Visual graphic tracking of item shipment and delivery
Exemplary embodiments of the present invention would determine exemplary projected routes, delivery dates, times and rates for multiple carriers and multiple delivery services/methods. Exemplary embodiments would generate and provide an exemplary interactive graphic comparison mapping of the exemplary projected carrier-specific, delivery-service-specific routes, and associated projected delivery dates, times and rates. Exemplary embodiments of the present invention would generate and provide an exemplary interactive graphic mapping of a projected carrier-specific, delivery-service-specific route, and associated projected delivery date, time and rate for a user-selected carrier and delivery service/method. Exemplary embodiments of the present invention would then track shipping/mailing progress and delivery status of the item according to carrier-provided shipping/mailing progress and delivery status “events,” such as, for example, carrier-provided item scanning events.
1. A system for facilitating item tracking visualization via time-triggered presentation of a tracking event prediction, the system comprising:
a computer system comprising one or more processors programmed with computer program instructions that, when executed, cause the computer system to:
obtain historical information related to tracking of previously-shipped items, the historical information indicating scan events for the previously-shipped items, carriers used to ship or deliver the previously-shipped items, shipping services used to ship or deliver the previously-shipped items, or routes used to ship or deliver the previously-shipped items;
determine a first predetermined time period related to shipment of a first item and a second predetermined time period related to shipment of a second item;
obtain, prior to an expiration of the first predetermined time period, a first tracking event update related to the first item, the first tracking event update indicating a current location of the first item;
predict a current location of the second item based on the historical information;
generate, based on the prediction, a predicted tracking event update related to the second item such that the predicted tracking event update indicates the predicted current location of the second item; and
generate, and send to a user device, an item-specific, self-executing application configured to perform the following operations:
cause, based on the first tracking event update being obtained prior to the expiration of the first predetermined time period, a graphical representation of the first tracking event update to be presented on a user interface; and
cause, based on a lack of a tracking event update occurring by an expiration of the second predetermined time period, a graphical representation of the predicted tracking event update related to the second item to be presented on a user interface, the graphical representation of the predicted tracking event update indicating the predicted current location of the second item.
2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the computer system is caused to:
determine that the second predetermined time period expired prior to obtaining a second tracking event update related to the second item,
wherein causing the graphical representation of the predicted tracking event update to be presented comprises causing the graphical representation of the predicted tracking event update to be presented on a user interface based on the determination that the second predetermined time period expired prior to obtaining a second tracking event update related to the second item.
3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the computer system is caused to:
re-initialize, based on the first tracking event update being obtained prior to the expiration of the first predetermined time period, the first predetermined time period such that the expiration of the first predetermined time period is extended to a subsequent time; and
cause, based on a lack of a tracking event update occurring by the extended expiration of the first predetermined time period, a graphical representation of a predicted tracking event update related to the first item to be presented on a user interface, the predicted tracking event update related to the first item (i) indicating a subsequent current location of the first item and (ii) being based on the historical information.
4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first tracking event update indicates a scan event that occurred at the current location of the first item, and wherein the predicted tracking event update is based on the scan events for the previously-shipped items.
5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the predicted tracking event update is based on the carriers used to ship or deliver the previously-shipped items.
6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the predicted tracking event update is based on the shipping services used to ship or deliver the previously-shipped items.
7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the predicted tracking event update is based on the routes used to ship or deliver the previously-shipped items.
8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first tracking event update indicates a scan event that occurred at the current location of the first item, and wherein the predicted tracking event update is based on (i) the scan events for the previously-shipped items, (ii) the carriers used to ship or deliver the previously-shipped items, (iii) the shipping services used to ship or deliver the previously-shipped items, and (iv) the routes used to ship or deliver the previously-shipped items.
9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the predicted tracking event indicates the predicted current location of the second item, a predicted current route of the second item, and a predicted future delivery time of the second item.
10. A method for facilitating item tracking visualization via time-triggered presentation of a tracking event prediction, the method being implemented by one or more processors executing computer program instructions that, when executed, perform the method, the method comprising:
obtaining historical information related to tracking of previously-shipped items, the historical information indicating scan events for the previously-shipped items, carriers used to ship or deliver the previously-shipped items, shipping services used to ship or deliver the previously-shipped items, or routes used to ship or deliver the previously-shipped items;
determining a first predetermined time period related to shipment of a first item and a second predetermined time period related to shipment of a second item;
obtaining, prior to an expiration of the first predetermined time period, a first tracking event update related to the first item, the first tracking event update indicating a current location of the first item;
predicting a current location of the second item based on the historical information;
generating, based on the prediction, a predicted tracking event update related to the second item such that the predicted tracking event update indicates the predicted current location of the second item; and
generating, and sending to a user device, an item-specific, self-executing application configured to perform the following operations:
causing, based on the first tracking event update being obtained prior to the expiration of the first predetermined time period, a graphical representation of the first tracking event update to be presented on a user interface; and
causing, based on a lack of a tracking event update occurring by an expiration of the second predetermined time period, a graphical representation of the predicted tracking event update related to the second item to be presented on a user interface, the graphical representation of the predicted tracking event update indicating the predicted current location of the second item.
11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:
determining that the second predetermined time period expired prior to obtaining a second tracking event update related to the second item,
wherein causing the graphical representation of the predicted tracking event update to be presented comprises causing the graphical representation of the predicted tracking event update to be presented on a user interface based on the determination that the second predetermined time period expired prior to obtaining a second tracking event update related to the second item.
12. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:
re-initializing, based on the first tracking event update being obtained prior to the expiration of the first predetermined time period, the first predetermined time period such that the expiration of the first predetermined time period is extended to a subsequent time; and
causing, based on a lack of a tracking event update occurring by the extended expiration of the first predetermined time period, a graphical representation of a predicted tracking event update related to the first item to be presented on a user interface, the predicted tracking event update related to the first item (i) indicating a subsequent current location of the first item and (ii) being based on the historical information.
13. The method of claim 10 , wherein the first tracking event update indicates a scan event that occurred at the current location of the first item, and wherein the predicted tracking event update is based on the scan events for the previously-shipped items.
14. The method of claim 10 , wherein the predicted tracking event update is based on the carriers used to ship or deliver the previously-shipped items.
15. The method of claim 10 , wherein the predicted tracking event update is based on the shipping services used to ship or deliver the previously-shipped items.
16. The method of claim 10 , wherein the predicted tracking event update is based on the routes used to ship or deliver the previously-shipped items.
17. The method of claim 10 , wherein the first tracking event update indicates a scan event that occurred at the current location of the first item, and wherein the predicted tracking event update is based on (i) the scan events for the previously-shipped items, (ii) the carriers used to ship or deliver the previously-shipped items, (iii) the shipping services used to ship or deliver the previously-shipped items, and (iv) the routes used to ship or deliver the previously-shipped items.
18. The method of claim 10 , wherein the predicted tracking event indicates the predicted current location of the second item, a predicted current route of the second item, and a predicted future delivery time of the second item.