Network of Participants In a Shipment Cold-Chain

摘要

The invention relates to a network of participants connected through a website and thereby forming a virtual cold chain, and wherein the participants can make proposals and/or bids to shipment owners, shippers, receivers, and customers, to provide services or products to keep the shipment at desired conditions (especially, temperature conditions) during a period of the remaining shipment. The shipment can be monitored en route by agents acting for the website or by either the same participants making proposals, or other participants.

主权项

1. A process of receiving proposals relating to increasing the likelihood that a cargo will travel an entire shipment route without temperature excursions which exceed specified time periods, comprising:
establishing a website having participants, wherein the website is capable of receiving data from the shipment and displaying it for participants; selecting a system of containers and solid phase refrigerants, which change from solid phase to liquid phase during shipment but not to gas phase and which are likely to maintain the cargo such that temperature excursions above a specified magnitude do not exceed specified time periods during the shipment period; determining the maximum predicted period of shipment for the cargo and the predicted ambient temperature ranges during shipment; shipping the products in the selected system and monitoring the temperatures encountered to a certain point during the shipment period using an on board monitor which monitors the temperature throughout the shipment period; calculating the amount of the solid phase of the refrigerant remaining at said point during the shipment period based on the temperatures encountered by it and the time of exposure to different temperatures; calculating a value, at said point during shipment, representing the likelihood that the remaining un-melted solid phase refrigerant is sufficient to preserve the biological products for the remaining shipment period, based on the expected ambient temperature range during said remaining shipment period; and providing the value to participants and requesting proposals from participants where they take action to do one or more of: adding refrigerant to the shipment, moving the shipment to a faster transportation mode, moving the shipment to a temperature-controlled environment, or diverting the shipment to a different recipient.