Package delivery management systems and methods
A system and method for tracking and managing package delivery within a distribution network. Many events happen during the processing, moving, and delivery of a package. Systems and methods herein identify whether all expected events occur, whether scan locations are correct, whether delivery times are met, and other requirements. Problems or potential problems can be identified and corrected.
1 . A system for distributing items, the system comprising:
a plurality of item processing machines in a distribution network, the item processing machines being located in a plurality of geographic areas, each of the plurality of item processing machines configured to:
scan a plurality of items;
generate scan data for the plurality of items; and
sort the plurality of scanned items according to the generated scan data; and
one or more processors configured to:
receive the scan data for the plurality of items, the scan data comprising data for a plurality of delivery rules;
determine, based on the scan data, an item of the plurality of items that fails one or more of the delivery rules for a corresponding delivery category;
identify the one of the plurality of item processing machines that received the item that fails one or more of the delivery rules;
determine, a score for a first geographic area in which the identified one of the plurality of item processing machines is located;
receiving one or more additional items in a second one of the plurality of item processing machines;
when the determined score for the first geographic area is below a threshold, automatically, cause the second item processing machine that received the one or more additional items to change a sort plan for the one or more additional items and sort the items to a second according to the changed sort plan.
2 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the scan data comprises a machine identifier identifying the item processing machine which generated the scan data.
3 . The system of claim 2 , wherein the machine identifier identifies the geographic area in which the item processing machine is located.
4 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:
determine a score for each of the plurality of geographic areas; and
automatically cause the one or more of the item processing machines to route to route additional items to areas having a score above a threshold.
5 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to receive a request for delivery performance information, and wherein the request for delivery performance information comprises a subset of the plurality of delivery rules.
6 . The system of claim 5 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to identify the one of the plurality of item processing machines that received the item that fails one or more of the subset of delivery rules.
7 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to receive a request for delivery performance information, and wherein the request for delivery performance information comprises of one or more of the plurality of geographic areas.
8 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to receive a request for delivery performance information, and wherein the request for delivery performance information comprises a selection of a period of time.
9 . The system of claim 8 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to request item information for the plurality of items which are associated with the selected period of time.
10 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to generate for each of the plurality of items, a score based on determining whether any of the plurality of items fails to meet the one or more delivery rules and to generate an overall score for each of the plurality of item processing machines based on the generated score for each of the plurality of items sorted on each of the plurality of item processing machines.
11 . A method of distributing items, the method comprising:
scanning a plurality of items on a plurality of item processing machines in a distribution network, the item processing machines being located in a plurality of geographic areas;
generating scan data for the plurality of items;
receiving, in one or more processors, the scan data for the plurality of items, the scan data comprising data for a plurality of delivery rules;
determining, based on the received scan data, an item of the plurality of items that fails one or more of the delivery rules for a corresponding delivery category;
identifying the one of the plurality of item processing machines that received the item that fails one or more of the delivery rules;
determining a score for a first geographic area in which the identified one of the plurality of item processing machines is located;
receiving, in a second one of the plurality of item processing machines, one or more additional items;
when the determined score for the first geographic area is below a threshold, automatically changing, by the one or more processors, a sort plan for the one or more additional items and automatically sorting the second one of the plurality of item processing machines to sort the one or more additional items to a second geographic area having the score below the threshold according to the changed sort plan.
12 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the scan data comprises a machine identifier identifying the item processing machine which generated the scan data.
13 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the machine identifier identifies the geographic area in which the item processing machine is located.
14 . The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
determining a score for each of the plurality of geographic areas; and
automatically causing, by the one or more processors, one or more of the item processing machines to route to route additional items to areas having a score above a threshold.
15 . The method of claim 11 , further comprising receiving a request for delivery performance information, and wherein the request for delivery performance information comprises a subset of the plurality of delivery rules.
16 . The method of claim 15 , further comprising identifying the one of the plurality of item processing machines that received the item that fails one or more of the subset of delivery rules.
17 . The method of claim 11 , further comprising receiving a request for delivery performance information, and wherein the request for delivery performance information comprises of one or more of the plurality of geographic areas.
18 . The method of claim 11 , further comprising receiving a request for delivery performance information, and wherein the request for delivery performance information comprises a selection of a period of time.
19 . The method of claim 18 , further comprising requesting item information for the plurality of items which are associated with the selected period of time.
20 . The method of claim 11 , further comprising generating for each of the plurality of items, a score based on determining whether any of the plurality of items fails to meet the one or more delivery rules and to generate an overall score for each of the plurality of item processing machines based on the generated score for each of the plurality of items sorted on each of the plurality of item processing machines.
21 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to inactivate the one of the plurality of item processing machines when the determined score for the first geographic area is below the threshold.