Systems and methods for confirming an identity of an individual, for example, at a locker bank

• US 10,210,474 B2
• Filed: 10/14/2014
• Issued: 02/19/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/14/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: United Parcel Service Of America Incorporated (United Parcel Service Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: United Parcel Service Of America Incorporated (United Parcel Service Incorporated)
• Inventors: Robinson, Kalin, Carder, David, Gillen, Robert J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Allen, Akiba K
• Application Number:
  US14/514,276
• Publication Number:
  US 20150106294A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,589 Days
• Field of Search: 705406, 705410, 705 711, 705 11
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/62 Protecting access to data via a platform, e.g. using keys or access control rules
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2141 Access rights, e.g. capability lists, access control lists, access tables, access matrices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0836 Recipient pick-ups
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0838 Historical data

Abstract

Systems, according to various embodiments, are adapted to use any of a variety of different techniques to identify an individual. In particular embodiments, the system is adapted to, at least partially in response to confirming the identity of a consignee of a parcel, provide the consignee with access to a parcel stored within a secured locker. In particular embodiments, the system may use the current or past location of the consignee, or information from one or more objects physically associated with the consignee (e.g., a portable computing device or an electronic or paper info notice) to verify the consignee'"'"'s identity.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for directing one or more parcels having a consignee to a suitable locker bank location and facilitating a release of the one or more parcels from the suitable locker bank location, the method comprising:

receiving, by a processor, a first indication that delivery of one or more parcels is not possible to the consignee at a primary delivery location;

determining, by a processor, a suitable locker bank location based at least in part on the primary delivery location;

facilitating delivery of the parcel to the suitable locker bank location;

receiving, by a processor, from a computing device associated with the suitable locker bank location, a first request to deliver the one or more parcels to the suitable locker bank location;

at least partially in response to receiving the first request, providing access, by a processor, to one or more lockers at the suitable locker bank location, each of the one or more lockers having an interior storage volume;

receiving, by a processor, a second indication that the one or more parcels have been placed in a particular one of the one or more lockers;

at least partially in response to receiving the second indication, associating, by a processor, the one or more parcels with the particular one of the one or more lockers;

receiving, by a processor, from an individual at the computing device associated with the suitable locker bank, a second request to retrieve the one or more parcels from the particular one of the one or more lockers;

at least partially in response to receiving the second request, confirming an identity, by a processor, of the individual as an individual authorized to retrieve the one or more parcels from the particular of the one or more lockers, wherein confirming the identity comprises;

receiving, by a processor, identifying information comprising a current physical location of a portable computing device associated with the individual and using the current physical location of the portable computing device associated with the individual to confirm the individual is at the locker bank location; and

at least partially in response to confirming the identity of the individual, associating, by a processor, the one or more parcels with the identity of the individual; and

at least partially in response to confirming the identity of the individual, facilitating, by a processor, the release of the one or more parcels from the interior storage volume of the particular one of the one or more lockers, wherein facilitating the release of the one or more parcels from the particular one of the one or more lockers to the individual comprises substantially automatically unlocking a secure door of the particular one of the one or more lockers containing the one or more parcels to provide the individual with access to an interior of the particular one of the one or more parcels.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving from the consignee, by a processor, a third request to view tracking information associated with the one or more parcels; and

at least partially in response to receiving the third request, displaying, by a processor, the tracking information and a location of the suitable locker bank to the consignee.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein:

the consignee is associated with a consignee account associated with a carrier responsible for handling the one or more parcels; and

the method further comprises notifying the consignee via the consignee account, by a processor, at least partially in response to receiving the second indication, of the delivery of the one or more parcels to the suitable locker bank location.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein:

the notification to the consignee comprises a machine-readable indicia, the machine-readable indicia being associated with the one or more parcels; and

receiving the second request comprises receiving, by a processor, information derived from a reading, by a machine-readable indicia reading device, of the machine-readable indicia at the suitable locker bank location.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, wherein:

the machine-readable indicia is further associated with the consignee account; and

confirming the identity of the individual further comprises substantially automatically confirming the identity of the individual based at least in part on receiving the information.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the individual is selected from a group consisting of:

i. the consignee; and

ii. an individual on behalf of the consignee.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein:

confirming the identity of the individual comprises;

receiving, by a processor, one or more pieces of package level detail information associated with the one or more parcels;

reading, via a card reader associated with the computing device associated with the suitable locker bank location, an identification card associated with the individual;

at least partially in response to reading the identification card;

verifying, by a processer, an authenticity of the identification card;

determining, by a processor, one or more pieces of identifying information associated with the individual; and

at least partially in response to verifying the authenticity of the identification card and determining the one or more pieces of identifying information, comparing, by a processor, the one or more pieces of package level detail information with the one or more pieces of identifying information.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, wherein:

the one or more pieces of package level detail information comprise a first name of the consignee, a last name of the consignee, and an address of the consignee;

