WO2002005169A1

WO2002005169A1 - Luggage transportation system and method using electric railway

Info

Publication number: WO2002005169A1
Application number: PCT/KR2001/000962
Authority: WO
Inventors: Deok-Woo Kim
Original assignee: Woori Technology Inc.
Priority date: 2000-07-12
Filing date: 2001-06-05
Publication date: 2002-01-17
Also published as: AU2001262790A1

Abstract

Disclosed is a luggage transportation system and method using electric railways. The luggage transportation system that uses a first luggage transporter moving between base stations and a second luggage transporter moving between the base station and individual stations to transport the luggage, comprises an input unit for inputting information on a destination station and a recipient; a memory for storing information on the electric railway lines; a transportation route producer for producing the transportation route according to the electric railway lines stored in the memory; and a transportation time producer for producing the transportation time corresponding to the transportation route. Accordingly, the present invention enables to quickly transport the luggage to the destination station via complex electrical railways and subway routes in a metropolis by understanding the structures of the current routes, defining roles of the individual stations and driving the luggage transporters.

Description

Luggage Transportation System and Method Using Electric Railway

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION (a) Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a package transportation system and method using electric railways. More specifically, the present invention relates to a package transportation system and method using electric railways that enables quick transport of packages to recipients via electric railways in a metropolitan area.

(b) Description of the Related Art

In general, in a package delivery service a deliveryman must go to a

— sender in person to receive items or documents to be transported, and then take them to the recipient. Examples of such a package delivery service include an air delivery service for rapidly transporting packages between nations or large cities via a transport plane, and a motorcycle delivery service for rapidly transporting packages in a metropolitan area with heavy traffic via small-sized land transport means such as a motorcycle. In particular, the motorcycle delivery service, which transports packages more rapidly and easily than other mail delivery services in metropolitan areas, has become more popular in recent years.

To use the motorcycle delivery service, the sender must take the trouble to bring the package to a clerk at the concerned delivery service drop-off location in person, or call a deliveryman and wait for his/her arrival to

hand the package over. In most cases, the sender must await the

deliveryman's arrival, because there are few delivery service drop-off

locations in the metropolitan area.

Hence, the sender must stay at their location until the deliveryman

arrives, and it is difficult to know both when the deliveryman will arrive and

when the package will be delivered to the recipient, since these times are

dependant on such factors as heavy traffic in the metropolitan area. Furthermore, in some cases the package is sent back to the sender or is

delivered to another person when the desired recipient leaves on urgent

business before the arrival of the package.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to solve the problems with the prior art and to provide a package transportation system and method using

electric railways that enables transport of packages to a destination station

via electric railways in a metropolitan area, thereby sending the package to the desired recipient rapidly and efficiently.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a package

transportation system and method using electric railways by classifying the

stations of electric railways according to specified definitions and by

producing adequate transportation routes between the stations, thereby

providing a quick delivery system. In one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a package transportation system that transports packages via first package transporters moving between base stations of electric railways and second package transporters moving between base stations and individual substations. The transportation system includes: an input unit for inputting information on a destination station and a recipient; a memory for storing information on electric railway lines; a transportation route producer for producing a transportation route according to the information on the electric railway lines stored in the memory based on a forwarding station and the input destination station; and a transportation time producer for determining a transportation time corresponding to the transportation route.

The transportation route producer produces the transportation route to satisfy the following relationship, when a first base station is identical to a second base station, the first base station being a base station closest to the forwarding station, the second base station being a base station closest to the destination station: transportation route = first route + second route where the first route ranges from the forwarding station to the first base station, and the second route ranges from the first base station to the destination station.

In this case, the transportation time producer determines the transportation time corresponding to the transportation route based on railway schedules of the first and second package transporters to satisfy the

following relationship:

transportation time = t1 + 12 + 13 + 14

where t1 is a waiting time for a second package transporter at the forwarding

station; t2 is a transportation time from the forwarding station to the first base

station; t3 is a waiting time for a second package transporter at the first base

station (the second base station); and t4 is a transportation time from the first

base station (the second base station) to the destination station.

Alternatively, the transportation route producer produces the

transportation route to satisfy the following relationship, when a first base station is not identical to a second base station and the forwarding station is located on the same line as the destination station, or when the first base

station is not identical to the second base station and the forwarding station is located on a different line from the destination station, the first base station

being a base station, closest to the forwarding station, the second base

station being a base station closest to the destination station:

transportation route = first route + second route + third route

where the first route ranges from the forwarding station to the first base

station; the second route ranges from the second base station to the

destination station; and the third route ranges from the first base station to

the second base station.

