Off network order operations for pickup locations

• US 9,870,548 B1
• Filed: 08/06/2013
• Issued: 01/16/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/06/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Sangani, Rucheek Hasmukh, Gupta, Piyush, Goswami, Neha, Morren, Nicholas John, Rahane, Ameya
• Primary Examiner(s): Vetter, Daniel
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tungate, Scott
• Application Number:
  US13/960,782
• Time in Patent Office: 1,624 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0836 Recipient pick-ups

Abstract

A pickup location may be enabled to continue to operate when communication over a network is not available by preemptively synchronizing certain data. For the delivery of an item, order data such as the expected tracking identification for an item may be sent to the pickup location before the item is delivered. An access code that will be used by the user for retrieving the item from a storage compartment at the pickup location may also be generated and synchronized between the pickup location and a remote computing resource before the item is delivered. A delivery of an item as confirmed by a carrier may be reported to a user when communication with the pickup location is unavailable if the carrier meets a certain confidence threshold requirement based on past performance.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method, comprising:

receiving from a user an order for an item;

identifying a pickup location apparatus where the item will be delivered for retrieval by the user, wherein the pickup location apparatus includes a storage compartment where the item will be stored and a control station, the storage compartment having a locking mechanism that the control station is configured to control;

storing an access code that will be used by the user by inputting the access code through interaction with an input device of the control station in response to which the control station will control the locking mechanism to unlock the storage compartment so as to enable the user to retrieve the item from the storage compartment;

receiving a carrier delivery confirmation from a carrier indicating that the item has been delivered to the pickup location apparatus and placed in the storage compartment;

determining that communication with the control station of the pickup location apparatus is not available and that a pickup location apparatus delivery confirmation has not been received from the control station to confirm the actual delivery of the item to the pickup location apparatus, on the basis of which a notification that indicates that the item has been delivered to the pickup location apparatus will not be sent to the user unless a delivery confidence threshold is determined to be satisfied, wherein the determination that communication with the control station of the pickup location apparatus is not available is based at least in part on at least one of a communication check that is performed on demand or an evaluation of an elapsed amount of time since a last successful communication;

determining that the delivery confidence threshold is satisfied as representing a confidence that the item has been delivered by the carrier to the pickup location apparatus, wherein the determination that the delivery confidence threshold is satisfied is based at least in part on a determined level of correspondence between carrier delivery confirmations that have previously been received from the carrier and confirmations of actual corresponding deliveries by the carrier; and

sending a notification to the user in response to the determination that the delivery confidence threshold is satisfied, wherein the notification indicates that the item has been delivered to the pickup location apparatus and includes the access code.

2. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the access code is a unique identifier.

3. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the access code is generated by a remote computing resource and is sent to the control station of the pickup location apparatus during a time that the control station is accessible over a network.

4. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the access code is generated by the control station of the pickup location apparatus, stored in a memory of the control station, provided to a remote computing resource and stored in a memory of the remote computing resource during a time that the control station is in communication with the remote computing resource over a network.

5. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the access code is selected by a user, and is then synchronized between a remote computing resource and the control station of the pickup location apparatus while the control station is in communication with the remote computing resource over a network, the access code being stored in a memory of the control station so that it can later be activated and utilized even if communication between the control station and the remote computing resource is not available.

6. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein a confirmation of an actual corresponding delivery to a pickup location apparatus by the carrier is determined by receiving a pickup location apparatus delivery confirmation from a control station of the pickup location apparatus where the delivery was made.

7. A system, comprising:

a pickup location apparatus, comprising;

a storage compartment with a locking mechanism; and

a control station configured to control the locking mechanism; and

a computing system, comprising;

one or more processors; and

a memory coupled to the one or more processors and storing program instructions that when executed by the one or more processors cause the one or more processors to at least;

receive a carrier delivery confirmation from a carrier indicating that an item has been delivered to the pickup location apparatus and placed in the storage compartment;

determine that communication with the control station of the pickup location apparatus is not available and that a pickup location apparatus delivery confirmation has not been received from the control station to confirm the actual delivery of the item to the pickup location apparatus, on the basis of which a notification that indicates that the item has been delivered to the pickup location apparatus will not be sent to the user unless a delivery confidence threshold is determined to be satisfied, wherein the determination that communication with the control station of the pickup location apparatus is not available is based at least in part on at least one of a communication check that is performed on demand or an evaluation of an elapsed amount of time since a last successful communication;

