Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
SYSTEM FOR PARCEL PICKUP AND DELIVERY
OPERATED RESPONSIVE TO DATA BEARING RECORDS
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates to a depository apparatus and system that operates to
control and record the
receipt and removal of deposit items in response to data bearing records.
Exemplary arrangements relate to
systems that facilitate the pickup and delivery of items.
BACKGROUND
Depositories that operate to accept deposit items from users have been
implemented in a number of
different business environments. Commonly depositories are implemented for
receiving items that are to be
provided to an owner of the depository. For example, depositories have been
implemented to receive financial
deposits, utility bill payments or other items of value which are to be
provided only to the bank, utility
company or other entity that operates the depository. Generally the
depositories are implemented so that once
an item has been deposited therein by the user, only an authorized
representative of the depository operator is
enabled to access the deposited items and remove them from the depository for
further processing.
Various endeavors have been made to improve depositories and the processes
associated with the
receipt and removal of deposit items. However, depositories and depository
systems may benefit from
improvements.
SUMMARY
The exemplary arrangements described herein relate to depositories (which are
alternatively referred
to herein as repositories) and associated systems that operate to accept and
make available deposit items such
as parcels to authorized users responsive at least in part to data read from
data bearing records. Each
exemplary depository includes a body that bounds an interior area which is
configured to hold deposit items.
The exemplary interior area includes one or more compartments each of which is
accessible through a
respective opening. Access through the opening to each compartment interior
area is controlled by a
respective door that is mounted in connection with the body and is movable
between open and closed
positions. An electronic lock is associated with each door. The lock is
selectively changeable between locked
and unlocked conditions. In the locked condition the lock is operative to hold
the door in the closed position
preventing access to the compartment.
The exemplary depository is in operative connection with at least one sensor
comprising a reading
device. The reading device is configured to read indicia on items such as
parcels that are positionable within
the interior area. The exemplary embodiment further includes at least one
input device. The at least one input
device is usable to input data which enables authorized users to access the
interior area of the depository.
In the exemplary arrangement the depository includes control circuitry. The
control circuitry is in
operative connection with the at least one reading device, the at least one
input device, each of the locks and at
least one wireless communication device. Responsive to the receipt of user
identifying information from data
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bearing records through the at least one input device, the control circuitry
is operative to cause an access
determination to be made that the received user identifying information
corresponds to stored data associated
with an authorized user that is authorized to access the interior area of the
depository. Responsive at least in
part to the determination that the data bearing record data corresponds to an
authorized user, a lock associated
with at least one compartment is changed from the locked condition to the
unlocked condition such that the
authorized user can open the door and access the compartment interior area.
The exemplary control circuitry is further operative to receive from the at
least one reading device
item indicia from a deposit item that is either being placed in or removed
from the interior area. The
exemplary control circuitry is further operative responsive to the at least
one reading device to determine an
action status indicative of whether the deposit item is removed from or placed
into the interior area. An item
determination is made through operation of the control circuitry concerning
whether the item indicia that is
read from the deposit item corresponds to stored data associated with a
deposit item to be placed into or
removed from the interior area of the depository by the authorized user.
Once the deposit item has been placed in or removed from the interior area of
the depository, the door
is closed and the control circuitry is operative to return the lock to the
locked condition. A system in operative
connection with the exemplary control circuitry is operative to track the
status of the deposit item. This may
include for example, tracking transport of the deposit item to another
depository into which the item can be
deposited by the authorized user who removed it from the first depository, so
that the item may then undergo
further processing activity. Alternatively, the system may enable a further
authorized user to access and
.. remove a deposit item that had been previously placed in the depository,
and track the receipt of the deposit
item by an authorized user that is the authorized recipient of the item.
Depositories may include one or a
plurality of interior areas the access to each of which is selectively
controlled by a respective door and a
respective lock.
Exemplary embodiments of the control circuitry associated with the depository
enable determining the
available space in the interior area. This enables evaluating whether the
depository or a compartment therein
has space available to accept a further deposit item prior to a user who is
seeking to deposit an item being
directed to the depository. Other exemplary arrangements include one or more
indicators which operate
responsive to the control circuitry and the at least one reading device, to
provide indications to users that they
have placed or removed proper deposit items from the interior area. Other
exemplary arrangements include the
ability for the depository to provide audit information that includes
identifying indicia associated with deposit
items currently positioned in the interior area, as well as data regarding
items previously placed in or removed
from the depository. Exemplary arrangements may also capture and store images
of users and deposit items to
further provide records of activities conducted at the depository. Further
exemplary arrangements provide
information to item carriers that transport items between depositories and
that pickup and deliver deposit items
at customer locations.
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Numerous other features and arrangements may be used in exemplary systems to
provide reliable,
cost-effective deposit, pickup, delivery and item tracking capabilities.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
Figure 1 is a perspective view of a depository of an exemplary embodiment with
access to the interior
area thereof closed, and a portable wireless device which may be used in
conjunction with operation of the
depository.
Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1 but with the interior area of the
depository accessible from
outside the depository.
Figure 3 is a schematic view of exemplary control circuitry used in connection
with the depository.
Figure 4 is a schematic view of a network in which the exemplary depository
may be operative.
Figure 5 is a plan view of a portable wireless device that is usable by an
authorized user of the
depository in connection with obtaining access thereto for placing items into
or removing items from the
interior area of the depository.
Figure 6 is a schematic view of the circuitry associated with the device of
Figure 5 and an associated
system for producing data bearing records that can be associated with deposit
items.
Figure 7 is a plan view of the portable wireless device that may be used by an
authorized user to
access the interior area of a depository for purposes of taking deposit items
therein for transport.
Figure 8 is a schematic view of circuitry associated with the device of Figure
7, including the
capabilities for tracking the device and deposit items associated with the
user thereof
Figure 9 is a schematic view of types of data bearing records included in an
exemplary system related
to authorized users who transport deposit items between depositories.
Figure 10 is a schematic view listing types of data bearing records included
in an exemplary system
associated with depositories related to authorized users who place deposit
items in depositories for subsequent
transport and/or who remove items from depositories for purposes of receiving
such items.
Figure 11 is a schematic view listing types of data bearing records included
in an exemplary system
which relate to entities that are the owners of the exemplary depositories.
Figures 12 through 27 are a schematic representation of logic flow carried out
by the control circuitry
of the exemplary depository, associated central system circuitry and devices
operated by authorized users who
place deposit items into and/or remove deposit items from the depositories.
Figures 28 through 30 are a schematic representation logic flow carried out by
the control circuitry of
an exemplary depository, associated central system circuitry and devices
operated by authorized users in
connection with removing a deposit item from a depository.
Figures 31 through 34 are a schematic representation of logic flow carried out
by the control circuitry
of the exemplary depository, associated central system circuitry and devices
operated by authorized users in
connection with delivery and payment associated with a deposit item placed in
the depository.
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Figure 35 is a block schematic overview depicting the modules in association
with the controller and
sensor/actuator array.
Figure 36 is a perspective view of a repository embodiment according to
aspects of exemplary
systems.
Figure 37 is an exploded perspective view of the repository depicted in Figure
36.
Figure 38 is a perspective view of the repository shown in Figure 36, with a
parcel delivery chute door
in a partially opened position.
Figure 39 is a perspective view of the repository shown in Figure 36, with a
parcel delivery chute door
in a fully opened position.
Figure 40 is a block diagram representation of a controller board according to
an exemplary
arrangement.
Figure 41 is a diagrammatic representation of a controller board
processor/memory and peripherals
interface.
Figure 42 is a block diagram representation of control, data, and address
messaging between a
processor, a peripherals interface and peripheral I/O devices.
Figure 43 is a block diagram of a controller board according to an exemplary
arrangement, showing
various peripherals, interface bus examples, power supply and a number of
examples of peripherals.
Figure 44 is a detailed layout of an exemplary embodiment showing a controller
board with
connections to various peripherals, a connection to a delivery lock box and
its associated peripherals.
Figures 45 through 48 are views of an alternative item repository including a
plurality of selectively
accessible interior areas for housing delivery items.
Figure 49 is a schematic view of a system for the delivery of delivery items.
Figure 50 is a schematic view of system circuitry associated with a delivery
item system.
Figure 51 is a representation of a plurality of parcel repositories and
geographical catchment areas that
are associated with respective repositories.
Figures 52 through 56 are a schematic representation of logic flow carried out
by system circuitry to
determine routing for a parcel to a final delivery destination.
Figures 57 through 60 are a schematic representation of logic flow carried out
by system circuitry for
determining routing to a selected repository of a parcel that is being picked
up from a shipment initiating
address.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Referring now to the drawings and particularly to Figure 1, there is shown
therein an exemplary
depository generally indicated 10. A depository is alternatively referred to
herein as a repository. The
exemplary depository shown includes a body 12 which bounds an interior area 14
(see Figure 2). The interior
area 14 is accessible from outside the body 12 through an opening 16. A door
18 is movably mounted in
operative connection with the body through hinged connections. The door 18 is
sized for closing the opening
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16 when the door is in a closed position as shown in Figure 1. The door 18 is
movable to an open position
shown in Figure 2 in which at least a portion of the door is disposed from the
opening 16 and the interior area
14 is accessible from outside the body 12.
The exemplary depository 10 further includes at least one input device 20. In
the exemplary
embodiment the at least one input device includes a manually accessible input
device that is operatively
accessible when the door is in the closed position. In some exemplary
embodiments the at least one input
device 20 includes a keypad through which codes can be manually input. Further
in exemplary arrangements
the at least one input device includes a radio frequency (RF) input device
such as a wireless transceiver that is
operative to communicate wireless signals with a portable wireless device 22.
In some exemplary
arrangements the RF input device may include a wireless communication device
that is operative to
communicate signals via a Bluetooth, NFC, cellular or other wireless
communication method.
In other exemplary embodiments input devices may include other types of
readers or devices that are
operative to receive or read indicia. Exemplary input devices may include
without limitation, card readers,
token readers, barcode readers, infrared readers or other types of devices
that may receive inputs that are
usable to determine whether access to the depository should be provided. Of
course it should be understood
that multiple different types of input devices may be used in operative
connection with a single depository
depending on the access requirements thereto.
The exemplary depository further includes at least one electrically actuated
lock 24. In the exemplary
embodiment the lock is changeable between a locked condition in which the door
18 is held in a closed
position, and an unlocked condition in which the door is enabled to be moved
from the closed position to the
open position. The exemplary depository is in operative connection with at
least one sensor which comprises a
reading device 26. In the exemplary embodiment the at least one reading device
may include one or a plurality
of image capture devices including at least one camera. In other arrangements
the reader may comprise a
portable wireless device. The at least one reading device of the exemplary
arrangement is usable to read
machine readable indicia 28 that is included on deposit items 30. In exemplary
arrangements the reading
devices 26 are operative to read indicia such as bar codes (including without
limitation two-dimensional bar
codes and QR codes) that are included on deposit items. Further in exemplary
arrangements the at least one
reading device is operative to capture information usable to make a status
determination that a deposit item is
removed from or placed into the interior area of the depository. It should be
understood however that although
in the exemplary embodiment the sensors comprising reading devices operate to
read visible indicia and
capture images, in other arrangements other types of reading devices that read
different types of signals or
indicia may be utilized. This may include for example, card readers,
fingerprint readers or other types of
biometric readers including cameras or microphones, LIDAR image capture
devices and readers that are
capable of communicating using wireless signals such as the wireless input
devices previously discussed.
The exemplary depository 10 further includes at least one indicator 32. As
later discussed, the
exemplary at least one indicator may include an output device operative to
provide an indication as to whether
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a deposit item that is being placed in or removed from the interior area of
the depository is a correct item to be
removed by the particular user who has accessed the depository. In other
exemplary arrangements the at least
one indicator may include an output device in operative connection with the
depository, such as an output
device of a user's portable wireless device. The exemplary depository further
includes at least one sensor that
comprises a weight sensor 43. The at least one weight sensor is usable to
determine the weight of one or more
items that are within an interior area of the depository. The exemplary
depository further includes a wireless
communication device 34. The wireless communication device which is
alternatively referred to herein as a
wireless communication portal or a wireless communication interface is
operative to enable the control
circuitry associated with the depository to communicate with one or more local
or remote systems or devices
as later discussed. In some arrangements the wireless communications device
may include a wireless input
device 20. Exemplary depository 10 further includes solar panels 36. The
exemplary solar panels 36 are in
supported connection with the door 18 and are suitable for providing
electrical power to the depository from
exposure of the solar panels to sunlight. In the exemplary arrangement a
manually engageable handle 38 is in
operative connection with the door 18 to facilitate the manual opening and
closing thereof by authorized users.
