored in the memory of the server device 100 for providing services or the server device 200 of the distribution center. In addition, the memory can store modules in the form of computer program codes as described above.

Examples of the memory 230 may include a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), a flash memory, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), and the like. Such a memory may be provided in a built-in type or a removable type.

The processor 240 controls the overall operation of the server device 100 for providing services, the server device 200 of the distribution center, and the user device 300. To this end, the processor 240 can perform calculations and processing of various messages and control the operation of the components of the server device 100 for providing services, the server device 200 of the distribution center, and the user device 300. For example, the processor 240 can execute a program or application for providing packaging information. Depending on hardware, software, or a combination thereof, the processor 240 can be implemented using a computer or a device similar thereto. The processor 240 can be implemented in the form of an electronic circuit that processes electrical signals to execute control functions in hardware, and can be implemented in the form of a program that drives the hardware processor 240 in software. Meanwhile, it can be interpreted that unless otherwise specifically stated in the following description, the operations of the server device 100 for providing services, the server device 200 of the distribution center, and the user device 300 are performed under the control of the processor 240. That is, when the modules implemented in the packaging information providing system described above are executed, it can be interpreted that the processor 240 controls the server device 100 for providing services, the server device 200 of the distribution center, and the user device 300 to perform the following operations.

In short, example embodiments can be implemented in various ways. For example, example embodiments can be implemented by hardware, firmware, software, a combination thereof, or the like.

In the case of hardware implementation, a method according to various exemplary embodiments may be implemented by one or more application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), digital signal processing devices (DSPs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), processors, controllers, microcontrollers, microprocessors, or the like.

In the case of implementation by firmware or software, the methods according to various exemplary embodiments may be implemented in the form of modules, programs or functions that perform the functions or operations to be described below. For example, the software code may be stored in a memory and driven by a processor. The memory may be located inside or outside the processor, and data may be transmitted to or received from the processor by various known devices.

The following will describe the example embodiments in more detail based on the technical concepts described above. The content described above can be applied to various example embodiments to be described below. For example, operations, functions, terms or the like that are not defined in various example embodiments to be described below can be performed and described based on the content described above.

In the following description, various example embodiments will be described on the premise that a server device 100 for providing a service or a server device 200 of a distribution center performs a packaging information providing operation. According to various example embodiments, the server device 100 for providing a service may provide a packaging information to the server device 200 of the distribution center, or the server device 200 of the distribution center may provide the packaging information to the user device 300 of the packaging staff, and the user device 300 may output the packaging information. In the following description, for the sake of brevity, a method of performing a packaging information providing operation by a server device 100 for providing a service or a server device 100 related to a service, and the present invention is not limited thereto.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an operating method of a server device 100 for providing packaging information according to various exemplary embodiments.

Referring to FIG. 3 , a server device 100 for providing a service provides packaging information. To perform an operation of providing packaging information, the server device 100 may identify information about one or more items ordered by a user on a service associated with the server device 100 and information about a distribution center for delivering the one or more items in operation 301; obtain information about the type of coolant to be used for packaging the items in the identified distribution center and the inventory in operation 303; In operation 305, based on the acquired type information and inventory information, coolant packaging information including one or more coolant types to be used for packaging one or more items and a packaging quantity of each coolant corresponding to the one or more coolant types is set; and in operation 307, packaging information including the set coolant packaging information and item packaging information about the one or more items is provided.

According to various example embodiments, in operation 301, the server device 100 may identify information about one or more items ordered by a user on a service associated with the server device 100 and information about a distribution center for delivering the one or more items.

For example, in operation 301, the service associated with the server device 100 may correspond to a service used by a plurality of users to place orders and make purchases. The plurality of items sold in the service may include various types or categories of items registered by sellers to sell items without limiting the types or categories of items.

When a user orders or purchases an item through the service associated with the server device 100, the server device 100 for providing the service can identify the item ordered and purchased by the user, and provide a message indicating the packaging and delivery of the corresponding item to the server device 200 of the distribution center for delivering the corresponding item. Therefore, the message provided by the server device 100 providing the service to the server device 200 of the distribution center to indicate the packaging and delivery of the ordered and purchased item can include the packaging information of the present invention related to the packaging of the corresponding item.

The server device 200 of the distribution center that receives the message instructing the packaging and delivery of the ordered and purchased items can provide the message related to the packaging and delivery of the ordered and purchased items to the user device 300 of the packaging staff of the distribution center based on the received message. Therefore, the message provided by the server device 200 of the distribution center to the user device 300 of the packaging staff to instruct the packaging and delivery of the items can include the packaging information of the present invention related to the packaging of the corresponding items or the packaging related message generated based on the packaging information of the present invention.

For example, information about one or more items ordered by a user in a service according to operation 301 may correspond to items included in information about a single order placed by the user. The server device 100 may be managed so that a user orders one or more items in a single order and the ordered one or more items are delivered to the user together.

For example, information about the distribution center identified by the server device 100 according to operation 301 may correspond to information about a distribution center identified based on address information about the user to deliver one or more items ordered by the user. The server device 100 associated with the service may identify the address information about the user based on the identification information about the user identified in the service, and the identified address information may be used to identify one or more distribution centers for dispatching one or more items ordered by the user. The server device 100 may specify one of the identified one or more distribution centers that is determined to be suitable for dispatching one or more items, and instruct to dispatch one or more items included in the user's order from the one distribution center.

