System and method for storage container tracking and delivery

• US 8,756,166 B2
• Filed: 08/26/2013
• Issued: 06/17/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/26/2013
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Boxbe Incorporated (Mobile Tulip Holding BV)
• Original Assignee: Boxbe Incorporated (Mobile Tulip Holding BV)
• Inventors: Matthews, Kristopher D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Jung, Allen J
• Application Number:
  US14/010,175
• Publication Number:
  US 20140012773A1
• Time in Patent Office: 295 Days
• Field of Search: 705/333
• US Class Current: 705/333
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0833 Tracking

Abstract

A method for item storage and distribution to a user, each stored item associated with a storage identifier, the user associated with a user identifier, the method including associating a set of storage identifiers with the user identifier, in response to receiving a description for a first storage identifier from a user device associated with the user identifier, storing the description as an storage description for the first storage identifier, setting a fill status of the first storage identifier to packed, and removing storage identifiers having an empty fill status from the set of storage identifiers associated with the user identifier.

Claims

1. A method for stored item distribution to a user, the user associated with a user identifier, the method comprising:

by a computing system;

receiving a delivery request associated with the user identifier comprising a requested time, a requested location, and a requested number of containers;

facilitating delivery of a set of containers to the requested location at the requested time, the set of containers comprising at least the requested number of containers, each container of the set associated with a unique storage identifier;

receiving a set of storage identifiers from a delivery device remote from the computing system, each storage identifier of the set of storage identifiers associated with one of the set of containers;

associating the set of storage identifiers comprising a first storage identifier with the user identifier in response to receipt of the set of storage identifiers from the delivery device;

receiving a media description in association with the first storage identifier from a user device associated with the user identifier, the user device remote from the computing system;

storing the media description as a storage description for the first storage identifier;

setting a fill status of the first storage identifier to packed;

receiving a removal request comprising storage identifiers associated with empty fill statuses from a pickup device remote from the computing system;

removing the storage identifiers having an empty fill status from the set of storage identifiers associated with the user identifier;

receiving a summary request associated with the user identifier;

in response to receipt of the summary request, sending the storage description of the first storage identifier;

receiving a retrieval request associated with the user identifier comprising a selection associated with the storage description, a retrieval location, and a retrieval time; and

facilitating delivery of a first container identified by the first storage identifier to the retrieval location at the retrieval time.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein facilitating delivery of the first container to the requested location at the requested time comprises facilitating delivery of a container having an empty fill status to the requested location at the requested time.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein setting the fill status of the first storage identifier to packed comprises:

setting the fill status of the first storage identifier to packed in response to receiving a media description in association with the first storage identifier from the user device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein setting the fill status of the first storage identifier to packed comprises:

setting the fill status of the first storage identifier to packed in response to receipt of the first storage identifier in association with a packed fill status from the pickup device.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein removing the storage identifiers having an empty fill status from the set of storage identifiers associated with the user identifier comprises:

in response to receipt of the second storage identifier in association with an empty fill status from the pickup device, disassociating the second storage identifier from the user identifier.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

in response to receipt of a pickup request comprising a pickup time associated with the user identifier, facilitating container pickup from the requested location at the pickup time by the pickup device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein facilitating delivery of a first container to the requested location at the requested time comprises sending a delivery request to the delivery device, the delivery request comprising the requested location and requested time.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising selecting the delivery device from a plurality of delivery devices provided by a third party vehicle service.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein associating the user identifier with the set of storage identifiers comprises associating the user identifier with the set of storage identifiers in response to determination of the user identifier.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein determining the user identifier comprises:

receiving a delivery time and delivery location from the delivery device with the storage identifiers from the delivery device; and

determining the user identifier associated with a delivery request including a requested time within a threshold time duration from the delivery time and a requested location within a threshold location range from the delivery location.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein in response to receipt of the first storage identifier from the delivery device, associating the user identifier with the first storage identifier comprises:

receiving a plurality of images from the delivery device;

extracting a signature pattern from each image; and

identifying a signature pattern from the extracted signature patterns corresponding to the first storage identifier.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the media description comprises a digital photographic image received from the user device.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the media description comprises a list of contents of the container.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein associating the user identifier with a set of storage identifiers comprises associating the user identifier with a set of storage identifiers, each storage identifier having an empty fill status.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein setting the fill status of the first storage identifier to packed comprises setting the fill status of the first storage identifier to packed in response to receiving the description for the first container.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein setting the fill status of the first storage identifier to packed comprises setting the fill status of the first storage identifier to packed in response to receipt of the first storage identifier in association with a packed fill status from the pickup device.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein removing storage identifiers having an empty fill status from the set of storage identifiers associated with the user identifier comprises removing a second storage identifier having an empty fill status from the set of storage identifiers associated with the user identifier, wherein receipt of the removal request from a device remote from the computing system comprises receipt of the second storage identifier in association with an empty fill status from the pickup device.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving a description for the first storage identifier comprises receiving media indicative of container contents associated with the first storage identifier from the user device.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the media comprises a digital photograph image of the container contents.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein associating the set of storage identifiers with the user identifier further comprises associating a second storage identifier with the user identifier;

the method further comprising;

receiving a removal request comprising the second storage identifier from the delivery device; and

removing the second storage identifier from the set of storage identifiers associated with the user identifier.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein:

facilitating delivery of a set of containers to the requested location comprises facilitating delivery of a set of containers comprising more than the requested number of containers to the requested location; and

receiving the set of storage identifiers from the delivery device comprises receiving a set of storage identifiers comprising more storage identifiers than the requested number of containers.