APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR UPDATING DIRECTIONS TO A CONTAINER

• US 20170041451A1
• Filed: 08/05/2016
• Published: 02/09/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/07/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Walmart Apollo, LLC (WalMart Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Wal Mart Stores Inc (WalMart Inc.)
• Inventors: Wilkinson, Bruce W.
• Granted Patent: US 10,200,820 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A47G 2029/144 the receptacle being transportable and attachable to a building
• CPC Class Codes: A47G 2029/149 with central server link
• CPC Class Codes: A47G 2200/066 sensor
• CPC Class Codes: A47G 2200/166 sensor
• CPC Class Codes: A47G 29/141 comprising electronically controlled locking means
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/49 whereby the further system is an inertial position system, e.g. loosely-coupled
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/017 Detecting state or type of motion
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/027 using movement velocity, acceleration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]

Abstract

Systems, apparatuses, and methods are provided herein for updating directions to a container. In one embodiment an apparatus for updating directions to a container comprises a container housing, a movement sensor attached to the container housing, a wireless transceiver; and a control circuit coupled to the movement sensor and the wireless transceiver. The control circuit being configured to: detect a relocation of the container housing via the movement sensor, determine an estimated new location of the container, and send, via the wireless transceiver, the estimated new location to a computing device to initiate an update of a direction to the container.

Claims

1. An apparatus for updating directions to a container, comprising:

a container housing;

a movement sensor attached to the container housing;

a wireless transceiver; and

a control circuit coupled to the movement sensor and the wireless transceiver, the control circuit being configured;

detect a relocation of the container housing via the movement sensor;

determine an estimated new location of the container; and

send, via the wireless transceiver, the estimated new location to a computing device to initiate an update of a direction to the container.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the movement sensor comprises an accelerometer.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the estimated new location is determined via the movement sensor by dead reckoning from a known initial location.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a Global Positioning System (GPS) sensor, and wherein the estimated new location is determined based the GPS sensor.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control circuit is further configured to turn on one or more of a GPS sensor and the wireless transceiver in response to detecting the relocation of the container.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a lid sensor configured to detect an opening of a lid of the container housing, wherein the control circuit is further configured to send a notification to the computing device when the lid of the container is opened.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the computing device updates the direction to the container based on the estimated new location and one or more of a satellite image of a location associated with the container, a location of a portable device when the container is opened, and a manually entered description.

8. A method for updating directions to a container, comprising:

detecting, by a control circuit, a relocation of the container via a movement sensor attached to the container;

determining an estimated new location of the container; and

sending, via a wireless transceiver coupled to the control circuit, the estimated new location to a computing device to initiate an update of a direction to the container.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the movement sensor comprises an accelerometer.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the estimated new location is determined via the movement sensor by dead reckoning from a known initial location.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the estimated new location is determined based a Global Positioning System (GPS) sensor.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

turning on one or more of a GPS sensor and the wireless transceiver in response to detecting the relocation of the container.

13. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

detecting that a lid of the container is opened; and

sending a notification to the computing device to cause the computing device to retrieve a location of a portable device of a person opening the lid.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the computing device updates the direction to the container based on the estimated new location and one or more of a satellite image of an address associated with the container, a location of a portable device when the container is opened, and manually entered description.

15. A method for updating directions to a container comprising:

establishing a connection with the container in response to the container detecting a relocation of the container;

receiving an estimated new location of the container from the container; and

updating a direction to the container based on the estimated new location.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

generating a natural language direction based on the updated direction.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

providing the direction to an autonomous vehicle as machine readable instructions.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the updating of the direction is further based on satellite images of a residence associated with the container.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the updating of the direction is further based on manually entered description.

20. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

receiving a notification from the container that a lid of the container is opened; and

retrieving a location information of a portable device associated with a person opening the lid;

wherein the updating of the direction is further based the location information of the portable device.