Smart home delivery services

• US 10,217,306 B2
• Filed: 10/13/2016
• Issued: 02/26/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Transform Sr Brands, LLC (ESL Investments, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Sears Brands LLC (Sears Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Lampert, Edward S., Munjal, Leena, Agasti, Varun Reddy, Baker, Robert, Multer, Scott H., Katakwar, Smita
• Primary Examiner(s): Rao, Anand S
• Assistant Examiner(s): Fereja, Samuel D
• Application Number:
  US15/293,273
• Publication Number:
  US 20170103628A1
• Time in Patent Office: 866 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00571 operated by interacting with a central unit
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00896 specially adapted for particular uses
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/38 with central registration
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/186 Video door telephones

Abstract

The present application relates to a method and system that enable consumers to have deliveries made and services performed safely and securely when they are not at the location at which the delivery is made or service is performed.

Claims

1. A method of operating a system enabling remote authorization and monitoring of physical access to a building, the method comprising:

receiving, by a wireless handheld device of a designated individual from a computer system in response to a consumer retail transaction, information regarding a request for scheduled physical access by the designated individual to a building of the consumer;

notifying the designated individual of details of the scheduled physical access, via the handheld device;

determining, by the handheld device, whether the designated individual is detected within a defined boundary of the building;

if the designated individual is determined to be within the defined boundary;

enabling storage of video images wirelessly received by the handheld device directly from a camera on the designated individual,

transmitting, by the handheld device, notification of arrival by the designated individual at the building, to cause a notification at an electronic device of the consumer, and

enabling entry of the designated individual into the building of the consumer after verification, by the handheld device, that the camera is functioning properly to record the whereabouts of the designated individual while moving about the building of the consumer; and

if the designated individual is determined to not be within the defined boundary;

disabling storage of video images wirelessly received from the camera on the designated individual, and

transmitting notification of departure by the designated individual from the building, to the electronic device of the consumer.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the consumer retail transaction is received from a retail point of sale terminal.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the computer system receives the consumer retail transaction from a retail transaction processing system.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the camera is wirelessly coupled to the handheld device of the designated individual that sends the video images to the computer system via a wireless receiver located in the building.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein enabling entry of the designated individual into the building comprises assigning the designated individual to the scheduled physical access in the computer system.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the notification of arrival transmitted to the consumer comprises an image of the designated individual.

7. A non-transitory computer readable medium having a plurality of code sections, each code section comprising a plurality of instructions executable by one or more processors to cause the one or more processors to perform steps of a method of operating a system enabling remote authorization and monitoring of physical access to a building, the steps comprising:

receiving, by a wireless handheld device of a designated individual from a computer system in response to a consumer retail transaction, information regarding a request for scheduled physical access by the designated individual to a building of the consumer;

notifying the designated individual of details of the scheduled physical access, via the handheld device;

determining, by the handheld device, whether the designated individual is detected within a defined boundary of the building;

if the designated individual is determined to be within the defined boundary;

enabling storage of video images wirelessly received by the handheld device directly from a camera on the designated individual,

transmitting, by the handheld device, notification of arrival by the designated individual at the building, to cause notification at an electronic device of the consumer, and

enabling entry of the designated individual into the building of the consumer after verification, by the handheld device, that the camera is functioning properly to record the whereabouts of the designated individual while moving about the building of the consumer; and

if the designated individual is determined to not be within the defined boundary;

disabling storage of video images wirelessly received from the camera on the designated individual, and

transmitting notification of departure by the designated individual from the building, to the electronic device of the consumer.

8. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 7, wherein the consumer retail transaction is received from a retail point of sale terminal.

9. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 7, wherein the computer system receives the consumer retail transaction from a retail transaction processing system.

10. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 7, wherein the camera is wirelessly coupled to the handheld device of the designated individual that sends the video images to the computer system via a wireless receiver located in the building.

11. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 7, wherein enabling entry of the designated individual into the building comprises assigning the designated individual to the scheduled physical access in the computer system.

12. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 7, wherein the notification of arrival transmitted to the consumer comprises an image of the designated individual.

13. A system enabling remote authorization and monitoring of physical access to a building, the system comprising:

one or more processors for communicatively coupling a wireless handheld device to a remote computer system, the one or more processors operable to, at least;

receive, by the wireless handheld device of a designated individual from the computer system in response to a consumer retail transaction, information regarding a request for scheduled physical access by the designated individual to a building of the consumer;

notify the designated individual of details of the scheduled physical access, via the handheld device;

determine, by the handheld device, whether the designated individual is detected within a defined boundary of the building;

if the designated individual is determined to be within the defined boundary;

enable storage of video images wirelessly received by the handheld device directly from a camera on the designated individual,

transmit, by the handheld device, notification of arrival by the designated individual at the building, to cause notification at an electronic device of the consumer, and

enable entry of the designated individual into the building of the consumer after verification, by the handheld device, that the camera is functioning properly to record the whereabouts of the designated individual while moving about the building of the consumer; and

if the designated individual is determined to not be within the defined boundary;

disable storage of video images wirelessly received from the camera on the designated individual, and

transmit notification of departure by the designated individual from the building, to the electronic device of the consumer.

14. The system according to claim 13, wherein the consumer retail transaction is received from a retail point of sale terminal.

15. The system according to claim 13, wherein the computer system receives the consumer retail transaction from a retail transaction processing system.

16. The system according to claim 13, wherein the camera is wirelessly coupled to the handheld device of the designated individual that sends the video images to the computer system via a wireless receiver located in the building.

17. The system according to claim 13, wherein enabling entry of the designated individual into the building comprises assigning the designated individual to the scheduled physical access in the computer system.

18. The system according to claim 13, wherein the notification of arrival transmitted to the consumer comprises an image of the designated individual.