Patents Assigned to NORTHWEST RESEARCH, INC.
  • Patent number: 9207774
    Abstract: A method of labeling a package for shipment includes: providing a shipping label having a generally laminar body with a designated tear path matrix extending over at least a major portion thereof, the generally laminar body having a face side on which is printed origination, destination and tracking data, and a bottom side to which is applied a pressure-sensitive adhesive surface; and attaching the shipping label to a surface of the package, via the pressure-sensitive adhesive surface on the bottom side of said label, prior to its shipment via a common carrier. The designated tear path matrix may be a pattern of interconnected regular hexagons, or a pattern of intersecting first and second parallel tear lines. The tear path matrix may be formed by through-hole perforations in the label body, by channels in the label body, or by regions of reduced shear strength in the label body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2015
    Assignee: NORTHWEST RESEARCH, INC.
    Inventor: Jon L. Asay
  • Publication number: 20140084579
    Abstract: A method of labeling a package for shipment includes: providing a shipping label having a generally laminar body with a designated tear path matrix extending over at least a major portion thereof, the generally laminar body having a face side on which is printed origination, destination and tracking data, and a bottom side to which is applied a pressure-sensitive adhesive surface; and attaching the shipping label to a surface of the package, via the pressure-sensitive adhesive surface on the bottom side of said label, prior to its shipment via a common carrier. The designated tear path matrix may be a pattern of interconnected regular hexagons, or a pattern of intersecting first and second parallel tear lines. The tear path matrix may be formed by through-hole perforations in the label body, by channels in the label body, or by regions of reduced shear strength in the label body.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 25, 2013
    Publication date: March 27, 2014
    Applicant: Northwest Research, Inc.
    Inventor: Jon L. Asay
  • Patent number: 8646810
    Abstract: A method of labeling a package for shipment includes: providing a shipping label having a generally laminar body with a designated tear path matrix extending over at least a major portion thereof, the generally laminar body having a face side on which is printed origination, destination and tracking data, and a bottom side to which is applied a pressure-sensitive adhesive surface; and attaching the shipping label to a surface of the package, via the pressure-sensitive adhesive surface on the bottom side of said label, prior to its shipment via a common carrier. The designated tear path matrix may be a pattern of interconnected regular hexagons, or a pattern of intersecting first and second parallel tear lines. The tear path matrix may be formed by through-hole perforations in the label body, by channels in the label body, or by regions of reduced shear strength in the label body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2014
    Assignee: Northwest Research, Inc.
    Inventor: Jon. L. Asay
  • Publication number: 20130325739
    Abstract: The processing of data and inventory, particularly with regards to packages having an issue affecting their delivery, is disclosed. Among other things, embodiments of the present disclosure help enable the quick, efficient, and accurate resolution to such issues. According to various embodiments, a method performed by a computer program operating on a computer system is disclosed, the method comprising: accessing, by the computer system, a database containing a plurality of database entries for a respective plurality of packages to be matched with an intended recipient; identifying, by the computer system, one or more entries from the plurality of entries for which the respective packages for the one or more entries are unmatched to any recipient; and generating an alert, by the computer system, including information regarding the one or more unmatched packages.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 10, 2012
    Publication date: December 5, 2013
    Applicant: Northwest Research, Inc.
    Inventors: Jon Asay, John Bickerstaff, Thomas Brenna, Trisha Erickson, Greg Fowler, Glen Lewis
  • Publication number: 20130325742
    Abstract: The processing of data and inventory, particularly with regards to packages having an issue affecting their delivery, is disclosed. Among other things, embodiments of the present disclosure help enable the quick, efficient, and accurate resolution to such issues. According to various embodiments, a method performed by a computer program operating on a computer system is disclosed, the method comprising: storing, by the computer system, a first record in a database in communication with the computer system, the first record including a first key associated with the first record, and a second key associated with a second record stored in the database; updating, by the computer system, an entry in an index table, wherein the entry includes the second key associated with the second record, and updating the entry includes adding at least a portion of the first key to the entry.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 10, 2012
    Publication date: December 5, 2013
    Applicant: Northwest Research, Inc.
    Inventors: Jon Asay, Thomas Brenna
  • Publication number: 20130325893
    Abstract: The processing of data and inventory, particularly with regards to packages having an issue affecting their delivery, is disclosed. Among other things, embodiments of the present disclosure help enable the quick, efficient, and accurate resolution to such issues. In various embodiments, a method performed by a computer program operating on a computer system is disclosed. The method comprises: receiving, by the computer system, an identifier for a package; in response to receiving the identifier, automatically retrieving, by the computer system, a database entry associated with the package from a database in communication with the computer system; determining, by the computer system, based on the database entry, that the package was refused by an intended recipient; and automatically modifying, by the computer system, a status field of the database entry to indicate the package was refused.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 10, 2012
    Publication date: December 5, 2013
    Applicant: Northwest Research, Inc.
    Inventors: Jon Asay, John Bickerstaff, Thomas Brenna, Trisha Erickson, Greg Fowler, Glen Lewis
  • Publication number: 20130325743
    Abstract: According to various embodiments, a method performed by a computer program operating on a computer system is disclosed, the method comprising: accessing, by the computer system, a database in communication with the computer system, wherein the database contains a plurality of records, wherein each record in the plurality of records includes a status condition; accessing, by the computer system, a rule set for the status conditions for the plurality of records, the rule set stored in a memory in communication with the computer system; identifying based on the rule set, by the computer system, one or more records from the plurality of records having a disallowed status condition; and generating, by the computer system, an alert, the alert including a list of the one or more records having a disallowed status condition.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 10, 2012
    Publication date: December 5, 2013
    Applicant: Northwest Research, Inc.
    Inventors: Jon Asay, John Bickerstaff, Thomas Brenna, Trisha Erickson, Greg Fowler, Glen Lewis
  • Publication number: 20130321857
    Abstract: In various embodiments, a method performed by a computer program operating on a computer system includes: displaying, by the computer system on a display screen in communication with the computer system, a plurality of data fields related to shipping a package; and receiving, by the computer system, an identifier for the package. The method further includes in response to the receipt of the identifier: automatically populating, by the computer system, a data field from the plurality of data fields with data for the package from a device in communication with the computer system; and displaying, by the computer system, the populated data field on the display screen. The method also includes generating, by the computer system, a shipping label for the package using a printer in communication with the computer system, the shipping label including one or more of the identifier and the data from the device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 10, 2012
    Publication date: December 5, 2013
    Applicant: Northwest Research, Inc.
    Inventors: Jon Asay, John Bickerstaff, Thomas Brenna, Trisha Erickson, Greg Fowler, Glen Lewis
  • Publication number: 20130062874
    Abstract: A method of labeling a package for shipment includes: providing a shipping label having a generally laminar body with a designated tear path matrix extending over at least a major portion thereof, the generally laminar body having a face side on which is printed origination, destination and tracking data, and a bottom side to which is applied a pressure-sensitive adhesive surface; and attaching the shipping label to a surface of the package, via the pressure-sensitive adhesive surface on the bottom side of said label, prior to its shipment via a common carrier. The designated tear path matrix may be a pattern of interconnected regular hexagons, or a pattern of intersecting first and second parallel tear lines. The tear path matrix may be formed by through-hole perforations in the label body, by channels in the label body, or by regions of reduced shear strength in the label body.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 22, 2012
    Publication date: March 14, 2013
    Applicant: NORTHWEST RESEARCH, INC.
    Inventor: Northwest Research, Inc.