In this case, the transportation time producer determines the transportation time corresponding to the transportation route to satisfy the

following relationship:

transportation time = t1 + 12 + 13 + 14 + 15+ 16

where t1 is a waiting time for a second package transporter at the forwarding

station; t3 is a waiting time for a second package transporter at the second

base station; t4 is a transportation time from the second base station to the

destination station; t5 is a waiting time for a first package transporter at the first base. station; and t6 is a transportation time from the first base station to

the second base station.

Preferably, the base stations are transfer stations on a loop line. The first package transporter both loads and unloads the packages,- and the second package- transporter just loads the packages when moving on :a:line~

including individual substations, and just unloads the packages when moving

in an opposite direction to the loading direction.

The transportation system further includes: a tag generator for

generating a delivery tag marked with the forwarding station, the destination

station, the transportation route, the transportation time and the information

on the recipient; a reader for reading out the information on the recipient

from the delivery tag; and a package receipt processor for driving the tag

generator to output a package claim tag indicating permission to receive a

package, when the information on the recipient read by the reader corresponds to information on the recipient entered from a key input unit.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a package transportation method that enables transport of packages via first package transporters moving between base stations of electric railways and second package transporters moving between base stations and individual substations. The transportation method includes: when destination station information is entered, determining a base station closest to a forwarding station as a first base station, and determining a first route ranging from the forwarding station to the • first base station; determining a base station closest to the destination station as a second base station, and determining a second route ranging from the second base

- station to the destination station; adding the first route to~the second route to

-produce a^transportation route, when the first base station is identical to the second base station; determining a third route from the first base station to the, second base station and adding the first route and the second route to the third route to produce a transportation route, when the first base station is not identical to the second base station and the forwarding station is located on the same line as the destination station; determining a third route from the first base station to the second base station and adding the first route and the second route to the third route to produce a transportation ⁽ route, when the first base station is not identical to the second base station and the forwarding station is located on a different line from the destination station; and determining a transportation time corresponding to the

transportation route determined in each preceding step according to railway

schedules of the first and second package transporters.

The transportation time determining step includes: determining a

5 transportation time to satisfy the following relationship, when the first base

station is identical to the second base station:

transportation time = t1 + 12 + 13 + 14

where t1 is a waiting time for a second package transporter at the forwarding

. - , station; t2 is a transportation time from the forwarding station to the first base

0 station; t3 is a waiting time for a second package transporter at the first base station; and t4 is a transportation time from the first base station to the destination station; and determining a transportation time to satisfy the

^■ , > - following relationship when the first base station Js not identical to the second base station and the forwarding station is located on the same line as the

15 . destination station, or when the first base station is not identical to the

second base station and the forwarding station is located on a different line from the destination station:

transportation time = t1 + 12 + 13 + 14 + 15 + 16

where t1 is a waiting time for a second package transporter at the forwarding

20 station; t2 is a transportation time from the forwarding station to the first base

station; t3 is a waiting time for a second package transporter at the second

base station; t4 is a transportation time from the second base station to the destination station; t5 is a waiting time for a first package transporter at the

first base station; and t6 is a transportation time from the first base station to

the second base station.

Preferably, the electric railways include subways, or vise versa.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and

constitute a part of the specification, illustrate an embodiment of the invention, and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of

the invention:

FIG. 1 shows a general route map of electric railways in a metropolitan area;

FIG. 2 shows a transportation route in a package transportation system using electric railways in accordance with an embodiment of the

present invention;

FIG. 3 is a schematic of the package transportation system using electric railways in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

and

FIG. 4 is a flow chart showing a package transportation method

using electric railways in accordance with an embodiment of the present

invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

In the following detailed description, only the preferred embodiment of the invention has been shown and described, simply by way of illustration of the best mode contemplated by the inventor(s) of carrying out the invention. As will be realized, the invention is capable of modification in various obvious respects, all without departing from the invention. Accordingly, the drawings and description are to be regarded as illustrative in nature, and not restrictive.

FIG. 1 shows a general route map of electric railways in a metropolitan area.

As illustrated in FIG. 1 , electric railways are laid down like a net all over a metropolitan area, such as Seoul or Pusan in Korea. For example, electric railways are built in the whole area of Seoul including the downtown and its neighboring cities of Suwon, Incheon, Poondang and llsan, and they are utilized as the most popular means of transportation.

