Patent ID: 7577622

Claim:
In a networked computing environment, a collaboration method for the management of data between a carrier and a shipper in the transport of goods, the collaboration method comprising the steps of: creating at least one carrier account in a database on a central data server, the created carrier account having an associated private carrier data set and a non-private carrier data set, where the non-private carrier data set contains records for data that the carrier agrees to share, the created carrier account having at least one record in the non-private carrier data set containing a shipper ID code for uniquely identifying the shipper to the carrier; creating at least one shipper account in the database on the central data server, the created shipper account having an associated private shipper data set and a non-private shipper data set, where the non-private shipper data set contains records for data that the shipper agrees to share, the created shipper account having at least one record in the non-private shipper data set containing a carrier ID code for uniquely identifying the carrier to the shipper; creating a link code in a record of the created carrier account or the created shipper account; requesting a network link between the shipper or carrier to the central data server by submitting the link code along with the carrier ID or shipper ID, the requesting enabling records in the created carrier account containing the shipper ID to be linked to the created shipper account and records in the created shipper account containing the carrier ID to be linked to the created carrier account; establishing over the network an interactive communications link between the shipper or carrier to the central data server for sharing and updating linked records in the non-private carrier data set and the non-private shipper data set-substantially eliminating duplicate records; and communicating at least a portion of the linked records through the communications link where updates made to the linked records by the shipper or carrier are stored in the database.