PARKING LOCKERS

• US 20150348345A1
• Filed: 05/30/2014
• Published: 12/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PayPal, Inc. (PayPal Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Inventors: Ogishi, Tracy, Endo, Darren Michail
• Granted Patent: US 9,424,702 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/083 Shipping
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00912 for safes, strong-rooms, vaults or the like
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/38 with central registration

Abstract

Methods and systems for retrieving or depositing a package using a beacon are described. A locker and parking space are assigned to a user or selected by the user, and the user is able to access the locker using a mobile device. The mobile device transmits identification information to a beacon associated with the locker. This information is passed to a service provider, who identifies the user or the locker and causes the locker to open.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a memory device storing user identification information; and

one or more processors in communication with the memory device and operable to;

receive a request to unlock a locker from a user;

identify the user or a locker selected by the user based on information communicated by a user device to a beacon; and

cause the selected locker to open.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the information comprises account credentials, a user identifier associated with the user device, locker identification information, or any combination thereof.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the selected locker is associated with a specific parking space.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the user parks in the specific parking space and the user device is detected by the beacon a first time to allow access to the selected locker.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the user pulls away from the specific parking space and the user device is detected by the beacon a second time to remove access to the selected locker.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors is further operable to receive information regarding a merchant authorized to open the selected locker.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the one or more processors is further operable to receive identifying merchant information from the beacon and determine whether a merchant is authorized to open the selected locker.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors is further operable to track when a package is delivered to a selected locker.

9. A method for retrieving or depositing a package, comprising:

receiving, by one or more hardware processors of a service provider, user information communicated from a user device to a beacon;

identifying, by the one or more hardware processors, a user based on the user information;

matching, by the one or more hardware processors, the user to a locker; and

causing, by the one or more hardware processors, the locker to open.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the user information comprises account credentials, a user identifier associated with the user device, or both.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the locker is located near a parking space.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the user parks in the parking space and the beacon detects the user device.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein a merchant is notified when the user parks in the parking space.

14. The method of claim 9, further comprising notifying the user when at least one package is delivered to the locker.

15. A non-transitory machine-readable medium comprising instructions which, in response to a computer system, cause the computer system to perform a method comprising:

receiving a location of a user device from a beacon;

receiving a request to unlock a locker associated with the beacon;

receiving information communicated from the user device to the beacon; and

causing the locker to open when a user or locker is identified.

16. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the identification information comprises account credentials, a user identifier associated with the user device, locker identification information, or any combination thereof.

17. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the locker is located near a parking space in a shopping center parking lot.

18. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the locker holds packages purchased by the user from more than one merchant in the shopping center.

19. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the packages are consolidated and delivered to the locker once.

20. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the method further comprises notifying the user when the packages are delivered.