Transportation System Using Crowdsourced Warehouses and Storage Facilities

摘要

The invention crowdsources and coordinates the operation of residential, commercial or industrial warehouses as well as vehicles for the purpose of transporting parcels. The invention also coordinates these crowdsourced facilities with non-crowdsourced warehouses and vehicles. The invention also includes an Internet marketplace that may operate as an auction, for exchanging payments for transportation and storage services rendered. Participants use communication devices to enter their daily and hourly availability into a database operated by a Cloud-hosted app. This app assigns drivers and warehouses, proposes routes, estimates pick-up and drop-off times, tracks vehicles, issue a transaction notice before an impending pick-up or drop-off, verifies the validity of each transaction and updates the custody data assigned to each parcel after an exchange. Participants utilize communication devices that allows them to send GPS data to the Cloud app, verify each others' identity, identify exchanged parcels and communicate transaction data with the Cloud app.

主权项

1. A transportation system for transporting and warehousing at least one parcel from a sender to a receiver, along a route comprising at least one stop, said transportation system using crowdsourcing for warehousing said at least one parcel at said at least one stop, said transportation system comprising:
a. a network; b. a remote server connected to said network and operated by a remote server operator; c. a number of proposed warehouses operated by a number of proposing warehouse operators, at least two of said proposing warehouse operators being business entities independent of each other and of said remote server operator, said proposed warehouse being connected to said remote server through said network by means of a warehouse communication device; d. at least one of said proposed warehouses being selected to perform said warehousing of said at least one parcel at said at least one stop, said selected proposed warehouses being called contributed warehouses, and said proposing warehouse operators of said contributed warehouses being called contributing warehouse operators; and e. said contributed warehouse warehousing said at least one parcel.