Apparatus and method for updating directions to a container

• US 10,200,820 B2
• Filed: 08/05/2016
• Issued: 02/05/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/07/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Walmart Apollo, LLC (WalMart Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Walmart Apollo, LLC (WalMart Inc.)
• Inventors: Wilkinson, Bruce W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Shiue, Dong-Chang
• Application Number:
  US15/230,094
• Publication Number:
  US 20170041451A1
• Time in Patent Office: 914 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A47G 2029/144 the receptacle being transportable and attachable to a building
• CPC Class Codes: A47G 2029/149 with central server link
• CPC Class Codes: A47G 2200/066 sensor
• CPC Class Codes: A47G 2200/166 sensor
• CPC Class Codes: A47G 29/141 comprising electronically controlled locking means
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/49 whereby the further system is an inertial position system, e.g. loosely-coupled
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/017 Detecting state or type of motion
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/027 using movement velocity, acceleration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]

Abstract

Systems, apparatuses, and methods are provided herein for updating directions to a container. In one embodiment an apparatus for updating directions to a container comprises a container housing, a movement sensor attached to the container housing, a wireless transceiver; and a control circuit coupled to the movement sensor and the wireless transceiver. The control circuit being configured to: detect a relocation of the container housing via the movement sensor, determine an estimated new location of the container, and send, via the wireless transceiver, the estimated new location to a computing device to initiate an update of a direction to the container.

Claims

1. An apparatus for updating directions to a delivery receptacle, comprising:

a container housing comprising a container placed at a customer premises for receiving delivery of items from a delivery service to the customer premises;

a movement sensor attached to the container housing;

a wireless transceiver; and

a control circuit coupled to the movement sensor and the wireless transceiver, the control circuit being configured to;

detect a relocation of the container housing via the movement sensor;

detect a completion of the relocation based on the movement sensor not detecting movement for a set period of time;

determine an estimated new location of the container within the customer premises after the completion of the relocation;

cause power to be supplied to the wireless transceiver only after the completion of the relocation; and

send, via the wireless transceiver, the estimated new location to a computing device to initiate an update of a direction to the container, the direction comprising a natural language description of a location of the container housing relative to a structure on the customer premises for a delivery person to locate the container within the customer premises.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the movement sensor comprises an accelerometer.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the estimated new location is determined via the movement sensor by dead reckoning from a known initial location.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a Global Positioning System (GPS) sensor, and wherein the estimated new location is determined based on the GPS sensor.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control circuit is further configured to turn on a GPS sensor in response to detecting the relocation of the container.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a lid sensor configured to detect an opening of a lid of the container housing, wherein the control circuit is further configured to send a notification to the computing device when the lid of the container is opened.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the computing device updates the direction to the container based on the estimated new location and one or more of a satellite image of a location associated with the container, a location of a portable device when the container is opened, and a manually entered description.

8. A method for updating directions to a delivery receptacle, comprising:

detecting, by a control circuit, a relocation of the container via a movement sensor attached to the container, wherein the container is placed at a customer premises and comprises a container for receiving delivery of items from a delivery service to the customer premises;

detecting a completion of the relocation based on the movement sensor not detecting movement for a set period of time;

determining an estimated new location of the container within the customer premises after the completion of the relocation;

causing power to be supplied to the wireless transceiver only after the completion of the relocation; and

sending, via a wireless transceiver coupled to the control circuit, the estimated new location to a computing device to initiate an update of a direction to the container, the direction comprising a natural language description of a location of the container housing relative to a structure on the customer premises for a delivery person to locate the container within the customer premises.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the movement sensor comprises an accelerometer.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the estimated new location is determined via the movement sensor by dead reckoning from a known initial location.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the estimated new location is determined based a Global Positioning System (GPS) sensor.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

turning a GPS sensor in response to detecting the relocation of the container.

13. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

detecting that a lid of the container is opened; and

sending a notification to the computing device to cause the computing device to retrieve a location of a portable device of a person opening the lid.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the computing device updates the direction to the container based on the estimated new location and one or more of a satellite image of an address associated with the container, a location of a portable device when the container is opened, and manually entered description.

15. A method for updating directions to a delivery receptacle comprising:

establishing a connection with the container in response to the container detecting a completion of a relocation of the container, wherein the container is placed at a customer premises and comprises a container for receiving delivery of items from a delivery service to the customer premises and wherein the container is configured to cause power to be supplied to a wireless transceiver only after detecting the completion of the relocation based on a movement sensor of the container not detecting movement for a set period of time;

receiving an estimated new location of the container from the container within the customer premises; and

updating a direction to the container based on the estimated new location, the direction comprising a natural language description of a location of the container housing relative to a structure on the customer premises for a delivery person to locate the container within the customer premises.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

generating a natural language direction based on the updated direction.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

providing the direction to an autonomous vehicle as machine readable instructions.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the updating of the direction is further based on satellite images of a residence associated with the container.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the updating of the direction is further based on manually entered description.

20. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

receiving a notification from the container that a lid of the container is opened; and

retrieving a location information of a portable device associated with a person opening the lid;

wherein the updating of the direction is further based on the location information of the portable device.