System for delivering multi-temperature goods

• US 20070150373A1
• Filed: 12/13/2006
• Published: 06/28/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Industrial Technology Research Institute
• Original Assignee: Industrial Technology Research Institute
• Inventors: Kuo, Ju-Chia
• Application Number:
  US11/637,772
• Publication Number:
  US 20070150373A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/26
• CPC Class Codes: B60P 3/007 for delivery of small articles, e.g. milk, frozen articles
• CPC Class Codes: B60P 3/20 Refrigerated goods vehicles air treatment of goods space B60H; air-conditioning means for freight cars, isothermic wagons B61D27/0027; superstructures for refrigerated goods vehicles B62D33/048
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]

Abstract

A system for delivering multi-temperature goods includes a goods distribution center, a goods collecting station, a plurality of customer ends, and a transport vehicle. The goods collecting station collects and temporarily stores goods of different storage temperatures to be dispatched for or delivered to customer ends. The transport vehicle conveys multi-temperature goods distributed by the distribution center to a goods collecting station in the neighborhood of a customer, or conveys multi-temperature goods from the goods collecting station to the distribution center.

Claims

1. A system for delivering multi-temperature goods, comprising:

a goods distribution center for receiving and distributing a plurality of goods of different storage temperatures;

at least one goods collecting station for temporarily storing the plurality of goods;

a plurality of customer ends, who independently receive goods delivered from the goods collecting station or dispatch goods via the goods collecting station; and

at least one transport vehicle for carrying a plurality of insulated logistic containers for holding goods of different storage temperatures;

said transport vehicle being used to convey the goods distributed by the goods distribution center to the goods collecting station, and to convey the goods temporarily stored at the goods collecting station to the goods distribution center.

2. The system for delivering multi-temperature goods as claimed in claim 1, wherein the customer ends are general families.

3. The system for delivering multi-temperature goods as claimed in claim 1, wherein the goods collecting station is selected from the group consisting of a community administration center, a chained convenience store, and a hypermarket.

4. The system for delivering multi-temperature goods as claimed in claim 1, wherein the goods collecting station is located at a place in the neighborhood of the customer ends.

5. The system for delivering multi-temperature goods as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the insulated logistic containers includes a plurality of insulated compartments having different temperatures.

6. The system for delivering multi-temperature goods as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the insulated logistic containers is internally provided with one or more cold/heat accumulators to produce different temperatures in the container.

7. The system for delivering multi-temperature goods as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the insulated logistic containers is internally provided with more than one heater.

8. The system for delivering multi-temperature goods as claimed in claim 1, wherein the transport vehicle is selected from the group consisting of a pickup and delivery truck, a distribution truck, and a transfer vehicle.

9. The system for delivering multi-temperature goods as claimed in claim 8, wherein the transport vehicle is a room-temp truck.

10. The system for delivering multi-temperature goods as claimed in claim 8, wherein the goods with different storage temperatures include hot foods having a temperature higher than 60°

C., ambient temperature (ambient temperature) foods, fresh foods kept at 18°

C., refrigerated foods kept at −

2°

C.˜

+7°

C., chilled foods kept at −

2°

C.˜

+2°

C., frozen foods and ice kept below −

18°

C., ultra low temperature foods kept below −

30°

C., and any combination thereof.

11. The system for delivering multi-temperature goods as claimed in claim 1, further comprising at least one business branch for recording and sorting the goods of different storage temperatures.

12. The system for delivering multi-temperature goods as claimed in claim 1, wherein the goods distribution center receives orders placed by the customer ends, and the goods of different storage temperatures are specified in the orders.

13. A system for delivering multi-temperature goods, comprising:

a first district having at least one customer and provided with at least one goods collecting station, at least one pickup and delivery truck, at least one business branch, at least one distribution truck, and at least one transfer hub;

a second district having at least one customer and provided with at least one goods collecting station, at least one pickup and delivery truck, at least one business branch, at least one distribution truck, and at least one transfer hub; and

the transfer hub of the second district being linked with the transfer hub of the first district through a transfer vehicle; and

the goods collecting station in the first district receiving goods consigned by a first customer in the first district for sending to a second customer, the pickup and delivery truck collecting the consigned goods from the goods collecting station and conveying the collected goods to the business branch, from where the consigned goods being conveyed by the distribution truck to the transfer hub;

the consigned goods being then conveyed by another distribution truck from the transfer hub to a business branch in the neighborhood of the second customer, and further delivered by another pickup and delivery truck from the business branch to a goods collecting station, at where the consigned goods being picked up by the second customer.

14. The system for delivering multi-temperature goods as claimed in claim 13, wherein the goods collecting station is selected from the group consisting of a community administration center, a chained convenience store, a hypermarket, and a customer house.

15. The system for delivering multi-temperature goods as claimed in claim 13, wherein customers in the second district also utilize the delivery channel in the second district to dispatch goods from one to another.

16. The system for delivering multi-temperature goods as claimed in claim 13, further comprising a multi-temperature insulated container for storing various goods of different storage temperatures.

17. The system for delivering multi-temperature goods as claimed in claim 13, further comprising a wheeled multilayer container equipped with cold/heat storage boxes and cold/heat storage cabinets.

18. The system for delivering multi-temperature goods as claimed in claim 17, wherein the cold/heat storage cabinets are used on the distribution truck and the transfer vehicle.

19. The system for delivering multi-temperature goods as claimed in claim 17, wherein the cold/heat storage boxes and cold/heat storage cabinets of different temperatures are distinguished using different colors.

20. The system for delivering multi-temperature goods as claimed in claim 13, further comprising a re-freezing freezer equipped at each of the transfer hubs.