WO2009039952A1

WO2009039952A1 - Device and method for automated order and payment of transport of a postal item

Info

Publication number: WO2009039952A1
Application number: PCT/EP2008/007352
Authority: WO
Inventors: Brian Johnson
Original assignee: Deutsche Post Ag
Priority date: 2007-09-25
Filing date: 2008-09-09
Publication date: 2009-04-02

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a device and method for automated order and payment of the transport of a postal item via a service kiosk. In particular, a service kiosk allows customers to choose between different transport companies for the transport of a postal item and enables a customer to compare the transport fees of these different transport companies. Preferably, the service kiosk can contact the websites of different transport companies and when the transport fee required from the transport company that operates the service kiosk is smaller than the transport fee calculated by the transport company which was originally chosen by the customer, the difference between transport fees is displayed to the customer and the customer can then change the transport company for his or her order.

Description

Device and method for automated order and payment of transport of a postal item

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention is generally related to a device and method for automated order and payment of the transport of a postal item via a service kiosk. In particular, the present invention is related to a service kiosk which allows customers to choose between different transport companies for the transport of a postal item and which enables a customer to compare the transport fees of these different transport companies.

2. Description of the Related Art

Postal transport companies like DHL, UPS or FedEx, for example, can operate service kiosks for supporting the delivery of postal items like parcels. Kiosks with storage compartments can serve as a secure delivery and retrieval location and can be used for parcel delivery and pick-up, for example. U.S. Patent Application No. 2002/0156645 A1 describes such kiosk which is used for parcel delivery and pick-up. Parcels are delivered to the kiosk by a deliverer of a transport company and the recipient of the parcel can pick up the parcel at any time convenient for him. Furthermore, a parcel can be deposited in a compartment of a kiosk by a customer and a postal transport company picks up the parcel and delivers the parcel to a recipient. Such postal service is charged to the customer, which is usually achieved by attaching a stamp or prepaid shipping label to the parcel. Additionally, kiosks can be operated by a transport company for order and payment of any postal services. Kiosks can sell stamps or prepaid shipping labels, for example. Thereby, a service kiosk comprises computer means which calculate the required transport fee for transport of a postal item and the corresponding stamp or prepaid shipping label is printed or dispensed after the customer has paid the required transport fee. Alternatively, a service kiosk can connect to a website of a transport company and the customer can order transport services via the website. Thereby, the service kiosk is used as an internet terminal which can print and dispense stamps and/or shipping labels.

Usually, a service kiosk is operated by one transport company and customers can use the service kiosk for services provided by said transport company only. When service kiosks are installed in public areas, supermarkets or gas stations, for example, each transport company offering her services has to provide her own service kiosk. This leads to a plurality of service kiosks side by side which is not favored or even not accepted. However, owners of supermarkets or gas stations sometimes do not wish to privilege one or more transport companies by installing their service kiosks only.

Owing to these circumstances, it is desirable to provide for a service kiosk that allows a customer to choose between different transport companies for the transport of a postal item and which enables a customer to compare the transport fees of these different transport companies.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This invention provides for a device for automated order and payment of the transport of a postal item, said device comprising input means for entering information into computer means of the device by a customer, whereby said information contains at least data related to the order for transport of the postal item. The device further comprises display means for displaying information to the customer, whereby said information contains at least data related to the transport fee for an ordered transport of the postal item. Computer means for receiving information from the input means and for providing information on the display means are provided, whereby said computer means can selectively connect to at least two calculators which are designed to calculate the transport fee for an ordered transport of the postal item and which are operated by different transport companies. A printer can print a shipping label.

The device is operated by a transport company that operates at least one of the calculators, and the computer means of the device are designed to offer a customer the choice between the calculators of the at least two transport companies for the transport of the postal item. Furthermore, the computer means of the device comprise means for determining the difference between the transport fees for transport of a postal item calculated by the different calculators, and the computer means further comprise means for displaying the calculated difference between transport fees on the display means.

Preferably, the input means comprise a keyboard, a barcode scanner, a track ball and/or a touch screen. The display means usually comprise a monitor.

Preferably, the calculators of the different transport companies are located on servers operated by each transport company and the device can connect to a calculator via an internet connection. The server of each transport company can provide a website on the display means of the device, and the website enables a customer to order and pay the transport for a postal item.

