Method for delivery and/or collection of at least one mailing

• US 10,780,814 B2
• Filed: 05/06/2015
• Issued: 09/22/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 05/12/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Deutsche Post AG
• Original Assignee: Deutsche Post AG
• Inventors: Hempsch, Christoph, Meyer, Daniel, Salomon, Jorg, Shahed, Farhad, Vogel, Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): Myers, Glenn F
• Application Number:
  US14/705,135
• Publication Number:
  US 20150321595A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,966 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A47G 29/1209 Rural letter-boxes
• CPC Class Codes: B60P 3/007 for delivery of small articles, e.g. milk, frozen articles
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/083 Shipping

Abstract

Described and shown is a method for delivery and/or collection of at least one mailing. In order to reduce the associated cost and effort a vehicle (1) is drives to at least one receptacle (3) through public traffic at least in part and the at least one mailing to be delivered is taken from the vehicle (1) and placed into the receptacle (3) by a transfer device attached to the vehicle (1) and/or the at least one mailing to be collected is brought from the receptacle (3) to the vehicle (1) by the transfer device attached to the vehicle (1).

Claims

1. A method for delivery of at least one mailing, comprising the steps of

driving a vehicle to at least one receptacle through public traffic at least in part,

taking the at least one mailing to be delivered from the vehicle and placing the at least one mailing to be delivered into the at least one receptacle by a transfer device attached to the vehicle,

wherein, prior to the steps of taking and placing, the transfer device removes the at least one receptacle from a holder of the at least one receptacle and conveys it into the vehicle at least in part, and

wherein the step of placing the at least one mailing into the at least one receptacle occurs when said at least one receptacle is located in the vehicle at least in part.

2. The method according to claim 1,

in which a mailing of said at least one mailing is taken from the vehicle and placed into the receptacle by the transfer device and/or

in which a mailing of said at least one mailing is brought from the at least one receptacle into the vehicle by the transfer device.

3. The method according to claim 1,

in which the vehicle drives to the at least one receptacle provided on the edge of a property adjacent to a road.

4. The method according to claim 1,

in which the vehicle stops adjacent to a property, more particularly at a curbside.

5. The method according to claim 1,

in which the removal of a mailing of said at least one mailing out of the vehicle into the at least one receptacle by means of the transfer device and/or the removal of a mailing of said at least one mailing from the at least one receptacle into the vehicle by means of the transfer device is controlled by a control device at least in part.

6. The method according to claim 1,

in which the removal of a mailing of said at least one mailing out of the vehicle into the at least one receptacle by means of the transfer device and/or the removal of a mailing of said at least one mailing from the at least one receptacle into the vehicle by means of the transfer device is performed autonomously at least in part.

7. The method according to claim 1,

in which the removal of a mailing of said at least one mailing out of the vehicle into the at least one receptacle by means of the transfer device and/or the removal of a mailing of said at least one mailing from the at least one receptacle into the vehicle by means of the transfer device is controlled according to predefined criteria at least in part.

8. The method according to claim 1,

in which at least one sensor determines the position of the at least one receptacle relative to the vehicle and

in which the vehicle, depending on the determined position of the at least one receptacle, relative to the vehicle, is positioned relative to the at least one receptacle in a predefined manner.

9. The method according to claim 8,

in which information concerning the position of the at least one receptacle relative to the vehicle is displayed to a driver of the vehicle.

10. The method according to claim 1,

in which at least one sensor determines the position of the at least one receptacle relative to the transfer device and

in which the transfer device is controlled depending on the determined position of the at least one receptacle relative to the transfer device, in order to remove a mailing of said at least one mailing out of the vehicle and place it into the at least one receptacle and/or to remove a mailing of said at least one mailing from the at least one receptacle into the vehicle.

11. The method according to claim 1,

in which a mailing of said at least one mailing making use of gravity, is placed into the at least one receptacle and/or removed from the at least one receptacle and placed into the vehicle.

12. The method according to claim 1,

in which at least one gripper arm of the transfer device is used to grab the at least one receptacle, to transport the at least one receptacle to the vehicle, to transport the at least one receptacle to the holder of the at least one receptacle or another holder in another location, to place a mailing of said at least one mailing into the at least one receptacle, to remove a mailing of said at least one mailing from the at least one receptacle, to grab a mailing of said at least one mailing made ready in the vehicle and/or to deposit a mailing of said at least one mailing removed from the at least one receptacle in the vehicle.

