Train based community

• US 9,971,985 B2
• Filed: 06/20/2014
• Issued: 05/15/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Raj Abhyanker
• Original Assignee: Raj Abhyanker
• Inventors: Abhyanker, Raj
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Khoi H
• Assistant Examiner(s): Alsomiri, Majdi
• Application Number:
  US14/309,910
• Publication Number:
  US 20150371178A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,425 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 23/041 Obstacle detection
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 27/04 Automatic systems, e.g. controlled by train; Change-over to manual control
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 3/16 Continuous control along the route
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/083 Shipping

Abstract

Disclosed are a method and a system of a train based community, according to one embodiment. In one embodiment, a method includes forming a train track adjacent to a set of homes in a residential community, placing a boarding location in a property boundary of each one of the set of homes in the residential community, and routing the train track to a merchant in the residential community. A shopping cart is autonomously routed from at least one boarding location of the property boundary to the merchant based on a request of an occupier of a home associated with the property boundary.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

forming a train track adjacent to a set of homes in a residential community;

placing a boarding location in a property boundary of each one of the set of homes in the residential community;

routing the train track to a merchant in the residential community;

autonomously routing a shopping cart from at least one boarding location of the property boundary to the merchant based on a request of an occupier of a home associated with the property boundary; and

autonomously routing the shopping cart to the merchant when the shopping cart is placed on an autonomous platform.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining that the shopping cart is placed on the autonomous platform associated with the occupier of the home associated with the property boundary.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

determining that the autonomous platform with the shopping cart is sharing the train track with other autonomous platforms each with shopping carts of other occupiers of other homes in the residential community; and

permitting at least one of the autonomous platform and the shopping cart to communicate with at least one of neighboring autonomous platforms and neighboring shopping carts through an at least one of;

a centralized server through a wide area network, and

a local area network formed between adjacent ones of the at least one of the autonomous platform and the shopping cart and at least one of neighboring autonomous platforms and neighboring shopping carts.

4. The method of claim 3:

wherein the centralized server includes an electronic commerce algorithm through which each occupier of each home of the residential community to place an order to purchase an item of the merchant through a neighborhood social network, and

wherein the autonomous platforms associated with each occupier are communicatively directed to at least one of the merchant and other neighbors of the residential community when the shopping cart is placed on the autonomous platform associated with each occupant based on a request of a particular occupier in control of a particular autonomous platform.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising:

automatically communicating a message to the merchant when the particular occupier places the order to purchase the item of the merchant,

wherein the message includes at least one of a description of the item, a location of the item, an identification of the particular occupier, a serial number of the particular autonomous platform, and a unique identifier of a particular shopping cart associated with the particular autonomous platform,

wherein the shopping cart arrives in an interior space of a particular home associated with the particular occupier through a gate through which the particular autonomous platform associated with the particular shopping cart is transportable, and

wherein the boarding location is located in the interior space of the home.

6. The method of claim 5:

wherein at least one of the particular autonomous platform and the particular shopping cart includes a light assembly such that the at least one of the particular autonomous platform and the particular shopping cart automatically provides lighting in when an ambient lighting level dips below a threshold value,

wherein a building of the merchant includes a product picker in a warehouse area of the merchant at which the item is loaded when the message is received, and

wherein at least one of the particular autonomous platform and the particular shopping cart detects an obstacle when on a route between the particular home and the merchant, wherein the obstacle is at least one of a street, a pedestrian, and an object on the train track impeding progress of the at least one of the particular autonomous platform and the particular shopping cart.

7. The method of claim 6:

wherein multiple different types of assemblies are attachable to the particular autonomous platform comprising any one of a box assembly, a carrier assembly, a locker assembly, and a person transporter rover assembly,

wherein the shopping cart is personal to the occupier, and

wherein the residential community is a master planned community.

8. A method, comprising:

forming a train track adjacent to a set of homes in a residential community;

placing a boarding location in a property boundary of each one of the set of homes in the residential community;

routing the train track to a merchant in the residential community;

determining that a shopping cart is placed on an autonomous platform associated with an occupier of a home associated with the property boundary;

autonomously routing the shopping cart to the merchant when the shopping cart is placed on the autonomous platform; and

autonomously routing the shopping cart from at least one boarding location of the property boundary to the merchant based on request of the occupier of the home associated with the property boundary.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

determining that the autonomous platform with the shopping cart is sharing the train track with other autonomous platforms each with shopping carts of other occupiers of other homes in the residential community; and

permitting at least one of the autonomous platform and the shopping cart to communicate with at least one of neighboring autonomous platforms and neighboring shopping carts through an at least one of;

a centralized server through a wide area network, and

a local area network formed between adjacent ones of the at least one of the autonomous platform and the shopping cart and at least one of neighboring autonomous platforms and neighboring shopping carts.