Preferably, the computer means further comprise means for storing the difference between transport fees calculated by different calculators in a memory, whereby the difference can be linked to an identification of the customer, and the memory comprises means for adding further values of differences to the stored values, whereby the computer means comprise means for retrieving the total sum of difference values stored for a customer and for displaying the sum on the display means. The invention further provides for a method for automated order and payment of the transport of a postal item at a device, which is operated by a transport company. The method according to the invention comprises at least the following steps:

entering information into computer means of the device by a customer through input means, whereby said information contains at least data related to the order for transport of the postal item;

- receiving information from the input means by said computer means, and offering the customer a choice between at least two transport companies for the transport of the postal item;

receiving the choice of a transport company by the computer means and selectively connecting the computer means to one in at least two calculators which is designed to calculate the transport fee for an ordered transport of the postal item and which is operated by the transport company that was chosen by the customer; whereby the device is operated by a transport company that operates at least one of the calculators;

calculating the transport fee for transport of the postal item by the calculator of the transport company that was chosen by the customer;

displaying information to the customer on display means, whereby said information contains at least data related to the transport fee for an ordered transport of a postal item which was calculated by the calculator of the transport company that was chosen by the customer;

whereby the computer means of the device determine the difference between the transport fees for transport of a postal item calculated by the different calculators, and displaying the calculated difference between the transport fees on the display means ; and

printing a shipping label.

Preferably, at least one in the calculators is located on a server operated by a transport company and the device connects to the calculator via an internet connection. Thereby, the server of the transport company provides a website on the display means of the device, and the website enables a customer to order and pay the transport for a postal item.

Preferably, the difference between the transport fees is displayed on the display means only, if the transport fee calculated by the calculator of the transport company which operates the service kiosk is smaller than the transport fee calculated by the calculator of the second transport company. Furthermore, the computer means can store the difference between transport fees calculated by different calculators in a memory, whereby the difference is linked to an identification of the customer, and further values of differences are added to the stored values in the memory. Preferably, the computer means retrieve the sum of difference values stored for a customer in the memory and display the sum on the display means.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a preferred embodiment of a service kiosk; and

FIG. 2 shows the connection of a plurality of service kiosks to several transport companies. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a preferred embodiment of the invention. Thereby, a service kiosk 100 can be used by a customer 400 for order and payment of the transport of a postal item 200. The postal item can be a parcel or a letter, for example, or any other article that has to be shipped from one location to another. The transport of the postal item is carried out by a transport company and the customer has to pay a transport fee. Usually, the transport fee depends on the size of a postal item and on the address the postal item has to be transported to. Shipments to foreign countries are more expensive than domestic shipments, for example. Furthermore, the transport fees differ from one transport company to the other, too.

In the following, an embodiment of the invention will exemplarily be described which includes the transport of a parcel or package. When a customer wants to ship a parcel to another location via a transport company, he or she can hand over the parcel to personnel of a post office or any other transport company, for example. An employee will measure the dimensions of the parcel and will determine the transport fee depending on these dimensions and the address the parcel has to be delivered to. Usually, the employee will attach a shipping label to the package and the customer has to pay the required transport fee.

Alternatively, the customer can buy one or more shipping labels in advance and can use them for different shipments. These shipping labels can be bought at an office of a transport company or via a website of the transport company, for example. The customer determines the transport fee for his shipment by himself and attaches the correct shipping label to the parcel. The parcel is then picked up at the customer's home address by a transport company or the customer brings the package to the counter of a supermarket or to an automated compartment system, where the transport company will then pick up the parcel.

In order to facilitate the purchase of shipping labels and the payment of transport fees, transport companies operate service kiosks which can be used by customers for order and payment of transport of postal items. Such service kiosk 100 is shown in Fig. 1. Preferably, the service kiosk 100 is operated by a transport company that offers customers to pick up, transport and deliver parcels. A customer can store a parcel in a storage compartment 120 of the service kiosk or close to the service kiosk, for example, and the transport company will pick up and deliver the parcel to the destination address. If parcels can not be stored in a storage compartment at 120 or close to the service kiosk, the service kiosk can be installed in public areas like a supermarket or gas station, for example, and employees of these facilities accept parcels from customers and hand over the parcels to employees of different transport companies when they arrive for pick up.

Usually, different transport companies operate service kiosks in different facilities and public areas. However, the invention provides for a service kiosk which is not limited to shipments for one single transport company that operates the service kiosk. The customer can use the service kiosk to get in contact with any transport company that offers to transport parcels.

In the embodiment shown in Fig. 1 , the service kiosk 100 is equipped with input means for entering information into the service kiosk by a customer 400. These input means can comprise a keyboard 300 with a track ball 350, a barcode scanner 310 and/or a touch screen, for example. A bar code scanner 310 can be used, when a shipping label with a barcode has already been applied to a parcel and the customer has to scan the barcode in order to record the barcode information at the service kiosk 100.

