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Systems and methods for delivering products via autonomous ground vehicles to vehicles designated by customers

  • US 10,120,384 B2
  • Filed: 12/11/2017
  • Issued: 11/06/2018
  • Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2016
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. A system for facilitating delivery of products ordered by a customer of a retailer to a delivery destination including a physical location of a vehicle designated by the customer via an autonomous ground vehicle, the system comprising:

  • an order processing server of the retailer configured to process an order for a product placed by a customer, wherein the order for the product placed by the customer specifies that the product be delivered via the autonomous ground vehicle to the delivery destination including the physical location of the vehicle designated by the customer;

    a computing device of the retailer including a processor-based control circuit, the computing device configured to obtain global positioning system (GPS) coordinates of the physical location of the vehicle designated by the customer;

    wherein the control circuit is configured to analyze the obtained GPS coordinates of the physical location of the vehicle designated by the customer, determine a route for an autonomous ground vehicle to the physical location of the vehicle designated by the customer, and transmit a first electronic notification to the autonomous ground vehicle including route instructions to guide the autonomous ground vehicle to the physical location of the vehicle designated by the customer along the determined route; and

    wherein the autonomous ground vehicle, after receipt of the first electronic notification from the computing device, is configured to navigate, based on the route instructions, to the physical location of the vehicle designated by the customer while retaining the products ordered by the customer therein, to remain proximate the vehicle designated by the customer while retaining the products ordered by the customer therein, to transmit an electronic confirmation that the products ordered by the customer have been delivered by the autonomous ground vehicle to the delivery destination including the vehicle designated by the customer, to obtain identity detection data from a person attempting to retrieve the products from the autonomous ground vehicle at the delivery destination, and to permit the person attempting to retrieve the products from the autonomous ground vehicle at the delivery destination to retrieve the products ordered by the customer from the autonomous ground vehicle when an identity of the person attempting to retrieve the products from the autonomous ground vehicle at the delivery destination matches one of an identity of the customer who placed the order and an identity of a person authorized by the customer to pick up the products at the delivery destination from the autonomous ground vehicle.

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