Appeal No. 2004-1339 Page 6
Application No. 09/488,079
Dlugos teaches the following potential application for an integrated circuit
package label (column 8, line 10, to column 9, line 62):
By way of example, a parcel carrier can supply labels to its customers for
attachment to parcels that will be transported by the carrier.
The carrier's customer (sender of the parcel) uses the label from the
beginning to the end of the order fulfillment cycle. Initially, the sender inputs into
the label sender information including name, address and sender identification
number. Alternatively, this information may already have been input by the
carrier or may be present as a result of a previous use of the label by the sender.
Immediately after an order is received, recipient information (such as billing
name and address, account number), order information (such as order number,
item numbers, quantities, prices), and shipping information (such as destination
address, mode of delivery, handling instructions), are all input into the label. The
label is then delivered to the warehouse in lieu of a picking list. At the
warehouse, a terminal reads the label and either prints a picking list, or carries
out an automated picking process.
From this point forward the label accompanies the order to its destination,
with information read from the label and additional information written into the
label at various stages along the way. For instance, upon completion of the
picking process, information can be added reflecting date and time of picking,
identifying the employee responsible for picking and recording the serial
numbers of the items picked for the order. If it was not possible to fulfill the order,
or if the order was only partially fulfilled, or fulfilled with substitute items,
appropriate information can be written into the label. The label can later be read,
if desired, as part of a quality control check for the picking process.
When the order is packed and prepared for shipment, the label is
attached to the parcel as described above. Information from the label is read by
a parcel scale or computerized parcel shipping system (also known as a
manifesting system) or a terminal interfaced thereto for such purposes as
selecting routes and shipping modes, calculating shipping charges, preparing
manifests, billing, maintaining accounting records. Additional information is
written into the label, including some or all of: date and time of shipment, routing
codes (which may include a postal zip code), shipping mode, shipping charges,
handling charges, manifest number, invoice number, weight of parcel.
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Last modified: November 3, 2007