Of course it should be understood that these depository devices and
configurations are exemplary and in other
embodiments other configurations may be used.
As shown schematically in Figure 3 the exemplary depository is in operative
correction with control
circuitry 40. The exemplary control circuitry includes one or more circuits
which are operative to
communicate electrical signals and control the operation of the devices of the
depository. The control circuitry
may be located proximate to the depository or may have some portions remotely
located therefrom. In the
exemplary arrangement the control circuitry 40 includes at least one circuit
including at least one processor
schematically indicated 42 and at least one data store schematically indicated
44. In exemplary arrangements
the processor may include a processor suitable for carrying out circuit
executable instructions that are stored in
the one or more associated data stores. The processor includes or is in
operative connection with a non-volatile
storage medium including instructions that include a basic input/output system
(BIOS). For example, the
processor may correspond to one or more of a combination of a CPU, FPGA, ASIC
or any other integrated
circuit or other type of circuit that is capable of processing data and
instructions. The one or more data stores
may correspond to one or more of volatile or non-volatile memories such as
random access memory, flash
memory, magnetic memory, optical memory, solid state memory or other devices
that are operative to store
computer executable instructions and data. Processor executable instructions
may include instructions in any
of a plurality of programming languages and formats including, without
limitation, routines, subroutines,
programs, scripts, threads of execution, objects, methodologies and functions
which carry out the actions such
as those described herein. Structures for processors may include, correspond
to and utilize the principles
described in the textbook entitled Microprocessor Architecture, Programming
and Applications with the 8085
by Ramesh S. Gaonker (Penram International Publishing 2013). Exemplary
arrangements may include
processors made by Intel Corporation, Advanced Micro Devices or other suitable
types of processors. Of
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course it should be understood that these processors are exemplary of many
types of processors that may be
used.
The exemplary data stores used in connection with exemplary embodiments may
include one or more
of several types of mediums suitable for holding circuit executable
instructions and data. Such instructions
and data may be non-transitory. These may include for example, magnetic media,
optical media, solid-state
media or other types of media such as RAM, ROM, PROM, flash memory, computer
hard drives or any other
form of media suitable for holding data and circuit executable instructions.
Exemplary control circuitry may
include other components such as hardware and/or software interfaces for
communication with devices within
the depository or for communication with external devices and systems. The
exemplary control circuitry 40
further includes a clock 46. The clock is operative to provide time functions
in connection with operation of
the depository and associated systems as later discussed.
As represented in Figure 3 the control circuitry 40 is in operative connection
with the at least one
input device 20, the lock 24 and the at least one sensor including the at
least one reading device 26. The
control circuitry 40 is further in operative connection with the at least one
indicator 32, the at least one weight
sensor 43 and the at least one wireless communication device 34. In the
exemplary arrangement the devices of
the depository and the control circuitry are powered by a battery 48. The
battery 48 is in operative connection
with the solar panels 36. The control circuitry is operative to control the
delivery of power to the battery such
that the battery maintains a suitable power level for operating the depository
during both light and darkness.
However other embodiments may include other power sources, including the
ability to connect to a suitable
available supply of household current or other power for purposes of operating
the depository.
While the exemplary depository includes a single interior area for holding
deposit items, other
depositories may have other configurations. Such other configurations may
include a plurality of interior areas
or compartments, each of which are accessible via a respective opening, each
of which openings has an
associated closable door, drawer or other closure member, each of which is
referred to herein as a door for
brevity. Exemplary arrangements of depositories including a plurality of
interior areas are discussed hereafter
in this detailed description.
Figure 4 shows schematically an exemplary network 50 in which depository 10
may be operated. It
should be understood that this exemplary network arrangement is shown
schematically and in exemplary
arrangements the network may include a plurality of interconnected networks.
In the exemplary arrangement a plurality of depositories 10, 52, 54, 56 and 58
are in operative
connection with the network. In some exemplary arrangements all these
depositories may be similar to
depository 10 previously discussed. The control circuitry associated with each
of the depositories is operative
to communicate in the network through the respective wireless communication
device associated with the
depository which may be alternatively referred to herein as a wireless
transceiver. Of course it should be
understood that in other arrangements the depositories may be in operative
connection with one or more
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networks via other wired or wireless communication methods. Further it should
be understood that exemplary
embodiments may include a much larger number of depositories than is
represented in Figure 4.
The exemplary network 50 is in operative connection with central system
circuitry 60. The exemplary
central circuitry includes one or more processors and data stores of the types
previously discussed. In some
arrangements the central system circuitry 60 which is alternatively referred
to herein as central or control
circuitry, may include one or more servers that are in operative connection
with associated data stores 62 and
that perform the functions hereinafter described. The exemplary central system
circuitry includes or is in
operative connection with a clock schematically indicated 61. Exemplary
arrangements may include central
system circuitry located at a single location, or central system circuitry in
a distributed arrangement of control
.. circuitry which operates in a cloud environment, virtual server environment
or other suitable environment for
performing the functions described herein. Numerous different types of central
system circuitry arrangements
may be utilized in connection with exemplary embodiments.
The exemplary network further includes a plurality of portable wireless
devices that are operated by
users who wish to send deposit items to others or to receive deposit items
from others through the use of the
depositories and associated system. Devices 64, 66 and 68 in Figure 4 are
representative of devices associated
with individuals who send and/or receive deposit items.
In exemplary arrangements the devices may comprise portable wireless devices
associated with users
who are registered users of the system. In some exemplary arrangements the
registered users may have stored
in at least one data store associated with the central system circuitry, user
identifying data such as an ID token
that uniquely identifies the registered user, contact data associated with a
device of the registered user such as a
communication address such as a phone number or network address associated
with a user's portable wireless
device, funds source data that corresponds to a source of funds such as a
credit or debit card account or similar
monetary account which in exemplary arrangements may be credited or debited
through operation of the
system, as well as other associated data. Of course it should be understood
that this data that is associated with
registered system users is exemplary and in other arrangements other types of
registered user information may
be utilized.
Figures 5 and 6 show an exemplary portable wireless device 64 that is used by
such users in the
exemplary network. Devices 66 and 68 may be similar to device 64. Device 64 in
some exemplary
arrangements may include a portable smart phone, a tablet or other portable
wireless device which includes
.. user input devices and user output devices such as an associated
touchscreen 70. The exemplary device 64
may include other input devices such as a camera 72, as well as an audio input
device such as a microphone 74
and an audio output device such as a speaker 76. A biometric reader such as
the camera, the microphone or
other reader such as a fingerprint reader may also be included. The exemplary
device 64 further includes at
least one wireless communication device 78. The at least one wireless
communication device may include a
device suitable for Wi-Fi or cellular communications. The at least one
wireless communication device 78 may
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also include a local RF communication device for providing Bluetooth or NFC
communication. Of course
these devices are exemplary.
The exemplary device further includes control circuitry 80. The control
circuitry is similar to that
previously discussed and may include at least one processor 82 and at least
one data store like those previously
.. described. The exemplary control circuitry is in operative connection with
the component devices of the
device 64 as shown in Figure 6. In addition to communicating in the network
50, the exemplary device 64 is
also enabled to communicate with other devices in other networks such as
network 86. Network 86 may
include a printer 88 or other device that is operative to produce data bearing
records 90. Such data bearing
records may include labels bearing parcel identifying indicia or other data
suitable for use in connection with
the exemplary embodiments later discussed.
The exemplary network 50 is also in communication with the plurality of
portable wireless devices
associated with individuals who are item carriers that transport deposit items
between depositories. Item
carriers may be alternatively referred to herein as item handlers. These
portable wireless devices schematically
indicated 92, 94, 96, 98 and 100 may be used by authorized and/or registered
system users to access
depositories for purposes of placing deposit items therein or removing deposit
items therefrom. Deposit items
are alternatively referred to herein as delivery items or parcels.
As represented in Figures 7 and 8 the exemplary portable wireless devices such
as device 92, that is
operated as a carrier contact device by an individual user who is an item
carrier that transports deposit items,
may include mobile phone devices including an input output device such as a
touchscreen 102. Exemplary
.. device 92 may further include a camera 104, as well as a microphone 106 and
a speaker 108. It may also
include other types of biometric readers and other devices. The exemplary
device 92 further includes at least
one wireless communication device 110. The at least one wireless communication
device 110 may include a
Wi-Fi interface, cellular phone interface, Bluetooth, NFC or other wireless
interface of the types previously
discussed. Further in the exemplary arrangement device 92 includes a wireless
communication interface
suitable for providing tracking of the device via a global positioning system
(GPS). The GPS capability
enables tracking the device as well as the item carrier user and deposit items
associated therewith in a manner
that is later discussed. Alternatively, cellular tracking systems or other
tracking systems may be used. The
exemplary device further includes control circuitry 112. The control circuitry
112 includes at least one
processor and at least one data store of the types previously described. The
control circuitry 112 enables
operation of the device 92 in the manner later discussed. Devices 94, 96, 98
and 100 may be similar to device
92.
The exemplary network 50 may also be in operative connection with portable
wireless devices which
are operated by entities that are owners of respective depositories or other
entities having responsibility for
depositories, which are also referred to as owners herein. Such owners are
registered system users in the
exemplary arrangement. These portable wireless devices schematically
represented 114, 116 may be similar in
exemplary embodiments to wireless device 64 previously discussed. However such
devices may further
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include circuit executable instructions that additionally provide capabilities
for the owner of the depository to
receive payments from the operator of the system for the use of their
depositories in connection with the
storage and transport of deposit items. In exemplary arrangements such
payments are made for the receipt,
storage or delivery of deposit items that are placed into the depository by
third parties for purposes of having
the deposit items transported to an entity other than the entity associated
with the particular depository into
which the item is deposited or received into the repository for purposes of
pickup by another delivery item
recipient.
It should be understood that the network configuration 50 and the devices in
operative connection
therewith are exemplary. Numerous other types of devices, network
configurations and arrangements may be
utilized in connection with exemplary embodiments. Further while the exemplary
devices operated by users of
the system have been generally described as portable wireless devices, it
should be understood that other types
of stationary or portable computer devices may be operated in connection with
the system to carry out the
functions described herein.
In exemplary arrangements the central system circuitry 60 is operative to
include in at least one or
more associated data stores 62, data records related to devices that are
utilized in connection with the
exemplary system. For example in exemplary arrangements the data stores
include identifying data regarding
each depository and its respective location. Data stores may include data
regarding registered system users of
the types previously discussed. The stored data regarding depositories in
exemplary embodiments also
includes data regarding the entity that is the owner of the depository, and
restrictions that the entity who is the
owner of the depository may have placed on the use thereof. For example in
some arrangements the owner of
the depository may restrict use solely to receiving therein or having removed
therefrom deposit items that are
received or sent by the owner of the depository. Other depository owners may
establish rules which allow
other entities to provide deposit items into the depository for transport
elsewhere, or to receive items in the
depository that can be taken from the depository by the authorized recipient
entities.
Other exemplary rules that may be established in connection with depositories
may include only
having the depository available to be accessed by certain transport users,
such as users who have achieved a
certain security level or performance rating. This may include for example
transport users for deposit items
who have achieved above a certain rating based on background checks and/or
measured metrics for
performance, reliability and dependability. Other rules associated with
depositories may include restrictions
on days of the week and/or times during particular days when entities other
than the depository owner, is
permitted to access the depository. Numerous different restrictions may be set
for depositories by depository
owners or the central system circuitry operator for purposes of operating the
depository in connection with the
system.
