Methods and apparatus for unattended pickups and deliveries
First Claim
1. A token for use with a secure pickup and delivery container having a door, a lock, and an access element, the token comprising:
- a storage element to store information; and
a housing to house the storage element and to mate with the access element, wherein the housing comprises an interface to pass identity information from the token to the access element and to pass transaction information regarding a completed or attempted access of the container to the token.
0 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A secure pickup and delivery container includes a lockable door, a control unit, an access element, and an anchoring element, according to an embodiment. The control unit includes a processing element and a memory that can be programmed either on-site or remotely with access privilege information such as identity (e.g. of container, delivery person, etc.), location, date, time, frequency of access, and/or package-specific information. In an embodiment, access privilege information is programmed when an intended recipient of a delivery consummates a point of sale transaction, for example over the Internet or telephone. The access element can be a keypad, a biometric scanner, a card reader, a bar-code reader, and/or a wireless control element to read a programmable token such as a smart card. Delivery personnel can enter access request information into the access element, and if it favorably compares with the access privilege information, the control unit unlocks the door. Notification can be concurrently made via wireline or wireless communications to the intended recipient, who may be situated remote from the secure container. The recipient can optionally return a delivery acknowledgment to the delivery personnel. Details of the delivery transaction can also be recorded electronically on the delivery personnel'"'"'s token, within the container, or at a remote location.
75 Citations
25 Claims
-
1. A token for use with a secure pickup and delivery container having a door, a lock, and an access element, the token comprising:
-
a storage element to store information; and
a housing to house the storage element and to mate with the access element, wherein the housing comprises an interface to pass identity information from the token to the access element and to pass transaction information regarding a completed or attempted access of the container to the token. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
-
-
7. A method of operating a secure pickup and delivery container having a door, a lock, a control unit, and an access element, the method comprising:
-
storing first access information in the control unit;
entering second access information into the access element;
evaluating the first and second access information; and
unlocking the door only if the first and second access information match. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
-
-
19. An apparatus comprising:
-
a computer-readable medium containing computer instructions which when executed cause a computer system to perform operations including;
transmitting first access information from an integral hand-held recipient user device to a memory in a secure pickup and delivery container;
evaluating the first access information with second access information entered into an access element on the container;
unlocking a door on the container if the first and second access information match; and
transmitting a signal to the recipient user device using either wireless or wireline communications. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
-
Specification