초록 ▼

Freight forwarders and carriers post published rate and discount information for land, sea and air bearing cargo vessels to allow customers the opportunity to evaluate competitive prices, preferably in one consolidated location (e.g., a web site). A customer navigates to the site to obtain published

Freight forwarders and carriers post published rate and discount information for land, sea and air bearing cargo vessels to allow customers the opportunity to evaluate competitive prices, preferably in one consolidated location (e.g., a web site). A customer navigates to the site to obtain published or discounted rate information offered by a freight forwarder or carrier. The customer may accept a posted rate, in which case the site operator notifies the freight forwarder or carrier. Alternatively, customers, freight forwarders and carriers may negotiate rates for particular lanes of interest using an online interactive auction block.

대표청구항 ▼

[ What is claimed is:] [1.] A method operative at a server for enabling a first entity to negotiate with a second entity online to secure a cargo shipping commitment, comprising the steps of:having the first entity post a bid to an online auction block maintained at the server;in response to a reque

[ What is claimed is:] [1.] A method operative at a server for enabling a first entity to negotiate with a second entity online to secure a cargo shipping commitment, comprising the steps of:having the first entity post a bid to an online auction block maintained at the server;in response to a request from the second entity to the server identifying a given cargo shipping lane, identifying a set of bids for that shipping lane; andin response to the second entity accepting a given one of the set of bids posted by the first entity, sending a message to the first and second entities confirming a cargo shipping commitment.