In addition stored data regarding depositories may include information related
to security features or
other features associated with the depository. For example in order to provide
secure communication between
the central circuitry and each depository, the depository and the central
circuitry may have respective public
Date Recue/Date Received 2021-05-26
and private key pairs and digital certificates that enable secure
communication between the central circuitry
and the control circuitry of the respective depository. This enables the
control circuitry of the depository and
the central circuitry to identify the system originating messages and to be
assured of the origin of received
messages. In addition the central circuitry and the control circuitry of each
depository may include respective
programming that enables the sending of instructions or other messages which
enable the operation or
performance of certain functions. For example the control circuitry of the
respective depository may include
programming from the central system that is operative to cause the locking or
unlocking of the respective lock
of the depository in response to the receipt of certain messages and/or data
by the depository from the central
system. Further in exemplary arrangements the central system may be operative
to cause the control circuitry
of a respective depository to operate the plurality of reading devices therein
for purposes of determining the
amount of space that is currently available in the interior area of the
depository. Such functionality may enable
the central circuitry to determine the ability of the particular depository to
accept therein a deposit item having
a particular size that may be available for deposit into the depository.
Further in exemplary embodiments the central circuitry may operate in
accordance with its
programming to maintain data corresponding to the indicia associated with
deposit items that are currently
positioned in the interior area of each depository. Further, in exemplary
arrangements the central system may
communicate with a respective depository so as to cause the control circuitry
thereof to deliver to the central
circuitry, data corresponding to activities that have been conducted at the
depository. This may include not
only the indicia usable to identify deposit items currently therein, but also
historical record data related to
deposit items placed into the depository and/or deposit items removed
therefrom, and data associated with the
users and times associated with each respective activity that has occurred. In
exemplary arrangements each
depository may also operate to have its control circuitry store images
associated with activities that occur at the
depository. This may include images of each user who places a deposit item
into or removes a deposit item
from the interior area of the depository. Such image data may also include
item identifying indicia included on
each item that is placed in or removed from the depository by the authorized
user as well as other data
associated with each event or activity that has occurred. Instructions
communicated from the central circuitry
may be operative to cause the control circuitry of a respective depository to
send image data corresponding to
the captured images associated with the activities that have occurred at the
depository. This may further
enable documenting the deposit or removal of deposit items as well as
facilitate resolving any discrepancies
which may occur. Of course these functions and capabilities, and stored record
data of the central circuitry and
each depository is exemplary, and in other embodiments other approaches may be
used.
Further in exemplary embodiments the central system circuitry 60 is operative
to include in the at least
one data store 62 information regarding the devices and authorized and/or
registered users who utilize the
depositories included in the system. For example in an exemplary embodiment
the central circuitry is
operative to include the information shown in Figure 9 for the devices such as
devices 92, 94, 96, 98 and 100
that are operated by the authorized users who access the depositories and
transport deposit items. In the
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exemplary arrangements each of the authorized and/or registered users has
included in the data store associated
with their portable wireless device, identifying data that is usable in
conjunction with the depositories to
indicate that the user of the device is an authorized and/or registered user.
Such data may include for example,
ID token information which can be utilized to identify the user as an
authorized and/or registered user. Such
token information may include digital information that can be correlated
through operation of the central
circuitry with the identity of the particular individual that is associated
with operation of the particular device.
In addition such token information may include other types of data which can
be used for identification
purposes. Such other types of data may include for example, user biometric
data such as fingerprint data, iris
scan data or other data that comprises record data that is uniquely associated
with the user.
Further in other exemplary arrangements stored data regarding users may
include other record data
which may be utilized in connection with operation of the system. For example
in systems that utilize card
data for purposes of accessing depositories, the record data maintained by the
central circuitry may include the
data corresponding to the respective user's card data and other associated
data for the respective user. This
enables the system to compare the data received through the at least one input
device of a depository, to stored
data so as to identify the person seeking access to the depository as an
authorized user who is appropriately
authorized to have access thereto. Of course the approaches described in
connection with the authorized users
are exemplary, and in other embodiments other approaches may be used.
Further as described in connection with Figure 9, the record data associated
with devices operated by
users who transport items may include information regarding payments to such
users. In the exemplary system
.. the users who transport items between the depositories are paid for the
transport services. The payment for
services may be based on certain information regarding the particular
depository item that is transported such
as, the size of the item, the weight of the item, the distance and timing
associated with such transport and other
factors. The exemplary data that is stored by the central circuitry further
includes data regarding payments that
are made to the individuals who perform the transport services. Such payment
data may also include data such
as account data associated with a funds source of the user which enables the
making of the payments to the
user for the services provided. Alternatively such funds source data may be
associated with an account that
can be credited for amounts payable or refundable. This may include for
example, information regarding a
PayPal account, a Venmo account, a bank account, an electronic stored value
account or other accounts into
which appropriate payments to such users may be made.
Further in the exemplary arrangement the central circuitry is operative to
include data regarding the
activities that are performed by each respective user who is an item carrier
that transports deposit items in
connection with the system. Such data may include contact data for the mobile
wireless carrier contact device
of the item carrier such as a communication address of the carrier contact
device. Such data may include
metrics which include information on the timeliness and reliability of the
particular individual. For example as
later discussed, in some arrangements transport activities associated with
particular deposit items are assigned
by the system to the particular authorized user, and the activity may be
reserved to the user for a particular
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time. In cases where the particular user that is initially assigned to the
activity does not perform the activity
within the allotted time, the system is operative to reassign the activity to
another item carrier user. Such
events where an activity is not performed by a user is considered significant
to the user's performance.
Likewise in situations where an authorized user has taken longer than would
normally be expected to
accomplish the transport of the deposit item to a depository destination, such
factors would also be significant
in terms of the user's associated metrics. Losses of items and cases of
misdirected deposit items are also
significant metrics. These and other metrics are recorded through operation of
the central system circuitry with
regard to each authorized item carrier transport user.
Further the exemplary central system circuitry is operative to apply ratings
to each authorized user
based on the metrics that are associated with the user's performance. Such
user ratings may be utilized in
connection with screening authorized users for purposes of accessing certain
depositories and/or handling
certain types or values of deposit items. Such ratings may also be utilized in
connection with determining the
rate that is paid to the user for the transport activities that are performed.
Of course these categories that are
represented in Figure 9 are exemplary and in other embodiments other or
additional information regarding
such users may be stored and evaluated through operation of the central
circuitry.
Figure 10 shows schematically exemplary records and data items that may be
associated with shipper
and recipient users and their associated devices that place items into
depositories for purposes of requesting
deliveries to other depositories and/or that receive items from depositories.
In the exemplary network
arrangement this data would be associated with devices 64, 66 and 68 of
registered users. As is the case in
connection with individuals and devices that provide transport services, the
data associated with these devices
include ID tokens or other identifying record information that can be utilized
to reliably identify that the user
or device is one that is authorized to access the depository. As the
individuals that provide the functions of
providing deposit items to be transported to the depositories will generally
be required to pay for the transport
services, the central circuitry includes data for such users that may include
a fund source such as account data
for assessing charges associated with payments for shipments. This may include
credit card accounts, bank
accounts, PayPal accounts or other suitable accounts from which payments may
be made.
Further in some exemplary system arrangements individuals in this category may
choose to travel an
extended distance to a depository in order to receive a deposit item that
would otherwise be handled by an item
carrier user that is paid to transport the item to a destination depository
substantially closer to the recipient or
to a designated delivery address that is not a depository. In such an
exemplary system if the recipient chooses
to conduct a substantial portion of the transport by taking the item from a
depository that is remotely located
from the destination that the person arranging for shipment has paid to have
the item delivered to, then the
central circuitry is operative to compensate the recipient for the transport
activity associated with picking up
the item from the remote destination. As such the exemplary central circuitry
includes data regarding account
information which can be credited for pick up amounts to which the authorized
user receiving an item may be
entitled. This account information may include account information for
accounts which can be credited with
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value to the recipient for transport and pickup of deposit items. Of course it
should be understood that the data
types shown for this category of authorized user and their associated devices
in Figure 10 is merely exemplary
of some items of information which may be included in records of the central
circuitry.
Figure 11 schematically shows exemplary record data that is associated with
owners of depositories
and their associated devices. The data shown in Figure 11 would generally be
associated with the devices 114,
116 that were previously discussed in connection with the exemplary network
50. Similar to other devices, the
devices associated with depository owners would include the identifying
information which identifies the user
as an authorized or registered shipper or recipient user. In addition in the
exemplary arrangement the records
associated with the depository owner includes data regarding the restrictions
on the depositories such as those
previously discussed. The exemplary central circuitry is operative to
associate the depository owner with the
respective depository that is owned by the depository owner and to cause the
restrictions set by the owner for
the depository to be applicable to the records associated with the depository
in the one or more data stores of
the central circuitry.
Further in some exemplary arrangements the depository owners are entities that
engage in sending
deposit items for transport and receiving deposit items. As such the data
associated with the depository owners
includes a funds source such as account information corresponding to accounts
which can be assessed for
charges associated with transport of deposit items to remote depository
destinations. Further in exemplary
arrangements the central circuitry is operative to compensate depository
owners for deposit items that are
placed in the depository of the depository owner by other authorized user
individuals for purposes of transport
to other depositories. In the exemplary arrangement the depository owner is
compensated for the use of their
depository by such third parties. The exemplary system is operative to include
in the data associated with the
depository owners, account information concerning accounts that are credited
through operation the central
circuitry for the use of the depository by other authorized entities.
In some exemplary system arrangements deposit items which are alternatively
referred to herein as
delivery items or parcels, are picked up from an initial pickup address
associated with the shipper and/or
delivered to a final delivery address of the parcel recipient by item
carriers. In such systems the exemplary one
or more data stores associated with the central system circuitry may include
additional or different types of
data records. Such data records may include for example, data corresponding to
the initial pickup address at
which a particular parcel is to be picked up from the shipper. Data
corresponding to the final delivery address
at which the parcel is to be delivered to the recipient may also be stored. In
exemplary arrangements such data
may be stored in associated relation with the item identifying data, which is
alternatively referred to herein as
the parcel identifier (ID), or other data that uniquely identifies the
particular parcel. Further in some
exemplary arrangements the at least one data store associated with the central
system circuitry includes data
corresponding to each parcel and the delivery assignments given to item
carriers to deliver the respective
parcel to a particular repository or to a final delivery address. The
exemplary data store further includes data
corresponding to pickup assignments that have been given to item carriers with
respect to each parcel,
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including initial pickup assignments in which an item carrier has been
directed to pick up a parcel from an
initial pickup address associated with the entity that is originating the
shipment of the item. Further as
previously discussed, the exemplary at least one data store associated with
the central system circuitry includes
data corresponding to the current action status associated with each
particular parcel. The data corresponding
to the action status may include for example, data indicative that the
particular parcel is currently housed in a
particular repository. Such action status data may further include an
indication that a particular parcel is in the
possession of a particular item carrier and is currently being transported by
the item carrier to a particular
repository. Of course these records that are mentioned herein as stored in the
at least one data store are merely
exemplary and in other arrangements different or additional data may be
stored.
Further in some exemplary arrangements the at least one data store in
operative connection with the
central system circuitry may include data corresponding to a plurality of
catchment areas. In the exemplary
arrangement each catchment area corresponds to a geographical area in which
parcels may be picked up from
shippers and delivered to final delivery addresses of parcel recipients. In
the exemplary arrangement the data
regarding each respective catchment area includes data that enables the
central system circuitry to determine
the particular catchment area in which an initial pickup address and a final
delivery address that may be
associated with a respective parcel are located. Further in some exemplary
arrangements the at least one data
store includes data corresponding to each repository in which parcels may be
stored. In exemplary
arrangements the at least one data store includes identifying data which
uniquely identifies each repository. In
some exemplary arrangements the repository identifying data is associated with
the data corresponding to a
respective catchment area. Thus the association of the stored data enables the
central system circuitry to
determine that a particular initial pickup address and/or a final delivery
address is located in a particular
catchment area that is associated with a particular repository. As a result in
some exemplary arrangements, the
system may operate to have items that are to be delivered to a final delivery
address in a particular catchment
area, be transported to the associated repository associated with that area.
The parcels are then taken from that
repository by an item carrier for delivery to the final delivery addresses.
Likewise in exemplary arrangements
the system enables initial pickup addresses associated with parcels to be
identified as associated with a
particular catchment area. The system can then operate to cause the parcels
that are within the catchment area
to be initially transported to the repository associated with the particular
catchment area. Each parcel is then
transported from the repository associated with the catchment area in which
the initial pickup address is
located, to other repositories and then to a final delivery address.
