Last mile logistics

• US 9,378,479 B2
• Filed: 02/21/2012
• Issued: 06/28/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dei Gratia Pty Ltd
• Original Assignee: Dei Gratia Pty Ltd
• Inventors: Seifen, Nader
• Primary Examiner(s): Rosen, Nicholas D
• Application Number:
  US13/787,466
• Publication Number:
  US 20130198042A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,589 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26.81, 705/330, 705/340
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/083 Shipping
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0635 Processing of requisition or of purchase orders

Abstract

A logistics facility, systems and methods for the provision of goods and/or services are disclosed. According to some embodiments, the logistics facility comprises a counter or checkout for purchasing goods and/or services offered for sale at the facility and a drive through or drive up area for the collection of goods from the facility and/or for the ordering of services from the facility. The logistics facility also comprises a storage facility for receiving, consolidating and/or cross-docking goods ordered from the facility or ordered from a plurality of vendors by customers over a communications network via the customers'"'"' respective communication devices. The logistics facility also comprises a delivery service for the delivery of goods to destinations specified for the customers. The goods can include perishable goods and/or non-perishable goods and/or higher value goods and the goods are ordered for same day or subsequent delivery or collection.

Claims

1. A selected modified local outlet for delivering to a customer (i) goods from a core range of products carried by the selected modified local outlet;

(ii) goods from a further-extended range of products that can be unrelated to the core range of products; and

(iii) goods that have been ordered directly by the customer over a communications network from one or more of a plurality of other vendors unrelated to the selected modified local outlet, the selected modified local outlet comprising;

a storage facility for receiving and storing the (i) goods;

(ii) goods; and

(iii) goods,

wherein the (i) goods comprise perishable goods and non-perishable goods from a core range of products that are carried for daily consumption at an availability that is order today, deliver today at the selected modified local outlet for purchase by the customer;

the (ii) goods comprise goods from a further-extended range of products that have been ordered directly by the customer over said communications network wherein the (ii) goods have an availability that is order today, deliver tomorrow; and

the (iii) goods have been ordered directly by the customer over said communications network from the one or more of a plurality of other vendors wherein the (iii) goods ordered directly by the customer include the selected modified local outlet as a destination specified by the customer;

the storage facility including a temperature controlled area for storing the perishable goods;

a counter or checkout at which the goods (i), (ii) and (iii) are received from the storage facility and delivered to the customer; and

one or both of;

a drive through or drive up area at which the goods are received from the storage facility and delivered to the customer; and

a delivery service, via which the goods from the storage facility are delivered to destinations specified for the customer,

wherein the selected modified local outlet is selected to be a collection point that creates the least deviation from a route input by the customer on their communication device, wherein the selected modified local outlet is selected from a plurality of modified local outlets serving their local surrounding area, wherein the automatic calculation is performed by a processor coupled to be in communication with a website or other suitable interface over a communications network for receiving orders for the (ii) goods and the (iii) goods from a customer via their communication device.

2. The selected modified local outlet of claim 1, wherein the selected modified local outlet is a modified convenience store, shop, petrol station, fishing tackle shop, shoe repair store or key cutting store.

3. The selected modified local outlet of claim 1, further including a quarantine area for storing returned or undeliverable goods.

4. The selected modified local outlet of claim 1, wherein the selected modified local outlet comprises a website or other suitable interface for receiving the orders from the customer over the communications network for goods (ii) and goods (iii) provided by the selected modified local outlet and/or the one or more of a plurality of other vendors.

5. A method for delivering to a selected modified local outlet (i) goods from a core range of products carried by the selected modified local outlet;

(ii) goods from a further-extended range of products that can be unrelated to the core range of products; and

(iii) goods that have been ordered directly by a customer over a communications network from one or more of a plurality of other vendors unrelated to the selected modified local outlet, the method comprising;

providing the (i) goods from a core range of products that are carried for daily consumption at an availability that is order today, deliver today at the selected modified local outlet for purchase by the customer;

automatically calculating the selected modified local outlet to be a collection point that creates the least deviation from a route input by the customer on their communication device, wherein the selected modified local outlet is selected from a plurality of modified local outlets serving their local surrounding area, wherein the automatic calculation is performed by a processor coupled to be in communication with a website or other suitable interface over a communications network for receiving orders for the (ii) goods and the (iii) goods from the customer via their communication device;

receiving at the selected modified local outlet the (ii) goods from a further-extended range of products that have been ordered directly by the customer over the communications network wherein the (ii) goods have an availability that is order today, deliver tomorrow; and

receiving at the selected modified local outlet the (iii) goods ordered directly by the customer over the communications network from the one or more of a plurality of other vendors wherein the (iii) goods ordered directly by customer include the selected modified local outlet as a destination specified by the customer; and

providing at the selected modified local outlet the (i) goods from a core range of products;

the (ii) goods from a further-extended range of products; and

the (iii) goods that have been ordered directly by the customer over a communications network to the customer.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the selected modified local outlet is a modified convenience store, shop, petrol station, fishing tackle shop, shoe repair store, key cutting store or other business.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the selected modified local outlet receives the (i) goods from the one or more of the plurality of other unrelated vendors in singular or break-bulk form.