the one or more pieces of identifying information comprise a first name of the individual, a last name of the individual, and an address of the consignee; and

the threshold number is two pieces of the one or more pieces of package level detail information and the one or more pieces of identifying information.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein:

the one or more pieces of package level detail information comprise two or more pieces of information selected from the group consisting of;

i. a first name of the consignee;

ii. a last name of the consignee;

iii. a house number of the consignee;

iv. a street of residence of the consignee;

v. a zip code of residence of the consignee;

vi. a city of residence of the consignee;

vii. a state of residence of the consignee; and

viii. an unit number of the consignee; and

the one or more pieces of identifying information comprise two or more pieces of information selected from the group consisting of;

i. a first name of the individual;

ii. a last name of the individual;

iii. a house number of the individual;

iv. a street of residence of the individual;

v. a zip code of residence of the individual;

vi. a city of residence of the individual;

vii. a state of residence of the individual;

viii. a unit number of the consignee; and

ix. a location of the individual.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein:

confirming the identity of the individual comprises;

receiving, by a processor, from the individual, a telephone number associated with the individual;

determining, based at least in part on the telephone number, one or more pieces of identifying information associated with the individual;

receiving, by a processor, one or more pieces of package level detail information associated with the one or more parcels;

comparing, by a processor, the one or more pieces of package level detail information with the one or more pieces of identifying information;

at least partially in response to comparing the one or more pieces of package level detail information with the one or more pieces of identifying information, determining, by a processor, whether at least a threshold number of the one or more pieces of identifying information are substantially similar to the one or more pieces of package level detail information; and

at least partially in response to determining that at least the threshold number of the one or more pieces of identifying information are substantially similar to the one or more pieces of package level detail information, confirming the identity of the individual.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein:

the method further comprises at least partially in response to determining that at least the threshold number of the one or more pieces of identifying information are substantially similar to the one or more pieces of package level detail information, providing a PIN number to the individual; and

confirming the identity of the individual further comprises receiving, from the individual, by a processor, input of the PIN number.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein confirming the identity of the consignee comprises:

receiving original delivery location information for the parcel;

receiving geographic history information for the consignee, the geographic history information comprising information regarding one or more locations visited by the consignee in the past on a regular basis;

using the original delivery location information and the geographic history information to determine whether the consignee has visited the original delivery location on a regular basis; and

at least partially in response to determining that the consignee has visited the original delivery location on a regular basis, confirming the identity of the consignee.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein confirming the identity of the consignee comprises:

receiving a current location of the consignee from a social media account associated with the consignee;

using the current location of the consignee to confirm that the consignee is at the suitable locker bank location; and

at least partially in response to confirming that the consignee is at the suitable locker bank location, confirming the identity of the consignee.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein confirming the identity of the consignee comprises:

receiving identifying data from a mobile device associated with the individual, the identifying data being unique to the individual; and

using the identifying data to confirm the identity of the consignee.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein confirming the identity of the consignee comprises:

receiving first identifying information associated with an electronic delivery notification device that was left at the primary delivery location when an attempt was made to deliver the parcel to the primary delivery location;

using an automated system at the suitable locker bank to receive second identifying information from an electronic delivery notification device in the possession of the consignee;

determining whether the first identifying information matches the second identifying information; and

in response to determining that the first identifying information matches the second identifying information, confirming the identity of the consignee.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions for:

receiving, from an individual at a computing device associated with a particular locker bank, a request to retrieve a parcel from the particular locker bank, the parcel having a consignee and currently being stored in a particular locker at the particular locker bank, the particular locker having an interior storage volume;

retrieving one or more pieces of package level detail information associated with the parcel;

at least partially in response to receiving the request, determining whether at least a threshold number of one or more pieces of identifying information associated with the individual are substantially similar to the one or more pieces of package level detail information associated with the one or more parcels;

at least partially in response to receiving the request, confirming an identity, by a processor, of the individual as an individual authorized to retrieve the parcel, wherein confirming the identity comprises;

obtaining, by a processor, an individual'"'"'s mobile phone number and utilizing the individual'"'"'s mobile phone number to obtain a current physical location of the individual'"'"'s mobile phone, wherein the current physical location of the individual'"'"'s mobile phone is compared to the location of the particular locker,

at least partially in response to determining that the current location of the individual'"'"'s mobile phone is adjacent to the particular locker, confirming the identity of the individual and associating, by a processor, the one or more parcels with the identity of the individual; and

at least partially in response to confirming the identity of the individual, facilitating a release of the parcel from the interior storage volume of the particular locker, wherein facilitating the release of the parcel from the particular locker to the individual comprises substantially automatically unlocking a secure door of the particular locker containing the parcel to provide the individual with access to the interior storage volume of the particular locker such that the individual can access and retrieve the parcel.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein:

the non-transitory computer-readable medium further stores computer-executable instructions for;

