Patent attributes
The present invention extends to methods, systems, and computer program products for delivering internationally shipped items. Aspects of the invention utilize a unifying database to consolidate information from different parties (e.g., government entities, shippers, carriers, and item recipients) associated with delivery of an internationally shipped item in a common location. The unifying database facilitates communication between different the parties that use different data protocols, different data formats, different data types, different EDI, etc., including direct database entry of some data. Parties can update relevant information corresponding to their responsibilities within the unified database. When one party updates information, other parties can be notified electronically in essentially real time of status changes relevant to item delivery.
