Apparatus and method of notifying a recipient of an unscheduled delivery

• US 5,444,444 A
• Filed: 09/16/1994
• Issued: 08/22/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 05/14/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Shipping & Transit, LLC, WNS Holdings LLC
• Original Assignee: Worldwide Notification Systems, Inc.
• Inventors: Ross, John
• Primary Examiner(s): Swarthout, Brent
• Application Number:
  US08/307,032
• Time in Patent Office: 340 Days
• Field of Search: 340/988, 340/989, 340/990, 340/991, 340/992, 340/993, 340/994, 340/995, 340/996, 364/436, 364/401, 364/424.01, 364/424.02, 364/449, 379/58, 379/59, 342/457
• US Class Current: 340/994
• CPC Class Codes: B07C 3/00 Sorting according to destination collating the pages of a book B42C1/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/102 a signal being sent to a remote location, e.g. a radio signal being transmitted to a police station, a security company or the owner
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/50 of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/14 specially adapted for specific applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2205/002 for traffic control, mobile tracking, guidance, surveillance or anti-collision
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2205/008 using a mobile telephone network
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0027 of actual mobile position, i.e. position determined on mobile
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/123 indicating the position of vehicles, e.g. scheduled vehicles; Managing passenger vehicles circulating according to a fixed timetable, e.g. buses, trains, tramstransmission of navigation instructions to vehicles G08G1/0968
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/205 Indicating the location of the monitored vehicles as destination, e.g. accidents, stolen, rental

Abstract

An apparatus and method for notifying a party of a pending delivery or pickup of an item. A mobile vehicle or carrier is equipped with a satellite receiver, a controller and a communicator. The mobile vehicle determines its location based on positioning signals received by the satellite receiver. The controller compares the current location of the vehicle to the location of the party receiving the delivery/pickup. The communicator conditionally communicates with the party to notify the party of the pending delivery/pickup.

Claims

1. An apparatus located on a motor vehicle for providing advance notice to a party of arrival of the motor vehicle to a delivery/pickup point for the delivery/pickup of a passenger, said apparatus comprising:

a satellite receiver for receiving positioning signals from a plurality of satellites;

a storage device for storing the location of the party and other information;

a controller electrically connected to said storage device and said satellite receiver, said controller programmed to perform the steps of;

a) determining a current location of the motor vehicle based upon the received positioning signals; and

b) comparing the current location of the motor vehicle to the location of said delivery/pickup point;

a card reader electrically connected to said controller for allowing the controller and the storage device to store and maintain information on the motor vehicle passengers, each of said passengers of the motor vehicle being issued an identification card which allows the controller to maintain ridership information on the motor vehicle passengers; and

a communicator operatively connected to the controller for conditionally communicating, based upon said step of comparing, a signal via a cellular communications network from the mobile vehicle to the party to notify the party of the pending delivery/pickup of the passenger at the delivery/pickup point.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein each passenger registers with said apparatus using his/her identification card and said card reader upon entering and exiting a bus, thereby allowing the controller to determine what passengers for remaining passenger deliveries still remain on the bus, and allowing the controller to determine those scheduled passengers that have not yet been picked up, and allowing the controller and the communicator to notify a party for each passenger of the pending delivery/pickup of each passenger.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said storage device stores information on each passenger, including a delivery/pickup point for each passenger and the telephone number for the party for each passenger to provide advance notice via cellular telephone to the party of the pending delivery/pickup of the passenger at the delivery/pickup point.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein, for passenger pickups, the party notified of the pending pickup of the passenger comprises the passenger.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said satellite receiver comprises a global positioning system (GPS) receiver for receiving positioning signals from a plurality of GPS satellites.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said controller comprises a microprocessor.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said controller comprises a microprocessor that determines the latitude and longitude of the mobile vehicle based upon the received positioning signals.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a keyboard for inputting information to the controller, and a video display for displaying information.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the storage device stores a delivery route list, and delivery locations for a plurality of deliveries/pickups.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said communicator comprises a cellular telephone.

11. An apparatus located on a mobile vehicle for providing a notice to a party of a pending delivery/pickup of an item, said apparatus comprising:

a satellite receiver for receiving positioning signals from a plurality of satellites;

a storage device for storing a location of a delivery/pickup point of the item;

a controller electrically connected to said storage device and said satellite receiver, said controller programmed to perform the steps of;

a) determining a current location of the mobile vehicle based upon the received positioning signals;

b) comparing the current location of the mobile vehicle to the location of the delivery/pickup ;

point;

c) estimating the time required for the vehicle to travel from its current location to the location of the delivery/pickup point based on the distance separating the location of the vehicle and the location of the delivery/pickup point and the time for any intervening stops;

a communicator operatively connected to the controller for communicating a signal via a cellular communications network from the mobile vehicle to said party to notify the party of the pending delivery/pickup of the item if the estimated time interval is less than a predetermined time interval.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the location of said delivery/pickup point comprises the location of said party.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein said satellite receiver comprises a global positioning system (GPS) receiver for receiving positioning signals from a plurality of GPS satellites.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein said controller comprises a microprocessor.

15. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein said controller comprises a microprocessor that determines the latitude and longitude of the mobile vehicle based upon the received positioning signals.

16. The apparatus of claim 11, further comprising a keyboard for inputting information to the controller, and a video display for displaying information.

17. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the storage device stores a delivery route list, and delivery locations for a plurality of deliveries/pickups.

18. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein said communicator comprises a cellular telephone.

19. The apparatus of claim 11, further comprising a distance measuring device connected to said controller for measuring the distance the mobile vehicle has traveled for providing additional location information to the controller.

20. The apparatus of claim 11, further comprising a voice generator electrically connected to said controller for automatically generating voice signals to be communicated using the communicator to notify the party of the pending delivery/pickup.

21. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein said mobile vehicle is an aircraft carrying a plurality of passengers, wherein the storage device stores a telephone number for a contact person of the passenger and an interval of time, said communicator notifying said contact person of the pending arrival of the aircraft at least the interval of time prior to the arrival of the aircraft.

22. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein said mobile vehicle is a motor vehicle for delivering or picking up packages, said apparatus providing a notice to a party of a pending delivery/pickup of one or more said packages.

23. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein said mobile vehicle is a bus or other suitable vehicle for carrying passenger, said apparatus providing notice to a contact person of the pending delivery or pickup of each bus passenger.