receiving, by a processor, via a card reader associated with a computing device associated with the particular locker bank, input of an identification card associated with the individual;

at least partially in response to receiving the input of the identification card;

verifying an authenticity of the identification card; and

determining, one or more pieces of identifying information associated with the individual; and

confirming the identity of the individual further comprises;

at least partially in response to verifying the authenticity of the identification card and determining the one or more pieces of identifying information, comparing the one or more pieces of package level detail information with the one or more pieces of identifying information.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the card reader comprises:

at least one camera that is adapted to capture an image of a card; and

at least one processor that is adapted to use optical character recognition techniques to read data from the card.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein:

the non-transitory computer-readable medium further stores computer-executable instructions for;

receiving, from the individual, a telephone number associated with the individual;

determining, based at least in part on the telephone number, one or more pieces of identifying information associated with the individual; and

confirming the identity of the individual further comprises;

comparing the one or more pieces of package level detail information with the one or more pieces of identifying information;

at least partially in response to comparing the one or more pieces of package level detail information with the one or more pieces of identifying information, determining whether at least a threshold number of the one or more pieces of identifying information are substantially similar to the one or more pieces of package level detail information; and

at least partially in response to determining that at least the threshold number of the one or more pieces of identifying information are substantially similar to the one or more pieces of package level detail information, confirming the identity of the individual.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein:

the individual is the consignee; and

the non-transitory computer-readable medium further stores computer-executable instructions for;

determining, based at least in part on the one or more pieces of package level detail information, whether the consignee is associated with a consignee account associated with a carrier responsible for handling the parcel; and

at least partially in response to determining that the consignee is associated with the consignee account, substantially automatically confirming the identity of the individual.

21. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 20, wherein:

the non-transitory computer-readable medium further stores computer-executable instructions for notifying the consignee via the consignee account of an availability of the parcel at the particular locker bank for retrieval, the notification comprising a machine-readable indicia associated with the consignee account and the parcel; and

the request to retrieve the parcel comprises receiving the request at least partially in response to receiving a scan, via a machine-readable indicia scanner associated with the computing device associated with the particular locker bank, of the machine-readable indicia.

22. A computer system for facilitating release of a parcel to a consignee comprising:

at least one processor, wherein the computer system is configured for;

receiving, from the consignee at a computing device associated with a particular locker bank, a request to retrieve the parcel from the particular locker bank, the parcel being associated with the consignee and currently being stored in a particular locker at the particular locker bank, each of the lockers within the particular locker bank having an internal storage volume;

retrieving one or more pieces of package level detail information associated with the parcel;

determining, based at least in part on the one or more pieces of package level detail, whether the consignee is a subscribed consignee having a consignee account associated with a carrier responsible for handling the parcel;

at least partially in response to determining that the consignee is a subscribed consignee, substantially automatically confirming an identity of the consignee;

at least partially in response to determining that the consignee is an unsubscribed consignee;

prompting the unsubscribed consignee to provide identification;

receiving, by a processor, the identification from the unsubscribed consignee, wherein the identification comprises receiving identifying information regarding a current location of the unsubscribed consignee'"'"'s mobile device and using the current location of the unsubscribed consignee'"'"'s mobile device to confirm the unsubscribed consignee is at the particular locker bank location and is authorized to retrieve the parcel;

at least partially in response to receiving the identification,

determining whether at least a threshold number of one or more pieces of identifying information associated with the unsubscribed consignee are substantially similar to one or more pieces of package level detail information associated with the one or more parcels;

at least partially in response to determining the one or more pieces of identifying information are substantially similar to the one or more pieces of package level detail information, confirming, by a processor, the identity of the unsubscribed consignee;

associating, by a processor, the one or more parcels with the identity of the unsubscribed consignee; and

at least partially in response to confirming the identity of the unsubscribed consignee, facilitating, a release of the parcel from the internal storage volume of the particular locker, wherein facilitating the release of the parcel from the particular locker to the unsubscribed consignee comprises automatically unlocking a secure door of the particular locker containing the parcel to provide the unsubscribed consignee access to the one or more parcels.

23. The computer system of claim 22, wherein:

the identification comprises an identification card; and

the computer system is further configured for;

determining an authenticity of the identification card; and

at least partially in response to confirming the authenticity of the identification card, determining the one or more pieces of identifying information from the identification card.

24. The computer system of claim 22, wherein:

the identification comprises a mobile telephone number; and

the computer system is further configured for;

providing a PIN number to the consignee by transmitting the PIN number using the mobile telephone number;

receiving input of the PIN number from the consignee; and

at least partially in response to receiving the input of the PIN number, facilitating the release of the parcel from the particular locker to the consignee.

25. The computer system of claim 24, wherein determining, based at least in part on the identification, the one or more pieces of identifying information comprises:

retrieving billing information associated with the mobile telephone number; and

determining the one or more pieces of identifying information based at least in part on the billing information.