Package delivery systems and methods
First Claim
1. A method for servicing a request for delivery of an item, the method comprising:
- receiving delivery location information from a customer;
using said delivery address information to provide a set of delivery destinations to said customer, said set of delivery destinations being different from an actual address of said customer;
receiving from said customer a selected delivery destination from said set of delivery destinations; and
initiating a shipment transaction with a carrier to deliver the item to said customer, including providing said carrier with said selected delivery destination.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The present invention provides a method and system for delivering packages to a depot delivery destination selected by a customer for package pickup. Participating home shopping merchants allow customers to purchase goods at home and to ship their purchases to a nearby depot delivery destination to be picked up when convenient. The packages from the home-shopping merchants are stored in a secure unit at the depot'"'"'s customer service center until customer pickup. The delivery system of the present invention is designed to provide consumers with package security from order to final delivery. The delivery system present invention may also provide the customers with the ability to track their orders at any time without the intervention of merchant customer service personnel.
247 Citations
36 Claims
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1. A method for servicing a request for delivery of an item, the method comprising:
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receiving delivery location information from a customer;
using said delivery address information to provide a set of delivery destinations to said customer, said set of delivery destinations being different from an actual address of said customer;
receiving from said customer a selected delivery destination from said set of delivery destinations; and
initiating a shipment transaction with a carrier to deliver the item to said customer, including providing said carrier with said selected delivery destination. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8)
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5. The method of claim I wherein receiving said delivery location information from said customer further comprises receiving said delivery location information from said customer through an interactive voice response system.
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9. The method of claim I further comprising:
receiving package status information from said carrier relating to delivery of said item to said customer. - View Dependent Claims (10)
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11. The method of claim I further comprising:
receiving arrival information from the selected delivery destination indicating when the item arrives at the selected delivery destination and storing said arrival information on a server. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 27, 28, 29, 30)
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14. A method for servicing a request for delivery of an item, the method comprising:
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providing a set of delivery destinations to a customer, the delivery destinations not including a home or business address of the customer;
receiving from the customer a selected delivery destination from the set of delivery destinations;
receiving package status information from a carrier chosen to deliver the item to the customer, the package status information relating to the delivery of the item; and
receiving package arrival information from the selected delivery destination indicating when the item arrives at the selected delivery destination.
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26. A method for delivering a package to a customer, the method comprising:
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providing a set of delivery destinations to a carrier that comprise alternatives to delivering the package directly to the customer;
receiving package arrival information from a selected one of the delivery destinations indicating the package has been delivered by the carrier to the selected delivery destination; and
receiving package pickup information from the selected delivery destination indicating that the package was picked up by the customer.
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31. A package delivery system, comprising:
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a first server in electronic communication with a second server, a first client, and a second client operated by a carrier chosen to deliver a package to a customer;
wherein the first server provides a set of delivery destinations to the second server that comprise alternatives to delivering the package directly to the customer, the first server receives package status information from the second client, and the first server receives package arrival information from the first client operated by one of the delivery destinations. - View Dependent Claims (32, 33, 34, 35)
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36. A method for servicing a request for delivery of an item, the method comprising:
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receiving compensation from a merchant in exchange for a service of holding a package at a depot for customer pickup; and
providing compensation to the depot for the service of holding the package at the depot for customer pickup.
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Specification