Modular station pickup locations

• US 9,811,784 B2
• Filed: 03/29/2012
• Issued: 11/07/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Wan, Lin, Lakshman, Girish, Gupta, Piyush, Bhaskaran, Michael Mahesh
• Primary Examiner(s): CRAWLEY, TALIA F
• Application Number:
  US13/434,839
• Publication Number:
  US 20130262276A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,049 Days
• Field of Search: 705 28, 700213, 340 552, 232 36
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/13 the containers being a postal pick-up locker

Abstract

A pickup location that includes a control station and one or more storage compartment modules provides the ability for items to be ordered and delivered for pickup by a user without having to pack those items in a shipping package prior to shipping from a materials handling facility. Delivering items for pickup by a user without having to package the items prior to shipping, may provide a better experience for the customer, reduce waste in packaging material and a lower cost of delivering the ordered items to the customer.

Claims

1. A pickup location comprising:

a control station including;

a connector component configured to at least provide communication connectivity to a plurality of storage compartment modules;

a command component configured to at least send commands via the connector component to control locking or unlocking of a storage compartment of a first storage compartment module of the plurality of storage compartment modules; and

a user interface configured to at least receive an order identifier for an item included in the storage compartment of the first storage compartment module;

each of the plurality of storage compartment modules including;

a plurality of storage compartments for storing items, wherein at least one of the plurality of storage compartments include a presence detection sensor configured to provide an output signal indicative of the presence of an object in the storage compartment;

a communication component configured to at least couple with the connector component and receive communication from the control station; and

a storage compartment management component configured to at least cause unlocking of the at least one of the plurality of storage compartment in response to receiving a command from the command component; and

wherein a second storage compartment module of the plurality of storage compartment modules is configured to be added to the pickup location and to send identifying information to the control station; and

wherein the control station is configured to at least;

receive the identifying information from the second storage compartment module; and

determine an additional capacity of the pickup location due to adding the second storage compartment module based at least in part on the received identifying information.

2. The pickup location as recited in claim 1, wherein the identifying information sent by the second storage compartment module includes information indicative of a storage compartment configuration of the second storage compartment module.

3. The pickup location as recited in claim 1, wherein the storage compartment management component of the first storage compartment module is further configured to provide a closed-door notification to the command component in response to a door of one of the storage compartments of the first storage compartment module being closed.

4. The pickup location as recited in claim 1, wherein the storage compartment management component of the first storage compartment module is further configured to cause activation of an image capture device of the first storage compartment module.

5. The pickup location as recited in claim 1, wherein the storage compartment management component of the first storage compartment module is further configured to cause activation of a motion sensor of the first storage compartment module.

6. The pickup location as recited in claim 1, wherein the first storage compartment module further comprises a motion sensor.

20. The pickup location of claim 1, wherein the command component is further configured to send a second command via the connector component to lock a storage compartment of the first storage compartment module based at least in part on the output signal provided by the presence detection sensor.

21. The pickup location of claim 20, wherein the storage compartment management component of the first storage compartment module is further configured to cause the locking of the storage compartment of the first storage compartment module in response to receiving the second command from the command component.

22. The pickup location as recited in claim 1, wherein the second storage compartment module being added to the pickup location includes coupling the second storage compartment module to the pickup location such that power is provided to the second storage compartment module from the pickup location, and wherein the second storage compartment module is further configured to send identifying information to the control station after being added to the pickup location.

23. The pickup location as recited in claim 2, wherein the identifying information sent by the second storage compartment module includes information indicative of a number and dimensions of the plurality of storage compartments of the second storage compartment module.

24. The pickup location as recited in claim 1, wherein the control station is further configured to send information indicative of the determined additional capacity to a remote location.

7. One or more computer-readable non-transitory media storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed on one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform acts comprising:

determining a change in an overall storage capacity of a pickup location based at least in part on signals received from a storage compartment module at the pickup location subsequent to the storage compartment module being added to the pickup location, wherein the storage compartment module is added to the pickup location by providing power from the pickup location to the storage compartment module and establishing a communication between the pickup location and the storage compartment module, and wherein the signals are sent by the storage compartment module subsequent to the communication being established between the pickup location and the storage compartment module;

determining that the change in the overall storage capacity of the pickup location is a result of the storage compartment module being added to the pickup location, wherein the storage compartment module includes a plurality of storage compartments having a capacity; and

in response to determining that the change in the overall storage capacity is the result of the storage compartment module being added to the pickup location, notifying a remote location that the overall storage capacity of the pickup location has changed to include the capacity of the plurality of storage compartments of the added storage compartment module.

8. One or more computer-readable non-transitory media as recited in claim 7, the acts further comprising:

determining a second change in the overall storage capacity of the pickup location; and

determining that the second change in the overall storage capacity is a result of a second storage compartment module being removed from the pickup location.

9. One or more computer-readable non-transitory media as recited in claim 8, the acts further comprising:

in response to determining that the second change in the overall storage capacity is the result of the second storage compartment module being removed from the pickup location, notifying the remote location of the removed second storage compartment module.

10. One or more computer-readable non-transitory media as recited in claim 7, wherein:

the received signals include identification information from the storage compartment module added to the pickup location; and

the acts further comprise;

identifying the capacity based at least in part on the received identification information.

11. One or more computer-readable non-transitory media as recited in claim 7, the acts further comprising:

in response to determining that the change in the overall storage capacity is the result of the storage compartment module being added to the pickup location, further notifying the remote location that the plurality of storage compartments of the added storage compartment module are available for use.

12. One or more computer-readable non-transitory media as recited in claim 7, the acts further comprising:

in response to determining that the change in the overall storage capacity is the result of the storage compartment module being added to the pickup location, controlling the added storage compartment module and assigning an item of an order to be placed in a storage compartment of the added storage compartment module.

25. One or more computer-readable non-transitory media as recited in claim 10, wherein the received identification information includes information indicative of a number and dimensions of storage compartments of the added storage compartment module.

13. A control module of a pickup location, comprising:

a communication component configured to at least provide communication with a plurality of removably coupled storage compartment modules of the pickup location;

a user interface configured to at least receive an order identifier for an item included in a storage compartment of a first storage compartment module of the plurality of removably coupled storage compartment modules;

a presence detection sensor configured to at least provide an output indicative of a presence of the item included in the storage compartment; and

a command component configured to at least;

send commands via the communication component to control access to at least a portion of the first storage compartment module;

detect an addition of a second storage compartment module to the pickup location;

receive identifying information from the second storage compartment module; and

determine a change in a capacity of the pickup location from the added second storage compartment module based at least in part on the received identifying information.

14. The control module of claim 13, wherein the user interface includes a scanner.

15. The control module of claim 13, wherein the user interface includes a display.

16. The control module of claim 13, wherein the communication component provides wireless communication with the first storage compartment module.

17. The control module of claim 13, wherein the command component is configured to send a command to unlock the storage compartment of the first storage compartment module in response to the user interface receiving the order identifier.

18. The control module of claim 13, wherein the command component is further configured to activate an image capture device included in the storage compartment of the first storage compartment module.

19. The control module of claim 13, further comprising:

a power supply component configured to at least enable power to be provided by the pickup location to the first storage compartment module from the pickup location.

26. The control module of claim 13, wherein the received identifying information includes information indicative of a number and dimensions of storage compartments of the added second storage compartment module.

27. The control module of claim 13, wherein the command component is further configured to:

detect a removal of the first storage compartment module from the pickup location; and

determine a change in capacity of the pickup location due to the removed first storage compartment module.