The kiosk 100 further comprises display means for displaying information to a customer. These display means usually comprise a monitor 320, which can include a touch screen for input of information, too. The display means can also comprise speakers for giving acoustic information to customers.

The input means and the display means are connected to computer means of the service kiosk 100, which control the functions of the service kiosk. Information entered through the input means are received and processed by the computer means, whereas information produced by the computer means are transmitted from the computer means to the display means, for example.

Preferably, the service kiosk 100 further comprises a scale 110. The customer can use the scale in order to determine the weight of a parcel 200. The measured weight of a parcel can directly be transferred from the scale to the computer means of the service kiosk 100. Alternatively, the customer determines the weight of a parcel by means of the scale and enters the measured value into an input means of the kiosk.

In addition to a scale, means for determining the dimensions of a parcel 200 can be provided at the service kiosk 100. Thereby, rulers and patterns with the shape of parcels or letters can be printed in an area of the service kiosk. The customer can position a parcel in this area and can determine the dimensions of the parcel by comparing its dimensions with the dimensioned patterns. The measured dimensions are then entered into the input means by the customer, too. Alternatively, the dimensions of a parcel are determined automatically by means of cameras, for example.

The service kiosk 100 can comprise at least one printer 340, which is designed to print and dispense shipping labels 201 and/or receipts. Preferably, the shipping labels are adhesive and can easily be attached to a parcel. Furthermore, a card reader 330 can be provided for reading information from customer cards and/or credit cards. Payment of transport fees can be done by means of this card reader 330.

Preferably, the service kiosk 100 is connected to the internet via a permanent or temporary internet connection. The service kiosk can also comprise a telephone connection which can be used by a customer for calls to a service line, for example.

In one embodiment of the invention, the service kiosk 100 comprises at least one storage compartment 120 for storing parcels. A parcel can be stored by a customer for later pick up by a transport company, for example. Furthermore, a transport company can deliver a parcel to the service kiosk for later pick up by a customer. Preferably, the service kiosk comprises several storage compartments or the kiosk is located close to a separated facility with several storage compartments.

According to the invention, the service kiosk 100 is operated by one transport company that offers transport of postal items. However, the service kiosk offers a customer the choice between several transport companies for his shipment. Therefore, the service kiosk 100 can connect to different transport companies as shown in Fig. 2. Preferably, the different transport companies operate servers and websites that can be contacted by the service kiosk 100. A first server is operated by the transport company that operates the service kiosk 100, for example. The service kiosk 100 can contact the website of the transport company via internet and can display the content of the website on the monitor 320.

Customers who wish to ship a parcel with the transport company that operates the service kiosk 100 will enter corresponding information into the input means and the website of the transport company is displayed on the monitor. The customer can then use the website for order and payment of transport of a postal item.

Usually, the customer has to enter at least information regarding his address, the recipient's address, the weight of the parcel and the dimensions of the parcel. A calculator 500 on the server of the transport company will calculate the required transport fee for the ordered transport of a postal item. At the end of the process, the customer has to pay the required transport fee and a shipping label 201 is printed and dispensed by the printer 340.

The payment of the required transport fee can be carried out by input of credit card information into the mask of the website or by entering a credit card into the card reader 330. The customer can then attach the shipping label to the parcel and can deposit the parcel in the storage compartment 120 or at the counter of a supermarket, for example. Either the transport company will pick up parcels at the service kiosk or the counter of the supermarket regularly, or the transport company can be informed of the deposit of the parcel and can then pick up one or more parcels on demand.

Alternatively, the order for transport can be carried out by a calculator within the computer means of the service kiosk 100. In that case, the service kiosk does not contact a website on the server of the transport company, but the calculator of the service kiosk uses the information entered by the customer and will determine the required transport fee, which can then be paid by the customer. Then a shipping label is printed and dispensed.

When a customer 400 does not want to ship a postal item 200 with the transport company that operates the service kiosk 100, but wants to choose a second transport company, because he is used to shipments with that transport company, for example, the invention offers a customer to select shipment of that transport company at the service kiosk, too. In that case, the customer enters corresponding information into the input means of the service kiosk 100 and the computer means contact the server 510 of said second transport company. The website of the second transport company is displayed on the monitor 320 and the customer can order the transport of his parcel by using the service kiosk 100 as an internet terminal that can print and dispense shipping labels and/or receipts.