According to various example embodiments, in operation 303, the server device 100 may obtain type information and inventory information about the refrigerant to be used for the item packaging in the identified distribution center.

For example, a coolant used for article packaging may be a heat exchange medium to be packaged with an article to maintain the state or temperature of the article when the article is delivered. The article may maintain freshness or state according to the characteristics of the article. For this purpose, during a delivery process, a temperature of the article may be managed at a refrigerated temperature or a frozen temperature. To deliver articles having such characteristics, a coolant having a refrigerated temperature maintenance function or a frozen temperature maintenance function may be packaged with the article.

For example, the information about the type of coolant obtained by the server device 100 according to operation 303 may include information about at least a portion of the types of coolants prepared in the distribution center determined to be used for delivering the item among the plurality of types of coolants managed for the packaging of the item on the service provided by the server device 100. The service provided by the server device 100 can manage various types of coolants to be packaged with items that need to be managed at a refrigerated temperature or a frozen temperature during the delivery process. In each distribution center connected to the service, some or all of the various types of coolants can be prepared, ordered, or supplied as needed, and a stock quantity of each type of coolant can be managed.

For example, a plurality of coolant types for item packaging management on the service provided by the server device 100 may include 1) a first coolant type using dry ice, 2) a second coolant type using a low-capacity polymer, 3) a third coolant type using a high-capacity polymer, and 4) a fourth coolant type using a phase change material (PCM). That is, based on a temperature maintenance function of the coolant, a capacity of the coolant, and/or the state of the element contained in the coolant, various types of coolants having a refrigeration temperature maintenance function or a freezing temperature maintenance function for items may be classified into various types.

As an example, a first coolant type coolant using dry ice may be packaged in a process of delivering an item corresponding to a frozen product for a freezing temperature maintenance function, and may be distinguished from a coolant type coolant packaged with another coolant type coolant corresponding to a refrigerated product for a refrigeration temperature maintenance function. As another example, a second coolant type coolant using a low-capacity polymer may be used in a process of delivering an item having a relatively small volume, and may be distinguished from a third coolant type coolant using a high-capacity polymer that may be used in a process of delivering an item having a relatively large volume.

For example, the inventory information about the refrigerant to be used obtained by the server device 100 according to operation 303 may include the current storage quantity information of each refrigerant in the distribution center. That is, for each refrigerant corresponding to the type of refrigerant stored in the distribution center, the distribution center can manage a current inventory quantity.

For example, the server device 100 that obtains the type information and inventory information about the coolant to be used in the distribution center according to operation 303 can obtain information related to a price of each type of coolant or a supply and demand status of each type of coolant in the distribution center. That is, for each type of coolant included in the type information obtained according to operation 303, the server device 100 can obtain price information about each type of coolant and supply and demand scheduling information about each type of coolant in the distribution center, and based on this, the inventory of each type of coolant can be managed. For example, based on the price or supply and demand status of various types of refrigerants, the service-related server device 100 can manage a type of refrigerant to be mainly used for item delivery in the distribution center or a type of refrigerant to be prepared in the distribution center.

For example, the price information about each type of coolant included in the type information obtained by the server device 100 according to operation 303 may include a price or unit price of each coolant corresponding to each coolant type. In addition, the supply and demand scheduling information about the distribution center for each type of coolant included in the type information obtained by the server device 100 according to operation 303 may include information about an estimated quantity and an estimated date for each type of coolant to be supplied to the distribution center.

For example, for each type of refrigerant included in the type information to be used in the distribution center, when the server device 100 associated with the service is able to identify the current storage quantity information, price information and supply and demand scheduling information for each type of refrigerant in the distribution center, the server device 100 can determine a packaging quantity and type of the refrigerant to be used for item packaging based on the identification information as described in reference FIG. 4.

According to various exemplary embodiments, in operation 305, based on the acquired type information and inventory information, the server device 100 may set coolant packaging information including one or more types of coolants to be used for packaging one or more items and a packaging quantity corresponding to each of the one or more types of coolants.

For example, one or more types of coolants included in the coolant packaging information set by the server device 100 according to operation 305 and the packaging quantity of each coolant corresponding to the one or more types can be determined based on the current storage quantity information of each type of coolant stored in the distribution center, the price information of each type of coolant, and the supply and demand scheduling information of the distribution center for each type of coolant.

Specifically, the server device 100 may sequentially consider the current storage quantity information, the supply and demand scheduling information, and the price information to perform an operation of determining the packaging quantity and type of the coolant to be used for packaging the item among the types of coolants prepared in the distribution center.

First, the server device 100 can identify a required coolant package quantity for one or more items ordered by a user, which can be determined based on a delivery type of one or more items included in an order placed by the user or a volume of one or more items, as described in the example embodiment of reference FIG. 5 .

When the server device 100 identifies the required coolant package quantity for one or more items ordered by the user, the server device 100 can determine a packaging combination of a type of coolant and a package quantity of coolant corresponding to the coolant type to meet the required coolant package quantity based on a current inventory quantity of each type of coolant prepared in the distribution center.

Specifically, in a distribution center, it may be important to reduce the amount of coolant corresponding to the type of coolant prepared in the distribution center in a balanced manner. Therefore, the server device 100 may determine a packaging combination for satisfying the required coolant packaging quantity in proportion to the current inventory quantity of the type of coolant prepared in the distribution center. Here, the packaging combination may indicate a combination of a type of coolant and a packaging quantity of each type of coolant for satisfying the required coolant packaging quantity, and may be determined within the type of coolant prepared in the distribution center and an inventory quantity of each of the types of coolant. In order to determine the packaging combination as described above, the server device 100 may obtain in advance information about the current storage quantity of each type of coolant prepared in the distribution center.