Further in some exemplary arrangements the at least one data store may include
records corresponding
to each parcel that are indicative of one or more time values associated with
the pickup and/or delivery of the
particular parcel. For example in some arrangements particular parcels may
have associated requirements for
pick up or delivery within a fixed future time. Alternatively or in addition,
particular parcels may have
associated therewith particular time windows during which the entity that
originates the shipment is open or
otherwise available to provide the parcel to an item carrier. Similarly,
parcels may be subject to time periods
Date Recue/Date Received 2021-05-26
associated with the delivery thereof to the final delivery address. Such time
periods may include data
corresponding to the times at which the recipient facility at the final
delivery address is open and or otherwise
available to receive the delivery of the particular parcel. Alternatively or
in addition, time data may be
associated with transport requirements such as an obligation to make a
delivery within a certain time window
.. based on when the shipment is originated or based on other parameters. For
example certain parcels may be
subject to expedited handling and a requirement that they be delivered at a
final delivery address by no later
than 24 hours after initial item pickup. Alternatively or in addition there
may be service-level requirements
that require that the parcel be delivered at the final delivery address before
3 PM on the first business day after
shipment. Data corresponding to numerous different time periods for particular
requirements may be stored in
associated relation with the parcel identifiers or other record data which
identifies the particular parcel.
Further in some exemplary arrangements the at least one data store associated
with the central system
circuitry may include data corresponding to transport costs. Transport costs
data may include the costs
associated with transporting parcels within the different catchment areas
and/or under different conditions or
circumstances. This may include information regarding rates that are paid to
item carriers for the transport of
different types of parcels. Such fee data may be based on distance, parcel
type, delivery or pickup area, time
of day, required response time parameters, parcel routing, transport beginning
and/or end locations, or
combinations thereof. Further in some exemplary arrangements the at least one
data store associated with the
central system circuitry may include data regarding prior deliveries made
within catchment areas or subregions
within catchment areas. Such data may include information regarding the time
required for past parcel
shipments to be picked up and/or delivered within particular geographic
regions. Such data may include data
that can be used to calculate estimated times for delivery from a repository
associated with a particular
catchment area to a particular region or area within the catchment area. Such
data may also include data that
can be used to calculate estimated times for pickup of the parcel in a
particular catchment area or particular
region or area within a particular catchment area.
Of course the types of record data shown as maintained by the central
circuitry for the different types
of devices and users associated with the system, are exemplary. Additional
types of information will generally
be stored in association with the various types of devices and users to
facilitate operation of the system and to
provide record-keeping and tracking for the activities that are carried out in
connection therewith. Further as
can be appreciated, in some arrangements the central circuitry is operative to
store data associated with the
whereabouts of deposit items that are moving through the system at all times,
and to track the status of
depositories, and individuals who provide transport for the items, such that
the whereabouts of each deposit
item throughout the term of its inclusion in the system can be determined at
all times. In some exemplary
arrangements the central circuitry is operative to estimate arrival times for
depository items at destination
depositories and makes such data available to users responsible for sending
the items and recipients. Further
historical information on each deposit item is also maintained for a
programmed time. To assure that any
errors or loss situations can be tracked, investigated and remedied, tracking
and image data can be accessed
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through the central system circuitry and in some arrangements may be obtained
from each of the respective
depositories.
A schematic representation of one exemplary logic flow that is carried out
through operation of the
central system circuitry, the depositories and the portable wireless devices
of entities that provide, transport
and receive deposit items, is shown in Figures 12 through 27. This exemplary
logic flow of each of the
devices involved is exemplary and is described in connection with an example
that is intended to be
representative of the operation of the various devices. Deposit items are
alternatively referred to herein as
delivery items or parcels. Of course numerous other features and operations
may be utilized in connection
with exemplary embodiments.
The example of the logic flow commences with an authorized user of the system
who wishes to have a
deposit item transported to a remote destination operating their respective
portable wireless device such as
wireless device 64. In the exemplary logic flow the entity wishing to have the
deposit item transported may be
referred to as a shipper for purposes of simplicity in connection with this
particular example.
As represented in a step 118 the individual wishing to have a deposit item
transported operates their
associated device such as device 64 to provide inputs which indicate that they
wish to have an item
transported. In a next step 120 the user operates the device to provide inputs
which are usable to identify the
user as an authorized and/or registered user of the system. In a next step 122
the user is operative to provide
inputs to their device which indicate the payment method that will be utilized
to make payment for the
transport of the deposit item. In exemplary arrangements this may include
selection from a menu to indicate
the type of payment or account that the user wishes to utilize in connection
with the deposit item. The user
may also be required to provide information or respond to certain questions
regarding the item. These
questions may include providing information regarding whether the item is
flammable or otherwise hazardous.
The individual may also be required to indicate whether the item contains
perishable or fragile material. The
user may also be required to provide information regarding the dimensions of
the item, the weight of the item
and/or the value of the item. Of course these queries are merely exemplary.
In a step 124 the user operates the device to indicate a delivery item
originating address which
corresponds to the origin for the transport of the deposit item. This may
include the user's business address or
other address. In some arrangements the originating address may include a
business address associated with
the particular depository into which the deposit item will eventually be
placed for purposes of initiating the
transport activity. In a step 126 the user inputs to the device the address
information for the delivery item
destination location which corresponds to a point or area of delivery of the
particular deposit item. This may
include an address associated with a remote depository that is associated with
the entity that will receive the
deposit item. Alternatively in other arrangements the delivery address may
include an address or area
associated with an entity that does not have a dedicated depository. In such
cases the delivery address may
include information regarding an authorized user of the system that is enabled
to access a depository that is
located in proximity to them for purposes of receiving the deposit item to be
transported. In other
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arrangements the delivery location may be a commercial or residential address
which is the address of the
recipient of the particular parcel.
In the exemplary arrangement the user wishing to arrange for transport of an
item may wish to pay an
incentive fee in order to have the item delivered more promptly or in
accordance with other requirements. In
the exemplary arrangement the programming associated with the user device
enables the user arranging for
transport to apply an incentive for particular delivery parameters or timing
that is associated with the particular
deposit item. This is represented in a step 128. This may be a payment for
delivery within a set time such as
within one day, for example. Of course if the user does not wish to apply an
incentive, the programming
associated with the device will cause the standard rates and/or parameters set
through operation of the central
circuitry to apply.
The exemplary programming associated with the user's device may include the
capability to capture
images of the deposit item such that the size of the deposit item can be
assessed. In some exemplary
arrangements the user device may require the user to input dimensions of the
deposit item and/or the weight
thereof via a touch screen or other input device. This is represented in a
step 130. Assessing the size of the
deposit item is useful for purposes of enabling the central system circuitry
to determine depositories where
sufficient space is available in the interior area for purposes of receiving
the deposit item therein at the present
time. This may be done in the manner previously discussed using the reading
devices that are included in the
respective depositories. The size as well as weight can also be factors in
determining the charges for transport
of the deposit item.
In some exemplary arrangements the user may have circuit executable
instructions on their mobile
device or other computer that guides and/or prompts a user to provide the
necessary information for shipment.
In other arrangements the central circuitry may provide an online portal which
the user may access to receive
the prompts to input necessary information, and to which the information may
be supplied.
In the exemplary arrangement, once the information has been input by the user
to the device, the
information regarding the request to transport the deposit item is submitted
to the central system circuitry as at
least one transport request message represented in a step 132. The central
circuitry is then operative to verify
the identifying information associated with the user that has submitted the
request. This is represented in a
step 134. This may include comparing user identifying data stored in the user
device such as an ID token that
is included in the at least one transport request message, with stored data
associated with authorized users by
the central circuitry. The central circuitry is also operative to verify that
the user who has submitted the
request has indicated a suitable funds source which provides a payment method
associated with the central
system in order to make payment for the transport of the deposit item. The
central system circuitry may also
analyze the delivery item size data and/or weight data included in the at
least one transport request message to
determine if the delivery item is suitable for transport through the system.
This is represented in a step 136.
The exemplary central circuitry then operates to assign a parcel ID to the
particular deposit item as
represented in step 138. The parcel ID is alternatively referred to herein as
a delivery item identifier. The data
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provided by the user regarding the originating location and destination
location for the transport of the deposit
item is also stored in at least one data store associated with the central
circuitry as represented in step 140. In
some arrangements the central circuitry is then operative responsive to the
originating location information to
resolve an originating depository that is considered the most suitable for
receipt of the deposit item. This is
represented in a step 142. Generally the originating depository will be the
depository located in closest
geographical proximity to the user wishing to have the deposit item
transported. However, in order to assure
that space for the deposit item is available in the nearest depository, the
central circuitry operates as
represented at a step 144 to determine if the delivery item is of a suitable
size and/or weight to be transported
and determine based on stored record data or through communication with the
circuitry of the initially selected
depository to verify that sufficient space is available to accept a deposit
item of the size that was determined at
step 130. If such space is not available, the central circuitry operates to
determine an alternative available
originating depository that has the space available to receive the deposit
item therein. The central system
circuitry is operative to evaluate at least one of the size and/or the weight
of the deposit item to determine if it
is within at least one size or weight limit. If the deposit item is not
suitable for transit due to size, weight or
space factors the request is flagged to be declined or be processed in a
manner that provides special handling.
As represented in a step 146, once the originating depository for receiving
the deposit item is resolved,
the central circuitry operates to generate a one-time code to be input by the
authorized user for purposes of
accessing the depository. The one-time code is alternatively referred to
herein as an item depositor access
code. The central circuitry is operative to correlate stored data
corresponding to at least two of the authorized
user identifying data, the delivery item identifier and the depository which
receives the item from the user
and/or a respective interior area thereof, in the at least one data store. In
a step 148 the central circuitry is then
operative to send the originating depository location information and the code
data to the user's device. In
exemplary arrangements the depository identifying data for the originating
depository may include GPS
coordinates, address data or other information that can be used to locate the
depository.
As represented at step 150 the user's device is operative to receive the data
from the central circuitry.
In situations where the transaction is not accepted due to an invalid funds
source or a parcel size or weight
outside a set limit, the user is notified the transaction is denied, or
alternatively the user is provided with
instructions to obtain special handling. If the transaction may proceed the
user may then operate their device
in the manner represented in Figure 6 to produce a data bearing record which
includes data representative of
the origin and destination address as well as indicia corresponding to the
delivery item identifier which
uniquely identifies the deposit item. The delivery item identifier is
alternatively referred to herein as a parcel
identifier. This is represented by a step 152. In the exemplary arrangements
the delivery item identifier may
be encoded in identifying indicia that may include a machine readable bar
code, a QR code or other suitable
machine readable indicia which comprises record data which can be read for
purposes of identifying the
deposit item. As represented in a step 154 in the exemplary arrangement the
user may operate their device in
association with a label printer to produce a label which is then applied to
the deposit item. In the exemplary
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Date Recue/Date Received 2021-05-26
arrangement the label that is applied to the deposit item is externally
visible such that the machine readable
indicia thereon that corresponds to the delivery item identifier can be read
through operation of the reading
devices such as a reader included in the depository or a user's portable
wireless device. The label may also
include human readable indicia so that the particular deposit item can be
visually identified by item carrier
users or other users who access the depository. Of course it should be
understood that in other exemplary
arrangements other types of indicia may be utilized for purposes of providing
identifying indicia. Such indicia
may include for example, programmable RFID tags, QR codes, a signature or
other manually made indicia, an
image of the deposit item, or other indicia that may be placed in operative
connection with a deposit item for
purposes of enabling the identification of the item through operation of the
system.
