Providing Parcel Procurement With Acknowledgement Of Receipt In An Intelligent Mailbox

• US 20100097174A1
• Filed: 11/12/2008
• Published: 04/22/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Marmigere, Gerard, Truntschka, Carole, Picon, Joaquin, Menguy, Eric
• Granted Patent: US 8,198,982 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/5.7
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3821 Electronic credentials
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 17/00024 Physical or organizational aspects of franking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 2017/0004 Determining the location of mailpieces outside apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 2017/00629 Circuit, e.g. transponder
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00896 specially adapted for particular uses
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/257 electronically G07C9/26 takes precedence

Abstract

A method for providing a procuration to a user on behalf of a letter or parcel recipient for authorizing this user to retrieve this letter or parcel with acknowledgement of receipt in an intelligent mailbox. Exemplary embodiments include a method to forward delegation between the original recipient and the delegated user through an exchange supported by any electronic or physical protocol of a delegation information made of the recipient unique identifier, a validity period and a hashcode, signed with the recipient private key and the mailbox public key.

Claims

1. A method for authorizing a user to pickup a parcel with acknowledgement of receipt in a mailbox, the method comprising:

determining an insertion a key including a first biometric data into a biometric reader;

determining a second biometric data as indicated by an RFID tag enclosed in a parcel having been previously introduced in the mailbox and requiring an acknowledgement of receipt from a predetermined user, the RFID tag having been read by an RFID reader of the mailbox;

looking up a delegation previously assigned to the key;

in response to finding the delegation, comparing the first and second biometric data and if the first and second biometric data do not match, closing a biometric lock and if the first and second biometric data do match, opening the biometric lock;

opening a traditional lock on the mailbox if the biometric lock has been opened;

displaying one of an indication to a user of a presence of the parcel needing acknowledgement of receipt from the addressee, and an indication to a postman that an acknowledgement of receipt can be picked up; and

recording a pickup of the parcel by a processor and a memory in the mailbox and information including user identity, date and time related to the pickup, which is retrievable by the postman either in person or remotely via a transmitter.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the pickup information is transmitted after a predefined delay to the post-office.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the pickup information is retrieved locally by the postman and stored in the key of said postman.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1 further comprising utilizing a key reader and writer, the key reader and writer being configured to read keys inserted in the mailbox by one or a plurality of users and further configured to write keys with data.

5. A method for providing a procuration to a user on behalf of a parcel recipient for authorizing this user to retrieve this letter or parcel with acknowledgement of receipt in an intelligent mailbox, the method comprising:

extracting a list of delegation rights contained in an inserted key when the key is inserted in the intelligent mailbox waiting for a letter or parcel retrieval;

unsigning the delegation with a private key;

unsigning the delegation right with a recipient public key;

determining delegation information made from a recipient unique identifier, a start time of the delegation, an end time of the delegation and a hashcode of the delegation information to prevent forged delegation information;

comparing a hashcode of the recipient unique identifier, the start time of the delegation and the end time of the delegation with the determined hashcode, and if the hashcode of the delegation information and the hashcode of the recipient unique identifier do not match, disabling the parcel retrieval for the inserted key;

comparing the delegation recipient unique identifier with the parcel recipient and if the recipients do not match, disabling the parcel retrieval for the inserted key;

checking if a current time fits in between the start time of the delegation and the end time of the delegation and if the current time is not between the start time of the delegation and the end time of the delegation, disabling the letter parcel retrieval for the inserted key;

opening a traditional lock on the mailbox if the delegation is confirmed; and

recording a pickup of the parcel by a processor and a memory in the intelligent mailbox, wherein pickup information includes a delegator identity, a date and a time related to the pickup of the parcel, the pick up information being retrievable by a postman either in person or remotely via a transmitter coupled to the processor.