For example, a distribution center may have 200 packages of a first refrigerant corresponding to a first refrigerant type, 200 packages of a second refrigerant corresponding to a second refrigerant type, 100 packages of a third refrigerant corresponding to a third refrigerant type, and zero packages of a fourth refrigerant corresponding to a fourth refrigerant type. In this example, when the required coolant package quantity for delivering one or more items ordered by the user is 5, a package combination including two packages of the first coolant, two packages of the second coolant, and one package of the third coolant may be determined, so that the coolant is reduced in proportion to the quantity of the coolant currently stored in the distribution center (200 packages of the first coolant, 200 packages of the second coolant, and 100 packages of the third coolant). Here, since the fourth coolant does not exist in the distribution center, the fourth coolant may be excluded from the determination of the package combination, and the package combination may be determined based on the current inventory quantity of other remaining types of coolants. If the quantity of coolant to be included in the packaging combination is counted as a decimal when determining a packaging combination in proportion to the current inventory quantity of each type of coolant, the packaging combination can be determined by calculating the quantity of coolant as a rounded value.

Therefore, by determining the packaging combination of the required coolant packaging quantity based on the current inventory quantity of each type of coolant, the server device 100 can manage the inventory of the types of coolants stored in the distribution center to be reduced in a balanced manner.

At the same time, if the distribution center has sufficient inventory for each type of refrigerant, instead of managing the current inventory quantity for immediate inventory management of each type of refrigerant, the server device 100 is expected to consider the future supply and demand for each type of refrigerant and prepare for inventory management of each type of refrigerant at a certain point in the future. For example, an inventory quantity of each type of refrigerant in the distribution center can be identified as sufficient and greater than or equal to a first critical quantity, so that it is expected that there will be no problem with refrigerant packaging for a period of time. In this example, in addition to the current inventory quantity, each type of coolant used to meet the required coolant packaging quantity and a packaging quantity corresponding to each type of coolant can also be determined based on an estimated quantity of coolant to be supplied from now until before or after a predetermined time point.

Specifically, in a distribution center, when the quantity of each refrigerant corresponding to the refrigerant type prepared in the corresponding distribution center is sufficient, and therefore it is expected that there will be no problem with the refrigerant packaging, it may be important to manage so that the expected refrigerant inventory quantity ensured at a predetermined time point in the future is balanced. Therefore, the server device 100 can set a predetermined time point for managing the estimated coolant inventory quantity in the future and obtain the estimated coolant inventory quantity "current inventory quantity + estimated quantity of coolant to be supplied before the predetermined time point" for each type of coolant prepared in the distribution center, thereby determining the packaging combination used to meet the required coolant packaging quantity in direct proportion to the estimated coolant inventory quantity of each type of coolant. In order to determine the packaging combination as described above, the server device 100 can obtain the supply and demand scheduling information and the current storage quantity information of each type of coolant prepared in the distribution center in advance.

For example, when the distribution center has 300 packages of a first refrigerant corresponding to a first refrigerant type, 300 packages of a second refrigerant corresponding to a second refrigerant type, 200 packages of a third refrigerant corresponding to a third refrigerant type, and zero packages of a fourth refrigerant corresponding to a fourth refrigerant type, the server device 100 can determine that the distribution center has sufficient inventory for each type of refrigerant. In this example, when 200 packages of the first refrigerant, 200 packages of the second refrigerant, and 50 packages of the third refrigerant are to be supplied to the distribution center before a predetermined time point set by the server device 100, and when the required number of refrigerant packages for delivering one or more items currently ordered by the user is 5, a packaging combination including two packages of the first refrigerant, two packages of the second refrigerant, and one package of the third refrigerant can be determined, so that the refrigerant decreases in proportion to the quantity of refrigerant ensured for each type in the distribution center at the predetermined time point (for example, 500 packages of the first refrigerant, 500 packages of the second refrigerant, 250 packages of the third refrigerant). Here, since the distribution center cannot ensure the fourth coolant, the fourth coolant can be excluded when determining the packaging combination, and the packaging combination can be determined based on the estimated coolant inventory quantity of "current inventory quantity + estimated quantity of coolant to be supplied before the scheduled time point" corresponding to other remaining types of coolants. When the packaging combination is determined in proportion to the "current inventory quantity + estimated quantity of coolant to be supplied before the scheduled time point" of each type of coolant, if the quantity of each coolant to be included in the packaging combination is calculated as a decimal, the packaging combination can be determined by calculating the quantity of each coolant as a rounded value.

Thus, by determining the packaging combination of the required coolant packaging quantity taking into account the current inventory quantity and the estimated quantity of coolant to be supplied for each type of coolant, the server device 100 can manage and balance the inventory to be ensured for the coolant type in the distribution center.