Electric railways guarantee short and accurate transportation time and stability in transportation, so that additional electric railway lines are now being constructed despite the enormous development expenses. It is an established fact that in the future electric railways will become an indispensable means of transportation in metropolitan areas for providing direct connections to public institutions, companies and homes.

In the route map of electric railways in Seoul shown in FIG. 1 , 379 stations (including 68 stations closed to traffic in January, 2000) are

distributed on 8 lines managed by the Seoul Metropolitan Subway

Corporation, the Seoul Metropolitan Railroad Corporation and the Korean

National Railroad, and the 8 lines cover the whole area of Seoul and the

neighboring districts in a net-like form.

As the electric railway lines are so entangled, it is difficult to determine a transportation route between a forwarding station and a

destination station among those 379 stations. Moreover, some variables such as -a difference in distance or transportation time must be taken into consideration in choosing stations to be on the best transportation route. It is

impossible to perform efficient and timely package transportation without considering these variables.

Hence, the present invention determines a main line (for example a loop line) among a plurality of electric railway lines intersecting one another,

designates, major transfer stations on the main line as base stations; and produces a transportation route between the forwarding station and the

destination station based on the base stations.

FIG. 2 shows a transportation route in a package transportation

system using electric railways in accordance with an embodiment of the

present invention.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, the main line is a loop line (for example, the

green line in Seoul) and the base stations are major transfer stations of the loop line. In this case, the stations where the loop line intersects other lines

are designated as base stations ml , m2 and m3, each of which functions as

a package distribution base, and the remaining stations are substations s1 ,

s2 and s3.

With the electric railway stations divided into either base stations as package distribution bases or substations as shown, a systematic design of a

package transportation system using electric railways as an infrastructure

network can be realized. ,: :-;;; , i Such a package transportation system has advantagesvas follows.

First, . the system suitably uses the complex structure of the intricate electric railway lines in due consideration of the transfer stations. Namely, as a

package distribution base cannot be provided at all- transfer stations,- the system ^utilizes, the cross stations on the loop line intersecting, othe lines-as

main package distribution bases.

. : , - ,; ^•:: Second, the substations only transmit the packages :to the base

- stations, and the base stations only receive the packages- from the

substations, thus reducing transportation time as well as much labor and

other costs, as opposed to having numerous stations and events possible.

Because the quantity of packages transferred from one substation to

another on the same line is not significant with respect to the total number of

packages transported, these packages can be sorted inside the electric

railway transporter. On the other hand, packages to be transferred to another line are sorted in the centralized base stations, which are used as package distribution bases.

Such a transportation system enables the use of electric railway vehicles as package transporters. For example, an electric railway vehicle

5 used as a package transporter can have its engine compartment loaded with packages, or the electric railway vehicle can be otherwise modified to have a loading space for the packages.

Package trains for transporting a package between base stations on " - a loop line are classified into an up train and a down train according to their 0 moving pattern.

Hence, an up train or a down train can be chosen depending on the

- - locations of the base stations concerned. For example, the package can be - - transported from a base station to the next one via a package train according to the schedule of electric railway trains irrespective of whether the package 5 train is an up train or a down train, even though the forwarding base station is located in the opposite position to the destination base station. This enables to estimate a required transportation time within a predetermined maximum limit.

Preferably, a package train starting from the base stations and 0 moving on the loop line operates a predetermined time behind a preceding passenger train, because unlike the passenger train, the package train stops only at the base stations rather than at all stations on the loop line, and it takes a predetermined time to load/unload the packages at the base stations.

Namely, the package train and the passenger train are preferably operated

at a predetermined time interval, since the required embark/debark time for

the passengers may be longer than the package load/unload time.

5 The package train can be operated according to the operation time intervals of the passenger train. For this, the package train runs, for example,

one minute behind a passenger train of which the operation time interval is 7

minutes. This allows the passengers to not have to wait until the package train departs, without interrupting the schedule: of the passenger train.

10 Using this method makes it easy to determine the maximum value of the transportation time between the base stations. That is, the maximum

time can be estimated by a specified method rather than by an optimized

■ -f method in which various events are taken into account. Now, a description will be given to a package transportation method is between the base station and the substations. ...

