Retail delivery packages and methods of product delivery

• US 10,625,899 B2
• Filed: 03/30/2018
• Issued: 04/21/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Walmart Apollo, LLC (WalMart Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Walmart Apollo, LLC (WalMart Inc.)
• Inventors: Atchley, Michael D., Taylor, Robert C., Thompson, John P., Letson, Eric A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Grano, Ernesto A
• Application Number:
  US15/941,565
• Publication Number:
  US 20180282014A1
• Time in Patent Office: 753 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 1/02 Dropping, ejecting, or releasing articles jettisonable fuel reservoirs B64D37/12
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/64 for parcel delivery or retrieval
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2203/10 Transponders
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 5/2047 trapezoidal, e.g. to form a body with diverging side walls B65D5/2033 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 5/4233 Cards, coupons, labels or the like formed separately from the container or lid
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 5/4608 Handgrip holes
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 5/46128 two opposite closure flaps being provided with handle elements which are in contact with each other
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 5/6635 the lid-halves being held in closed position by flaps or tabs provided at their edge opposite to their hinge B65D5/6644, B65D5/6647 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 81/3834 the external tray being formed of different materials, e.g. laminated or foam filling between walls
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0723 the record carrier comprising an arrangement for non-contact communication, e.g. wireless communication circuits on transponder cards, non-contact smart cards or RFIDs
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management

Abstract

In some embodiments, systems, apparatuses and methods are provided herein that enable delivery of retail products. Some embodiments provide retail product delivery transport packages, comprising: a base; a first set of tapered walls comprising at least two side walls that are separated by a length of the base and extend from the base at an angle such that a distance between the first tapered wall and the second tapered wall at the opening is greater than a distance between the first tapered wall and the second tapered wall at the base, and wherein the first and second tapered walls are configured to frictionally engage first and second tapered package support walls, respectively, of a delivery package carrier system; and a second set of at least one wall comprising at least a first vertical wall.

Claims

1. A retail product delivery transport package, comprising:

a base;

a first set of tapered walls comprising at least two side walls, wherein each of the at least two walls extend at an angle from the base and to a height from the base of an opening level defining part of an opening, wherein a first tapered wall and a second tapered wall of the first set of tapered walls are separated by a length of the base and extend from the base at the angle such that a distance between the first tapered wall and the second tapered wall at the opening is greater than a distance between the first tapered wall and the second tapered wall at the base, and wherein the first tapered wall and the second tapered wall are configured to frictionally engage first and second tapered package support walls, respectively, of a retail product delivery package carrier system to prevent the transport package from extending beyond a threshold depth into a package cavity of the package carrier system;

a second set of at least one wall comprising at least a first vertical wall that extends from the base and is substantially perpendicular to the base along a height of the first vertical wall;

a third tapered wall extending from the base along the height and positioned extending between the first tapered wall and the second tapered wall defining a length of the transport package;

a first lid flap extending from the first vertical wall at a fold of the first vertical wall at the opening level, wherein the first lid flap is configured to extend over at least a first portion of the opening; and

a second lid flap extending from a fold of the third tapered wall at the opening level, wherein the second lid flap is configured to extend over at least a second portion of the opening;

wherein the first vertical wall is configured to abut against a different vertical wall of a different transport package, wherein the first vertical wall comprises an affixing system secured with an exterior of the first vertical wall between the base and the fold of the first vertical wall and configured to mate with a different affixing system secured with the different vertical wall of the different transport package temporarily securing the first vertical wall with the different vertical wall of the different transport package such that the first vertical wall abuts against the different vertical wall with the cooperation between the transport package and the different transport package positioning the third tapered wall of the transport package separated from a different third tapered wall of the different transport package by widths of both the transport package and the different transport package having a total width of the cooperation between the transport package and the different transport package at the base less than a total width at the opening level.

2. The transport package of claim 1, further comprising:

wherein the first lid flap comprises a handle tab; and

wherein the second lid flap comprises a tab aperture configured to align with and receive at least a portion of the handle tab with at least the portion of the handle tab being configured to fold through the tab aperture to extend back toward the fold of the first vertical wall and along a portion of a width of the first lid flap, and defining a handle.

3. The transport package of claim 1, wherein the base and at least the first tapered wall and the second tapered wall are a single continuous piece.

4. The transport package of claim 1, wherein the first tapered wall and the second tapered wall are separated by a distance to frictionally engage the first and second package support walls of the package carrier system, respectively, such that the first tapered wall is configured to induce a force on the first package support wall in a direction away from the second package support wall, and the second tapered wall is configured to induce a force on the second package support wall in a direction away from the first package support wall.

5. The transport package of claim 4, further comprising:

a programmable RFID tag configured to receive product identifying information of at least one product placed within a product cavity defined in part by the first tapered wall, the second tapered wall and the first vertical wall.

6. The transport package of claim 4, further comprising:

a package RFID tag storing a transport package identifier unique to the transport package.

7. The transport package of claim 1, wherein the first vertical wall is configured to abut against the different vertical wall of the different transport package and establish a cooperative exterior shape that is an inverse of a package cavity of a separate transport bin and configured to fit within the package cavity of the transport bin.

8. The transport package of claim 1, wherein each of the first tapered wall, the second tapered wall and the first vertical wall comprises insulation configured to reduce rate of change of temperature within a product cavity defined in part by the first tapered wall, the second tapered wall and the first vertical wall.

9. The transport package of claim 1, wherein the affixing system comprises an affixing tab fixed with the first vertical wall wherein the affixing tab is configured to temporarily mate with an affixing aperture of the affixing system of the different vertical wall of the different transport package.

10. The transport package of claim 9, wherein the first lid flap comprises a first tab, and the second lid flap comprises a first aperture that temporarily mates with the first tab when the first lid flap is folded to cover the first portion of the opening and the second lid flap is folded to cover the second portion of the opening.

11. The transport package of claim 1, wherein the affixing system comprises an affixing tab and an affixing aperture fixed with the first vertical wall.

12. The transport package of claim 1, further comprising:

wherein the first lid flap comprising a handle tab; and

wherein the second lid flap comprising a first tab aperture separated from an edge of the second lid flap by a distance defining a handle support formed in the second lid flap, wherein the first tab aperture aligns with and receives a portion of the handle tab;

a third lid flap extending from a fold of the first tapered wall at the opening level, wherein the third lid flap extends over a third portion of the opening and comprises a second tab aperture that aligns with and receives the portion of the handle tab when extended over the third portion of the opening; and

a fourth lid flap extending from a fold of the second tapered wall at the opening level, wherein the fourth lid flap extends over a fourth portion of the opening and comprises a third tab aperture that aligns with and receives the portion of the handle tab when extended over the fourth portion of the opening.

13. The transport package of claim 12, further comprising an optically scannable package identifier fixed to an exterior of at least one of the base, the first tapered wall, the second tapered wall, and the first vertical wall;

and at least one package radio frequency identifier (RFID) tag secured with at least one of the base, the first tapered wall, the second tapered wall, and the first vertical wall.

14. The transport package of claim 12 wherein the affixing system comprises hook-and-loop fastener structure fixed with the first vertical wall and configured to temporarily cooperate with a different hook-and-loop fastener structure fixed to the different vertical wall of the different transport package.

15. The transport package of claim 12, wherein the affixing system comprises an affixing tab fixed with the first vertical wall wherein the affixing tab is configured to temporarily mate with an affixing aperture of the affixing system of the different vertical wall of the different transport package.