System for assigning a goods consumer to a goods provider

Simple SummaryContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

This patent describes a comprehensive logistics system for optimally assigning goods consumers (such as customers) to goods providers (such as producers, warehouses, or distributors), taking into account real-time and/or periodic data from multiple sources. The system considers details about consumer demand, provider capabilities, parcel/shipping providers, transport networks, intermediate storage, and external meta-information (like weather or fuel price). It uses ranking and prediction engines to generate the best possible assignment of consumer orders to providers and shipping routes while also estimating cost and optimizing resource usage across the supply chain.

Use CasesContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

• E-commerce platforms matching customer orders to optimal fulfillment centers and shipping providers.
• Logistics companies optimizing cross-border, multi-modal shipment decisions based on real-time network and warehouse status.
• Retailers managing omnichannel fulfillment (ship-from-store, warehouse, or supplier) based on delivery speed, cost, and stock availability.
• Manufacturers or distributors dynamically allocating orders to plants, DCs, and logistics routes under changing market and supply chain conditions.
• Third-party logistics (3PLs) or supply chain platforms providing smart assignment and routing as a service to client companies.

BenefitsContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

• Improves efficiency and reduces costs in goods delivery by optimizing provider and shipping assignments based on real-time data.
• Enhances customer satisfaction through faster, more reliable deliveries, and optimized routing under user-defined constraints (price, speed, grouping, etc.).
• Increases flexibility and responsiveness by incorporating up-to-date information such as weather, traffic, and provider capacity.
• Enables joint optimization of warehouse, goods, and transport network capacity, preventing bottlenecks and resource underutilization.
• Supports scalability and automation in large, complex logistics networks, including multi-modal and international scenarios.

Technical Classifications (CPCs)

Inventors & Applicants

Patent Abstract

The invention relates to a system for assigning at least one goods consumer to at least one goods provider comprising a data retrieval device, wherein the data retrieval device is configured to gather continuously or in time intervals data from the at least one goods consumer and/or from the at least one goods provider comprising at least one production provider and/or at least one storage provider and/or from at least one parcel provider and/or from at least one transport network provider and/or from at least one intermediate storage provider and/or from at least one meta-information provider; and a ranking engine device, wherein the ranking engine device is configured to rank triples of goods consumer and at least one candidate goods provider and at least one candidate parcel provider or quadruple of goods consumer and at least one candidate goods provider and at least one candidate parcel provider and at least one candidate transport network provider under consideration of the data gathered by the data retrieval device. The invention also relates to a system for joint optimization of warehouse availability and/or goods availability and/or transport network capacity using a system for assigning at least one goods consumer to at least one goods provider.