Mobile pickup locations

• US 10,192,189 B2
• Filed: 02/13/2014
• Issued: 01/29/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Bhatt, Kushal Mukesh
• Primary Examiner(s): Holly, John H.
• Application Number:
  US14/180,037
• Publication Number:
  US 20150227882A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,811 Days
• Field of Search: 705330, 705 11, 705339, 705 261, 705 15, 700237, 700214, 700242, 232 36, 232 19, 232 24
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/083 Shipping
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08355 Routing methods

Abstract

A mobile pickup location is provided that may be associated with a vehicle such as a public bus. A user may choose to have items delivered to a mobile pickup location on a public bus which the user takes every day travelling from the office to home, or which stops at a bus stop that is convenient for the user. Also, in regions where carriers for delivering items are rare or prohibitively expensive, a mobile pickup location may be utilized to deliver items, such as to a rural village. The coordinates of a mobile pickup location may be tracked, such as with GPS, and a user may be provided with a notification when a mobile pickup location with an ordered item is approaching, such as with a text message sent to a cell phone.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a mobile pickup location apparatus that is associated with and configured to be attached to a vehicle that transports passengers along a route according to a schedule for transporting the passengers, the mobile pickup location apparatus comprising;

a storage compartment with a locking mechanism;

a control station configured to control the locking mechanism, the control station comprising an input device; and

a mounting mechanism that is configured to attach the mobile pickup location apparatus to an inside surface of the vehicle to enable a user to retrieve an item from the storage compartment while the user is riding as a passenger in the vehicle; and

a computing system implementing an order planning system, the computing system comprising;

one or more processors; and

a memory coupled to the one or more processors and storing program instructions that when executed by the one or more processors cause the one or more processors to at least;

receive from a user a selection of an item;

determine a user preferred area;

determine a preferred timeframe;

identify the mobile pickup location apparatus as a delivery option for the user based on an evaluation of received schedule data for the vehicle that indicates that the vehicle will be travelling and will stop at a stopping point in the preferred area during at least a portion of the preferred timeframe;

present the mobile pickup location apparatus as a delivery option to the user;

receive a selection of the mobile pickup location apparatus from the user as a selected delivery option; and

based on the selection by the user of the mobile pickup location apparatus as the selected delivery option, provide an access code to enable the user to retrieve the item from the storage compartment of the mobile pickup location apparatus and associate the delivery of the item with the mobile pickup location apparatus so that the item will be delivered to the mobile pickup location apparatus as attached to the inside surface of the vehicle to enable the user to meet the vehicle in the preferred area at the stopping point during at least a portion of the preferred timeframe and to retrieve the item while the user is riding as a passenger in the vehicle; and

wherein the control station of the mobile pickup location apparatus, in response to a receipt of the access code while the user is riding as a passenger in the vehicle, controls the locking mechanism to unlock the storage compartment that contains the item to enable the user to retrieve the item from the storage compartment while the user is riding as a passenger in the vehicle.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the user preferred area is determined according to an area that includes an address that is input by the user.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the stopping point in the user preferred area where the vehicle makes a stop is for at least one of picking up or dropping off passengers.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the mounting mechanism that attaches the mobile pickup location apparatus to the inside surface of the vehicle comprises a locking mechanism that prevents detachment of the mobile pickup location apparatus from the vehicle.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the mobile pickup location apparatus is attached to an outside surface of the vehicle to enable the user to retrieve the item while the vehicle is stopped at the stopping point in the user preferred area and without needing to enter the vehicle.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the program instructions when executed by the one or more processors further cause the one or more processors to provide a notification to the user when the mobile pickup location apparatus is approaching the stopping point.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the notification indicates an estimate of time related to when the mobile pickup location apparatus will arrive at the stopping point where the user may meet the vehicle for retrieving the item from the mobile pickup location apparatus.

8. A system, comprising:

a mobile pickup location apparatus that is associated with and configured to be attached to a vehicle that transports passengers along a route according to a schedule for transporting the passengers, the mobile pickup location apparatus comprising;

a storage compartment with a locking mechanism; and

a control station configured to control the locking mechanism; and

a computing system, comprising;

one or more processors; and

a memory coupled to the one or more processors and storing program instructions that when executed by the one or more processors cause the one or more processors to at least;

receive schedule data for the vehicle, the schedule data indicating when the vehicle is expected to arrive at scheduled stopping points along the route;

determine that the mobile pickup location apparatus is a delivery option for delivering an ordered item to a user based at least in part on the schedule data;