As represented in a step 156 the user seeking to have the deposit item
transported may utilize their
device to guide their travel to the GPS location or other location as
identified to the device, so that the user
may place the item into the originating depository. In the exemplary
arrangement the user operates their
device to cause data corresponding to a data bearing record which identifies
the user, to the at least one input
device on the depository. This is represented by a step 158. In the exemplary
arrangement the user device is
operative to send user identifying data such as the user token data to the RF
input device included in the
depository. The depository receives the user identifying data as represented
in step 160. The control circuitry
of the exemplary depository is operative to enable the keypad of the exemplary
embodiment to receive a
manually input code therethrough from the user as represented at step 162. The
input code may correspond to
the one-time depositor access code. Alternatively, in some arrangements the
one time access code may be
delivered wirelessly from the user's device to the RF input device. Further in
some arrangements user
identifying data and the one time code may be replaced by a single code string
or object. As represented at
step 164 the control circuitry of the depository is operative to wirelessly
transmit at least one message
including data corresponding to the received user identifying data and the one-
time code as well as depository
identifying data to the central circuitry. This may be done in a suitably
encrypted manner or using other
suitable security techniques to assure that the data is not compromised.
The central system circuitry is operative to receive the data from the
depository as represented at a
step 166. The central circuitry then operates as represented at step 168 to
verify that the received user
identifying information corresponds to the authorized user, and that the one-
time code corresponds to the code
provided to the user in connection with the request to transport the deposit
item. In the exemplary arrangement
the central circuitry is operative to assign to the user an item depositor
access code that can be utilized only on
one occasion for purposes of opening the central system assigned interior area
of the depository. This prevents
the authorized user from opening other depositories or in some arrangements
other interior areas or
compartments of the same depository, or opening the depository on multiple
occasions using the provided
code. Of course it should be understood that this approach is exemplary and in
other arrangements other
approaches may be used.
Date Recue/Date Received 2021-05-26
Responsive to the central circuitry making a determination based on stored
data that the data received
by the depository from the user is the appropriate data for the user accessing
the depository in connection with
receiving the deposit item, the central circuitry is operative to send one or
more messages to the depository as
represented in step 170. The messages include instructions and/or data which
are operative to cause the
repository control circuitry of the depository to unlock the lock which holds
the designated depository door in
the closed position. At a step 172 the control circuitry of the depository
operates to verify that the received
message data corresponds to an authorized message from the central circuitry
to unlock the lock. This may be
done by an analysis of the received message data including decryption of the
instructions and other data
included in the message which verifies the instructions as appropriately
authorized by the central circuitry.
If the control circuitry of the depository determines that the message data
from the central circuitry is
genuine, the circuitry operates to cause the lock associated with the
appropriate door and compartment to be
changed from the locked condition to the unlocked condition. This is
represented at a step 174. The
exemplary control circuitry then operates to detect the opening of the
depository door. In some arrangements
the control circuitry causes the plurality of reading devices to operate to
capture images including the indicia
corresponding to the delivery item identifier included on the depository item
as represented at step 176. In
some arrangements the control circuitry also operates to capture images
showing the user as well as the deposit
item as it is being placed into the interior area of the depository. These
images are stored in the data store
associated with the control circuitry of the depository along with time data
to indicate when the activity
occurred. In other exemplary arrangements the user may be instructed to
operate their portable wireless device
to have a camera thereon capture an image of the item identifying indicia on
the deposit item, identifying
indicia on the depository, or both. This is represented by a step 178.
Further in exemplary arrangements data from the at least one weight sensor may
be captured to verify
placement of the item in the depository and/or to detect the weight of the
item. The additional weight added to
the depository may be used to verify that the weight indicated for the item by
the shipper is accurate. If the
item is substantially heavier than specified in the at least one transport
request message, the person requesting
the shipment may be assessed an additional charge. Sensors such as image
capture devices such as cameras or
LIDAR sensors may be used to capture data that is used to determine the size
of the item. This may be done so
that the central system circuitry can verify that the parcel size is
consistent with the parcel size data included in
the at least one transport request message. Image sensors, sonic sensors or
other sensors may operate to
capture other properties such as color, sound absorption, reflectivity of
light or sound waves, or other types of
signals as well as combinations thereof. Further the weight, size and/or other
property (or a combination of
properties) associated with the item may be used by the central system
circuitry as an additional identifying
feature and tracking identifier for the item. Of course these approaches are
exemplary.
In the exemplary arrangement the control circuitry associated with the
depository is operative to send
at least one message including data corresponding to the indicia read,
detected and/or sensed from the deposit
item to the central circuitry as represented at step 180. The central
circuitry receives the data as represented at
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step 182 and verifies that the received data and read indicia corresponds to
the identifying information
associated with the deposit item and the authorized user who is authorized to
place the deposit item in the
depository. This is represented by step 184. The central circuitry is then
operative to send one or more
messages to the depository indicating that the deposit item is acceptable into
the depository. This is
represented by a step 186. It should be understood however that if the central
circuitry determines that
received data or the indicia associated with the deposit item is incorrect
and/or does not correspond with the
authorized user who has accessed the depository, the central circuitry will
send at least one message including
data which is indicative of this discrepancy to the depository.
In the exemplary logic flow as represented at step 188 the wireless
communication portal of the
depository receives the data indicative of whether the deposit item and its
receipt into the depository is
acceptable. The control circuitry of the exemplary depository then operates to
provide an indication if the
acceptance of the deposit item is authorized. This is represented by a step
190. In the exemplary arrangement,
the control circuitry of the depository is operative to cause operation of the
at least one indicator 32 to provide
an indication as to whether the acceptance of the deposit item is authorized.
For example in an exemplary
arrangement the indicator may be operated to provide a green color light
output when the deposit item is
acceptable and a red color light output when the deposit item is not
acceptable. In addition an audio
annunciator output or other indicator output may be output by the depository
to indicate the acceptability or
unacceptability of the deposit. In other exemplary arrangements an indication
of the acceptability of the
deposit item may be sent to the user's mobile device so as to cause at least
one output from an output device
thereof. In other exemplary arrangements the door of the depository may be
spring loaded so that the door at
least partially opens responsive to the deposit item being acceptable. Of
course these outputs are exemplary
and in other arrangements other types of outputs may be provided.
Further in some exemplary arrangements at least one message indicative of a
determination as to the
acceptability or unacceptability of the deposit item or the associated
circumstances may be sent by the central
system circuitry to the portable device of the authorized user. Such
information may be sent in the form of a
text message or other suitable output to indicate to the user the
acceptability or unacceptability of the deposit
item or activity. Such approaches may be useful in some exemplary systems for
purposes of preventing users
from making mistakes in placing incorrect deposit items into depositories.
Such features may be particularly
helpful in situations where an authorized user may be handling multiple
deposit items, some of which may be
intended for placement in a particular depository while others are not. Of
course these approaches are
exemplary and in other embodiments other approaches may be used.
In some exemplary arrangements the control circuitry associated with the
depository is operative in a
step 192 to evaluate the image data captured by the reading devices and/or the
weight sensors to make an
action status determination. The action status determination includes
evaluating the image data and/or weight
.. data for purposes of determining whether the deposit item has been placed
in or removed from the interior area
of the depository. In alternative arrangements the user may be prompted to
provide at least one input to their
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mobile wireless device to indicate the deposit item has been placed in the
interior area. The wireless device
sends at least one message indicative of the input. In this exemplary logic
flow the determination of action
status by the control circuitry is indicative that the deposit item has been
placed in the depository. After the
action status determination that the deposit item has been received, the
control circuitry of the depository
senses for the door of the depository being closed. This is done through
appropriate switches, detectors or the
reading devices in operative connection with the control circuitry and is
represented in a step 194. In some
exemplary arrangements the repository control circuitry will cause at least
one output device of the depository
to provide outputs which instruct the user to close the depository door in the
event that such action is not taken
within a calculated time of the deposit item being received. In other
exemplary arrangements the user's
portable wireless device may receive messages from the central circuitry that
are caused to be sent responsive
to messages from the depository in the event that the user is detected as not
taking appropriate steps towards
closure of the door after the deposit item has been deposited in the interior
area.
Once the depository door is in the closed position, the control circuitry
operates to cause the lock to be
changed to the locked condition as represented in a step 196. The control
circuitry of the depository then
operates to send one or more item received messages to the central circuitry
indicating that the interior area of
the depository has been made accessible responsive at least in part to the
item depositor access code, token
data and/or other input data and the deposit item has been received in the
depository as indicated at step 198.
Responsive to receiving the at least one item received message from the
depository and/or from the user's
mobile wireless device, the central circuitry is operative to update the
record data stored in its associated data
store to reflect the status of the deposit item as being within the particular
depository as represented at step
200. The central circuitry may also operate to determine the remaining
available volume of space in the
compartment or interior area in which the deposit item has been placed.
The exemplary central circuitry then operates to take the actions necessary to
arrange for the deposit
item to be transported from the originating depository into which it has been
received, to a depository
associated with the destination location for the item. In some circumstances
the central circuitry is enabled to
arrange for a single authorized user of the system to transport the deposit
item from the originating depository
into which it is received to another depository which is a destination
depository that corresponds to the
delivery item destination, such as a final destination address for the deposit
item. In other arrangements the
system is operative to arrange for delivery to a recipient address rather than
a depository. However, in many
situations the central circuitry must arrange for the transport of the deposit
item to an intermediate location
which corresponds to a destination depository which is only part way to the
delivery item destination. This
occurs because the individuals available to transport the deposit item are
available only to transport the item to
the intermediate destination. The central circuitry will then later arrange
for a different authorized user to
transport the item from the intermediate destination to the depository at the
final destination depository for the
deposit item. Of course it should be understood while this example indicates
that the deposit item is
transported through a destination depository at one intermediate destination,
other exemplary deposit item
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transport situations will involve transport through multiple intermediate
destinations. This is particularly true
when the transport of the deposit item is over a long distance. In some
exemplary arrangements the incentive
payments which the system user arranging for the transport can make, will help
to reduce the number of
intermediate depository destinations and result in delivery of the deposit
item to the final destination more
quickly.
As represented at step 202 an authorized system user that is willing to
transport deposit items may
operate their portable wireless device, such as carrier contact device 92, to
indicate their availability to
transport deposit items by initiating operation of an application on the
device. Such system users are
alternatively referred to herein as item carriers or item handlers. In the
exemplary arrangement the device
application requires that the user sign onto the carrier contact device and
provide appropriate carrier contact
device data such as a telephone number or email address and user identifying
information which identifies the
particular user to the central circuitry, as represented at step 204. In
exemplary arrangements the item carrier
contact device data and other user identifying information as well as
credentials such as token data for the item
carrier that may be stored in the user device and in the central circuitry,
will have been previously established
through a registration process applicable to authorized users. In the
exemplary arrangement the circuit
executable instructions associated with the user's device 92 also require that
the user provide location
information such as through GPS data associated with the current carrier
contact device location to the central
system circuitry through at least one driver data message. This is represented
at step 206.
In the exemplary system a user may choose to transport deposit items based on
planned travel for
.. other purposes. This may include for example, the user having a daily
commute to a job that is substantially
remote from where they reside. Alternatively a user may have planned travel
for personal or other purposes to
a destination, and is willing to transport deposit items in the course of
their personal travel. Alternatively a
user may be willing to perform transport services of deposit items to any
local location to receive
compensation for the transport services. As represented in step 208 the user
inputs to the carrier contact device
their available delivery location such as, for example destination information
related to their current travel
plans, or if the user is willing to travel to any location within a set
distance range for purposes of making
deliveries of deposit items. In some arrangements the user may also indicate
that they have specialized
capabilities such as handling fragile or perishable items, handling
refrigerated items, handling large and/or
heavy items, providing transport for items in secure compartments and/or that
they are bonded or insured for
.. handling high value or legally controlled items. As represented at step 210
the control circuitry associated
with the user's portable wireless carrier contact device is operative to send
the data regarding the available
item carrier transport user in at least one driver data message to the central
circuitry for purposes of
determining if the item carrier user will receive transport job assignments
which will result in compensation
being paid to the user.
As represented at step 212 in an exemplary arrangement the central circuitry
receives the data from
the item carrier contact device and conducts an analysis of the received data
as represented at step 214. The
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central circuitry is also operative to recover the stored data regarding the
rating information associated with the
user as represented in step 216. The central circuitry is then operative to
compare the data associated with the
available transport user received in driver data messages to the data
associated with available transport jobs
that need to be conducted. This is represented at step 218. Of course as can
be appreciated, this activity is
carried out by the central circuitry for each authorized item carrier
transport user that indicates availability to
participate in providing transport services for deposit items at the current
time. The central circuitry is enabled
to match available authorized item carriers with transport jobs in a manner
that causes the deposit items to be
moved to either a respective final delivery address, a final delivery
depository destination of the deposit item,
or an intermediate delivery depository location at a depository that causes
the deposit item to move closer to its
final delivery destination.