Once the required information is entered, a second calculator 510 behind the website of the second transport company will determine the required transport fee for transport of the postal item and will usually indicate the calculated transport fee on the website. Parallel to that process, the computer means of the service kiosk 100 will evaluate the parcel information entered by the customer and will calculate the transport fee that would have to be paid when the parcel was sent with the transport company that operates the service kiosk 100. This can be done by automatically extracting information from the website of the second transport company. Thereby, information entered by the customer is entered into the first calculator 500 of the transport company that operates the service kiosk 100, too, and the corresponding calculator 500 determines the transport fee that would have to be paid when the parcel was sent with the transport company that operates the service kiosk 100. Furthermore, the computer means of the service kiosk 100 will register the transport fee calculated by the website of the second transport company. Then, the computer means will compare the transport fees calculated by both calculators 500 and 510, that is, by both transport companies, and will calculate the difference between the transport fees.

If the transport fee calculated by the calculator 500 of the transport company operating the service kiosk 100 is smaller than the transport fee calculated by the calculator 510 of the second transport company, the computer means of the service kiosk 100 display the difference between the transport fees on the monitor 320. Thereby, the customer can look at the difference and can then decide whether he still wants to ship the postal item 200 with the chosen transport company or not.

If the customer does not want to ship the postal item 200 with the chosen transport company, he can cancel the previous order and can change to the transport company which operates the service kiosk 100. Preferably, required information regarding the customer's address, the recipient's address, the weight of the parcel and the dimensions of the parcel do not have to be entered again. The computer means of the service kiosk 100 will use the information which have already been entered by the customer and will initiate the payment of the changed order and the printing of a shipping label. The customer attaches the shipping label 201 to the parcel 200 and deposits the labelled parcel in a storage compartment 120, for example. The parcel can then be picked up by an employee of the transport company operating the service kiosk. Preferably, the storage compartment 120 is locked after deposit of the parcel and can only be opened by said employee. If a facility with several storage compartments is located close to the service kiosk, the parcel can be deposited in one of these storage compartments. Thereby, more than one customer can deposit a parcel before pick up by a transport company takes place.

If the customer wants to ship the postal item 200 with the chosen transport company even though the transport fee for such transport is higher than the transport fee of the transport company operating the service kiosk 100, the customer pays the transport fee and the service kiosk will initiate the printing of a shipping label for the second transport company. The customer attaches the shipping label 201 to the parcel 200 and will hand over the parcel to employees of a supermarket or gas station, for example. The delivery persons of several transport companies will regularly pick up parcels for their transport company at these locations.

Furthermore, the calculated difference between the transport fees can be linked to an identification of the customer and the difference is stored in a memory 501. The identification can be the customer's name or an identification number, for example. The stored difference can be retrieved from the memory 501 using the identification of the customer.

Preferably, the memory 501 is located at the server of the transport company that operates the service kiosk 100. The memory can be used for data storage by different service kiosks 100 or 100' that are operated by a transport company. Thereby, several service kiosks 100 or 100' of a transport company can store the differences between transport fees which are determined by their computer means in the memory 501. When a customer uses a first service kiosk 100 for a first order and a second service kiosk 100' for a second order, and the transport fees for both orders are higher than they would have been if the customer had chosen the transport company that operates the service kiosks, then these differences are added and the total sum is stored in the memory 501. When the customer visits a service kiosk again, the total sum of transport fees which could have been saved is displayed to the customer, when the computer means of the service kiosk retrieve the sum from the memory 501. The identification of the customer can be used for such data retrieval in the memory 501.

Thereby, the invention allows a customer to choose between different transport companies and gives the transport company that operates a service kiosk the opportunity to indicate price differences to the customer. Whenever there is a price difference with negative effect for the customer, the customer will get the opportunity to change the transport company very easily. When the customer does not change the transport company even though transport of a postal item would have been less expensive for him, the amount of money which could have been saved is stored and the running total is indicated the next time the customer visits a service kiosk.

The service of ordering a transport of a postal item 200 at the service kiosk 100 via a different transport company can be free of cost for the customer. Alternatively, the transport company operating the service kiosk 100 can charge a small service fee for handling orders for different transport companies.

Usually, customers of a transport company are registered with the transport company and are provided an identification number which can be used at all service kiosks of said transport company. When a customer of a different transport company visits a service kiosk of such transport company for the first time, preferably, the customer's personal data is recorded. Then a welcome letter can be sent to the customer which offers a customer to use a given identification number for future visits at the service kiosks of the transport company. Thereby, the service kiosk can be used for retrieval of personal data of potential new customers.

