US 12,141,742 B2
System and methods for dynamic identification of order fulfillment options using an application programming interface
Bryan Absher, Seattle, WA (US); Michael Thanh-Hung Hotan, Seattle, WA (US); Seth Daniel Johnson, Portland, OR (US); Megan Marie Quintero, Redwood City, CA (US); Steven Stevenson, Seattle, WA (US); and Halim Khoury, Seattle, WA (US)
Assigned to FLEXE, INC., Seattle, WA (US)
Filed by FLEXE, INC., Seattle, WA (US)
Filed on Sep. 9, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/941,928.
Prior Publication US 2024/0086829 A1, Mar. 14, 2024
Int. Cl. G06Q 10/0834 (2023.01); G06Q 10/087 (2023.01); G06Q 30/0601 (2023.01)
CPC G06Q 10/08345 (2013.01) [G06Q 10/087 (2013.01); G06Q 30/0635 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A computer-implemented method of identifying fulfillment options for an item sold via a merchant website, the method comprising:
accessing a plurality of non-standardized warehouse data structures at a centralized server, each non-standardized warehouse data structure being associated with a warehouse node operated by an entity other than the merchant,
wherein the warehouse nodes provide the warehouse data structures in different, non-standardized formats, and
wherein a first warehouse data structure of the plurality of non-standardized warehouse data structures is in a first communication format generated by a first software of a first warehouse node and a second warehouse data structure is in a second communication format generated by a second software of a second warehouse node;
receiving, in an electronic order inquiry, item information about an item available for sale via a merchant website, the item information including an item identifier and an item quantity,
wherein the item information is received in response to the item being placed, by a customer, into an electronic shopping cart associated with the merchant website;
receiving, in the electronic order inquiry, customer information about the customer, the customer information including an address associated with the customer;
identifying, based at least in part on the item identifier and the address associated with the customer, at least one warehouse node;
determining, at the centralized server, based on warehouse node information from the non-standardized warehouse data structures, values for a set of standard parameters including inventory levels, available carriers, or location of the at least one warehouse node,
wherein the standard parameters are in a uniform communication format specific to the centralized server;
confirming availability, at the at least one warehouse node, of a threshold quantity of the item based on the values of the set of standard parameters, the threshold quantity being greater than or equal to the item quantity;
identifying carrier information of at least one carrier associated with the at least one warehouse node,
wherein the carrier information includes available levels of carrier service, prices associated with each of the available levels of carrier service, and cutoff order times associated with each of the available levels of carrier service;
determining two or more fulfillment options by which the item can be delivered to the address from the at least one warehouse node via the at least one carrier; and
transmitting, in a fulfillment response, the two or more fulfillment options by which the item can be delivered to the address from the at least one warehouse node via the at least one carrier.