Granted Patent B2

US 12,282,891 · App. 18/679,147 · Granted Apr 22, 2025

Inventor: Juan Perez (Milton, GA)

Assignee: United Parcel Service of America, Inc.

G06Q10/0837G06F16/29G06Q10/0838G06K7/1417G06K19/06037

Abstract

Claims (51)

1. A method comprising:

storing, in a data record, a destination location for an asset to be delivered to, wherein the asset includes a first shipping label attached on an outside surface of the asset that includes computer-readable indicia comprising an encoded return location;

receiving, by at least one computer processor, a first indication in response to a recipient of the asset electronically scanning the computer-readable indicia via a computing device;

responsive to receiving the first indication:

decoding, by the least one computer processor, the encoded return location; and

changing, by the at least one computer processor in the data record, the destination location to a return location corresponding to the encoded return location; and

responsive to changing the destination location to the return location, causing, by the at least one computer processor, a printing of a second shipping label corresponding to the return location as a new destination location for the asset to be delivered to.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein causing the printing of the second shipping label is based on sending a control signal to a printer.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second shipping label comprises the computer-readable indicia, and causing the printing of the second shipping label involves:

receiving, at a time subsequent to receiving the indication, a second indication that the computer-readable indicia has been scanned, wherein scanning of the computer-readable indicia at the time subsequent to receiving the indication is at least partially indicative of the asset being located at a shipping facility; and

responsive to receiving the second indication, causing the printing of the second shipping label at the shipping facility, wherein the second shipping label is to be affixed to the asset to facilitate the shipping facility delivering the asset to the new destination location.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising, responsive to receiving the first indication, causing at least one of a web page or an application page to be displayed on the computing device that is indicative of at least one of authenticating or authorizing the recipient to return the asset.

5. The method of claim 4 , further comprising:

receiving, by the at least one computer processor and via the web page or the application page, authorization information; and

authorizing, by the at least one computer processor and based on the authorization information, the recipient to return the asset, wherein changing the destination location to the return location is further in response to authorizing the recipient to return the asset.

6. The method of claim 4 , further comprising:

receiving, by the at least one computer processor and via the web page or the application page, authentication information; and

authenticating, by the at least one computer processor and based on the authentication information, credentials for the recipient, wherein changing the destination location to the return location is further in response to authenticating the credentials for the recipient.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first indication comprises metadata, and the method further comprises, responsive to receiving the indication, at least one of authenticating or authorizing the recipient, based on the metadata, to return the asset.

8. A system comprising:

one or more processors; and

one or more computer storage media communicatively coupled to the one or more processors, wherein the one or more computer storage media store computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

storing a destination location for an asset to be delivered to in a data record;

receiving an identifier in response to an electronic scan of computer-readable indicia by a recipient of the asset via a computing device, wherein the computer-readable indicia are included on a first shipping label coupled to an outside surface of the asset, and the computer-readable indicia comprise an encoded return location;

based on the electronic scan, decoding the encoded return location;

responsive to decoding the encoded return location, changing, in the data record, the destination location to a return location corresponding to the encoded return location; and

responsive to changing the destination location to the return location, causing a printing of a second shipping label that includes the return location for the asset to be delivered to.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein causing the printing of the second shipping label is based on sending a control signal to a printing machine in a logistics facility.

10. The system of claim 8 , wherein causing the printing of the second shipping label involves:

receiving an indication that the computer-readable indicia has been scanned at a logistics store or an access point; and

responsive to receiving the indication, automatically causing the printing of the second shipping label, wherein the second shipping label is to be affixed to the asset to facilitate delivering the asset to the return location.

11. The system of claim 8 , wherein the computer-readable indicia comprise a matrix barcode, and the computing device comprises a mobile device of the recipient.

12. The system of claim 8 , wherein the operations further comprise, responsive to receiving the identifier, performing at least one of automatically authenticating or automatically authorizing the recipient for a return of the asset.

13. The system of claim 12 , wherein performing automatically authorizing the recipient for the return of the asset involves:

receiving, via at least one of a web page or an application page, authorization information from the recipient; and

authorizing, based on the authorization information, the recipient to return the asset, wherein automatically changing the destination location to the return location is further in response to authorizing the recipient to return the asset.

14. The system of claim 12 , wherein performing automatically authenticating the recipient for the return of the asset involves:

receiving, via at least one of a web page or an application page, authentication information; and

authenticating, based on the authentication information, credentials for the recipient, wherein automatically changing the destination location to the return location is further in response to authenticating the credentials for the recipient.

15. A non-transitory computer storage medium having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon that, when executed by a mobile device, cause the mobile device to perform operations comprising:

electronically scanning computer-readable indicia that is included on a shipping label of an asset, wherein the computer-readable indicia comprise an encoded return location;

responsive to electronically scanning the computer-readable indicia, generating a request to return the asset to a return location associated with the encoded return location; and

transmitting the request to a server, wherein the server, upon receiving the request, performs operations involving:

decoding the encoded return location;

responsive to decoding the encoded return location, changing a destination location stored in a data record for shipping the asset to the return location associated with the encoded return location; and

responsive to changing the destination location to the return location, causing a printing of a second shipping label corresponding to the return location as a new destination location for shipping the asset.

16. The non-transitory computer storage medium of claim 15 , wherein the operations further comprise, responsive to electronically scanning the computer-readable indicia, generating a user interface, wherein the user interface requests verification information from a user for returning the asset to the return location, the request comprises the verification information, and the server, upon receiving the request, further performs operations involving verifying, based on the verification information, that the user can return the asset.

17. The non-transitory computer storage medium of claim 15 , wherein the operations further comprise, responsive to electronically scanning the computer-readable indicia, generating a user interface, wherein the user interface requests authentication information from a user, the request comprises the authentication information, and the server, upon receiving the request, further performs operations involving authenticating, based on the authentication information, credentials of the user.

18. The non-transitory computer storage medium of claim 15 , wherein the request comprises metadata, and the server, upon receiving the request, further performs operations comprising at least one of authenticating or authorizing a recipient, based on the metadata, to return the asset.

19. The non-transitory computer storage medium of claim 15 , wherein the server, upon receiving the request, further performs operations comprising transmitting a message to a user device associated with a shipper of the asset that comprises an indication that the asset is requested to be returned to the shipper.

20. The non-transitory computer storage medium of claim 15 , wherein the operations further comprise transmitting a message to a user device associated with a shipper of the asset that comprises an indication that the asset is requested to be returned to the shipper.

Assignments (1)

Continuity (3)

References Cited (49)