In addition, if the current inventory of each type of refrigerant in the distribution center and the inventory of the corresponding refrigerant estimated before a predetermined time point in the future based on a supply and demand status are both sufficient, it can be expected that there will be no problem with the packaging of the refrigerant before the predetermined time point to ensure supply. Therefore, the server device 100 can be configured to package more refrigerants of one type with a relatively low price, which can lead to a reduction in the cost of supplying various types of refrigerants to the distribution center in the future. For example, when the current inventory of a coolant type prepared in a distribution center is sufficient and greater than or equal to a first limit quantity, the estimated inventory for the coolant type at a future predetermined time point is identified as sufficient and greater than or equal to a second limit quantity, and therefore it is expected that there will be no problem with coolant packaging before the predetermined time point. In addition to the current inventory quantity and the estimated quantity of coolant to be supplied, a price of each type of coolant can also be considered to determine the packaging combination of each type of coolant and the packaging quantity of the corresponding type of coolant to meet the required coolant packaging quantity.

Specifically, in a distribution center, if both the current inventory quantity and the estimated future quantity of the coolant corresponding to each of the coolant types prepared in the distribution center are sufficient, and therefore it is expected that there will be no problem with coolant packaging, it may be important to manage the inventory of coolant by first receiving a type of coolant with a relatively low price when considering a future coolant supply, which may lead to cost reduction. Therefore, the server device 100 may identify a price per unit quantity for each coolant type and determine a packaging combination for satisfying a required coolant packaging quantity in inverse proportion to the price per unit quantity of the corresponding coolant type. To determine the packaging combination as described above, the server device 100 may obtain price information of various types of coolants prepared in the distribution center in advance.

For example, when the distribution center has 300 packages of a first refrigerant corresponding to a first refrigerant type, 300 packages of a second refrigerant corresponding to a second refrigerant type, 200 packages of a third refrigerant corresponding to a third refrigerant type, and zero packages of a fourth refrigerant corresponding to a fourth refrigerant type, the server device 100 can determine that the distribution center has sufficient inventory for each type of refrigerant. In addition, in this example, when 300 packages of the first refrigerant, 300 packages of the second refrigerant, and 200 packages of the third refrigerant are to be supplied to the distribution center before a predetermined time point set by the server device 100, the server device 100 may determine that an expected inventory status for each type of refrigerant in the distribution center is sufficient. In this example, when a unit price of the first coolant is 1,200 KRW, a unit price of the second coolant is 400 KRW, and a unit price of the third coolant is 1,200 KRW, and the number of coolant packages required for delivering one or more items currently ordered by the user is 5, a package combination including one package of the first coolant, three packages of the second coolant, and one package of the third coolant may be determined, so that the coolant decreases inversely proportional to the unit price of each coolant. Here, since the distribution center cannot ensure the fourth coolant, the fourth coolant can be excluded when determining the packaging combination, and the packaging combination can be determined based on the price per unit quantity of other remaining types of coolants. When the packaging combination is determined inversely proportional to the price of each type of coolant, if the quantity of each coolant to be included in the packaging combination is calculated as a decimal, the packaging combination can be determined by calculating the quantity of each coolant as a rounded value.

Therefore, by determining the packaging combination of the required coolant packaging quantity based on the price of each type of coolant when the current inventory quantity and the estimated quantity of coolant to be supplied for each type of coolant are sufficient, the server device 100 can first order a low-priced type of coolant when ordering coolants for future supply and demand of each type of coolant in the distribution center, thereby reducing costs.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a method for determining a packaging quantity and a type of coolant to be used for packaging an article in the server device 100 according to various example embodiments.

In operation 401, for a distribution center identified for delivering an item ordered by a user, a server device 100 associated with the service may obtain information about the current storage quantity of each type of coolant prepared in the distribution center. Thereafter, in operation 403, the server device 100 may obtain price information for each type of coolant prepared in the distribution center and supply and demand scheduling information for each coolant in the distribution center. In this example, the supply and demand scheduling information for each type of coolant obtained by the distribution center may include information about an estimated quantity and an estimated date for each type of coolant to be supplied to the distribution center.

In operation 405, when obtaining information about the current storage quantity of each type of refrigerant in the distribution center, the price information of each type of refrigerant, and the supply and demand scheduling information of each type of refrigerant in the distribution center, the server device 100 can determine a packaging quantity and a type of refrigerant to be used for item delivery based on the obtained information.

For example, one or more coolant types and a package quantity of each coolant corresponding to the one or more coolant types included in the coolant packaging information set by the server device 100 according to operation 305 may be determined based on the delivery type of one or more items ordered by the user.

As described above, one or more items ordered by the user may be items that are to be maintained in freshness or condition based on their characteristics, and for this reason, the items may be packaged and managed at a refrigerated temperature or a frozen temperature during a delivery process, which may be identified as information about the delivery type of the one or more items. For example, an item included in the one or more items may correspond to a room temperature delivery type to be delivered at room temperature, to a refrigerated delivery type managed to be delivered at a refrigerated temperature, or to a frozen delivery type managed to be delivered at a frozen temperature. Therefore, the information about the delivery type of the one or more items may include at least one of a room temperature delivery type, a refrigerated delivery type, and a frozen delivery type.

The server device 100 may identify information about a delivery type of one or more items in a process of setting coolant packaging information for one or more items ordered by a user, and identify a package maintenance temperature of the one or more items based on the information about the delivery type. Thereafter, the server device 100 may determine one or more coolant types and a packaging quantity of each coolant corresponding to the one or more coolant types for satisfying the identified package maintenance temperature.