As illustrated in FIG. 2, the first and second base stations ml and m2 are located between forwarding station A and destination station C. A package is transported from the forwarding station A to the destination station C via the first and second base stations ml and m2.

20 The package is transported between the forwarding station A and the

first base station ml and between the second station m3 and the destination

station C via the package trains moving between base stations and individual stations, and between the first base station ml and the second base station m3 via a package train moving between base stations.

In this embodiment, the total transportation time corresponding to the transportation route may be defined by the following factors:

(1) waiting time t1 (mini ≤ t1 ≤ maxl) when the package is

transported from the individual station (or forwarding station) to the base station; .

(2) transportation time t2 (min2 ≤ t2 ≤ max2) from the individual

station (or forwarding station) to the base station;

(3) waiting time t3 (min3 ≤ t3 ≤ max3) when the package is

transported between the base stations;

(4) transportation time t4 (min4 ≤ t4 ≤ max4) between the base

stations;

(5) waiting time t5 (min5 ≤ t5 ≤ max5) when the package is

transported from the base station to the individual station (or destination station); and

(6) transportation time t6 (min6 ≤ t6 ≤ max6) from the base station to

the individual station (or destination station).

Here, the maximum time (max) and the minimum time (min) in each step can be estimated.

Once the times required to transport the package from arrival at the forwarding station to delivery at the destination station are estimated, the maximum transportation time f(t) caused by the package train's arrival and delivery can be determined such that it satisfies the following relationship:

mini + min2 + min3 + min4 + min5 + minβ ≤ f(t) ≤ maxl + max2 +

max3 + max4 + max5 + max6. On the other hand, the base stations are designated as a package distribution base and the individual stations as mere stations for sending/receiving the package to/from the base stations.

More specifically, when a number of stations are all in charge of receiving, sorting and delivering the package, the amount of work at the individual stations is increased and the individual stations have to decide whether to load/unload the package on/from the package train every time. Thus the individual stations (i.e., other stations except for base stations) in some cases-may not perform their duties as an electric railway stations with a congestion of package. According to the embodiment of the present invention, the package trains are divided into trains moving from the individual stations to the base stations (hereinafter referred to as "up trains") and trains moving from the base stations to the individual stations (hereinafter, referred to as "down trains"). The up trains carry packages , and the down trains unload packages. As such, the packages transferred from the individual stations are sorted at the base stations. When a destination station is located on the same line as the individual station, the package is transferred to a down train. Otherwise, when a destination station is located on a different line from the individual station, the package is transferred to a package train moving between the base stations. Therefore, the stations are not all responsible for sorting, loading and unloading the packages but they each have only to perform a defined duty according to their positional status on the electric railway lines. This allows a systematic and integrated management of the package transportation system using electric railways.

Based on this conception, the transportation system according to the _^embodiment of the present invention operates on the following assumptions: (1) The electric railway stations are classified into base stations and individual stations depending on their positional status on the electric railway lines. The individual stations are responsible for receiving -or transferring the package; and the base stations are also responsible for receiving or transferring the packages as well as being used for package distribution bases; . ;;

^{; ■} (2) A package train moving between the base stations and the

individual stations performs either loading or unloading of the packages

depending on its moving direction and situation. At the base stations, the

package train can both load and unload the packages. Here, the situation of

the package train is dependent on the geographical relationship between the

individual stations and the base stations when the package train is moving

between the base stations; and (3) A package train moving between the base stations does not stop at the individual stations between the base stations.

Now, a detailed description will be given of the construction and operation of the transportation system that transports packages on the above 5 assumptions in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 shows a schematic of the package transportation system using electric railways in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. - :!f '^r ,! .- . As illustrated in FIG. 3, the package transportation system according lo to the embodiment of the. present invention comprises a key input unit 10, a

-^■ :.:■: i - memory 15, a controller 20, a video signal processor.: 25, a display 30, a r ; code/text processor 35 and a tag generator 40 -The package transportation iri i i '.system-further comprises a code reader 45, a voice message:storing unit 50, an audio signal processor 55 and a communication network connector 60. is, .: ., ' .. The key input unit 10 inputs information on .the destination station

.:^■-.-. and the recipient and additional information about the- recipient such as password for receipt of the package. The memory 15 stores information on the electric railway lines for production of a transportation route as well as information on the recipient and the transportation status.