8. The method of claim 5, further including one or more of the following:

storing perishable goods in a temperature controlled area of the selected modified local outlet;

storing returned or undeliverable goods in a quarantine area of the selected modified local outlet.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein the (ii) goods from a further-extended range of products are ordered from a website or other suitable interface of the selected modified local outlet or from websites of the vendors that provide the (ii) goods from a further-extended range of products.

10. The method of claim 5, further comprising the step of automatically calculating a modified local outlet that is located nearest to a destination specified for delivery.

11. The method of claim 5, wherein the providing of the (i);

(ii); and

(iii) goods comprises collection from the selected modified local outlet or delivery to one or more destinations specified by the customer.

12. The method of claim 5, further comprising the step of:

providing a communication to the customer to notify that the (iii) goods ordered directly by the customer over the communications network from the one or more of a plurality of vendors have been received at the selected modified local outlet.

13. The method of claim 5, wherein the (iii) goods that have been ordered directly by the customer over a communications network from one or more of a plurality of other vendors unrelated to the selected modified local outlet are consolidated at a storage facility of the selected modified local outlet for the customer.

14. The method of claim 5, wherein the orders directly by the customer over the communications network for goods (ii) comprise destinations specified by the customer for delivery.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising the steps of:

receiving at the selected modified local outlet, from the communication devices of the customer, orders for delivery of the goods (i) from a core range of products, wherein the orders for the goods (i) comprise destinations specified by the customer for delivery;

cross-docking, at the selected modified local outlet, the (ii) goods from a further-extended range of products and the (iii) goods ordered directly by the customer over the communications network from the one or more of a plurality of other vendors, and consolidating the (i) goods from a core range of products;

the (ii) goods from a further-extended range of products; and

the (iii) goods ordered directly by the customer over a communications network from one or more of a plurality of other vendors; and

delivering the consolidated (i);

(ii) and (iii) goods, via a delivery service of the selected modified local outlet, from the selected modified local outlet to the destinations specified by the customer.

16. The method of claim 5, further comprising the step of:

receiving the (iii) goods, for return to the one or more of a plurality of other vendors, from the customer via any of the following;

a counter or checkout of the modified local outlet;

a drive through or drive up area of the modified local outlet;

or

a delivery service.

17. A logistics system for delivering to a customer (i) goods from a core range of products carried by a selected modified local outlet;

(ii) goods from a further-extended range of products that can be unrelated to the core range of products; and

(iii) goods that have been ordered directly by the customer over a communications network from one or more of a plurality of other vendors unrelated to the selected modified local outlet, the system comprising;

a selected modified local outlet comprising;

a storage facility for receiving and storing the (i) goods;

(ii) goods; and

(iii) goods,

wherein the (i) goods comprise perishable goods and non-perishable goods from a core range of products that are carried for daily consumption at an availability that is order today, deliver today at the selected modified local outlet for purchase by the customer;

the (ii) goods comprise goods from a further-extended range of products that have been ordered directly by the customer over said communications network wherein the (ii) goods have an availability that is order today, deliver tomorrow; and

the (iii) goods have been ordered directly by the customer over said communications network from the one or more of a plurality of other vendors wherein the (iii) goods ordered directly by the customer include the selected modified local outlet as a destination specified by the customer;

the storage facility including a temperature controlled area for storing the perishable goods;

a counter or checkout at which the goods (i), (ii) and (iii) are received from the storage facility and delivered to the customer;

one or both of;

a drive through or drive up area at which the goods are received from the storage facility and delivered to the customer;

a delivery service, via which the goods from the storage facility are delivered to destinations specified for the customer;

a website or other suitable interface coupled to be in communication with a server computer over a communications network, the website or other suitable interface and server computer for receiving orders for the (ii); and

(iii) goods from the customer via their communication devices; and

a processor coupled to be in communication with the website or other suitable interface over the communications network for selecting the selected modified local outlet to be a collection point that creates the least deviation from a route input by the customer on their communication device, wherein the selected modified local outlet is selected from a plurality of modified local outlets serving their local surrounding area.

18. The system of claim 17, further comprising storing the orders from the customer in a database coupled to be in communication with the selected modified local outlet.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the server computer comprises a processor for automatically calculating a modified local outlet that is located nearest to the destination specified by the customer for delivery.

20. The logistics system of claim 17, wherein the server computer is for receiving and processing the orders for the (i);

(ii); and

(iii) goods.

21. The logistics system of claim 17, wherein the server computer automatically calculates a modified local outlet for receiving the (iii) goods for return to the one or more of a plurality of other vendors that creates the least deviation from an entered route.