In this example, when the delivery type of one or more items corresponds to the room temperature delivery type, the coolant may not be packaged. When the delivery type of one or more items corresponds to the refrigerated delivery type or the frozen delivery type, the coolant may be packaged for the one or more items. At the same time, based on whether the corresponding type of coolant has a function of maintaining a refrigerated temperature or a function of maintaining a frozen temperature, the temperature maintenance functions of the types of coolants prepared in the distribution center may be different or similar to each other. Therefore, the server device 100 can identify the temperature maintenance function of each type of coolant, and determine a packaging quantity and a type of coolant used to meet the packaging maintenance temperature. To this end, the server device 100 can obtain information about the temperature maintenance function of various types of coolants in the distribution center, identify the packaging maintenance temperature of one or more items, and determine one or more coolant types and a packaging quantity of each coolant corresponding to the one or more coolant types to meet the identified packaging maintenance temperature.

For example, a first refrigerant type using dry ice prepared at a distribution center is a type that can be used for a frozen delivery type because the frozen temperature maintenance function is relatively strong compared to other refrigerant types. In addition, a second refrigerant type using a low-capacity polymer and a third refrigerant type using a high-capacity polymer can be types that appropriately provide a frozen temperature maintenance function and a refrigerated temperature maintenance function and can be used for both a refrigerated delivery type and a frozen delivery type. When the delivery type of one or more items ordered by a user corresponds to a refrigerated delivery type, the first refrigerant type may not be used for packaging, and it may be determined to package a predetermined amount of refrigerant corresponding to each of the second refrigerant type and the third refrigerant type.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating another method for determining a package quantity and a type of coolant for a packaged item in the server device 100 according to various example embodiments.

In operation 501, a server device 100 associated with a service may identify information about a delivery type of one or more items ordered by a user. In operation 503, the server device 100 may identify a package maintenance temperature of the one or more items based on the information about the delivery type. Thereafter, in operation 505, the server device 100 may determine one or more coolant types and a packaging quantity of each coolant corresponding to the one or more coolant types based on the identified package maintenance temperature among the coolant types prepared in the distribution center.

For example, in addition to a delivery type of one or more items ordered by a user, one or more coolant types and the packaging quantity of each coolant corresponding to the one or more coolant types included in the coolant packaging information set by the server device 100 according to operation 305 can be determined based on current storage quantity information, price information and/or supply and demand scheduling information for each type of coolant stored in the distribution center. That is, the server device 100 can identify the delivery type of one or more items ordered by the user, mainly determine a part of the coolant types provided in the distribution center that have a temperature maintenance function that matches the identified delivery type, and identify the current storage quantity information, price information and supply and demand scheduling information used for the determined part of the coolant type, thereby performing an operation of determining a packaging quantity and a type of coolant to be used for packaging one or more items in the part of the coolant type, as described above in the example embodiment.

For example, the packaging quantity of each coolant corresponding to one or more coolant types included in the coolant packaging information set by the server device 100 according to operation 305 may be determined based on a volume of one or more items ordered by the user. That is, as the volume of the item ordered by the user increases, the quantity of the coolant packaged together with the item may increase.

According to various example embodiments, in operation 307, the server device 100 may provide packaging information including configured coolant packaging information and item packaging information regarding one or more items.

For example, the coolant packaging information included in the packaging information provided by the server device 100 according to operation 307 may be the coolant packaging information configured according to various example embodiments associated with operation 305.

For example, the item packaging information included in the packaging information provided by the server device 100 according to operation 307 may include information for a packaging worker in the distribution center to perform packaging of one or more items. For example, the item packaging information may include processing information for performing item packaging, such as a name of an item, an image of an item, an identifier (ID) of an item, a delivery type of an item, a packaging quantity of an item, and/or whether the item packaging is completed.

For example, the packaging information provided by server device 100 according to operation 307 may include information about a packing box for packing one or more articles. A packing box for packing one or more articles may correspond to a packing box corresponding to a packing box type determined based on a delivery type of one or more articles. That is, when a delivery type of an article was a room temperature delivery type, a packing box suitable for a room temperature delivery type may be classified as a type. When a delivery type of an article was a refrigerated delivery type, a packing box suitable for a refrigerated delivery type may be classified as a type. When a delivery type of an article was a frozen delivery type, a packing box suitable for a frozen delivery type may be classified as a type.

Thus, the server device 100 can recognize the information about the delivery type of one or more items and determine the type of packaging box used to package the one or more items based on the information about the delivery type. A packaging box corresponding to the determined packaging box type can be used to package the one or more items and the coolant.

For example, since the type of packaging box used to package items varies based on the delivery type of the items, the packaging box type and packaging box can vary based on whether the owners of one or more items ordered by the user correspond to the same delivery type or whether some of the one or more items correspond to different delivery types.

First, when the owners of one or more items ordered by the user correspond to the same delivery type, a packaging box type corresponding to the same delivery type can be identified, and information about a packaging box corresponding to the identified packaging box type can be included in the packaging information. That is, when the first message including information indicating that one or more items ordered by the user correspond to a first delivery type in the same manner is identified, the server device 100 can identify a first packaging box type determined to correspond to the first delivery type based on the first message, and set the packaging information so that information about a first packaging box corresponding to the first packaging box type is included in the packaging information.