20 The code/text processor 35 converts the input information on the destination station and the recipient and the information on the transportation route and the package identification number output from the controller 20 to text and to an electronic recognition code. The tag generator 40 outputs tags

containing the text and the electronic recognition code from the code/text

processor 35. The tags output from the tag generator 40 may include a

delivery tag given to the deliveryman, a receipt tag and a package claim tag.

The video signal processor 25 processes the information from the

key input unit 10 or the output of the controller 20 into a video signal. The

display 30 displays the signal processed from the video signal processor 25,

so that the user can check information on the package receipt and transportation status by way of the display 30.' •

The code reader 45 reads out information recorded on a plurality of tags in the form of an electronic recognition code output from the tag generator 40. For example, the code reader 45 reads out the package identification number recorded on the package claim tag.

The voice message storing unit 50 stores voice data for guiding

information on the transportation route and the package arrival status

according to a package transport application.

The audio signal processor 55 converts the voice data stored in the voice message storing unit 50 to an audio signal under the control of the

controller 20.

The communication network connector 60 has access to the Public

Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) or a mobile communication network

under the control of the controller 20 to send the audio signal output from the audio signal processor 55 to a specific terminal. For example, the

communication network connector 60 sends an audio signal indicating the

transportation route or the package arrival status according to a package

transport application to the recipient's wire telephone or mobile terminal

based on the information on the recipient stored in the memory 15.

The controller 20 controls the above-mentioned operations of the

individual components to enable successful transportation and receipt of the package. More specifically, the controller 20 comprises a transportation route

producer 21 , a transportation time producer 22 and a transportation processor 23, which are to control package transportation according to a

package transport application. The controller 20 further comprises a package receipt processor 24 to control the receipt of the package after completion of the transportation, and an information provider 26 to control information

display and transmit operations. In the delivery tag issue mode according to the package transport

application, the transportation route producer 21 produces the transportation

route from the forwarding station to the destination station according to the

geographical relationship between the forwarding station and the destination

station, and the transportation time producer 22 determines the

transportation time corresponding to the transportation route.

The transportation processor 23 controls the code/text processor 35

and the tag generator 40 according to the transportation route and the transportation time, to output a delivery tag. The transportation processor 23 also controls the audio signal processor 55 and the communication network connector 60 to notify the recipient and the sender, or the transportation systems of other stations, about the transportation route. The package receipt processor 24 compares the recipient information input through the key input unit 10 with the recipient information stored in the memory 15 to identify the recipient, and controls the code/text processor 35 and the tag generator 40 according to the result of identification to generate a package claim tag. ,» ' ? : The information provider 25 controls the operations of the video signal processor 25 and the display 30 to inform the user of all information generated during the process of transportation. In particular, the information provider 25 controls the video signal processor 25 and the display 30 to display the output of the transportation processor 23, the package receipt processor 24, or the information input through the key input unit 10.

The -transportation system of the above construction, which is installed in each electric railway station to process package transportation and receipt, can exchange information with other transportation systems through a network. Now, a description will be given of a package transportation method according to an embodiment of the present invention based on the above- stated transportation system. FIG. 4 is a flow chart showing a package transportation method using electric railways in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

As illustrated in FIG. 4, as a user who wants to request transportation of a package, i.e., the sender, selects the delivery tag issue mode through the key input unit 10, the controller 20 sets the operational mode to the delivery tag issue mode and performs a transportation processing operation according to the information input through the key input unit 10, in step S100.

Upon the sender's entering of the forwarding station and the destination station through the key input unit 10, the transportation route producer 21 of the controller 20 produces the transportation route from the forwarding station to the destination station according to the information on electric railway lines stored in the memory 15, in step S110. -

The recipient information includes the recipient's telephone number to automatically notify the recipient about arrival of the package, and a password to identify the recipient who claims the package. The recipient information also includes a package identification number or the recipient's name.and telephone number to notify the recipient of the arrival of the package

The transportation route producer 21 determines a first base station as a base station closest to the forwarding station and a first route ranging from the forwarding station to the first base station, in step S120. The transportation route producer 21 also determines a second base station as a base station closest to the destination station and a second route ranging from the second base station to the destination station, in step S130.

Subsequently, the transportation route producer 21 determines whether the first base station is identical to the second base station, and the number of base stations between the forwarding station to the destination station, in step 140. When the first base station is identical to the second base station, the transportation route producer 21 considers that the transportation route has a single base station, and produces the r transportation route as the sum of the first route and the second route, in step S150.

