Transfer Verification Products and Methods

Abstract

A documentation product and methods for using the product to check a shipment and take responsibility for a shipment are disclosed. The documentation product includes a transfer document that corresponds to a shipment. The transfer document includes identification of a carrier, identification of a destination, and identification of an image. The identified image depicts the shipment. The identified image can be compared with a received shipment such that discrepancies can be determined. The transfer document can also be acknowledged as corresponding to the shipment depicted at least in part by the image.

1 . A container product comprising: 
 A container marked with a warning indicating that the container is protected by having been imaged.    
     
     
         2 . The container product of  claim 1  wherein attached to the container is identification of an image of the container taken when the container was proximate to premises of a consignor of a shipment that includes the container.  
     
     
         3 . The container product of  claim 1  wherein the warning indicates that the container was imaged when the container was proximate to premises of a consignor of a shipment that includes the container.  
     
     
         4 . The container product of  claim 1  wherein the container comprises a first side including a first symbol but not a second symbol and a second side including the second symbol but not the first symbol, wherein both the first symbol and the second symbol are different from each other; wherein the container further is a first container of a plurality of containers having at least two containers with materially different physical characteristics and wherein a second container in the plurality, which has physical characteristics different from the first container, comprises a first side including the first symbol but not the second symbol and a second side including the second symbol but not the first symbol.  
     
     
         5 . The container product of  claim 1  wherein the container comprises a first side including a first symbol but not a second symbol and a second side including the second symbol but not the first symbol, wherein both the first symbol and the second symbol are different from each other; wherein the container further is a first container of a plurality of containers wherein at least two containers are materially different in size from each other and wherein a second container in the plurality which is materially different in size from the first container comprises a first side including the first symbol but not the second symbol and a second side including the second symbol but not the first symbol.  
     
     
         6 . The container product of  claim 1  wherein the container comprises a first side including a first symbol; a second side including a second symbol; a third side including a third symbol; a fourth side including a fourth symbol and wherein the first, second, third, and fourth symbols are alphanumeric and sequential.  
     
     
         7 . The container product of  claim 6  wherein at least one of the symbols is applied to a surface area of at least one container without a label.  
     
     
         8 . The container product of  claim 1  wherein the container contains goods; the container is marked to show identification of a consignee; the container comprises a first side including a first symbol, a second side including a second symbol, a third side including a third symbol, and a fourth side including a fourth symbol, and wherein the first, second, third, and fourth symbols are alphanumeric and sequential.  
     
     
         9 . The container product of  claim 1  wherein the container is part of a plurality of containers wherein at least two containers have different physical characteristics and wherein each one of the two containers comprises a first side including substantially a same first symbol; a second side including substantially a same second symbol; a third side comprising substantially a same third symbol; and a fourth side comprising substantially a same fourth symbol.  
     
     
         10 . The container product of  claim 9  wherein at least one of the symbols is applied to a surface area of at least one container without a label.  
     
     
         11 . The container product of  claim 9  wherein the containers are located at least one of: (a) on a truck onto which the containers were loaded at a location proximate to premises of a consignor of a shipment which includes the containers, (b) at a location proximate to premises of a consignor of a shipment including the containers, (c) at a location proximate to premises of a consignee of a shipment which includes the containers and where also present at that location is a delivery receipt which identifies the shipment and wherein the delivery receipt also identifies an image of at least one of the containers taken when that container was proximate to premises of a consignor of the shipment, (d) a location where also present is a plurality of images of the container taken when the containers were proximate to premises of a consignor of a shipment that includes the containers and wherein visible in at least one image is the warning indicating that the container is protected by having been imaged, and (e) premises of a carrier which arranged for a driver to drive the at least one of the containers from premises of a consignor of a shipment which includes at least one of the containers to the premises of the carrier.  
     
     
         12 . The container product of  claim 1  wherein the container is located at least one of: (a) on a truck onto which the container was loaded at a location proximate to premises of a consignor of a shipment which includes the container, (b) at a location proximate to premises of a consignor of a shipment including the container, (c) at a location proximate to premises of a consignee of a s shipment where also present at that location is a delivery receipt which identifies the shipment which includes the container and wherein the delivery receipt also identifies an image of the container taken when the container was proximate to premises of a consignor of the shipment, (d) a location where also present is a plurality of images of the container taken when the container was proximate to premises of a consignor of a shipment that comprises the container wherein visible in at least one image is the warning indicating that the container is protected by having been imaged, and (e) premises of a carrier which arranged for a driver to drive the container from premises of a consignor of a shipment which includes the container to the premises of the carrier.  
     
     
         13 . A method of transporting a container comprising the steps of obtaining the container at a first location and arranging to drive the container to a second location wherein attached to the container is a warning indicating that the container is protected by having been imaged.  
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13  wherein attached to the container is identification of an image of the container taken that the container was proximate to premises of a consignor of a shipment which includes the container.  
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 13  wherein the first location is proximate to premises of either a consignor of a shipment that includes the container or a carrier which arranged for a driver to drive the container from premises of a consignor of a shipment that includes the container to the premises of the carrier.  
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 13  wherein the second location is proximate to premises of a consignee of a shipment which includes the container.  
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 13  wherein the container comprises a first side including a first symbol; a second side including a second symbol; a third side including a third symbol; a fourth side including a fourth symbol, and wherein the first, second, third, and fourth symbols are alphanumeric and sequential.  
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17  further comprising transporting a second container which comprises a first side including a first symbol; a second side including a second symbol; a third side including a third symbol; a fourth side including a fourth symbol, wherein the first, second, third, and fourth symbols of the second container are substantially the same as the first, second, third, and fourth symbols, respectively, of the first container and wherein the first and second containers have materially different physical characteristics.  
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 17  wherein at least one of the symbols is attached to the container without a label.  
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 18  wherein the first and second containers are marked with identification of the same consignee and different consignors.  
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 18  wherein the first and second containers are marked with identification of the same consignor and different consignees.  
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 13  including the additional step of comparing images of sides marked with first and second symbols to the container's sides marked by those same symbols to ascertain if tampering with contents of the container has occurred between the time the container was sealed at a location proximate to premises of a consignor of a shipment comprising the container and a time of the comparing  
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 13  including the additional step of at a location proximate to premises of a consignee of a shipment comprising a person comparing the images of the sides marked with first and second symbols to the container's sides marked by those same symbols to ascertain if tampering with contents of the container has occurred between the time the container left a location proximate to premises of a consignor of a shipment comprising the container and a time of final delivery to the consignee.