Patent ID: 7421400

Claim:
A shipping management computer system that is configured for: receiving, from a first client computer that is connected to communicate with said shipping management computer system via a global communications network, a set of first-item shipping specifications associated with delivering a first item from a first-item origin to a first-item destination, said set of first-item shipping specifications comprising: (A) a first-item origin postal code corresponding to said first-item origin, and (B) a first-item destination postal code corresponding to said first-item destination; identifying a first first-item carrier that would deliver said first item in accordance with said first-item shipping specifications; identifying a first first-item origin rating zone identifier that corresponds to said first-item origin postal code; identifying a first first-item destination rating zone identifier that corresponds to said first-item destination postal code; using said first first-item origin rating zone identifier and said first first-item destination rating zone identifier to calculate a first first-item service charge that said first first-item carrier would charge to deliver said first item from said first-item origin to said first-item destination; identifying a second first-item carrier that would deliver said first item in accordance with said first set of shipping specifications; identifying a second first-item origin rating zone identifier that corresponds to said first-item origin postal code; identifying a second first-item destination rating zone identifier that corresponds to said first-item destination postal code; and using said second first-item origin rating zone identifier and said second first-item destination rating zone identifier to calculate a second first-item service charge that said second first-item carrier would charge to deliver said first item from said first-item origin to said first-item destination.