Package or mail delivery notice and confirmation

• US 8,015,023 B1
• Filed: 08/29/2007
• Issued: 09/06/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Lee, Wing K., Persson, Carl J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Jabr; Fadey S
• Application Number:
  US11/847,038
• Time in Patent Office: 1,469 Days
• Field of Search: 705/1.1, 705/7, 705/26, 700/226, 701/200
• US Class Current: 705/1.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063114 Status monitoring or status determination for a person or group
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0639 Item locations

Abstract

A system for providing notification related to package delivery is provided. The system comprises a recipient terminal configured to receive a notification of a package delivery, a delivery mobile terminal configured to determine its own location, and a server configured to send the notification to the recipient terminal based on the location of the delivery mobile terminal and based on information associated with the recipient terminal.

Claims

1. A method of scheduling package delivery, comprising:

receiving a request, by a computer from a delivery service, to generate a schedule for a sequence of deliveries to multiple recipients, wherein one of the deliveries is a delivery of a first package to a first primary recipient of the first package;

analyzing, by a computer, information about the first primary recipient of the first package, wherein the information about the first primary recipient of the first package identifies a designated recipient of the first package for the occasion that the first primary recipient is not able to receive the first package;

determining, by a computer, that the first primary recipient is not able to receive the first package based on a present location of the first primary recipient;

sending, by a computer, a notification comprising a time and a location of the delivery of the first package to the designated recipient of the first package in response to the determining that the first primary recipient is not able to receive the first package if the analyzing information about the first primary recipient determines that the delivery of the first package can be completed successfully to the designated recipient at the estimated time, wherein the delivery time and the delivery location are based on a historical data comprising a pattern of movement of the designated recipient, wherein the sending of the notification takes place at a time determined to allow for the designated recipient to travel to the delivery location, and wherein the time determined to allow for the designated recipient to travel to the delivery location is calculated by a computer based on an average travel time of the designated recipient during specific time intervals on specific days and an approximate travel distance from a current location of the designated recipient to the delivery location;

receiving, by a computer, a response from the designated recipient responsive to the notification of the delivery of the first package, wherein the response rejects the notification or suggests a different delivery location or a different delivery time of the first package; and

dynamically updating, by a computer, the schedule for the sequence of deliveries to multiple recipients based on the response from the designated recipient.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein one of the deliveries is a delivery of a second package to a second primary recipient of the second package, and further including, analyzing, by a computer, information about the second primary recipient of the second package;

and

sending, by a computer, a notification to the delivery service that the delivery of the second package cannot be completed, if the analyzing information about the second primary recipient determines that the delivery of the second package cannot be completed successfully.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the analyzing information about the second primary recipient determines that the delivery of the second package cannot be completed successfully based on a preferences data comprising a schedule of the second primary recipient.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein the analyzing information about the second primary recipient determines that the delivery of the second package cannot be completed successfully based on a present location of the second primary recipient.

5. The method of claim 1 further including providing, by a computer, the schedule to the delivery service.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the information about the first primary recipient of the first package identifies a form for providing the notification that is one of an email, a telephone call, a simple message service (SMS) message, a video clip, and a text message.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the time determined to allow for the designated recipient to travel to the delivery location is further based on a present location of a package delivery vehicle associated with a delivery service.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the notification of the delivery of the first package to the designated recipient of the first package is sent to one of a mobile terminal and a desktop terminal based on a preference data associated with the designated recipient.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the notification of the delivery of the first package to the designated recipient of the first package is sent to one of a mobile terminal and a desktop terminal based on a present location of the designated recipient.