13. The method according to claim 1,

in which a mailing of said at least one mailing is placed into the at least one receptacle from above, from in front, from behind and/or from the side.

14. The method according to claim 1,

in which a mailing of said at least one mailing is removed from the at least one receptacle from above, from the front, from behind, from the side and/or from below.

15. The method according to claim 1,

in which a mailing of said at least one mailing is placed into the at least one receptacle and/or removed from the at least one receptacle through an access unit in the form of an opening, preferably having dimensions of at least 10 cm.

16. The method according to claim 1,

in which a closing means for closing an access unit, is opened by an opening unit, preferably the transfer device, for delivery and/or collection of a mailing of said at least one mailing.

17. The method according to claim 1,

in which a closing means for closing an access unit, is closed by a closing unit, preferably the transfer device, following the delivery and/or collection of a mailing of said at least one mailing.

21. The method according to claim 1,

in which the vehicle drives from at least one collection depot to the at least one receptacle and from the at least one receptacle to a, preferably the same, collection depot and

in which the vehicle is loaded with the at least one mailing to be delivered at the collection depot and/or the at least one mailing that has been collected is unloaded from the vehicle at the collection depot.

22. The method according to claim 21,

in which several mailings 1 of said at least one mailing at the collection depot, in the vehicle or in the receptacle are combined into one mailing unit to be placed into the same receptacle of said at least one receptacle.

23. The method according to claim 1,

in which several mailings of said at least one mailing are attached to each other and/or combined in a transport unit, preferably of variable size.

24. The method according to claim 1,

in which several mailings of said at least one mailing are delivered and/or collected,

in which a vehicle drives to several receptacles of said at least one receptacle one after the other through public traffic at least in part and

in which the at least one mailing is taken out of the vehicle by the transfer device attached to the vehicle and placed into at least one receptacle and/or at least one mailing is removed from the at least one receptacle into the vehicle by the transfer device attached to the vehicle.

25. The method according to claim 24,

in which the vehicle is loaded with the several mailings of said at least one mailing in accordance with a scheduled order of the receptacles of said at least one receptacle to be visited.

26. The method according to claim 24,

in which the order of the receptacles of said at least one receptacle visited differs from a scheduled order of the receptacles of said at least one receptacle to be visited.

27. The method according to claim 1,

in which a mailing of said at least one mailing is placed into the at least one receptacle and/or removed from the at least one receptacle through an access unit.

18. A method for delivery of at least one mailing, comprising the steps of:

driving a vehicle to at least one receptacle through public traffic at least in part,

taking the at least one mailing to be delivered from the vehicle and placing the at least one mailing to be delivered into the at least one receptacle by a transfer device attached to the vehicle,

wherein, prior to the steps of taking and placing, the transfer device removes the at least one receptacle from a holder of the at least one receptacle and conveys it into the vehicle at least in part,

wherein the step of placing the at least one mailing into the at least one receptacle occurs when said at least one receptacle is located in the vehicle at least in part, and

wherein a closing mechanism to lock a closing means to the at least one receptacle and/or to unlock the closing means from the at least one receptacle is activated by the transfer device.

19. A method for delivery of at least one mailing, comprising the steps of:

driving a vehicle to at least one receptacle through public traffic at least in part,

taking the at least one mailing to be delivered from the vehicle and placing the at least one mailing to be delivered into the at least one receptacle by a transfer device attached to the vehicle,

wherein, prior to the steps of taking and placing, the transfer device removes the at least one receptacle from a holder of the at least one receptacle and conveys it into the vehicle at least in part,

wherein the step of placing the at least one mailing into the at least one receptacle occurs when said at least one receptacle is located in the vehicle at least in part, and

wherein a locking mechanism to lock the at least one receptacle to the holder of the at least one receptacle and/or to unlock the at least one receptacle from the holder of the at least one receptacle is activated by the transfer device.

20. The method according to claim 19,

in which a closing mechanism to lock the locking mechanism and/or to unlock the locking mechanism from the at least one receptacle is activated by the transfer device.