In this example, when the first delivery type corresponding to one or more items corresponds to a delivery type of a refrigerated delivery type or a frozen delivery type, as described in the above exemplary embodiment, the server device 100 can identify a package maintenance temperature of the one or more items based on the information about a delivery type, and determine one or more coolant types based on the package maintenance temperature among the coolant types prepared in the distribution center and the packaging quantity of each coolant corresponding to the one or more coolant types. The determined one or more coolant types and packaging quantities can be included in the coolant packaging information of the one or more items. Meanwhile, when the first delivery type corresponding to one or more items corresponds to a room temperature delivery type, a separate coolant may not be packaged for the one or more items. In this case, information that the coolant is not packaged may be included in the coolant packaging information of the one or more items. In this example, a coolant type or packaging quantity may be excluded from the coolant packaging information.

In contrast, when one or more items ordered by a user correspond to different delivery types, that is, when a portion of the items included in the one or more items correspond to a second delivery type and the remaining items correspond to a third delivery type, different packaging box types corresponding to the delivery types can be identified, and information about each packaging box corresponding to each of the identified packaging box types can be included in the packaging information. That is, when identifying the second message including the message indicating that a portion of the items included in the one or more items ordered by the user corresponds to the second delivery type and the third message including the message indicating that the remaining items of the one or more items other than the portion of the items correspond to the third delivery type, the server device 100 can identify a second packaging box type determined to correspond to the second delivery type based on the second message and identify a third packaging box type determined to correspond to the third delivery type based on the third message. In this case, the server device 100 can set the packaging information so that the information about the second packaging box corresponding to the second packaging box type and the information about the third packaging box corresponding to the third packaging box type are included in the packaging information.

As described above, when one or more items ordered by a user correspond to different delivery types, the coolant packaging information may be configured to include subordinate coolant packaging information corresponding to each of the delivery types. That is, a first coolant packaging information including a packaging quantity of each coolant to be used for packaging a portion of an item corresponding to a second delivery type among the one or more items ordered by the user may be set as a subordinate information. Similarly, for the remaining items corresponding to a third delivery type other than the portion of the item among the one or more items, a second coolant packaging information including a packaging quantity of each coolant to be used for packaging the remaining items and a type may be set as a subordinate information. The coolant packaging information of one or more items may be configured to include a first coolant packaging information and a second coolant packaging information.

In this example, when the second delivery type or the third delivery type corresponds to the room temperature delivery type, a separate coolant may not be packaged for the portion of the items or the remaining items in each of the packaging boxes. Therefore, the first coolant packaging message or the second coolant packaging message may be set to include a message indicating that the coolant is not packaged, and the coolant type or packaging quantity may be excluded from the coolant packaging message.

Obviously, the multiple messages provided by the server device 100 for providing a service in association with the packaged message according to the exemplary embodiments described above can be provided in various forms through combinations thereof.

6 to 8 are diagrams showing examples of a user interface (UI)/user experience (UX) for providing packaging information according to various example embodiments. For example, the examples of FIG. 6 to FIG. 8 may be UI/UX associated with a user device 300 of a packaging worker according to the example embodiments described with reference to FIG. 3 to FIG. 5 . The following example embodiments described with reference to the accompanying drawings may be implemented based on the operation of the server device 100 for providing services or the server device 200 of the distribution center described with reference to FIG. 3 to FIG. 5 .

Specifically, the example embodiment mentioned below for UI/UX of user device 300 may be implemented such that based on the operations described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 5 , server device 200 of the distribution center receives a message for providing a service from server device 100 and provides the received message to user device 300, which then outputs the received message. However, the example embodiment described below in association with UI/UX is not limited thereto, and may be implemented in any form in which the example embodiment of UI/UX may be implemented.

Fig. 6 to Fig. 8 are diagrams showing an example of outputting a packaging message for packaging an article to a user by a user device 300 according to various example embodiments. The message output in the example of Fig. 6 to Fig. 8 may correspond to the message outputted by the user device 300 for performing a packaging processing task by a packaging staff.

6, the user device 300 may output a packaging message including a refrigerant packaging message and an item packaging message for packaging an item ordered by a user and identified as being packaged. In this example, one or more items ordered by the user may correspond to a frozen delivery type.

As indicated by element symbol 601, each coolant type and a packaging quantity of each coolant type of one or more items ordered by the user may be output as coolant packaging information. As indicated by element symbol 603, in order to perform packaging of one or more items ordered by the user, information such as a name of an item, an image of the item, an identifier (ID) of the item, a delivery type of the item, a packaging quantity of the item, and/or whether the packaging of the item is completed may be output as item packaging information.

6 may include information about one or more items ordered by a user and a packaging box in which one or more coolants for maintaining a packaging temperature of the one or more items are to be packaged as indicated by element symbol 605. The packaging box indicated by element symbol 605 may be a packaging box type identified based on a situation in which the one or more items correspond to a refrigerated delivery type.

7, the user device 300 may output a packaging message including a refrigerant packaging message and an item packaging message for packaging an item ordered by a user and identified to be packaged. In this example, one or more items ordered by the user may correspond to a refrigerated delivery type.

As indicated by element symbol 701, each coolant type and a packaging quantity of each coolant type of one or more items ordered by the user may be output as coolant packaging information. As indicated by element symbol 703, in order to perform packaging of one or more items ordered by the user, information such as a name of an item, an image of the item, an ID of the item, a delivery type of the item, a packaging quantity of the item, and/or whether the packaging of the item is completed may be output as item packaging information.

7 may include information about one or more items ordered by a user and a packaging box in which one or more coolants for maintaining a packaging temperature of the one or more items are to be packaged as indicated by element symbol 705. The packaging box indicated by element symbol 705 may be a packaging box type identified based on a situation in which the one or more items correspond to a refrigerated delivery type.

