Pitney Bowes Inc.

Kenneth Karbowski

Terri A Carroll

Jacques E Hasbani

Edward M Rauh

Glen A Boucher

Glenn Boucher

Angela M Njo

Richard J Krouch

Stephen C Nunnally

Ronald S Miller

A tracking system and method uses a multi-threaded controller to automatically and periodically generate tracking objects that are presented to carrier tracking websites. The tracking objects are retrieved from input queues that receive tracking requests from a scheduler. The carrier tracking website updates the status of package delivery which in turn updates the data in the shipping system server with respect to tracking information. This updated information can be used to automatically generate E-mail notification of package delivery as well as for updated purposes. An instant track component allows a user to obtain prioritized tracking information from the associated carrier tracking website.

Method and system for multi-carrier package tracking

The invention is a method and system of updating a set of data objects within a Data Access System (DAS). The method begins by initiating a communication link between a client and a host data processing system. Once a communications link is established, a set of object tables is uploaded from the client data processing system to the host. The object tables are read at the host; and, a determination is made as to which data objects in the set of object tables are to be updated. It is also determined which data objects in the set of object tables is to be simply maintained. A new set of object tables is then constructed at the host data processing system and transmitted to the client data processing system. Upon receipt of the new file tables, the client system performs the task of verifying accurate receipt of the new set of object tables prior to restarting the client data processing system. The verification step includes saving at the host, a first data map of the new set of object tables as a record of which objects were transmitted. The new set of object tables is then received and saved within a memory of the client data processing system before retransmitting the new set of object tables as a second data map back to the host from the client. The second data map is then compared with the first data map to form a comparison, and if the first data map and the second data map do not match, then the verification is nulled.

Method and system for changing rating data via internet or modem in a carrier management system

A carrier management module in a carrier management system with a first application and a second application is configured to broker carrier rating requests from the second application to the first application through an event interface. The carrier, management module also loads carrier rate modules, programmed to rate items for carriers, so that both applications can call rating routines in the carrier rate modules to rate an item for the associated carrier. Specifically, the carrier management module accesses a system registry of supported carriers to determine whether to dispatch an event to the first application to rate an item for a carrier not supported by the carrier rate module.

Event interface for a carrier manager system

The present invention discloses a package tracking system and method in which a sender and a recipient of a package are provided e-mail messages including information from a sender or carrier web page and the package location status. The present invention uses a network-based service for transferring tracking information from a package carrier and the sender to the requesting party. A package tracking request, including a tracking number and an e-mail address is submitted to a data center. This tracking request is stored in a set of queues, separated by a specific carrier identification number into tracking segment requests, and then sent to the tracking website of the selected carrier in accordance with the capabilities of each carrier's website. The carrier package tracking results from the website and the information from the sender or carrier website are gathered and stored at the database. An e-mail message is sent to the intended recipient including the status and any information gathered from the sender's website.

Method for parcel tracking on the internet with e-mail notification

A method and system for selectively updating information in a carrier management system including maintaining a first and second set of data files stored at first and second data processing centers, respectively. The file transfer may be initiated by either the server or the product. The system parses the first set of files into segments and may further parse the segments into fragments. The segments and/or fragments are then compared to a similarly parsed second set of files to determine which file segments and/or fragments are different. The required files are then transferred from the first data processing center to the second data processing center.

Method and system for selectively updating rating data and software data via internet or intranet in a carrier management system

A management librarian for shipping carriers is configured to access a registry containing carrier identifiers corresponding to the carriers and module identifier corresponding to carrier rate modules. The carrier rate modules contain item rating instructions arranged to rate the item for a respective carrier from among the carriers. The carrier management librarian is also configured to load into the executable space of a client application a selected carrier rate module corresponding to the selected carrier based on module identifiers accessed in the registry. An entry point for the item rating instructions is identified, based on an associated module identifier corresponding to the selected carrier.

Method and system of implementing a carrier manager librarian

A carrier rate module contains item rating instructions for rating an item for a carrier and self-registration instructions for storing registration information in a registry about the carrier rate module. The self-registration instructions are stored at an entry point with a predefined name so that a standard registration program can invoke the self-registration instructions through the entry point. The registration information stored in the registry includes a carrier identifier for the carrier in a one-to-one association with a module identifier. The module identifier indicates how to load the carrier rate module, so that a carrier manager librarian can identify an entry point of the item rating instructions based on the registration information stored in the registry.

Method and system of implementing a carrier manager registry

The invention is a method and system of loading a data object representative of carrier data and possible command structures, which can be identified by both name and date fields characteristics, into a Data Access System of a carrier management system. The method begins with receiving a request for an object and then determining whether or not the object resides in a first data table which is indicative of a plurality of characteristics of the object. If the object is not resident in the first data table, then the system assigns an initial time stamp and a permanence value to the object. Additionally, the method and system must determine the memory space, in the Data Access System, required for storing the object. De-referenced objects are removed from the memory until space is available that is greater than or equal to the memory requirement of the object. After memory is allocated to the object, the object is then loaded into the memory for use within the carrier management system. A directory table is then established for the object. The directory table includes: an object name; a set of associated data; and, an object table data pointer. The associated data includes an effective date; an expiration date; and, the modification status of the file.

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Farmington, CT, United States of America

Kenneth Karbowski