Contact center delivery in-building homing service

• US 9,418,350 B2
• Filed: 10/13/2014
• Issued: 08/16/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Inventors: Matula, Valentine C., Skiba, David, Erhart, George
• Primary Examiner(s): MARC-COLEMAN, MARTHE Y
• Application Number:
  US14/512,666
• Publication Number:
  US 20160104098A1
• Time in Patent Office: 673 Days
• Field of Search: 701/23, 701/409, 701/3, 701/533, 705/330, 705/333, 705/26.1, 340/539.13, 340/5.64, 340/5.81
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/024 of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/14 with four distinct rotor axes, e.g. quadcopters
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/60 for transporting passengers; for transporting goods other than weapons
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/64 for parcel delivery or retrieval
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2201/10 autonomous, i.e. by navigating independently from ground or air stations, e.g. by using inertial navigation systems [INS]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/083 Shipping
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0635 Processing of requisition or of purchase orders
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/53 Arrangements specially adapted for specific applications, e.g. for traffic information or for mobile receivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/622 Layer-2 addresses, e.g. medium access control [MAC] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/681 using addresses for wireless personal area networks or wireless sensor networks, e.g. Zigbee addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/024 Guidance services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/30 Services specially adapted for particular environments, situations or purposes
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/33 for indoor environments, e.g. buildings

Abstract

The delivery of goods to a customer comprises a substantial portion of human activity. To correct address errors and/or to more precisely locate delivery locations, systems are provided to assist human, human operated vehicle, or autonomous vehicles to locate a delivery point. Often the location of a delivery point is inaccurate or imprecise. GPS and other coordinate systems often fail or are imprecise without an unobstructed view of the sky. Even with coordinates available, the delivery point may be different from the coordinates or, more commonly, coordinates that are different from some standard point within a postal address associated with the coordinates. Providing a delivery system that utilizes a broadcasted identifier, such as an identifier associated with the order of the item, the delivery of the item may be made proximate to the source of the broadcasted identifier or further refined using the broadcasted identifier as a reference.

Claims

1. A delivery device, comprising:

a first communication interface that receives at least a first location for an item for delivery and a broadcast identifier associated with a customer communication device placing the order;

a navigation component that directs the delivery device, with the item for delivery, to the first location and delivers the item therein;

a broadcasted identifier detection module that receives a broadcasted signal and determines if the broadcasted signal comprises the broadcasted identifier and a source of the broadcasted identifier; and

upon determining the broadcasted identifier has been received by the broadcasted identifier detection module, the navigation component refines the first delivery location to be a second delivery location in accord with the source of the broadcasted identifier.

2. The delivery device of claim 1, wherein:

the first communication interface further receives at least a location of the item for delivery; and

the navigation component further causes the delivery vehicle to proceed to the location of the item for delivery for loading thereof prior to directing the delivery vehicle to the first location.

3. The delivery device of claim 1, wherein the first delivery location comprises a postal address for a property comprising the first delivery location.

4. The delivery device of claim 1, wherein:

the first communication interface further receives a preferred delivery location indicating an offset from the source of the broadcasted identifier; and

the navigation component further modifies the first delivery location to be the second delivery location in accord with the offset.

5. The delivery device of claim 1, further comprising:

a sensor that receives an indicator of a preferred delivery location; and

upon the sensor receiving the preferred delivery location, the navigation component further modifies the second delivery location to a third delivery location, wherein the third delivery location is selected in accord with the preferred delivery location.

6. The delivery device of claim 5, wherein the preferred delivery location further comprises at least one location to avoid and wherein the navigation component causes the delivery device to avoid the at least one location to avoid.

7. The delivery device of claim 1, further comprising a second communication device, wherein the second communication device broadcasts a signal to solicit the transmission of the broadcasted identifier.

8. The delivery device of claim 1, further comprising a second communication device, wherein the second communication device broadcasts a signal to solicit the transmission of a response signal from the customer communication device and wherein the response signal is different from the broadcasted identifier.

9. The delivery device of claim 1, wherein the navigation component, upon reaching the first location and failing to receive the broadcasted identifier, further moves in predetermined pattern within an area associated with the first location to attempt to receive the broadcasted identifier.

10. The delivery device of claim 1, further comprising a camera that captures at least one image of the delivery of the item for viewing of the at least one image by the customer communication device.