Once the transportation route is determined to have a single base station, the transportation time producer 22 determines the transportation time, corresponding to the transportation route determined by the transportation route producer 21. - „ „ The transportation time producer 22 refers to the time schedule of the package train between the base stations and individual base stations as well as between the base stations to determine the transportation time corresponding to the transportation route, in step S160. In the case where the transportation route has one base station, the transportation time is given by: transportation time = t1 + 12 + 15 + 16 where t1 is a waiting time for a package train to be loaded at the forwarding station; t2 is a transportation time from the forwarding station to the first base

station; t5 is a waiting time for a package train that will leave the first base

station after a time t1 + t2 and unload at the destination station; and t6 is a

transportation time from the first base station to the destination station.

When the first base station is not identical to the second base station

in the previous step S140, the transportation route producer 21 considers

that the transportation route has two base stations in the route, and checks

whether the forwarding station is located on the same line as the destination

station, in step S170. In the case where the first base station is not identical to the second base station and the forwarding station is located on the same line as the

destination station, the transportation route producer 21 produces the transportation route as the sum of the first route/ ιe second route and a

third route between the first and second base stations, in step S180. Subsequently, the transportation time producer 22 determines the

transportation time corresponding to the transportation route, in step S190. The transportation time in this case is given by:

transportation time = t1 + 12 + 13 + 14 + 15 + 16

where t1 is a waiting time for a package train to be loaded at the forwarding

station; t3 is a waiting time for a package train that will leave the first base

station after a time t1 + t2 and transport the package to the second base station; t4 is a transportation time taken from the first base station to the

second base station; t5 is a waiting time for a package train moving between

the base station and individual stations that will leave the second base

station and unload at the destination station; and t6 is a transportation time

taken from the second base station to the destination station.

In the case where the first base station is not identical to the second

base station and the forwarding station is located on a different line from the destination station in the previous step S170, the transportation route

producer 21 produces the transportation route as the sum of the first route,

the second route and a third route between the first and second base stations, in step S200. Subsequently, the transportation time producer 22 determines the transportation time corresponding to the transportation route,

in step S210. The transportation time, in this case is given by: transportation time = t1 + 12 + 13 + 14 + 15 + 16

where t1 is a waiting time for a package train to be loaded at the forwarding station; t2 is a transportation time from the forwarding station to the first base

station after a time t1 + t2 and transport the package to the second base

station; t4 is a transportation time taken from the first base station to the

second base station; t5 is a waiting time for a package train moving between

the base station and individual stations that will leave the second base

station and transport the package to the destination station; and t6 is a transportation time taken from the second base station to the destination station.

In this embodiment, when the first base station is not identical to the second base station and the forwarding station is located on the same line as the destination station, the transportation time is defined in the same manner as when the first base station is not identical to the second base station and the forwarding station is located on a different line from the destination station. This is to simplify the stepwise operations necessary in package transportation on the principle that the package is unloaded at the ' first base station on the assumption that there may be a large quantity of packages to be unloaded, and that the time interval between package trains is minor so little time would be lost.

Once the. transportation route and the transportation time are defined⁵; according to the geographical relationship between the forwarding station and the destination station, the transportation processor 23 reads out the. recipient's telephone number from the memory 15 and sends it to the communication network connector 60.

The communication network connector 60 attempts to access a terminal corresponding to the telephone number entered. When the access to the terminal is successful, the transportation processor 23 reads out voice information data of the transportation route and the transportation time from the voice message storing unit 50 and sends it to the audio signal processor 55. The audio signal processor 55 converts the voice information data to an

audio signal and notifies the recipient about the transportation route and the

transportation time via the communication network connector 60.

In step S220, the audio signal processor provides an automatic voice

service to send a voice message, for example, "This is information about the

rail delivery service. There is a package for (the recipient's name) sent from (the forwarding station) to (the destination station) via (base stations). It will

take about one hour." This information about the transportation route and the transportation time may also be sent to the transportation system, at trie

destination station via the network.

Subsequently, the transportation processor 23 sends the recipient information -in addition to the information about the transportation route and

the transportation . time to the code/text processor 35. Thercode/tex processor 35 converts the information about transportation route,

transportation, time, forwarding station, destination station and recipient to

text and an electronic recognition code, for example a bar code, and sends the text and the electronic recognition code to the tag generator 40. The tag

generator outputs a delivery tag marked with the text and the electronic

recognition code and a corresponding receipt tag, in step S230.

