Mobile delivery receptacle

• US 9,798,995 B1
• Filed: 10/22/2014
• Issued: 10/24/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Soundararajan, Varun, Agrawal, Anurag
• Primary Examiner(s): Elchanti, Hussein A.
• Application Number:
  US14/521,033
• Time in Patent Office: 1,098 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/083 Shipping
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0833 Tracking

Abstract

Improving automated package delivery to mobile delivery receptacles to allow accurate and reliable package deliveries comprises a delivery receptacle for an automated package delivery via an unmanned aerial delivery device. The delivery receptacle is notified of a pending delivery and travels to a receiving location. The delivery receptacle emits infrared (“IR”) beacons from one or more IR beacon transmitters. An aerial delivery device detects the IR beacon and uses the beacons to navigate to the delivery receptacle. The delivery receptacle receives IR beacon responses from the aerial delivery device and continually or periodically directs the IR beacons in the direction of the aerial delivery device. The aerial delivery device deposits the package in the delivery receptacle. After receiving the package, the delivery receptacle transports the package to a secure location, such as into a garage.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method to automate package deliveries, comprising:

receiving, by one or more computing devices associated with a mobile delivery receptacle, a communication that a delivery device is transporting a package to the mobile delivery receptacle, the communication comprising an expected direction of arrival of the delivery device;

relocating, by the one or more computing devices associated with the mobile delivery receptacle, the mobile delivery receptacle from a first position to a second position, the second position being a location for receiving a delivery from the delivery device;

transmitting, by the one or more computing devices associated with the mobile delivery receptacle, one or more beacons in the direction of the expected arrival of the delivery device;

verifying, by the one or more computing devices associated with the mobile delivery receptacle, that the package has been received from the delivery device; and

relocating, by the one or more computing devices associated with the mobile delivery receptacle, from the second position to a third position, the third position being a location to store the package.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising depositing, by the one or more computing devices associated with the mobile delivery receptacle, the package into a secure depository.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising securing, by the one or more computing devices associated with the mobile delivery receptacle, the delivery receptacle to a base, wherein the base comprises a locking mechanism to secure the mobile delivery receptacle and the package.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile delivery receptacle comprises a set of wheels and a motor to provide locomotion.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the second position is a configured position for receiving the delivery from the delivery device based on the expected direction of arrival of the delivery device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more beacons are infrared beacons.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more beacons are provided by transmitters located on a top surface of the delivery receptacle.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising communicating, by the one or more computing devices associated with the mobile delivery receptacle, a notice that the package has been delivered to the delivery receptacle.

9. A system for delivering packages, comprising:

a storage device associated with a delivery device; and

a processor communicatively coupled to the delivery device storage device, wherein the processor communicatively coupled to the delivery device storage device executes application code instructions that are stored in the storage device to cause the system to;

receive, from a package delivery system processor, delivery information associated with a package, the delivery information comprising a machine-readable code associated with a particular delivery location at a delivery address;

transport the package to the delivery address;

locate one or more beacons being transmitted by a delivery receptacle at the delivery address;

navigate to the delivery receptacle based on the triangulated position; and

deposit the package into the delivery receptacle, and

a delivery receptacle storage device;

a processor communicatively coupled to the mobile delivery receptacle storage device, wherein the processor communicatively coupled to the mobile delivery receptacle storage device executes application code instructions that are stored in the storage device to cause the system to;

receive a communication that the delivery device is transporting the package to the delivery receptacle, the communication comprising an expected direction of arrival of the delivery device;

relocate from a first position to a second position, the second position being a location for receiving a delivery from the delivery device;

transmit one or more beacons in the direction of an expected arrival of the delivery device;

verify that the package has been received from the delivery device; and

relocate from the second position to a third position, the third position being a location to store the package.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the mobile delivery receptacle processor further executes application code instructions to deposit the package into a secure depository.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the mobile delivery receptacle processor further executes application code instructions to secure the delivery receptacle to a base, wherein the base comprises a locking mechanism to secure the mobile delivery receptacle and the package.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the mobile delivery receptacle comprises a set of wheels and a motor to provide locomotion of the delivery receptacle.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the second position is the a configured position for receiving a delivery from the delivery device based on the expected direction of arrival of the delivery device.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the one or more beacons are infrared beacons.

15. A computer program product, comprising:

a non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer-readable program instructions embodied thereon that when executed by a computer cause the computer to receive packages, the computer readable instructions comprising;

computer-readable program instructions to receive a communication that a delivery device is transporting a package to a delivery receptacle, the communication comprising an expected direction of arrival of the delivery device with respect to the delivery receptacle;

computer-readable program instructions to relocate a delivery receptacle associated with the computer from a first position to a second position, the second position being a location for receiving a delivery from the delivery device;

computer-readable program instructions to verify that the package has been received from the delivery device; and

computer-readable program instructions to relocate the delivery receptacle associated with the computer from the second position to a third position, the third position being a location to store the package.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, further comprising computer-readable program instructions to deposit the package into a secure depository.

17. The computer program product of claim 15, further comprising computer-readable program instructions to secure the delivery receptacle to a base, wherein the base comprises a locking mechanism to secure the mobile delivery receptacle and the package.

18. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the mobile delivery receptacle comprises a set of wheels and a motor to provide locomotion of the delivery receptacle.

19. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the second position is a configured position for receiving a delivery from the delivery device based on the expected direction of arrival of the delivery device.

20. The computer program product of claim 15, further comprising computer-readable program instructions to transmit one or more beacons in the direction of the expected arrival of the delivery device.