Application Procedures of the Patent Technology
In virtue of the global universality and constancy of latitude and longitude as well as the standardization and uniformity of the patent technology, a third-party "cloud computing platform" (abbr. as "cloud platform") can be built. The "cloud platform" includes information of postal/express enterprises, couriers and customers where the collector (courier collects mail at the sender’s location), the distributor (courier distributes the mail at the recipient’s location), the sender and the recipient in a mailing process are connected to the "cloud platform" through a mobile APP. The patent technology can be optimally implemented as follows.
1.Postal/Express Enterprises Predefine Two Types Of Data
Postal/express enterprise predefines the work ranges (shown below) for its couriers on an electronic map (GIS, geographic information system) or directly obtains the work ranges of the couriers through some locating device in terms of latitude and longitude, and all the transit/sorting points with names corresponding to the work ranges. These two types of information combined create "super transit code" with the work ranges characterized by their boundaries expressed in latitude and longitude system. For instance, "super transit code" for two courier A and courier B can respectively be China – Northwest - Qinghai province Xining city - Qinghai university - Courier A and China - Beijing city - Qinghua university - Courier B.
When there’s need to remove or adjust the work ranges, system manager can make the respective changes on the electronic map which is relatively easy and simple. If the routing schemes change, the manager only needs to redefine them.
2. Sender and Recipient Obtain and Exchange Locations In Latitude and Longitude
When preparing a mailing (letter or parcel) each time, recipient and sender mainly acquire the latitude and longitude of their locations by the mobile APP through GPS (or LBS) or by converting the addresses on the electronic map. The information of the locations along with the phone numbers of the sender and recipient is then inputted on the "cloud platform". For the uniqueness of phone numbers, phones can be used to exchange the above hard written and long latitudes and longitudes. When the sender gets and registers the recipient’s phone number (the sender and the recipient can always mutually confirm the actual location if mail does not go to the usual one), their location latitudes and longitudes are associated.
3. "Cloud platform" Generates Sorting Path and Bar Code
Having known the sender’s and recipient’s latitudes and longitudes, the "cloud platform" can immediately identify the corresponding work ranges predefined in latitude and longitude, which then directs to the corresponding couriers (directs to the closest courier if the mail location doesn’t fall in any of the predefined work ranges) through GIS and the two "super transit code".
For example, a Chinese postal/express company, Yuantong has its own"Xingzhe APP". When a user applies "branch inquiry" in the APP, the APP through mobile phone obtains the latitude and longitude of the user’s location, and then determines work range (so called "business electronic fence") that contains the location. The picture below is the screenshot of the "branch inquiry" function in "Xingzhe APP". The little blue dot is the user’s location the latitude and longitude, and the light-blue and translucent area is the work range of the branch. The name of the branch is Hunan province Changsha city Kaifu district Yuantong Express Company.
The "Cloud platform" according to the information of the transit points in the two "super transit code" determines the transit points and their formed path between the mail collector and distributor, which achieves the goal to identify all the transit/sorting points along with their formed path when the sender submits the waybill even before the mailing starts. At the same time, the "cloud platform" produces a code expressed in bar code and matches the bar code with the transit/sorting path identified above. The sorting path for the example is "China Northwest Region Qinghai Province Xining City Qinghai University Courier A" - "China Northwest Region Qinghai Province Xining City Qinghai University" - "China Northwest Region Qinghai Province Xining City" - "China Northwest Region" – "China Beijing City" – "China Beijing City Qinghua University" – "China Beijing City Qinghua University Courier B".
4. Mail Collector Prints and Applies The Bar Code
When the "cloud platform" identifies a courier based on the sender’s location information in latitude and longitude, the courier will receive a message for a mail picking up. The collector may print the postal bar code and affix it to the mail when picking up the mail.
The collector may also input two types of information (not required by the patent) , weight and type (standard or nonstandard) for instance of the mail which are needed by the "cloud platform" to arrange the transit transportation and to prepare for dispatching, respectively. These can be done by simply looking at the mail for its volume and shape.
5. "Cloud platform" Calculates For Dispatching and Transit Data
By now, note that the transit/sorting paths of mails needed to be mailed out on the same day are available in advance. The "cloud platform" can compute from anyone sorting point to next for quantity of the mails. With information of type and weight of mail, the "cloud platform" can further calculate data for mail unpacking, repacking and dispatching and for transit transportation plan.
6. "Cloud platform" Computes and Apples Sorting Data
At sorting point, mail sorting process goes by batches. If information of mails at both current and next sorting points are downloaded from the "cloud platform" right before the sorting process at the current sorting point, this would not only reduce the data interchange volume on the internet and also ensures the completeness for that batch of mails in the sorting.
In ensuring the completeness for a batch of mails at sorting point, the "cloud platform" calculates the sorting data for each sorting point according to the transit/sorting path. The data include the bar code and name of next sorting point. The "cloud platform" can also calculate at the current sorting point for sorting information at the next sorting point for each mail. Therefore, the mailing process picks up the sorting data and scans the bar code at each sorting point which realizes an auto sorting up to the courier level.
7. Couriers Intelligently Complete Mail Delivery
Noticed that in courier mobile APP mails with their location latitudes and longitudes are indicated in the courier’s work range on the electronic map, mail delivery route can be easily developed. With the latitudes and longitudes of all recipients’ locations for same batch of mails, development for a delivery route for the distributor becomes very simple. According to the delivery route, mails can be labeled in a convenient order or, without ordering, have their postal bar codes registered in RFID（Radio Frequency Identification） chip. The mobile APP signals to activate the RFID at the recipient’s place. The courier finds the mail on flashing. There is one more way without ordering mails more intuitive based on that the mail collector, distributor, recipient and sender are all connected with the platform through the mobile APP. If the sender takes a picture of the mail though the APP, the mail can be recognized by eyes at the recipient place. No matter using which way above, the recipient can always scan the bar code for checking and signing.