Information about the forwarding station, the transportation route and

the destination station is marked in text form on the delivery tag so that the

rail deliveryman can transfer the package to another package train at the base station. For example, when the delivery tag is marked "Kwachon" for forwarding station, "Chong Gak" for destination station, and "Sadang" and "City Hall" for transportation route, a rail deliveryman loads the package on the package train moving from "Kwachon" station to "Sadang" station, and other deliverymen transfer it to the package train moving to the "City Hall" station at the "Sadang" station and then to the package train moving to the "Chong Gak" station at the "City Hall" station.

; Other information, such as the recipient's telephone number to notify Jhe recipient about the arrival of the package, the password to identify the i recipient claiming the package and the recipient's name is marked in the form of an electronic recognition code and thus cannot be recognized by othe people. Preferably, the delivery tag is produced in the form of a sticker that, is readily attached to the package.

The receipt tag also states the recipient information marked in the , ;„• form of an electronic recognition code on the delivery tag,, he., the recipient's telephone number and password so that the sender notifies the recipient in advance about information necessary to receive the package.

When the package arrives at the destination station via the transportation route, the code reader 45 of the transportation system reads out the electronic recognition code marked on the delivery tag and outputs the corresponding recipient information to the controller 20. The package receipt processor 24 of the controller 20 sends the recipient's telephone number to the communication network connector 60, which then has access to the terminal corresponding to the telephone number. Also, the package receipt processor 24 reads out voice information data for automatic notification of the arrival of the package from the voice message storing unit 50 and sends it to the audio signal processor 55. A voice message, for example, "This is information about the rail delivery service. There is a package for (the recipient's name) at (the destination station)." is then sent to the recipient's terminal.

Accordingly, the recipient is informed about the arrival of the package at a specific electric railway station as soon as the package arrives at the station.

Upon the recipient's entering of the password for receipt of the package through the key input unit 10 of the transportation system at the destination station, the package receipt processor 24 determines whether the password is identical to the receipt information (i.e., password) stored in the memory 15, and sends the decision result to the video signal processor 25 to display the result on the display 30.

The package receipt processor 24 also sends the package identification information, i.e. the package identification number or the recipient's name, to the code/text processor 35 so that the tag generator 40 issues a package claim tag.

As such, the package can be accurately transferred to the corresponding recipient.

Although the transportation system in the above-stated embodiment includes both the package transportation processor and the package receipt processor, the transportation processor may also be provided separately from the receipt processor in the transportation system.

In addition, although the above-stated embodiment sends information about the transportation route and the arrival of the package to the recipient or the sender using a telephone number, such information may be transferred to the terminal (e.g.; personal computer) of the recipient or the sender via an e-mail address so that it is possible to automatically inform the sender of the receipt of the package by the recipient through the sender's terminal or the like.

In addition, the transportation systems installed at the respective stations of the electric railway may be designed to exchange information with one another to transport the package . more efficiently and accurately, or it may be manufactured in the form of a vending machine so users can request package transportation with more ease.

While this invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but, on the contrary, is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

As described above, the present invention enables quick package transportation to a destination station by way of complex electric railway and subway lines in a metropolitan area by understanding the structural relationship among the lines in order to define the roles of the individual stations and operate package transporters.

Accordingly, the sender/recipient of a package does not have to wait for a deliveryman at a package sending/receiving location such as his/her office in a metropolitan area with heavy traffic. Furthermore, the sender/recipient is able to designate an electric railway station to be used as a place for sending/receiving packages so that he/she can send/receive packages while on outside duty or business.

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:

1. A transportation system, to transport packages by way of first

package transporters moving between base stations of electric railways and

second package transporters moving between base stations and individual

stations, the transportation system comprising:

an input unit for inputting information on a destination station and a

recipient;

a memory for storing information on electric railway lines; a transportation route producer for producing a transportation route

according to the information on the electric railway lines stored in the memory based on a forwarding station and the input destination station; and

a transportation time producer for determining a transportation time corresponding to the transportation route.

2. . The transportation system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the

transportation route producer produces the transportation route to satisfy the

following relationship, when a first base station is identical to a second base station, the first base station being a base station closest to the forwarding

station, the second base station being a base station closest to the

destination station:

transportation route = first route + second route

wherein the first route ranges from the forwarding station to the first base station, and the second route ranges from the first base station to the

destination station.

