Secure lockers for use as item exchange points
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A locker bank comprising:
- a plurality of lockers that are physically connected together in the locker bank, wherein the locker bank includes a point-of-sale (POS) system for accepting payment from users, each respective locker comprising;
(A) a housing defining an interior storage portion that is dimensioned for selectively receiving and storing one or more items, and(B) at least one door for selectively preventing access to one or more items stored within the interior storage portion;
one or more computer systems that are located in the locker bank and control the locker bank, comprising a computer processor and memory, adapted for;
(A) receiving a request, from a seller, to store an item within the locker bank beginning at a particular start time for a particular time period for later pickup by a purchaser who has purchased the item, wherein the request includes the particular start time and the particular time period;
(B) in response to receiving the request from the seller, reserving a particular locker of the plurality of lockers to permit access to an interior storage portion of the particular locker, wherein the particular locker is reserved to store the item beginning at the particular start time and for the particular time period;
in response to receiving no indication within a predetermined amount of time after the particular start time that the seller has attempted to access the locker, canceling the reservation of the locker;
in response to receiving an indication within the predetermined amount of time after the particular start time that the seller has attempted to access the locker, opening a particular door of the particular locker of the plurality of lockers to permit access to the interior storage portion of the particular locker;
(C) registering the closing and locking of the particular door, after the locker bank receives one or more particular items into the particular locker'"'"'s interior storage portion;
(D) after the step of registering the closing of the particular door, receiving a request, by the purchaser of the item to retrieve the one or more particular items from the locker;
(E) in response to receiving the request to retrieve the one or more particular items from the locker, facilitating payment for the one or more particular items by the purchaser;
(F) confirming that payment has been received for the one or more particular items; and
(G) in response to confirming that payment has been received for the one or more particular items, unlocking a door of the particular locker so that the purchaser can retrieve the one or more particular items from the interior storage portion of the particular locker,wherein the one or more computer systems are adapted for preventing the use of the locker bank for facilitating the sale of items by one or more sellers who have not been validated to be trustworthy sellers.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A secure, computerized locker bank that is adapted to facilitate the payment for, and physical exchange of an item between entities who have brokered the sale of the item via a marketplace, such as an on-line marketplace (e.g., an on-line auction site, an on-line classified advertisement site, or an online retail marketplace), or a traditional marketplace (e.g., traditional paper classified advertisements). In particular embodiments, each locker in the computerized locker bank comprises one or more imaging devices for allowing a potential purchaser to view an item (e.g., stored within a locker) before purchasing the item and retrieving it from the locker.
20 Citations
24 Claims
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1. A locker bank comprising:
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a plurality of lockers that are physically connected together in the locker bank, wherein the locker bank includes a point-of-sale (POS) system for accepting payment from users, each respective locker comprising; (A) a housing defining an interior storage portion that is dimensioned for selectively receiving and storing one or more items, and (B) at least one door for selectively preventing access to one or more items stored within the interior storage portion; one or more computer systems that are located in the locker bank and control the locker bank, comprising a computer processor and memory, adapted for; (A) receiving a request, from a seller, to store an item within the locker bank beginning at a particular start time for a particular time period for later pickup by a purchaser who has purchased the item, wherein the request includes the particular start time and the particular time period; (B) in response to receiving the request from the seller, reserving a particular locker of the plurality of lockers to permit access to an interior storage portion of the particular locker, wherein the particular locker is reserved to store the item beginning at the particular start time and for the particular time period; in response to receiving no indication within a predetermined amount of time after the particular start time that the seller has attempted to access the locker, canceling the reservation of the locker; in response to receiving an indication within the predetermined amount of time after the particular start time that the seller has attempted to access the locker, opening a particular door of the particular locker of the plurality of lockers to permit access to the interior storage portion of the particular locker; (C) registering the closing and locking of the particular door, after the locker bank receives one or more particular items into the particular locker'"'"'s interior storage portion; (D) after the step of registering the closing of the particular door, receiving a request, by the purchaser of the item to retrieve the one or more particular items from the locker; (E) in response to receiving the request to retrieve the one or more particular items from the locker, facilitating payment for the one or more particular items by the purchaser; (F) confirming that payment has been received for the one or more particular items; and (G) in response to confirming that payment has been received for the one or more particular items, unlocking a door of the particular locker so that the purchaser can retrieve the one or more particular items from the interior storage portion of the particular locker, wherein the one or more computer systems are adapted for preventing the use of the locker bank for facilitating the sale of items by one or more sellers who have not been validated to be trustworthy sellers. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A locker bank comprising:
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a plurality of lockers that are physically connected together in the locker bank, wherein the locker bank includes a point-of-sale (POS) system for accepting payment from users, each respective locker comprising; (A) a housing defining an interior storage portion that is dimensioned for selectively receiving and storing one or more items; (B) at least one door for selectively preventing access to one or more items stored within the interior storage portion; and (C) at least one camera for capturing an image of an item when the item is positioned within the interior storage portion, further comprising within the interior storage portion a suitable mechanism for rotating, spinning, or reorienting the item in the interior storage portion while the at least one camera within the interior storage portion take at least one image of the item; and one or more computer systems that are located in the locker bank and control the locker bank, comprising a computer processor and memory, adapted for using the camera to capture the image of an item that is stored within the interior storage portion of a particular locker of the plurality of lockers, wherein the one or more computer systems are further adapted for; (A) receiving a request, from a seller, to store an item within the locker bank beginning at a particular start time for a particular time period for later pickup by a purchaser who has purchased the item, wherein the request includes the particular start time and the particular time period; and (B) at least partially in response to receiving the request; (i) reserving the particular locker of the plurality of lockers, wherein the particular locker is reserved to store the item within an interior storage portion of the particular locker of the plurality of lockers beginning at the particular start time and for the particular time period; a) in response to receiving no indication within a predetermined amount of time after the particular start time that the seller has attempted to access the particular locker, canceling the reservation of the particular locker; b) in response to receiving an indication within the predetermined amount of time after the particular start time that the seller has attempted to access the locker, opening a particular door of a particular locker of the plurality of lockers to permit access to the interior storage portion of the particular locker; (ii) receiving one or more particular items into the particular locker'"'"'s interior storage portion; and (iii) registering the closing and locking of the particular door. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. An attended delivery/pickup location comprising:
a locker bank comprising a plurality of lockers that are physically connected together, wherein the locker bank includes a point-of-sale (POS) system for accepting payment from users; one or more computer systems that are located in the locker bank and control the locker bank, comprising at least one computer processor and memory, that are individually or collectively adapted for; (A) receiving a request, from a seller, to store an item at the attended delivery/pickup location beginning at a particular start time for a particular time period for later pickup by a purchaser who has purchased the item via a transaction made using an on-line marketplace, wherein the request includes the particular start time and the particular time period; (B) in response to receiving the request from the seller, reserving a space at the attended delivery/pickup location for storing the item, wherein the space is reserved to store the item beginning at the particular start time for the particular time period; a) in response to receiving no indication within a predetermined amount of time after the particular start time, that the seller has attempted to store the item at the attended delivery/pickup location, canceling the reservation of the space at the attended delivery/pickup location; b) in response to receiving an indication within the predetermined amount of time after the particular start time, that the seller has attempted to store the item at the attended delivery/pickup location, receiving a confirmation of receipt of the item stored at the attended delivery/pickup location; (C) after the step of receiving confirmation of receipt of the item stored at the attended delivery/pickup location, receiving a request, by the purchaser of the item to retrieve the item from the attended delivery/pickup location; (D) at least partially in response to receiving the request to retrieve the item from the attended delivery/pickup location, facilitating payment for the item by the purchaser; (E) confirming that payment has been received for the item; and (F) at least partially in response to confirming that payment has been received for the item, facilitating transfer of the payment to the seller and facilitating transfer of the item to the purchaser. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
Specification