Token allocation for distributed shipping document processing

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12062011-B1
Application number	US-202217751611-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	May 23, 2022
Priority date	Aug 26, 2019
Publication date	Aug 13, 2024
Grant date	Aug 13, 2024

Abstract

Systems and methods which provide for allocation of tokens, such as may be used for tracking number dissemination, for shipment document processing are described. Embodiments operate to allocate tokens to the various shipping document processing systems for their use by the respective document processing systems. The various shipping document processing systems may be enabled to independently perform shipping document processing for extended periods of time (e.g., days, weeks, etc.) using their respective allocations of tokens, such as to use the tokens, including reuse of the tokens over time, without overlap (e.g., without introducing overlapping instances of tracking numbers). Logic of shipping document processing systems record use time information (e.g., a date and/or time of use of a token or tokens) in association with their use of tokens of their allotment, wherein the use tokens from the allocations is in accordance with last use time information.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for token dissemination by a processor-based shipping document processing system of a plurality of processor-based shipping document processing systems, the method comprising:
receiving by the processor-based shipping document processing system, from a processor-based token coordinator system a token allocation including allocated token blocks along with a token allocation period during which the processor-based shipping document processing system is configured to independently use tokens of the allocated token blocks of the token allocation, wherein each of the allocated token blocks includes a plurality of tokens;
storing, by the processor-based shipping document processing system, a token database including the token allocation of the allocated token blocks allocated to the processor-based shipping document processing system from a token pool provided for use in shipping document processing by the plurality of processor-based shipping document processing systems, wherein the token database further includes use information stored in association with each of the allocated token blocks of the token pool, wherein the use information includes use time information and token use status information, wherein the use time information includes begin use time information and end use time information for each of the allocated token blocks, and the token use status information includes any one of: a used state, an in use state, or an available state for each of the allocated token blocks;
disseminating, by the processor-based shipping document processing system, the tokens of the allocated token blocks of the token allocation to at least one shipper during the token allocation period, the disseminating including:
determining that a token is needed for shipping document processing by the processor-based shipping document processing system;
obtaining an available token from the allocated token blocks of the token allocation based on the available token having an oldest use time from the use time information for the available token for dissemination by the processor-based shipping document processing system;
updating at least a portion of the use information in the token database; and
providing the available token for the shipping document processing to a shipper of the at least one shipper; and

receiving by the processor-based shipping document processing system, from the processor-based token coordinator system a next token allocation including reallocated token blocks for a next token allocation period.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the use information stored in association with tokens of the token pool further includes next token information.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein when the available token from the token allocation having oldest use time information obtained for dissemination by the processor-based shipping document processing system comprises a first token of a token block, the updating the at least the portion of the use information comprises:
updating the next token information to a next token of the token block;
updating a begin use time of the use time information to correspond to a use time for the available token obtained from the token allocation; and
updating the token use status information to indicate an in use state of the token block.

4. The method of claim 2 , wherein when the available token from the token allocation having oldest use time information obtained for dissemination by the processor-based shipping document processing system comprises a last token of a token block, the updating the at least the portion of the use information comprises:
updating an end use time of the use time information to correspond to use time for the available token obtained from the token allocation; and
updating the token use status information to indicate a used state of the token block.

5. The method of claim 2 , wherein when the available token from the token allocation having oldest use time information obtained for dissemination by the processor-based shipping document processing system is neither a first token of a token block nor a last token of the token block, the updating the at least the portion of the use information comprises:
updating the next token information to a next token of the token block without updating the use time information or the token use status information.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the token allocation period comprises a time span selected from a group consisting of: a day, a week, and a month.

7. The method of claim 1 , further wherein the receiving the token allocation from the processor-based token coordinator system is in response to a reallocation trigger with respect to the processor-based shipping document processing system having been indicated.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the reallocation trigger is a reallocation trigger time period, wherein the reallocation trigger time period is a time period less than the token allocation period.

9. The method of claim 7 , wherein the reallocation trigger is an occurrence of a predetermined event.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the predetermined event comprises an event selected from a group consisting of reestablishing communication between the processor-based shipping document processing system and a processor-based token coordinator system controlling the allocating the tokens from the token pool to the processor-based shipping document processing system, the processor-based shipping document processing system returning to an operational status, and the processor-based token coordinator system returning to an operational status.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the token allocation for the processor-based shipping document processing system is determined based at least in part on a statistical quantification of tokens disseminated by the processor-based shipping document processing system in a plurality of instances of a time span of the token allocation period.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the token allocation for the processor-based shipping document processing system is determined based at least in part on a statistical quantification of tokens disseminated by the plurality of processor-based shipping document processing systems.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the token allocation for the processor-based shipping document processing system is determined based at least in part on historical information with respect to the processor-based shipping document processing system.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the token allocation for the processor-based shipping document processing system is determined based at least in part on a predicted number of tokens to be disseminated in a time span of the token allocation period.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of processor-based shipping document processing systems comprise geographically distributed shipping document processing systems.

16. The method of claim 1 , wherein the shipping document processing provided by the processor-based shipping document processing system comprises generation of one or more aspects of shipping labels, wherein the available token is provided in association with a corresponding shipping label.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the available token is provided in association with the corresponding shipping label to provide tracking information for the corresponding shipping label.

Assignees

• Stamps Com Inc
• Auctane Inc

Inventors

• Lu Yang
• Bourgoine Jonathan Michael

Classifications

• G06Q10/0838 Primary

  Historical data · CPC title