determine that the delivery confidence threshold is satisfied as representing a confidence that the item has been delivered by the carrier to the pickup location apparatus, wherein the determination that the delivery confidence threshold is satisfied is based at least in part on a determined level of correspondence between carrier delivery confirmations that have previously been received from the carrier and confirmations of actual corresponding deliveries by the carrier; and

send a notification to the user in response to the determination that the delivery confidence threshold is satisfied, wherein the notification indicates that the item has been delivered to the pickup location apparatus.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the program instructions when executed by the one or more processors further cause the one or more processors to determine a confirmation of an actual corresponding delivery to a pickup location apparatus by the carrier by receiving a pickup location apparatus delivery confirmation from a control station of the pickup location apparatus where the delivery was made.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the control station comprises a communication component that is configured to provide network connectivity for the control station over a first network, and the carrier delivery confirmation from the carrier is received over a second network that is different than the first network.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the determination that the delivery confidence threshold is satisfied is based at least in part on the determined level of correspondence indicating a percentage of correlation that is above a specified level.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein the program instructions when executed by the one or more processors further cause the one or more processors to provide the user with an option for adjusting the confidence threshold.

12. The system of claim 7, wherein the program instructions when executed by the one or more processors further cause the one or more processors to adjust the confidence threshold based at least in part on receiving a selection from the user for adjusting the confidence threshold.

13. The system of claim 7, wherein the program instructions when executed by the one or more processors further cause the one or more processors to adjust storage capacity information for the pickup location apparatus in response to the determination that the delivery confidence threshold is satisfied.

14. The system of claim 7, wherein the carrier delivery confirmation is received from a mobile device associated with the carrier.

15. A computer implemented method, comprising:

under control of one or more computing systems configured with executable instructions,

receiving a carrier delivery confirmation from a carrier indicating that an item has been delivered to a pickup location apparatus, wherein the pickup location apparatus includes a storage compartment where the item is stored and a control station, the storage compartment having a locking mechanism that the control station is configured to control;

determining that communication with the control station of the pickup location apparatus is not available and that a pickup location apparatus delivery confirmation has not been received from the control station to confirm the actual delivery of the item to the pickup location apparatus, on the basis of which a notification that indicates that the item has been delivered to the pickup location apparatus will not be sent to the user unless a delivery confidence threshold is determined to be satisfied, wherein the determination that communication with the control station of the pickup location apparatus is not available is based at least in part on at least one of a communication check that is performed on demand or an evaluation of an elapsed amount of time since a last successful communication;

determining that the delivery confidence threshold is satisfied as representing a confidence that the item has been delivered by the carrier to the pickup location apparatus, wherein the determination that the delivery confidence threshold is satisfied is based at least in part on a determined level of correspondence between carrier delivery confirmations that have previously been received from the carrier and confirmations of actual corresponding deliveries by the carrier; and

sending a notification to the user in response to the determination that the delivery confidence threshold is satisfied, wherein the notification indicates that the item has been delivered to the pickup location apparatus.

16. The computer implemented method of claim 15, wherein a confirmation of an actual corresponding delivery to a pickup location apparatus by the carrier is determined by receiving a pickup location apparatus delivery confirmation from a control station of the pickup location apparatus where the delivery was made.

17. The computer implemented method of claim 15, wherein communication with the control station of the pickup location apparatus is provided over a first network and the carrier delivery confirmation from the carrier is received over a second network that is different than the first network.

18. The computer implemented method of claim 15, wherein the carrier delivery confirmation is received from a mobile device associated with the carrier.

19. The computer implemented method of claim 15, wherein the carrier delivery confirmation from the carrier is received from a home system associated with the carrier which uploads data regarding the delivery confirmation from a mobile device associated with the carrier.

20. The computer implemented method of claim 15, wherein the determination that the delivery confidence threshold is satisfied is based at least in part on the determined level of correspondence indicating a percentage of correlation that is above a specified level.

21. The computer implemented method of claim 15, further comprising adjusting the confidence threshold based at least in part on a user related factor.

22. The computer implemented method of claim 21, wherein the user related factor is that the user is already scheduled to go to the pickup location apparatus to retrieve another item.

24. The computer implemented method of claim 15, further comprising adjusting the confidence threshold based on at least one of a perishability of the item or a value of the item.

25. The computer implemented method of claim 15, wherein the determination that the delivery confidence threshold is satisfied is further based at least in part on receiving a confirmation that another item that the carrier was transporting at the same time as the item has also been delivered.

23. The computer implemented method of 15, further comprising adjusting the confidence threshold based at least in part on an urgency associated with the item being retrieved by the user.