The packaging information output by the user device 300 in the examples of Figures 6 and 7 may be a packaging information output in a case where one or more items ordered by the user correspond to the same delivery type. When one or more items ordered by the user include items corresponding to different delivery types, the user device 300 may output a packaging information as shown in Figure 8.

8, the user device 300 may output packaging information including item packaging information and coolant packaging information for packaging an item ordered by a user and identified as a target for packaging. In this example, a portion of the one or more items ordered by the user may correspond to a refrigerated delivery type and another portion of the items may correspond to a room temperature delivery type.

As indicated by element symbol 801, each coolant type and a packaging quantity of each coolant type of a portion of the one or more items ordered by the user can be output as coolant packaging information. As indicated by element symbol 803, in order to perform packaging of one or more items, information such as a name of an item, an image of the item, an ID of the item, a delivery type of the item, a packaging quantity of the item, and/or whether the packaging of the item is completed can be output as item packaging information. In this example, since one or more items ordered by the user correspond to two delivery types, two packaging box types corresponding to the two delivery types can be identified, so as indicated by element symbol 805, information about two packaging boxes included in the two packaging box types is displayed.

A box "numbered FB36" indicated by element symbol 805 corresponds to a packaging box type of a room temperature delivery type, and a message indicating that the coolant will not be packaged for the corresponding box may be displayed as indicated by element symbol 807. In addition, a box "numbered green_IPB2" indicated by element symbol 805 corresponds to a packaging box type of a refrigerated delivery type, and a message indicating that the coolant of element symbol 801 is to be packaged in the corresponding box may be displayed as indicated by element symbol 809.

The UI/UX of the user device 300 and the operation of the user device 300 described with reference to FIGS. 6 to 8 may be performed in association with the operation of the server device 100 described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 5. The examples of the UI/UX of FIGS. 6 to 8 are only examples for implementing the present invention. The example embodiments of the present invention are not limited to the examples of the UI/UX of FIGS. 6 to 8, and may be applied to any form in which the example embodiments of the present invention may be implemented.

The example embodiments of the present invention disclosed in this specification and the drawings are only specific examples disclosed to easily explain the technical content of the present invention and further promote the overall understanding of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. That is, it will be obvious to those familiar with this technology that other changes based on the technical concept of the present invention can be made. In addition, the respective example embodiments described above can be implemented in combination with each other as needed. For example, all example embodiments of the present invention can be implemented by a system combination part.

In addition, the method executed by the system or the like according to the present invention may be implemented in the form of program instructions, which may be executed by various computer devices and recorded on a computer-readable medium.

As described above, from a particular perspective, various embodiments of the present invention may be implemented using computer readable program code in a computer readable recording medium. A computer readable recording medium is any data storage device capable of storing data that can be read by a computer system. Examples of computer readable recording media may include a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), a magnetic tape, a floppy disk, an optical data storage device, and a carrier wave (such as data transmission via the Internet). In addition, the computer readable recording medium may be distributed throughout a network of connected computer systems. Therefore, the computer readable code is stored and executed in a distributed manner. In addition, the function programs, program codes and code snippets for implementing the various examples of the present invention can be easily interpreted by a person skilled in the art of the field to which the present invention is applied.

In addition, it should be understood that the apparatus and methods according to various example embodiments of the present invention are implemented in the form of hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software. The software can be stored in a volatile or non-volatile storage device, such as a storage device (such as a ROM), or a memory (such as a RAM), a memory chip, a device or an integrated circuit, or, for example, an optical or magnetic recordable storage medium or a machine (such as a computer) readable storage medium, such as a compact disc (CD), a digital versatile disc (DVD), a disk or a tape regardless of a removable or rewritable function. It should be understood that the methods according to various example embodiments of the present invention may be implemented by a computer comprising a controller and a memory, a tool comprising such a memory or computer, or the like. The memory is an example of a storage medium readable by a machine suitable for storing one or several programs containing instructions for implementing example embodiments of the present invention or storing programs.

Therefore, the present invention covers a program including a program code for implementing an apparatus or method defined in the scope of the invention application of this specification and a machine (a computer or the like) readable storage medium storing such a program. In addition, such a program may be transmitted electronically via any medium (such as a communication signal transmitted via a wired or wireless connection), and the present invention may appropriately cover its equivalents.

Although various examples of the present invention have been described above, the examples of the present invention disclosed in this specification and the drawings are only specific examples disclosed to easily explain the technical content of the present invention and further promote the overall understanding of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. In addition, the examples of the present invention described above are only examples, and those skilled in the art will understand that other variants and examples of equivalent embodiments can be made. Therefore, the true technical scope of the present invention should be defined by the following invention application scope.

100: server device 200: server device 210: input/output section 220: communication section 230: storage 240: processor 300: user device 301: operation 303: operation 305: operation 307: operation 401: operation 403: operation 405: operation 501: operation 503: operation 505: operation 601: component symbol 603: component symbol 605: component symbol 701: component symbol 703: component symbol 705: component symbol 801: component symbol 803: component symbol 805: component symbol 807: component symbol 809: component symbol

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a packaging information providing system for implementing an operating method of an electronic device for providing packaging information according to various example embodiments. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration of a server device and a user device according to various example embodiments. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an operating method of a server device 100 for providing packaging information according to various example embodiments. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a method for determining a packaging quantity and a type of a coolant to be used for packaging an article in a server device 100 according to various example embodiments. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing another method for determining a packaging quantity and a type of a coolant to be used for packaging an article in a server device 100 according to various example embodiments. FIG. 6 to FIG. 8 are diagrams showing examples of outputting packaging information for packaging an item to a user through a user device 300 according to various example embodiments.