As represented in step 220 the central circuitry operates to match the
authorized transport item carrier
current location and the associated item carrier available delivery location
data to the originating depository,
the destination depository and the deposit item delivery requirements. The
central circuitry is then operative to
determine the destination depository which is the endpoint destination for the
available item carrier as
represented in step 222. In other arrangements the end point for the delivery
may be the address of the
recipient. In this particular example the endpoint destination for the initial
item carrier is an intermediate
destination depository that is not the final destination for the particular
deposit item. The central circuitry is
then operative to calculate the rate information for the transport user as
represented in step 224. In an
exemplary arrangement this calculation reflects an amount that the item
carrier will receive for taking the
deposit item from the current depository in which it is located, transporting
it to the designated intermediate
destination depository, and placing the deposit item in the intermediate
destination depository for subsequent
transport towards its final destination. In some exemplary arrangements the
central circuitry may operate to
determine multiple parcels that can be transported together by the item
carrier as a bundle to a destination.
As represented in step 226 in an exemplary arrangement the central circuitry
operates to send one or
more opportunity messages to the carrier contact device which is the portable
wireless device of the item
carrier. The messages include the originating depository for pickup, parcel
route for transport of the deposit
item (or a bundle comprising multiple items), end point destination depository
(or end point delivery address)
and monetary rate to be paid to the item carrier for transport of the deposit
item. The messages may also
provide an indication of the size and weight of the deposit items. The
exemplary messages may also include
data to indicate to the item carrier how far the transport job will require
the item carrier to go off their currently
indicated planned travel route to the input destination at the originating
depository and/or at the destination
depository. In operation of the exemplary system the carrier contact device
receives the data regarding the
transport assignment in at least one opportunity message as represented by a
step 226. The control circuitry of
the carrier contact device is then operative responsive to the received data
in the at least one opportunity
message to provide one or more outputs to the item carrier user indicative of
the available transport
assignment. The output data is then available for review by the item carrier
user as represented at step 228. If
Date Recue/Date Received 2021-05-26
the item carrier user finds the transport assignment details to be acceptable,
the user operates the carrier contact
device to provide one or more inputs as represented at step 230 which
indicates that the user accepts the
transport assignment. The carrier contact device then operates in accordance
with its programming to send one
or more item transport acceptance messages to the central circuitry as
represented at step 232, indicative of the
user acceptance and willingness to transport the delivery item from the
delivery depository to the destination
depository (or other end point location) in accordance with any other
conditions specified in the at least one
opportunity message.
The central circuitry receives the at least one item transport acceptance
message data from the user's
carrier contact device indicating acceptance of the transport assignment as
represented at step 234. The central
circuitry then operates to reserve the transport assignment for the item
carrier as represented at a step 236. In
the exemplary embodiment the central circuitry operates in accordance with its
programming to reserve the
transport assignment for the particular item carrier user only for a limited
period of time. This helps to assure
that the deposit item is transported in a commercially prompt manner. In the
event that the item carrier to
which the transport assignment has been reserved does not act to obtain the
deposit item from the depository
within the time period for which the transport assignment has been reserved,
the central circuitry operates in
accordance with its programming to reassign the transport assignment to a
different designated authorized item
carrier. As can be appreciated such a reassignment would generally require
analysis of available transport
carrier information and may change the route or other information to which the
deposit item is next
transported. Of course these approaches are exemplary and in other embodiments
other approaches to be used.
Also in an exemplary embodiment a transport item carrier may send transport
acceptance messages to
accept a plurality of opportunity messages corresponding to transport
assignments associated with the item
carrier's planned or available delivery location travel. This may include a
plurality of different deposit items,
each of which may have a respective different pickup originating depository or
shipment location and delivery
destination depository or delivery location. The communication between the
user device and the central
circuitry enables storing the data related to each deposit item and transport
job on the user carrier contact
device to facilitate the activities that the item carrier is to perform in a
proper manner and sequence.
In the exemplary arrangement once the transport assignment has been reserved
for the authorized
transport user by the central circuitry responsive to the at least one item
transport acceptance message, the
central circuitry operates in a step 238 to generate the one-time designated
carrier access code that will enable
the authorized user to access the originating depository in which the deposit
item is currently located. At step
240 the central circuitry then operates to send the at least one transport
assignment message to the carrier
contact device. The exemplary at least one transport assignment message
includes data corresponding to the
one-time designated carrier access code and the location data for the
originating depository to the item carrier.
The user's carrier contact device operates to receive the data such as in the
at least one transport assignment
.. message represented at step 242. The exemplary central circuitry is
operative to correlate the stored data
corresponding to at least two of the item carrier identifying information, the
delivery item identifier, and the
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depository from which the item carrier will receive the item and/or a
respective interior area thereof, in the at
least one data store such that they are stored in correlated relation. The
exemplary central circuitry is further
operative to store in correlated relation the stored data regarding the one
time carrier access code and at least
one of the item carrier identifying information, the delivery item identifier,
and the depository/interior area in
which the delivery item is housed. The contact device then operates in
accordance with its programming to
guide the item carrier such as through the use of GPS data, to the originating
depository location at which the
deposit item is to be picked up.
Once the item carrier has arrived at the originating depository, the carrier
contact device is operated by
the item carrier to wirelessly send their user identifying information from
the carrier contact device to the at
least one input device of the depository. In the exemplary arrangement as
represented at step 244, the user's
wireless token data is sent from the carrier contact device of the user item
carrier to the RF input device such
as the wireless portal associated with the depository. The control circuitry
of the depository is operative to
receive user identifying data as represented at step 246, and is also
operative to enable the keypad of the
depository to receive an input access code which may correspond to the one-
time designated carrier access
code as represented at step 248. In other arrangements the designated carrier
access code may be received
through other input devices in operative connection with the depository, such
as for example, the wireless
portal. The control circuitry is then operative responsive at least in part to
receipt of the input access code to
send at least one repository access request message as represented at step
250. The at least one repository
access request message includes data corresponding to the user identification
data, the input access code value
and depository identifying data to the central circuitry. The central
circuitry operates to receive the data in the
at least one repository access request message from the depository as
represented at step 252 and makes an
authorized access determination responsive to verifying based on the stored
data that the user identifying data
corresponds to the authorized user who is to receive the deposit item, and
that the input access code value
corresponds to the designated access code appropriate for accessing the
depository (or in some arrangements a
particular compartment thereof). In some arrangements the central circuitry is
also operative to carry out the
authorized access determination responsive to the identifying data for the
depository receiving the input access
code value and/or the user identification data corresponding to the
origination depository for the transport of
the deposit item. The authorized access determination is represented by step
254.
Responsive to the authorized access determination that the user identifying
data and the one-time
designated access code received at the originating depository is appropriate
for accessing the deposit item, the
central circuitry then is operative to send at least one repository access
approval message to the originating
depository as represented at step 256 to enable the interior area holding the
deposit item in the depository to be
accessed. As represented at step 258 the control circuitry of the originating
depository is operative to receive
and verify the genuineness of the message data from the central circuitry.
Responsive at least in part to receipt
and verification of the at least one depository access approval message, the
control circuitry is operative to
cause the lock to be changed to the unlocked condition as represented at step
260. The deposit item in the
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interior area of the depository thereby becomes accessible to the item
carrier. The exemplary control circuitry
associated with the originating depository is then operative to detect the
opening of the door and to operate the
sensors comprising reading devices to capture the indicia such as machine
readable bar code for example,
included on the deposit item that is removed from the interior area of the
depository as represented by step
262. Alternatively in some arrangements the item carrier may capture an image
of the item identifying indicia
using their portable wireless device. In some arrangements exemplary control
circuitry is also operative to
capture a plurality of images including the user and the deposit item, and to
store the image data along with
time data in the data store associated with the depository control circuitry.
The weight sensor is also operative
to indicate the change in weight associated with the removed item. This is
represented by step 264.
The exemplary control circuitry and/or portable wireless device is then
operative to send at least one
parcel removal message to the central system circuitry, at step 266. The at
least one parcel removal message
includes parcel removal data corresponding to the identifying indicia read by
the at least one sensor from the
deposit item and the weight data. In other exemplary arrangements the parcel
removal data may include other
data that can be detected or read by one or more readers/sensors of the
originating depository and/or through
operation of the item carrier's portable wireless device. The central
circuitry receives the parcel removal data
in the at least one parcel removal message at step 268 and is operative at
step 270 to verify that the parcel
removal data corresponding to the read indicia corresponds to the deposit item
identifying data for the delivery
item that is to be taken by the identified item carrier that has accessed the
depository based on the correlated
stored data. The central circuitry may also verify that the weight removed
and/or the size and/or other property
of the item removed corresponds to removal of the proper delivery item. The
central circuitry then operates at
step 272 to send one or more correct parcel removal messages to the
originating depository, that indicate that
the deposit item identification indicia and user indicia is appropriate.
Alternatively or in addition the at least
one correct parcel removal messages may be sent to the carrier contact device.
The control circuitry of the
depository may receive the message data from the central circuitry as
represented at step 274 and is operative
.. to provide an indication to the user that the removal activity is
appropriate as represented at step 276. As
previously discussed this indication may be given through visual and/or
audible indication output by one or
more output devices such as indicators on the depository. Alternatively such
indications may be provided as
outputs from the carrier contact device. Of course if the deposit item removal
activity or user data is not
appropriate, then negative indication outputs are provided either through the
depository indicators and/or
through messages that are sent by the central circuitry to the user's portable
wireless carrier contact device.
The control circuitry of the exemplary originating depository is then
operative responsive to the
captured image data from the sensors such as reading devices, and/or the
detected change in weight, to make a
determination of the action status that has been carried out by the item
carrier with regard to the identified
deposit item. Alternatively or in addition the determination may be carried
out responsive at least in part to a
wireless message from the carrier contact device responsive to an input from
the user indicating that they have
removed the parcel. This determination which is represented by step 278, is an
action determination that the
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Date Recue/Date Received 2021-05-26
deposit item has been removed from the interior area of the depository. The
control circuitry associated with
the originating depository then senses for detection that the depository door
has been closed as represented in
step 280. As previously discussed the control circuitry of the depository
either alone or through
communication with the central circuitry, may operate to prompt the user to
close the depository door in the
event that closure is not detected within a programmed time. The control
circuitry then operates to cause the
lock to be changed to the locked condition once the door is closed as
represented by step 282. The control
circuitry then operates to send one or more delivery item parcel removal
messages to the central circuitry
indicating that the deposit item has been removed and taken from the
depository by the item carrier as
represented by step 284. As can be appreciated this process may be carried out
for multiple parcels that are to
be transported by the item carrier.
Responsive to the central circuitry receiving the one or more delivery item
parcel removal messages
from the depository and/or the carrier contact device that the deposit item
has been taken by the item carrier,
the exemplary central circuitry operates as indicated at step 286 to update
the status data for the deposit item in
the associated data store to indicate that the deposit item is with the
authorized item carrier. In some
exemplary arrangements the central circuitry then operates to cause at least
one pickup request confirmation
message to be sent to the portable wireless carrier contact device of the item
carrier who has taken the deposit
item to confirm that they have the item. This is represented by step 288. The
portable wireless carrier contact
device of the item carrier operates in accordance with its programming to
cause one or more outputs that
prompt the item carrier to confirm that they have received possession of the
deposit item. This is represented
at step 290. As represented at step 292, the user's portable wireless carrier
contact device operates responsive
to at least one confirmation input from the item carrier to send one or more
wireless delivery item possession
confirmation messages to the central circuitry to confirm that the user
received possession of the deposit item.
Of course it should be understood that in other exemplary arrangements the
central system circuitry may omit
the confirmation steps 286 through 292. This is particularly true in
situations where the user indicates that
they have the item by providing an input to their carrier contact device
indicating they have taken the item
and/or the user scans the parcel identifying indicia using the camera on the
device, which results in wireless
messages to the central system circuitry.
