Method and Apparatus for Connecting and Operating Lockers for Home Deliveries via Video Interphones and Remotely Via a Virtual Doorman

• US 20090141117A1
• Filed: 12/04/2007
• Published: 06/04/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/04/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Elbex Video Limited (Elbex Japan Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Elbex Video Limited (Elbex Japan Ltd.)
• Inventors: ELBERBAUM, David
• Granted Patent: US 7,945,032 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/14.40
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00571 operated by interacting with a central unit
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00912 for safes, strong-rooms, vaults or the like
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/38 with central registration
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/186 Video door telephones

Abstract

A method and apparatus for connecting and operating plurality of lockers in a multi apartment or multi office building connected via an interface to a video interphone system and via a local guardman or a virtual guardman over a network, for providing access to the building and opening a locker for a deliveryman to deliver packages, parcels and ordered goods. The tenants receiving a message through their video interphone monitor can retrieve the deliveries by opening the specific locker from their video interphone monitor, through the entry panel and through associated accessories.

Claims

1. A method for connecting and controlling plurality of lockers in a multi tenants building selected from residential apartments and commercial units for delivering and retrieving packages, said building including video interphone system comprising at least one video interphone monitor allotted to each tenant, at least one entry panel and at least one of an entry controller selected from a local concierge station and a virtual doorman station;

said lockers selected from a group comprising homogeneous lockers, diverse lockers and diverse storage environment, with each locker includes a door, a door sensor for outputting at least one of door open signal and door close signal, a remotely operated electric lock and a door opener for actuating said door to open, wherein said door sensor and said electric lock are connected to an interface for interfacing said controlling with said video interphone system;

said entry panel includes keys for calling, selecting and processing a delivery, one of a display monitor and a display panel for displaying at least one of tenant list and calling codes, at least one of delivery procedure menus selected from a group comprising said lockers selection, said storage environment selection, acceptance of a fit locker, call divert guide, combinations thereof and are calling link to said delivery procedure menus upon unrealised calling of an addressee, said method comprising the steps of;

Selecting said addressee through said keys and one of said calling codes and said tenant list for calling a selected tenant;

waiting for one of a reply from said selected tenant and said recalling link upon said unrealised calling;

recalling said delivery procedure menu for selecting said fit locker on the basis of availability and proceeding with one of abandon said delivery and accepting said availability;

calling said entry controller through said keys as guided by said call divert guide for identifying the deliveryman;

requesting said entry controller to open said fit locker and an entrance to said building for enabling said delivering;

entering said building through the opened said entrance and depositing a package into the opened said fit locker; and

locking said fit locker for completing said delivering and for generating a delivery message selected from a group comprising display message, voice message, LED indication and a combination thereof to said video interphone monitor of said selected tenant.

2. The method for connecting and controlling plurality of lockers according to claim 1, wherein said locker include at least one LED indicator and said method comprises the further step of:

displaying said locker state selected from a group comprising, package inside, empty, open, close, alarm and combinations thereof.

3. The method for connecting and controlling plurality of lockers according to claim 1, wherein said locker includes an alphanumeric display panel and said method comprises the further step of:

Displaying at least one of messages selected from a group comprising ready for delivery, the apartment number, the tenant name, the date of the delivery, the time of the delivery, the delivery company, over due retrieval, open, close, forcibly opened, empty, package inside, alarm, error, out of order, reserved, locker number and combinations thereof.

4. The method for connecting and controlling plurality of lockers according to claim 1, wherein said door is one of transparent and non transparent, and wherein at least said locker with said non transparent door includes supervision accessories selected from a group comprising a camera, a camera with motion detector, an alphanumeric display panel, at least one LED indicator and combinations thereof;

said camera outputs one of digital and analog video signal for at least one of displaying and recording the interior of said locker, and said camera with motion detector further outputs a motion signal for identifying motion inside said locker and a content signal for identifying the content of said locker from one of empty and package inside, said method comprises the further steps of;

detecting motion signal for outputting said video signal to at least one of said interface and said video interphone system for at least one of displaying and recording;

outputting said content signal to said interface; and

employing at least one of said video signal and said content signal to confirm the completion of said delivery.

5. The method for connecting and controlling plurality of lockers according to claim 4, wherein said locker with said non transparent door and said locker located in a dark room include one of illuminator and at least one IR LED for enabling said camera and said camera with motion detector to operate.

6. The method for connecting and controlling plurality of lockers according to claim 1, wherein said video interphone monitor includes a release key selected from one of a button and a touch screen icon for opening said fit locker, operable when said delivery message is displayed, and wherein said retrieving comprises the further steps of:

reviewing said message via said video interphone monitor;

opening said fit locker through a retrieve process selected from a group comprising operating said release key, keying a password via said keys of said entry panel, operating a prerecorded access device via a reader selected from a group comprising mechanical, magnetic, optical, proximity, RF, IR and combinations thereof interfaced with said entry panel, and automatically via a biometric reader connected to said video interphone system;

retrieving said package from the opened locker and relocking said opened locker.