3. The transportation system as claimed in claim 1 or 2,

wherein the transportation time producer determines the transportation time

corresponding to the transportation route based on railway schedules of the

first and second package transporters to satisfy the following relationship: transportation time = t1 + 12 + 13 + 14

wherein t1 is a waiting time for a second package transporter at the

, ti r forwarding station; t2 is a transportation time from the. forwarding station to the first base station; t3 is a waiting time for a second package transporter at the first base station (the second base station); and t4 is a transportation

time from the first base station (the second base station) to the destination

-. station. ^■■ < ^■. - > .. ^■.., ^•^: ^{■• ■■•}

4. The transportation system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the

- transportation route producer produces the transportation route to satisfy the

following relationship, when a first base station is not identical to a second

base station and the forwarding station is located on the same line as the

destination station, or when the first base station is not identical to the

second base station and the forwarding station is located on a different line from the destination station, the first base station being a base station

closest to the forwarding station, the second base station being a base station closest to the destination station: transportation route = first route + second route + third route wherein the first route ranges from the forwarding station to the first base station; the second route ranges from the first base station to the destination station; and the third route ranges from the first base station to the second base station.

5. The transportation system as claimed in claim 1 or 4,

- wherein the transportation time producer determines the transportation time corresponding to the transportation route to satisfy the following relationship: transportation time = t1 + 12 + 13 + 14 + 15 + 16 wherein t1 is a waiting time for a second package transporter at the forwarding station; t2 is a transportation time from the forwarding station to the first base station; t3 is a waiting time for a second package transporter at the first base station (or the second base station); t4 is a transportation time from the first base station (or the second base station) to the destination station; t5 is a waiting time for a first package transporter at the first base station; and t6 is a transportation time from the first base station to the second base station.

6. The transportation system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the base stations are transfer stations on a loop line.

7. The transportation system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the

first package transporter both loads and unloads the packages, and the

second package transporter just loads the packages when moving on a line

including individual stations and just unloads the packages when moving in

an opposite direction to the loading direction.

8. The transportation system as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising:

a tag generator for generating a delivery tag marked with the

forwarding station, the destination station, the transportation route, the transportation time and the information on the recipient.

9. The transportation system as claimed in claim 1 or 8, further comprising:

a reader for reading the information on the recipient from the delivery

tag; and

a package receipt processor for driving the tag generator to output a

package claim tag indicating permission to receive a package, when the

information on the recipient read by the reader corresponds to information on the recipient entered from a key input unit.

10. A transportation method, to transport packages by way of first package transporters moving between base stations of electric railways and second package transporters moving between base stations and individual stations, the transportation method comprising: when destination station information is entered, determining a base station closest to a forwarding station as a first base station, and determining a first route ranging from the forwarding station to the first base station; determining a base station closest to the destination station as a second base station, and determining a second route ranging from the forwarding station to the second base station; adding the first route to the second route to produce a transportation route, when the first base station is identical to the second base station; determining a third route from the first base station to the second base station and adding the first route and the second route to the third route to produce a transportation route, when the first base station is not identical to the second base station and the forwarding station is located on the same line as the destination station; determining a third route from the first base station to the second base station and adding the first route and the second route to the third route to produce a transportation route, when the first base station is not identical to the second base station and the forwarding station is located on a different line from the destination station; and determining a transportation time corresponding to the transportation route determined in each preceding step according to railway schedules of the first and second package transporters.

11. The transportation system as claimed in claim 10, wherein the transportation time determining step comprises: determining a transportation time to satisfy the following relationship^' when the first base station is identical to the second base station: transportation time = t1 + 12 + 13 + 14 wherein t1 is a waiting time for a second package transporter at the forwarding station; t2 is a transportation time from the forwarding station to the first base-station; t3 is a waiting time for a second package transporter at the first base ^r station-; and t4 is a transportation time from the first base station to the destination station; and determining a transportation time to satisfy the following relationship when the first base station is not identical to the second base station and the forwarding station is located on the same line as the destination station, or when the first base station is not identical to the second base station and the forwarding station is located on a different line from the destination station: transportation time = t1 + 12 + 13 + 14 + 15 + 16 wherein t1 is a waiting time for a second package transporter at the forwarding station; t2 is a transportation time from the forwarding station to the first base station; t3 is a waiting time for a second package transporter at the second base station; t4 is a transportation time from the second base station to the destination station; t5 is a waiting time for a first package transporter at the first base station; and t6 is a transportation time from the first base station to the second base station.