301: Operation

303: Operation

305: Operation

307: Operation

Claims (17)

A method for providing packaging information by an electronic device, the method comprising: identifying information about one or more items ordered by a user on a service related to the electronic device and information about a distribution center for delivering the one or more items; obtaining type information and inventory information about coolants to be used for packaging the items in the distribution center; setting coolant packaging information including one or more types of coolants to be used for packaging the one or more items and a packaging quantity of each coolant corresponding to the one or more types of coolants based on the type information and the inventory information; and providing packaging information. The packaging information includes the coolant packaging information and the item packaging information about the one or more items, wherein the method further includes: obtaining price information about each coolant type included in the type information, and supply and demand scheduling information about the distribution center for each coolant type included in the type information; and determining the one or more coolant types and a packaging quantity of each coolant corresponding to the one or more coolant types based on the supply and demand information, the price information and the current storage quantity information about the distribution center for each coolant type included in the type information. The method of claim 1, wherein the type message includes at least a portion of the coolant types prepared at the distribution center among a plurality of coolant types managed for packaging of items in the service. The method of claim 2, wherein the plurality of coolant types include: a first coolant type using dry ice; a second coolant type using a low-capacity polymer; a third coolant type using a high-capacity polymer; and a fourth coolant type using a phase change material (PCM). The method of claim 2, wherein the inventory information includes information about the current storage quantity of each refrigerant corresponding to at least a portion of the refrigerant type at the distribution center. The method of claim 1, wherein the supply and demand scheduling message includes information about an estimated quantity and an estimated date on which coolant of each coolant type included in the type message is to be supplied to the distribution center. The method of claim 1 further includes: identifying information about a delivery type of the one or more items; identifying a package maintenance temperature of the one or more items based on the information about the delivery type; and determining the one or more coolant types and a package quantity of each coolant corresponding to the one or more coolant types based on the package maintenance temperature. The method of claim 6, wherein the delivery type includes at least one of a room temperature delivery type, a refrigerated delivery type, and a frozen delivery type. The method of claim 6, wherein the determination of the one or more coolant types and a packaging quantity of each coolant corresponding to the one or more coolant types includes: obtaining information about a temperature maintenance function of each coolant type included in the type information; and determining the one or more coolant types and a packaging quantity of each coolant corresponding to the one or more coolant types based on the information about the temperature maintenance function and the package maintenance temperature, and the temperature maintenance function includes at least one of a freezing temperature maintenance function and a refrigeration temperature maintenance function. The method of claim 6 further comprises: determining a packaging box type used to package the one or more items. The method of claim 9, wherein the packaging box type is determined to correspond to the information about the delivery type. The method of claim 10 further comprises: identifying a first message including information indicating that the one or more items correspond to a first delivery type; identifying a first packaging box type determined to correspond to the first delivery type based on the first message; and setting the packaging message to include information about a first packaging box corresponding to the first packaging box type. The method of claim 11, wherein when the first distribution type corresponds to a delivery type of a refrigerated delivery type and a frozen delivery type, the coolant packaging information includes the one or more coolant types determined based on a package maintenance temperature of the one or more items identified according to the one delivery type and a packaging quantity of each coolant corresponding to the one or more coolant types. The method of claim 11, wherein when the first delivery type corresponds to a room temperature delivery type, the coolant packaging message is configured to include a message indicating that the coolant will not be packaged. The method of claim 10 further includes: identifying a second message including a message indicating that a portion of the items included in the one or more items corresponds to a second delivery type and a third message including a message indicating that a remaining item other than the portion of the items in the one or more items corresponds to a third delivery type; identifying a second packaging box type determined to correspond to the second delivery type based on the second message; identifying a third packaging box type determined to correspond to the third delivery type based on the third message; and setting the packaging message to include information about a second packaging box corresponding to the second packaging box type and information about a third packaging box corresponding to the third packaging box type. The method of claim 14, wherein a first coolant packaging message is set for the portion of the item, a second coolant packaging message is set for the remaining item, and the first coolant packaging message and the second coolant packaging message are included in the coolant packaging message. The method of claim 1, wherein a packaging quantity of each coolant corresponding to the one or more coolant types is determined based on a volume of the one or more items. An electronic device for providing packaging information, the electronic device comprising: a processor; and one or more memories storing one or more instructions, wherein when executed, the one or more instructions control the processor to execute: identifying information about one or more items ordered by a user on a service associated with the electronic device and information about a distribution center for delivering the one or more items; obtaining type information and inventory information about a coolant to be used for packaging the items in the distribution center; and setting a list containing one or more types of coolants to be used for packaging the one or more items and a list of the one or more types of coolants corresponding to the one or more types of coolants based on the type information and the inventory information. Coolant packaging information of a packaging quantity of each coolant; and providing packaging information including the coolant packaging information and item packaging information about the one or more items, wherein the processor further executes: obtaining price information about each coolant type included in the type information, and supply and demand scheduling information about the distribution center for each coolant type included in the type information; and determining the one or more coolant types and a packaging quantity of each coolant corresponding to the one or more coolant types based on the supply and demand information, the price information and the current storage quantity information about the distribution center for each coolant type included in the type information.