Patent ID: 6980885
Filing Date: 2005-12-27
Classification: G06Q

Abstract:
1. A computer-implemented system for routing shipments according to criticality, the system comprising one or more software components collectively operable to: access an initial solution to an optimization problem of routing a plurality of predetermined shipments to a plurality of predetermined locations using a plurality of vehicles, the initial solution comprising a plurality of loads such that each shipment is routed within exactly one load and a global cost across all the loads is minimized, the initial solution being generated independent of the criticality of the shipments; insert, into each of one or more critical loads in a current solution, one or more non-critical shipments that are within a neighborhood of the critical load, a critical load being a load containing at least one critical shipment; and execute one or more local search operations to improve the initial solution, the executed local search operations comprising at least one of: