MOBILE PICKUP LOCATIONS

• US 20150227882A1
• Filed: 02/13/2014
• Published: 08/13/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Bhatt, Kushal Mukesh
• Granted Patent: US 10,192,189 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/083 Shipping
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08355 Routing methods

Abstract

A mobile pickup location is provided that may be associated with a vehicle such as a public bus. A user may choose to have items delivered to a mobile pickup location on a public bus which the user takes every day travelling from the office to home, or which stops at a bus stop that is convenient for the user. Also, in regions where carriers for delivering items are rare or prohibitively expensive, a mobile pickup location may be utilized to deliver items, such as to a rural village. The coordinates of a mobile pickup location may be tracked, such as with GPS, and a user may be provided with a notification when a mobile pickup location with an ordered item is approaching, such as with a text message sent to a cell phone.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method, comprising:

receiving from a user a selection of an item;

determining a user preferred area;

determining a preferred timeframe;

identifying a mobile pickup location that is associated with a vehicle, wherein the vehicle is configured to carry passengers and which will be travelling in the preferred area during at least a portion of the preferred timeframe;

presenting the mobile pickup location as a delivery option to the user; and

receiving a selection of the mobile pickup location from the user as a selected delivery option wherein the item will be delivered to the mobile pickup location such that the user may meet the vehicle in the preferred area during at least a portion of the preferred timeframe and retrieve the item from the mobile pickup location.

2. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the user preferred area is determined according to an area that includes an address that is input by the user.

3. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the user preferred area includes a stopping point where the vehicle makes a stop for at least one of picking up or dropping off passengers and which is indicated to the user as a place to meet the vehicle for retrieving the item from the mobile pickup location.

4. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the mobile pickup location is attached to an inside surface of the vehicle such that the user may retrieve the item while the user is riding in the vehicle.

5. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the mobile pickup location is attached to an outside surface of the vehicle such that the user may retrieve the item while the vehicle is stopped and without needing to enter the vehicle.

6. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further including providing a notification to the user when the mobile pickup location is approaching.

7. The computer implemented method of claim 6, wherein the notification indicates an estimate of time related to when the mobile pickup location will arrive at a designated stopping point where the user may meet the vehicle for retrieving the item from the mobile pickup location.

8. A computing system, comprising:

one or more processors; and

a memory coupled to the one or more processors and storing program instructions that when executed by the one or more processors cause the one or more processors to;

monitor a position of a mobile pickup location that is attached to a vehicle for transporting individuals and which includes a storage compartment that contains an item for a user, the position being monitored relative to a stopping point where the user may meet the vehicle;

determine when a proximity of the mobile pickup location to the stopping point is within a specified threshold; and

send a notification to the user when the proximity of the mobile pickup location to the stopping point is within the specified threshold.

9. The computing system of claim 8, wherein the specified threshold is defined according to at least one of a distance or an amount of time.

10. The computing system of claim 8, wherein the notification indicates an estimate of time related to when the mobile pickup location will reach the stopping point.

11. The computing system of claim 10, wherein a process for estimating the time is based at least in part on an analysis of data from previous days when the mobile pickup location traveled to the stopping point.

12. The computing system of claim 8, wherein the notification includes a text message which indicates that the mobile pickup location is approaching the stopping point.

13. The computing system of claim 8, wherein the notification is sent to a user'"'"'s mobile device.

14. The computing system of claim 8, wherein the user is provided access to the storage compartment that contains the item for the user when the user performs a specified action with a user'"'"'s mobile device.

15. The computing system of claim 14, wherein the specified action includes responding to a message that was sent to the user'"'"'s mobile device and which instructed the user to respond to the message when the user was at the mobile pickup location and ready to retrieve the item.

16. The computing system of claim 8, wherein the user is provided with an access code for accessing the storage compartment that contains the item for the user.

17. One or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media storing computer-executable instructions, the instructions when executed on one or more processors causing the one or more processors to:

receive travel schedule data for a plurality of vehicles to which mobile pickup locations with storage compartments for storing items are attached;

evaluate the travel schedule data to determine one or more mobile pickup locations which meet criteria for a user;

present options to the user related to the one or more mobile pickup locations which meet the criteria for the user;

receive a selection from the user for one of the one or more mobile pickup locations; and

provide instructions to the user including at least a time and place where the selected mobile pickup location is scheduled to be according to the travel schedule data.

18. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 17, wherein the place that is included in the instructions to the user is a stopping point where the vehicle makes a stop to at least one of drop off or pick up passengers.

19. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 17, wherein the criteria for the user for determining the one or more mobile pickup locations includes that there be a stopping point within a set distance of an address that is associated with the user.

20. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 19, wherein the user is provided a choice of stopping points that meet the criteria, and after the user selects one of the stopping points, the user is provided with time options related to when one or more associated mobile pickup locations are expected to arrive at the selected stopping point according to the travel schedule data.

21. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 20, wherein a user selection of a time option corresponds to the selection of the mobile pickup location.

22. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 17, wherein an option is provided to the user to have an ordered item shipped to an address if the user does not retrieve the ordered item from the selected mobile pickup location within a specified time period.

23. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 17, wherein the plurality of vehicles include busses and the travel schedule data corresponds to bus schedules.