10. The method of claim 9:

wherein the centralized server includes an electronic commerce algorithm through which each occupier of each home of the residential community to place an order to purchase an item of the merchant through a neighborhood social network, and

wherein the autonomous platforms associated with each occupier are communicatively directed to at least one of the merchant and other neighbors of the residential community when the shopping cart is placed on the autonomous platform associated with each occupant based on a request of a particular occupier in control of a particular autonomous platform.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

automatically communicating a message to the merchant when the particular occupier places the order to purchase the item of the merchant,

wherein the message includes at least one of a description of the item, a location of the item, an identification of the particular occupier, a serial number of the particular boarding location, and a unique identifier of a particular shopping cart associated with the particular autonomous platform,

wherein the shopping cart arrives in an interior space of a particular home associated with the particular occupier through a gate through which the particular autonomous platform associated with the particular shopping cart is transportable, and

wherein the boarding location is located in the interior space of the home.

12. The method of claim 11:

wherein at least one of the particular autonomous platform and the particular shopping cart includes a light assembly such that the at least one of the particular autonomous platform and the particular shopping cart automatically provides lighting in when an ambient lighting level dips below a threshold value,

wherein a building of the merchant includes a product picker in a warehouse area of the merchant at which the item is loaded when the message is received, and

wherein at least one of the particular autonomous platform and the particular shopping cart detects an obstacle when on a route between the particular home and the merchant, wherein the obstacle is at least one of a street, a pedestrian, and an object on the train track impeding progress of the at least one of the particular autonomous platform and the particular shopping cart.

13. The method of claim 12:

wherein multiple different types of assemblies are attachable to the particular autonomous platform comprising any one of a box assembly, a carrier assembly, a locker assembly, and a person transporter rover assembly,

wherein the shopping cart is personal to the occupier, and

wherein the residential community is a master planned community.

14. A residential community, comprising:

a train track formed adjacent to a set of homes in a residential community and routed to a merchant in the residential community,

wherein a boarding location is placed in a property boundary of each one of the set of homes in the residential community; and

a shopping cart to autonomously route from at least one boarding location of the property boundary to the merchant based on a request of an occupier of a home associated with the property boundary,

wherein a routing algorithm to autonomously route the shopping cart to the merchant when the shopping cart is placed on an autonomous platform.

15. The residential community of claim 14 further comprising:

a placement algorithm to determine that the shopping cart is placed on the autonomous platform associated with the occupier of the home associated with the property boundary.

16. The residential community of claim 15 further comprising:

a sharing algorithm to determine that the autonomous platform with the shopping cart is sharing the train track with other autonomous platforms each with shopping carts of other occupiers of other homes in the residential community; and

a communication algorithm to permit at least one of the autonomous platform and the shopping cart to communicate with at least one of neighboring autonomous platforms and neighboring shopping carts through an at least one of;

a centralized server through a wide area network, and

a local area network formed between adjacent ones of the at least one of the autonomous platform and the shopping cart and at least one of neighboring autonomous platforms and neighboring shopping carts.

17. The residential community of claim 16, further comprising:

an electronic commerce algorithm to enable each occupier of each home of the residential community to place an order to purchase an item of the merchant through a neighborhood social network; and

a direction algorithm to communicatively direct the shopping cart associated with each occupier to at least one of the merchant and other neighbors of the residential community when the shopping cart is placed on the boarding location associated with each occupant based on a request of a particular occupier in control of a particular autonomous platform.

18. The residential community of claim 17 further comprising:

a message algorithm to automatically communicate a message to the merchant when the particular occupier places the order to purchase the item of the merchant,

wherein the message includes at least one of a description of the item, a location of the item, an identification of the particular occupier, a serial number of the particular autonomous platform, and a unique identifier of a particular shopping cart associated with the particular autonomous platform,

wherein the shopping cart arrives in an interior space of a particular home associated with the particular occupier through a gate through which the particular autonomous platform associated with the particular shopping cart is transportable, and

wherein the boarding location is located in the interior space of the home.

19. The residential community of claim 18:

wherein at least one of the particular autonomous platform and the particular shopping cart includes a light assembly such that the at least one of the particular autonomous platform and the particular shopping cart automatically provides lighting in when an ambient lighting level dips below a threshold value,

wherein a building of the merchant includes a product picker in a warehouse area of the merchant at which the item is loaded when the message is received,

wherein at least one of the particular autonomous platform and the particular shopping cart detects an obstacle when on a route between the particular home and the merchant, wherein the obstacle is at least one of a street, a pedestrian, and an object on the train track impeding progress of the at least one of the particular autonomous platform and the particular shopping cart,

wherein multiple different types of assemblies are attachable to the particular autonomous platform comprising any one of a box assembly, a carrier assembly, a locker assembly, and a person transporter rover assembly,

wherein the shopping cart is personal to the occupier, and

wherein the residential community is a master planned community.