based on a selection by the user of the mobile pickup location apparatus for the delivery of the ordered item, associate the mobile pickup location apparatus with the ordered item;

monitor a position of the mobile pickup location apparatus, wherein the position is monitored relative to a stopping point where the user may meet the vehicle to retrieve the item from the storage compartment of the mobile pickup location apparatus by performing a specified action to cause the control station of the mobile pickup location apparatus to control the locking mechanism to unlock the storage compartment;

determine when a proximity of the mobile pickup location apparatus to the stopping point is within a specified threshold; and

send a notification to the user when the proximity of the mobile pickup location apparatus to the stopping point is within the specified threshold,

wherein when the user meets the vehicle to retrieve the item, the control station of the mobile pickup location apparatus controls the locking mechanism to unlock the storage compartment in response to the specified action that is performed by the user.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the specified threshold is defined according to at least one of a distance or an amount of time.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the notification indicates an estimate of time related to when the mobile pickup location apparatus will reach the stopping point.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the program instructions when executed by the one or more processors further cause the one or more processors to perform a process for estimating the time which is based at least in part on an analysis of data from previous days when the mobile pickup location apparatus travelled to the stopping point.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the notification includes a text message which indicates that the mobile pickup location apparatus is approaching the stopping point.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the notification is sent to a user'"'"'s mobile device.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein the specified action to cause the control station of the mobile pickup location apparatus to control the locking mechanism to unlock the storage compartment is performed with a user'"'"'s mobile device.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the specified action includes responding to a message that is sent to the user'"'"'s mobile device and which instructs the user to respond to the message when the user is at the mobile pickup location apparatus and ready to retrieve the item.

16. The system of claim 8, wherein the program instructions when executed by the one or more processors further cause the one or more processors to provide the user with an access code for accessing the storage compartment that contains the item for the user and the specified action to cause the control station of the mobile pickup location apparatus to control the locking mechanism to unlock the storage compartment is an entry of the access code by the user at the control station.

25. The system of claim 8, wherein the mobile pickup location apparatus is configured to be attached to an inside surface of the vehicle to enable the user to access the storage compartment while the user is riding as a passenger in the vehicle.

17. A system, comprising:

a plurality of mobile pickup location apparatuses that are associated with and configured to be attached to vehicles that transport passengers along routes according to schedules for transporting the passengers, each mobile pickup location apparatus comprising;

a storage compartment with a locking mechanism; and

a control station configured to control the locking mechanism; and

a computing system, comprising;

one or more processors; and

a memory coupled to the one or more processors and storing program instructions that when executed by the one or more processors cause the one or more processors to at least;

receive travel schedule data for the vehicles that the plurality of mobile pickup location apparatuses are associated with;

evaluate the travel schedule data to determine one or more mobile pickup location apparatuses which meet criteria for a user;

present options to the user related to the one or more mobile pickup location apparatuses which meet the criteria for the user;

receive a selection from the user of one of the one or more mobile pickup location apparatuses as associated with a corresponding vehicle; and

based on the selection by the user of the mobile pickup location apparatus, provide instructions to the user including at least a time and place where the selected mobile pickup location apparatus is scheduled to be according to the travel schedule data to enable the user to meet the corresponding vehicle,

wherein in response to a performance of a specified action by the user, the control station of the mobile pickup location apparatus controls the locking mechanism to unlock the storage compartment of the mobile pickup location apparatus to enable the user to access the storage compartment.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the place that is included in the instructions to the user is a stopping point where the vehicle makes a stop to at least one of drop off or pick up passengers.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the criteria for the user for determining the one or more mobile pickup location apparatuses includes that there be a stopping point within a set distance of an address that is associated with the user.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the program instructions when executed by the one or more processors further cause the one or more processors to provide the user with a choice of stopping points that meet the criteria, and after the user selects one of the stopping points, provide the user with time options related to when one or more associated mobile pickup location apparatuses are expected to arrive at the selected stopping point according to the travel schedule data.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein a user selection of a time option corresponds to the selection of the mobile pickup location apparatus.

22. The system of claim 17, wherein the program instructions when executed by the one or more processors further cause the one or more processors to provide the user with an option to have an ordered item shipped to an address when the user does not retrieve the ordered item from the selected mobile pickup location apparatus within a specified time period.

23. The system of claim 17, wherein the plurality of vehicles to which the mobile pickup location apparatuses are attached include busses and the travel schedule data corresponds to bus schedules.

24. The system of claim 17, wherein the mobile pickup location apparatus is configured to be attached to an inside surface of the vehicle to enable the user to access the storage compartment while the user is riding as a passenger in the vehicle.