Responsive to the central circuitry receiving the delivery item possession
confirmation messages from
the user's portable wireless carrier contact device at step 294, or in some
arrangements more directly
responsive to one or more parcel removal messages, the central circuitry
operates to recover from memory or
otherwise resolve the destination depository for the item carrier to deliver
the deposit item. This is represented
at step 296. The exemplary central circuitry further operates to generate a
one-time access delivery code to be
input by the item carrier to the destination depository into which the item
carrier is to place the deposit item.
This is represented by step 298. The exemplary central system circuitry is
further operative to store in
correlated relation the data corresponding to at least two of the delivery
item identifier, the item carrier
identifying information, the one time access code, and the depository/interior
area into which the delivery item
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is to be placed. The exemplary central circuitry is next operative to send at
least one item transport delivery
message including data corresponding to the one-time item carrier access code
and the location information for
the destination depository to the user's portable wireless carrier contact
device. This is represented by step
300. The exemplary central circuitry continues to monitor the location of the
portable wireless carrier contact
device of the item carrier through GPS as the deposit item is transported
toward the destination depository.
This is represented by step 302.
As represented by step 304, in the exemplary system the portable wireless
device of the transport user
is operative to receive in the at least one item transport delivery message
the data regarding the depository
location and the one-time item carrier access delivery code. The portable
wireless carrier contact device
operates in accordance with its programming to direct the item carrier through
use of the GPS data or other
location data to the destination depository or other location at which the
deposit item is to be delivered. This is
represented by step 306. Upon arrival at the destination depository the item
carrier operates their portable
wireless device to cause the user identifying data including the user ID token
to be sent from the user's device
to the RF input device of the depository. This is represented by step 308.
In an exemplary arrangement the control circuitry associated with the
destination depository is
operative to receive the wireless user identifying information as represented
by step 310. The control circuitry
is also operative to enable receipt through the keypad or in some arrangements
the wireless portal of the
destination depository, of the input access code value corresponding to the
one-time item carrier access
delivery code from the item carrier. This is represented by step 312. The
control circuitry associated with the
destination depository is operative to send the received user identifying
data, the input access code value, and
depository identifying data to the central circuitry in at least one
repository access message as represented by
step 314. The exemplary central circuitry is operative to receive the data in
the at least one repository access
message as represented by step 316, and operates to verify that the received
user data corresponds to the item
carrier and that the input access code value corresponds to the one-time item
carrier access delivery code as
represented in step 318. The exemplary central circuitry is then operative to
send at least one repository access
approval message to the depository which includes data indicative that the
received user data and the code data
are appropriate based on the correlated stored data, and that the central
system circuitry determined interior
area of the destination depository (or a particular compartment of the
depository) should be unlocked so as to
make the designated interior area of the destination repository accessible.
This is represented by step 320.
The control circuitry of the exemplary destination depository is operative to
receive the repository
access approval message data from the central circuitry as represented by step
322. Responsive to the at least
one repository message from the central circuitry being received and verified,
the control circuitry associated
with the destination depository is operative to cause the appropriate lock
thereof to be changed to the unlocked
condition as represented in step 324. As a result the designated interior area
of the destination repository is
externally accessible so that the delivery item may be placed therein by the
item carrier. In some arrangements
responsive to detecting that the depository door has been opened, the
exemplary control circuitry is operative
Date Recue/Date Received 2021-05-26
to cause the reading devices to capture the machine readable indicia including
the identifying indicia on the
deposit item being placed in the designated interior area of the destination
depository as represented by step
326. Alternatively the item carrier may use their portable wireless device to
capture an image of the parcel
identifying indicia and/or the depository to document placement of the item.
The control circuitry may also be
operative to cause images from the reading devices and the change in weight
detected by the at least one
weight sensor to be captured and stored in the at least one data store along
with the data corresponding to the
captured identifying indicia on the deposit item, to document the accessing of
the depository and the placement
of the deposit item therein. This is represented by step 328.
The exemplary control circuitry associated with the destination depository is
next operative to send at
least one parcel insertion message which is alternatively referred to herein
as a parcel placement message, to
the central system circuitry as represented in step 330. The exemplary at
least one parcel insertion message
includes data corresponding to the indicia read and/or sensed from the deposit
item including the machine
readable indicia. Alternatively in some arrangements the parcel insertion
message may be sent by the carrier
contact device responsive to using the device to read the parcel identifier
and receiving at least one input
indicative of placement in the depository. The central circuitry receives the
data included in the at least one
parcel insertion message at step 332 and verifies that the indicia read and/or
sensed from the deposit item (size,
weight or other information or properties) corresponds to the correlated
stored data for the deposit item to be
deposited in the destination depository. This includes verifying that the read
machine readable indicia read
from the deposit item placed in the destination depository corresponds to the
delivery item identifier. The
central circuitry also verifies that the identifying data associated with the
user corresponds to the user that is
authorized to place the delivery item into the depository. This is represented
by step 334. The central circuitry
is then operative to send one or more correct parcel placement verification
messages to the control circuitry of
the destination depository to indicate that the received identifying indicia
on the deposit item is correct.
Alternatively or in addition the at least one correct parcel verification
message may be sent to the carrier
contact device. This is represented by step 336. The exemplary control
circuitry of the depository receives the
at least one correct parcel placement verification messages from the central
circuitry as represented in step 338
and provides one or more outputs to the user to indicate that the indicia read
and/or sensed from the deposit
item is appropriate as represented in step 340. The at least one output may be
provided by at least one output
device of the destination depository and/or through an output device of the
carrier contact device. The
exemplary control circuitry associated with the depository may then be
operative to analyze the captured image
data and/or weight data to determine the action status associated with the
deposit item. As represented in step
342 the control circuitry is operative to determine an action status that the
deposit item has been received into
the interior area of the depository.
In other exemplary arrangements the control circuitry associated with the
depository may operate in
an alternative manner to provide the authorized user with access to the
interior area so that the deposit item
may be placed therein. In such alternative arrangements the control circuitry
may operate to receive the user
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identifying data wirelessly from the mobile wireless device associated with
the user in a manner like that
previously discussed. This may be done for example through a wireless input
device such as a wireless
transceiver in operative connection with the control circuitry that is
operative to control access to the
depository. Further in this alternative arrangement, a camera of the portable
wireless device associated with
the item carrier may be utilized as the reading device which is operative to
read the item identifying indicia on
the deposit item. The mobile carrier contact device may then operate to
wirelessly communicate the item
identifying indicia to the control circuitry. This may be done through the
same or a different wireless
communication path as the user identifying information. The control circuitry
may then operate in accordance
with its circuit executable instructions to make a determination based on the
correlated stored data that the user
identifying information corresponds to an authorized user, as well as a
determination that the read item indicia
corresponds to a deposit item that is authorized to be placed within the
depository. The control circuitry may
then operate in accordance with its programmed circuit executable instructions
to cause the corresponding lock
associated with the appropriate depository door to be changeable to the
unlocked condition responsive at least
in part to the user identification determination, the determination that the
deposit item indicia corresponds to
.. previously stored data indicative that the item is authorized to be placed
in the respective interior area of the
depository, or both. Further in some alternative exemplary arrangements, the
control circuitry may operate
responsive at least in part to the read item identifying indicia, which may
include additional information about
the item, to operate to cause the corresponding lock to be able to be placed
in the unlocked condition. For
example in some exemplary arrangements the item indicia included on the
deposit item may correspond to a
destination repository or a location in which the deposit item is to be
delivered. In some exemplary
arrangements the control circuitry may operate to determine if the item
indicia includes data corresponding to
the GPS determined location and/or identifying information for the depository
in which the item is sought to
be positioned. Responsive at least in part to the determination, the control
circuitry is operative to enable the
depository lock associated with the interior area in which the item is
authorized to be placed, to be changeable
to the unlocked condition. Further although in the exemplary arrangements the
data regarding item carrier
contact information and/or one-time access code, the delivery item identifier
or other information may be
received from a carrier contact device through an input device such as a
wireless portal that is located at the
particular depository, in other arrangements such information may be received
through at least one wireless
transceiver located remotely from the depository. For example, in such
arrangements location data, such as
GPS data associated with the location of the carrier contact device, may be
provided to the central system
circuitry in the messages from the carrier contact device. Such location data
may be usable by the central
system circuitry to determine that the carrier contact device is in proximity
to a particular depository. Thus in
such alternative arrangements it is not necessary for the local circuitry
associated with the particular depository
to receive the messages from the carrier contact device for purposes of
assuring that the carrier contact device
.. is in proximity to the depository and the item carrier is positioned to
place the delivery item in or remove the
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delivery item from the depository. Of course it should be understood that
these approaches are exemplary and
in other arrangements other approaches may be used.
After the deposit item is placed in the interior area the exemplary control
circuitry then operates in
accordance with its programming to sense for closure of the depository door.
This is represented by step 344.
As previously discussed the exemplary control circuitry may provide different
forms of prompts to the user in
the event that the depository door is not sensed as closed within a programmed
time. Responsive to detecting
the closure of the depository door the control circuitry of the destination
repository operates to change the
condition of the lock to the locked condition as represented by step 346. The
exemplary control circuitry is
then operative to send one or more delivery completion messages from the
depository to the central system
circuitry to indicate that the deposit item is within the designated interior
area of the depository as represented
by step 348. Alternatively or in addition a delivery completion message may be
sent by the carrier contact
device responsive to at least one input thereto by the item carrier. The
exemplary central circuitry responsive
to receiving the delivery completion messages, operates to update the status
related to the deposit item in its
associated at least one data store to indicate that the deposit item is
located within the particular destination
.. depository. This is represented by step 350.
In situations where the delivery completion message is not sent from the
carrier contact device, the
exemplary central circuitry is next operative to send one or more delivery
confirmation request messages to the
portable wireless carrier contact device of the item carrier requesting
confirmation that the deposit item has
been placed in the destination depository. This is represented by step 352.
The portable wireless carrier
contact device of the item carrier operates responsive to the received
messages to provide outputs which
prompt the user to confirm the placement of the deposit item in the
destination depository. This is represented
by step 354. Responsive to receipt of at least one input from the item carrier
the portable wireless carrier
contact device is operative at step 356 to provide one or more delivery
confirmation response messages to the
central circuitry confirming that the user has placed the deposit item in the
interior area of the destination
depository. In other exemplary arrangements the confirmation steps 352 through
356 are not carried out.
The central circuitry of the exemplary arrangement is operative responsive at
least in part to receipt of
the delivery confirmation response messages from the transport user at step
358 or more directly responsive at
least in part to the at least one delivery completion message, to determine
that the item carrier has completed
the transport assignment and to calculate a payment that is due to the item
carrier as represented at step 360.
The exemplary central circuitry is then operative to credit the item carrier
for a payment amount corresponding
to the payment that is due as represented at step 362. This may include
crediting an account associated with
the item carrier for the amount payable. Alternatively it may include a
financial transfer to an account
associated with the item carrier. Various payment forms may be accomplished
depending on the arrangement
that has been set up by the central system circuitry for making payment to the
particular item carrier. The
exemplary central circuitry then operates to send one or more messages to the
carrier contact device of the item
carrier indicating the payment as represented at step 364. The item carrier
receives the notice of the payment
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through the portable wireless carrier contact device which outputs appropriate
messages to the item carrier user
as represented at step 366. Of course it should be understood that these steps
are representative of only some
exemplary payment transactions that may be carried out responsive to operation
of the central circuitry.
In this example the initial item carrier was available only to transport the
deposit item to a destination
depository at an intermediate destination, and not to the final destination
depository for the deposit item.
Therefore responsive to the determination that the deposit item has arrived at
the intermediate destination
depository, the exemplary central circuitry is operative to determine a next
destination depository for the
deposit item. This is represented by step 368. As previously discussed the
central circuitry will operate to
have the deposit item reach its final destination depository with a minimum
number of intermediate
destinations. However if it is not possible with the available item carriers
to move the deposit item to its final
destination with the next transport assignment, the exemplary control
circuitry will cause the deposit item to be
moved to another intermediate destination depository that is closer to its
final destination. However for
purposes of this example the next transport assignment will result in the
deposit item reaching its final
destination depository. Of course it should be understood that in other
arrangements delivery may be made to
a recipient's address rather than to a destination repository.