In one embodiment of the invention, a key tag is produced for a potential new customer and the key tag stores the identification which was assigned to the potential new customer. The key tag is sent to the customer together with a welcome letter and the key tag can be used for identification at all service kiosks of the transport company. Thereby, the customer is invited to visit service kiosks of the transport company that operates the service kiosks and the use of the service kiosks is simplified. LIST OF REFERENCES

100,100' Service kiosk 1 10 Scale

120 Storage compartment

200 Postal item, parcel, package, letter

201 Shipping label 300 Keyboard 310 Barcode scanner

320 Monitor, touch screen

330 Card reader

340 Printer

350 Track ball 400 Customer

500 Calculator

501 Memory 510 Calculator

Claims

What is claimed:

1. Device (100) for automated order and payment of the transport of a postal item (200), said device (100) comprising:

input means (300;310;350) for entering information into computer means of the device (100) by a customer (400), whereby said information contains at least data related to the order for transport of the postal item (200);

- display means (320) for displaying information to the customer (400), whereby said information contains at least data related to the transport fee for an ordered transport of the postal item (200);

- computer means for receiving information from the input means

(300;310) and for providing information on the display means (320), whereby said computer means can selectively connect to at least two calculators (500;510) which are designed to calculate the transport fee for an ordered transport of the postal item (200) and which are operated by different transport companies; and

- a printer (340) for printing a shipping label (201 );

- wherein the device (100) is operated by a transport company that operates at least one of the calculators (500;510), and the computer means are designed to offer a customer (400) the choice between the calculators (500;510) of the at least two transport companies for the transport of the postal item (200);

- the computer means of the device (100) comprise means for determining the difference between the transport fees for transport of a postal item (200) calculated by the different calculators (500;510); and - the computer means further comprise means for displaying the calculated difference between transport fees on the display means (320).

2. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the input means comprise a keyboard (300), a barcode scanner (310), a track ball (350) and/or a touch screen.

3. The device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the display means comprise a monitor (320).

4. The device according to one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the calculators (500;510) are located on servers operated by each transport company and the device (100) can connect to a calculator (500;510) via an internet connection.

5. The device according to claim 4, wherein the server of a transport company provides a website on the display means (320) of the device (100), and the website enables a customer (400) to order and pay the transport for a postal item (200).

6. The device according to one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the computer means comprise means for storing the difference between transport fees calculated by different calculators (500;510) in a memory (501 ), whereby the difference can be linked to an identification of the customer (400), and the memory (501 ) comprises means for adding further values of differences to the stored values, whereby the computer means comprise means for retrieving the total sum of difference values stored for a customer (400) and for displaying the sum on the display means (320).

7. Method for automated order and payment of the transport of a postal item (200) at a device (10) which is operated by a transport company, comprising the steps of: - entering information into computer means of the device (100) by a customer (400) through input means (300;310;350), whereby said information contains at least data related to the order for transport of the postal item (200);

receiving information from the input means (300;310) by said computer means, and offering the customer (400) a choice between at least two transport companies for the transport of the postal item (200);

- receiving the choice of a transport company by the computer means and selectively connecting the computer means to one in at least two calculators (500;510) which is designed to calculate the transport fee for an ordered transport of the postal item (200) and which is operated by the transport company that was chosen by the customer (400); whereby the device (100) is operated by a transport company that operates at least one of the calculators (500;510);

- calculating the transport fee for transport of the postal item (200) by the calculator (500;510) of the transport company that was chosen by the customer (400);

- displaying information to the customer (30) on display means (320), whereby said information contains at least data related to the transport fee for an ordered transport of a postal item (200) which was calculated by the calculator (500;510) of the transport company that was chosen by the customer (400);

- whereby the computer means of the device (100) determine the difference between the transport fees for transport of a postal item (200) calculated by the different calculators (500;510), and - displaying the calculated difference between the transport fees on the display means (320); and

- printing a shipping label (201 ).

8. The method according to claim 87, wherein at least one in the calculators (500;510) is located on a server operated by a transport company and the device (100) connects to the calculator (500;510) via an internet connection.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the server of the transport company provides a website on the display means (320) of the device (100), and the website enables a customer (400) to order and pay the transport for a postal item (200).

10. The method according to one of claims 7 to 9, wherein the difference between the transport fees is displayed on the display means (320) only, if the transport fee calculated by the calculator (500) of the transport company which operates the service kiosk (100) is smaller than the transport fee calculated by the calculator (510) of the second transport company.

11. The method according to one of claims 7 to 10, wherein the computer means store the difference between transport fees calculated by different calculators (500;510) in a memory (501 ), whereby the difference is linked to an identification of the customer (400), and further values of differences are added to the stored values in the memory (501 ).

12. The method according to claim 11 , wherein the computer means retrieve the sum of difference values stored for a customer (400) in the memory (501 ) and display the sum on the display means (320).