7. The method for connecting and controlling plurality of lockers according to claim 1, wherein the exteriors of said lockers are protected by at least one of a camera and a motion detector for at least one of displaying and recording movements near said lockers including deliveries and retrievals through at least one of said interface and said video interphone system;

said lockers are confined to one of a common space and a walled area with access via a second locked door controlled by said entry controller; and

wherein said step of requesting said entry controller to open said entrance and said step of entering said building includes the opening of said second locked door and the entering into said walled area.

8. The method for connecting and controlling plurality of lockers according to claim 1, wherein said delivery is verified through a printer located nearby said lockers for printing a delivery confirmation.

9. The method for connecting and controlling plurality of lockers according to claim 1, wherein said entry panel is interfaced with an entry access reader selected from a group comprising mechanical, magnetic, optical, proximity, RF, IR, biometric and combinations there of for improving said step of identifying said deliveryman.

10. The method for connecting and controlling plurality of lockers according to claim 1, wherein said storage environment is selected from a group comprising ambient, chilled, frozen, dry cleaning with hanger, shelves, bulk and combinations thereof.

11. A delivery system including plurality of lockers in a multi tenants building selected from residential apartments and commercial units for delivering and retrieving packages, said building including video interphone system comprising at least one video interphone monitor allotted to each tenant, at least one entry panel and at least one of an entry controller selected from a local concierge station and a virtual doorman station;

said lockers selected from a group comprising homogeneous lockers, diverse lockers and diverse storage environment, with each locker includes a door, a door sensor for outputting at least one of door open signal and door close signal, a remotely operated electric lock and a door opener for actuating said door to open, wherein said door sensor and said electric lock are connected to an interface for interfacing said delivery system with said video interphone system;

said entry panel includes keys for calling, selecting and processing a delivery, one of a display monitor and a display panel for displaying at least one of tenant list and calling codes, at least one of delivery procedure menus selected from a group comprising said lockers selection, said storage environment selection, acceptance of a fit locker, call divert guide, combinations thereof and a recalling link to said delivery procedure menus;

each of said local concierge station and said virtual doorman station is provided with two way voice communication, at least one way video communication and one of keys and a keyboard for controlling said lockers and said entrance; and

wherein said entry controller uses one of said keys and said keyboard to open said entrance and a selected locker in response to said call divert by a deliveryman upon acceptance of said fit locker and a positive identification.

12. The delivery system including plurality of lockers according to claim 11, wherein said locker include at least one LED indicator for displaying said locker state selected from a group comprising, package inside, empty, open, close, alarm and combinations thereof.

13. The delivery system including plurality of lockers according to claim 11, wherein said locker includes an alphanumeric display panel for displaying at least one of messages selected from a group comprising ready for delivery, the apartment number, the tenant name, the date of the delivery, the time of the delivery, the delivery company, over due retrieval, open, close, forcibly opened, empty, package inside, alarm, error, out of order, reserved, locker number and combinations thereof.

14. The delivery system including plurality of lockers according to claim 11, wherein said door is one of transparent and non transparent, and wherein at least said locker with said non transparent door includes supervision accessories selected from a group comprising a camera, a camera with motion detector, an alphanumeric display panel, at least one LED indicator and combinations thereof;

said camera outputs one of digital and analog video signal pertaining to the interior of said locker, and said camera with motion detector further outputs a motion signal for identifying motion inside said locker and a content signal for identifying the content of said locker from one of empty and package inside; and

wherein said motion signal is used to activate at least one of recording and displaying of said video signal via at least one of said interface and said video interphone system and at least one of the outputted said video signal and said content signal is used to confirm the completion of said delivery.

15. The delivery system including plurality of lockers according to claim 14, wherein said locker with said non transparent door and said locker located in a dark surrounding include one of illuminator and at least one IR LED for enabling said camera and said camera with motion detector to operate.

16. The delivery system including plurality of lockers according to claim 11, wherein said video interphone monitor includes a release key selected from one of a button and a touch screen icon for opening said fit locker, operable when said delivery message is displayed, and wherein the opening of said fit locker for said retrieving is selected from a group comprising operating said release key, keying a password via said keys of said entry panel, operating a prerecorded access device via a reader selected from a group consisting of mechanical, magnetic, optical, proximity, RF, IR and combinations thereof interfaced with said entry panel, and automatically via a biometric reader connected to said video interphone system.

17. The delivery system including plurality of lockers according to claim 11, wherein the exteriors of said lockers are protected by at least one of a camera and a motion detector for at least one of displaying and recording movements near said lockers including deliveries and retrievals through at least one of said interface and said video interphone system;

said lockers are confined to one of a common space and a walled area with access via a second locked door controlled by said entry controller, and wherein said entry controller opens said second locked door timed with the opening of said entrance.

18. The delivery system including plurality of lockers according to claim 11, wherein said delivery is verified through a printer located nearby said lockers for printing a delivery confirmation.

19. The delivery system including plurality of lockers according to claim 11, wherein said entry panel is interfaced with an entry access reader selected from a group comprising mechanical, magnetic, optical, proximity, RF, IR, biometric and combinations thereof for improving said step of identifying said deliveryman.

20. The delivery system including plurality of lockers according to claim 11, wherein said storage environment is selected from a group comprising ambient, chilled, frozen, dry cleaning with hanger, shelves, bulk and combinations thereof.