Remote access authentication and authorization

• US 10,297,095 B2
• Filed: 06/19/2018
• Issued: 05/21/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/25/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kim, Unyoung, Chiu, David T., Crane, Michael, Nguyen, Calvin, Shrivastava, Rohit
• Primary Examiner(s): Jiang, Yong Hang
• Application Number:
  US16/012,204
• Publication Number:
  US 20190035187A1
• Time in Patent Office: 336 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/083 Shipping
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2009/0092 for cargo, freight or shipping containers and applications therefore in general
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00182 operated with unidirectional data transmission between data carrier and locks
• 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 9/32 in combination with an identity check
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 Television signal recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/77 between a recording apparatus and a television camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/186 Video door telephones
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/188 Capturing isolated or intermittent images triggered by the occurrence of a predetermined event, e.g. an object reaching a predetermined position signal generation from motion picture films H04N5/253

Abstract

Features are disclosed for accurately authenticating a delivery agent for unattended delivery of an item. The systems and methods described confirm the location of the delivery agent and proximity to the delivery location using short range wireless communications between a monitoring device at the delivery location and a communication device associated with the delivery agent. Access may also be conditioned on user specified “do not disturb” rules indicating when remote access is authorized. The authentication may be dynamically assessed such as based on a type of item being delivered.

Claims

1. A system for controlling access to a physical location, the system comprising:

a data store storing specific computer-executable instructions; and

one or more computer processors in communication with the data store, wherein the one or more computer processors are configured to execute the specific computer-executable instructions to cause the system to at least;

receive, via a first network from a first communication device, information identifying an item;

transmit, via the first network to the first communication device, a unique identifier of a sensor at a physical location where the item is to be delivered;

receive, from the first network from the first communication device, a request to access the physical location, wherein said request is generated in response to determining, by the first communication device, that an identifier broadcast by the sensor corresponds to the unique identifier;

determine that the sensor is activated for sensing at the physical location; and

cause the sensor to transmit, via a second network, a release message to a security device to permit access to the physical location.

2. The system of claim 1,

wherein the data store further stores an access control permission identifying a period of time to grant access to the physical location, and

wherein the specific computer-executable instructions further cause the one or more computer processors to at least:

retrieve, from the memory, the access control permission for the physical location based at least in part on the request; and

determine that the request to access the physical location is within the period of time.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the specific computer-executable instructions further cause the one or more computer processors to at least:

receive an indication that the security device released to permit access to the physical location;

determine that an elapsed time from receipt of the indication exceeds a threshold and that no further change to the security device was detected; and

transmit an alert indicating a possible access failure to at least one of;

a user device associated with the physical location or the first communication device.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the specific computer-executable instructions further cause the one or more processors to at least:

receive, from the first communication device, a user credential for a user of the first communication device, wherein the user credential is associated with the request to access the physical location; and

retrieve item delivery information for the item based at least in part on the information identifying the item, the item delivery information indicating;

(i) an item delivery location and (ii) a delivery agent;

retrieve a sensor location based at least in part on the unique identifier of the sensor; and

determine that;

(i) the user credential identifies the delivery agent, and

(ii) the sensor location corresponds to the item physical location.

5. The system of claim 4,

wherein the sensor comprises a camera, and

wherein the specific computer-executable instructions further cause the one or more processors to at least:

receive, from the sensor, an image of the physical location, at least a portion of the image showing the user of the first communication device;

receive, from a memory, a user image of the user based at least in part on the user credential; and

prior to causing the sensor to transmit the release message, determine the user shown in the image of the physical location corresponds to the user shown in the user image.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the specific computer-executable instructions further cause the one or more processors to at least transmit one or more status messages indicating access control status for the item to a user device associated with the physical location.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the sensor comprises a camera, and wherein at least one status message of the one or more status messages includes image data captured by the camera.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the specific computer-executable instructions further cause the one or more processors to at least:

receive, from the first communication device via the first network, a message indicating that the first communication device has exited the physical location; and

cause the sensor to transmit, via the second network, a secure message to the security device to secure the physical location.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein to determine that the sensor is activated for sensing at the physical location, the specific computer-executable instructions further cause the one or more processors to at least:

receive a reference image of the physical location;

receive, from the sensor, an image of the physical location; and

determine that the image of the physical location corresponds to the reference image for the physical location.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein to determine that the access sensor is activated for sensing at the physical location, the specific computer-executable instructions further cause the one or more processors to at least:

store, in the data store, a reference illumination pattern for the physical location, the reference illumination pattern including a first reference pattern and a second reference pattern;

receive, from the access sensor, a first image and a second image for the physical location;

detect the first reference pattern in the first image; and

detect the second reference pattern in the second image.

11. A computer-implemented method of controlling access to a physical location, the computer-implemented method comprising:

under control of one or more computing devices executing specific computer-executable instructions, receiving, from a first communication device, information identifying an item to be deposited at a physical location;

transmitting, to the first communication device, a unique identifier of an access sensor at the physical location;

receiving, from the first communication device, a request to access the physical location, wherein the request includes the information identifying the item and the unique identifier, and wherein said request is generated in response to determining, by the first communication device, that an identifier broadcast by the sensor corresponds to the unique identifier;

determining that the access sensor is activated for sensing at the physical location; and

causing the access sensor to transmit a release message to a security device to permit access to the physical location.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, further comprising:

storing, in a memory, an access control permission identifying a period of time to grant access to the physical location;

retrieving, from the memory, the access control permission for the physical location based at least in part on the request; and

determining that the request to access the physical location is within the period of time.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, further comprising:

receiving an indication that the security device released to permit access to the physical location;

determining that an elapsed time from receipt of the indication exceeds a threshold and that no further change to the security device was detected; and

transmitting an alert indicating a possible access failure to at least one of;

a user device associated with the physical location or the first communication device.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, further comprising:

receiving, from the first communication device, a user credential for a user of the first communication device, wherein the user credential is associated with the request to access the physical location; and

retrieving item delivery information for the item based at least in part on the information identifying the item, the item delivery information indicating;

(i) an item deposit location and (ii) a delivery agent;

retrieving a sensor location based at least in part on the unique identifier for the access sensor; and

determining that;

(i) the user credential identifies the delivery agent, and

(ii) the sensor location corresponds to the item deposit location.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 14,

wherein the access sensor comprises a camera, and

wherein the computer-implemented method comprises:

receiving, from the access sensor, an image of the physical location, at least a portion of the image showing the user of the first communication device;

receiving, from a memory, a user image of the user based at least in part on the user credential; and

prior to causing the access sensor to transmit the release message, determining that the user shown in the image of the physical location corresponds to the user shown in the user image.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, further comprising transmitting one or more status messages indicating access control status for the item to a user device associated with the physical location.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 16, wherein the access sensor comprises a camera, and wherein at least one status message of the one or more status messages includes image data captured by the camera.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, further comprising:

receiving, from the first communication device via a first network, a message indicating that the first communication device has exited the physical location; and

causing the access sensor to transmit, via a second network, a secure message to the security device to secure the physical location.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, wherein determining that the access sensor is activated for sensing at the physical location includes:

receiving a reference image of the physical location;

receiving, from the access sensor, an image of the physical location; and

determining that the image of the physical location corresponds to the reference image for the physical location.

20. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, wherein determining that the access sensor is activated for sensing at the physical location includes:

storing, in a memory, a reference illumination pattern for the physical location, the reference illumination pattern including a first reference pattern and a second reference pattern;

receiving, from the access sensor, a first image and a second image for the physical location;

detecting the first reference pattern in the first image; and

detecting the second reference pattern in the second image.