The exemplary central circuitry conducts a similar analysis to that previously
discussed with regard to
available item carriers for purposes of determining the next transport
assignment which can be made for the
deposit item. The central circuitry may also conduct an analysis of the
available item carrier information at
step 370. The central circuitry may also review the rating data and other
information for the available item
carriers as represented at step 372. As represented at step 374 a comparative
analysis is done of the available
item carrier data to pending transport jobs to produce a match as represented
at step 376. The exemplary
central circuitry will then operate to determine the destination depository
endpoint (or delivery location
endpoint) for the deposit item delivery to be made by the available item
carrier as represented at step 378. In
this example the next destination will be the destination depository which is
the final delivery destination for
the deposit item.
The exemplary central circuitry is further operative to calculate the rate
information to be paid for the
transport by the available item carrier. This is represented at step 380. In
some exemplary arrangements the
central circuitry may operate to provide item carriers with incentives to
transport particular deposit items. For
example, if an item is not moving toward the final destination at an
acceptable rate, the central circuitry may
.. offer a premium to an available item carrier to transport the item. Of
course this approach is exemplary.
The exemplary central circuitry is then operative at step 382 to send one or
more opportunity
messages to the portable wireless carrier contact device of the selected item
carrier which describes the
transport job that is available. In the exemplary arrangement the data
included in the at least one opportunity
message includes information regarding the pickup originating depository,
deposit item parcel, transport route,
endpoint destination depository and monetary amount or rate to be paid to the
available item carrier. Of course
in some cases additional or different information may be provided. Further in
some arrangements an item
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Date Recue/Date Received 2021-05-26
carrier may be offered an opportunity to transport multiple parcels to the
same destination or to multiple
destinations along a common route. The portable wireless carrier contact
device of the item carrier receives
the at least one opportunity message as represented by step 384. The portable
wireless carrier contact device
of the item carrier operates responsive at least in part to the received data
included in the at least one
opportunity message to provide at least one an output which indicates the
details of the available transport job
which the item carrier can then review as represented at step 386. If the item
carrier wishes to accept the
transport job, the item carrier provides one or more inputs to their portable
wireless carrier contact device as
represented at step 388, and the carrier contact device operates to send one
or more item transport acceptance
messages indicating a willingness to accept the transport job as represented
at step 390.
As represented by step 392 the central circuitry operates to receive the item
transport acceptance
messages including data indicating that the item carrier is willing to perform
the transport job, and reserves the
transport assignment for the item carrier as represented at step 394. The
central circuitry operates to generate
one-time designated carrier access code for the item carrier as represented at
step 396. The central system
circuitry operates to store the correlated data corresponding to at least two
of the authorized user identifying
data for the user who has accepted the item transport assignment, the delivery
item identifying data, the one
time access code, and the interior area/depository where the item will be
placed in a manner like that
previously discussed. The central circuitry operates to send at least one
transport assignment message
including data corresponding to the one-time designated carrier access code
and the location data for the
originating depository to the user's portable wireless carrier contact device
as represented by step 398.
The portable wireless carrier contact device of the item carrier receives the
access code and location
information in the at least one transport assignment message as represented by
step 400. The portable wireless
carrier contact device operates in accordance with its programming and the
originating depository location
information to guide the user to the depository as represented by step 402. As
in the previous example the
carrier contact device may be tracked via GPS, cell phone data or other
methodology. Once arriving at the
depository the item carrier operates the portable wireless carrier contact
device to send the wireless identifying
information such as the ID token data that identifies the item carrier, to the
RF input device of the originating
depository as represented by step 404. The control circuitry of the depository
receives the item carrier user
identifying information as represented at step 406. The circuitry associated
with the originating depository
also receives an input access code that may correspond to the one-time
designated carrier access code from the
item carrier as represented by step 408. The depository control circuitry is
then operative to send at least one
depository access request message including data corresponding to the user
identifying information, the one-
time designated carrier code and the depository identifying information, to
the central circuitry as represented
by step 410.
The central circuitry receives the data included in the at least one
depository access request message
from the depository at step 412 and operates using the stored data to verify
the user identifying information
corresponding to the authorized item carrier and that the input access code
corresponds to the one-time
Date Recue/Date Received 2021-05-26
designated carrier access code as represented at step 414. The central
circuitry is operative to send one or
more depository access approval messages to the depository indicating that the
received item carrier
identifying information and designated carrier access code is appropriate for
accessing the interior area of the
originating depository. This is represented by step 416. The control circuitry
associated with the depository
receives the at least one depository access approval message from the central
circuitry indicating that the
depository is to be opened and verifies the authenticity of the message as
represented at step 418. The control
circuitry associated with the depository is operative responsive at least in
part to the at least one depository
access approval message to cause the lock controlling access to the interior
area or compartment space where
the deposit item is housed to be enabled to be changed to the unlocked
condition as represented at step 420.
The control circuitry is further operative to operate at least one sensor to
sense and/or capture the machine
readable deposit item identifying indicia on the deposit item, image and/or
size or other property data and the
change in detected weight as the item is removed from the interior area of the
originating depository as
represented by step 422. Alternatively the item carrier may operate their
portable wireless device to capture
one or more images of the item identifying indicia and the device sends the
image data and/or parcel
identifying indicia to the central circuitry. The exemplary control circuitry
also captures and stores images
associated with accessing the depository including the item carrier user and
the removal of the deposit item as
represented by step 424. The control circuity also associates time data with
the captured images. The control
circuitry is then operative to send at least one parcel removal message
including data corresponding to the
deposit identifying indicia, size, other property data and/or weight
information to the central circuitry as
represented by step 426. Alternatively or in addition one or more parcel
removal messages may be sent by the
carrier contact device.
The central circuitry is operative to receive the data included in the at
least one parcel removal
message as represented by step 428 and verify that the indicia read from the
deposit item, size property data
and/or weight data corresponds to the deposit item to be taken by the user
whose identifying data has been
received as represented at step 430. This may include verifying that machine
readable indicia read from the
deposit item corresponds to the deposit item identifier. The central circuitry
is then operative to send one or
more correct parcel verification messages to the depository indicating that
the information received related to
the deposit item and the user is correct. Alternatively or in addition the one
or more correct parcel verification
messages may be sent to the carrier contact device. This is represented by
step 432.
The depository is operative to receive the data included in the at least one
correct parcel verification
messages from the central circuitry as represented by step 434 and to provide
an indication to the user from an
output device that the identifying indicia for the deposit item being removed
is correct as represented at step
436. Alternatively or in addition the central circuitry may operate to send
the confirmation message to the item
carrier's portable wireless device. Of course as previously discussed, if the
indicia, size, property and/or
weight associated with the deposit item and/or the user data is incorrect, a
warning indication is output from an
output device of the depository and/or the user's portable wireless carrier
contact device to indicate the error.
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Date Recue/Date Received 2021-05-26
The control circuitry associated with the exemplary depository is then
operative to determine from the sensors
of the originating repository which comprise reading devices and/or messages
from the carrier contact device,
the action status associated with the deposit item. In this case the action
status corresponds to the deposit item
being removed as indicated at step 438. The exemplary control circuitry of the
depository then operates to
sense the closure of the depository door as represented by step 440 and to
change the condition of the lock to
the locked condition as represented at step 442. The depository control
circuitry is then operative to send one
or more delivery item parcel removal messages to the central circuitry which
are indicative of and give a
notification that the deposit item has been taken as represented by step 444.
The exemplary central circuitry is then operative to update data in at least
one data store
corresponding to the status of the deposit item to indicate that the deposit
is with the item carrier as represented
by step 446. In some arrangements the central circuitry may also cause one or
more confirmation request
messages to be sent to the transport user's portable wireless carrier contact
device requesting confirmation that
the item carrier has possession of the deposit item. This is represented by
step 448. The portable wireless
device of the transport user operates to receive these confirmation request
messages and to provide outputs to
the item carrier indicating the request for confirmation. This is represented
by step 450. Responsive to the
item carrier providing inputs which confirm the item carrier has possession of
the deposit item, the portable
wireless carrier contact device sends one or more confirmation response
messages to the central circuitry
confirming possession of the deposit item by the user. This is represented by
step 452.
Responsive to the central circuitry receiving the at least one confirmation
response message from the
item carrier's portable wireless carrier contact device at step 454 and/or the
parcel removal messages, the
central circuitry is operative to recover data corresponding to the
destination depository for the deposit item at
step 456 and to generate the one-time item carrier access delivery code usable
by the item carrier to access the
depository at the destination as represented at step 458. The central
circuitry is then operative to send at least
one item transport delivery message including data corresponding to the one-
time code and the location of the
destination depository to the carrier contact device at step 460. The central
system circuitry further operates to
store the correlated data corresponding to at least two of the authorized item
carrier identifying information,
the one time access code, the deposit item identifying data, and the interior
area/destination repository data in
the at least one data store.
The portable wireless carrier contact device of the item carrier receives the
data including the one-time
.. code and the depository location in the at least one item transport
delivery message at step 462. The user
operates the portable wireless carrier contact device to be guided to the
destination depository through GPS or
other location finding methods as represented by step 464. The central
circuitry of the exemplary arrangement
tracks the item carrier through GPS tracking as represented by step 466. Upon
arrival at the destination
depository the item carrier operates their portable wireless carrier contact
device to provide their user
identification data such as the ID token to the RF input device of the
depository as represented at step 468.
The control circuitry is operative to receive the user identifying data as
represented at step 470. The keypad or
37
Date Recue/Date Received 2021-05-26
the wireless portal of the depository is also operative to receive an input
access code corresponding to the one-
time item carrier access delivery code from the item carrier as represented at
step 472. The control circuitry of
the depository is operative to send data corresponding to the user identifying
data, the input access code
corresponding to the one-time item carrier access delivery code and depository
identifying data to the central
circuitry in at least one depository access request message as represented at
step 474.
The central circuitry receives the data included in the at least one deposit
access request message from
the destination depository as represented at step 476 and operates using the
stored data to verify the user
identifying data and the input access code as corresponding to the one-time
item carrier access delivery code as
authorized at step 478. The central circuitry is operative to send one or more
access approval messages to the
depository indicating that the received data is appropriate as represented by
step 480, and the control circuitry
of the depository is operative to verify the received message data at step
482. Responsive to the received at
least one access approval message indicating that the user data and the code
data is authorized, the control
circuitry of the depository is operative to cause the lock controlling access
to the interior area or compartment
space where the central system circuitry has determined the deposit item
should be placed to be changed to the
unlocked condition as represented by step 484. The control circuitry operates
the sensors comprising reading
devices to capture the indicia on the deposit item, size, property and/or
weight data for the deposit item that is
being placed in the interior area of the destination depository as represented
by step 486. Alternatively the
item carrier may capture the item indicia of the parcel placed in the interior
area and send such images and/or
data corresponding to the indicia to the central circuitry. The control
circuitry also operates the sensors
comprising reading devices to capture images including the item carrier access
to the depository and the
placement of the deposit item therein, and to store the image data along with
associated time data in the data
store of the control circuitry. This is represented by step 488.
The control circuitry associated with the depository is operative to send at
least one parcel placement
message including data corresponding to the indicia read and/or sensed from
the deposit item to the central
circuitry as represented by step 490. Alternatively or in addition at least
one parcel placement message may be
sent by the carrier contact device. The central circuitry receives the
identifying indicia at step 492 and is
operative in a step 494 to verify that the identifying indicia, size, property
and/or weight information
corresponds to the appropriate deposit item and that the user identifying data
corresponds to the appropriate
user. The exemplary central circuitry is also operative to verify that the
read machine readable indicia from the
deposit item corresponds to the delivery item identifier. The central
circuitry is operative to send one or more
messages verifying the correctness of the input data and deposit item as
represented at step 496. The at least
one correct parcel verification messages may alternatively or in addition be
sent to the carrier contact device.
The control circuitry of the depository receives the one or more messages as
represented by step 498 and
provides one or more outputs through the indicators or other output devices of
the depository that the deposit
information is correct as represented by step 500.
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Date Recue/Date Received 2021-05-26
The control circuitry associated with the depository is operative to determine
the action status of the
deposit item from the data captured by the reading devices. As represented in
step 502 the action status
determination indicates that the deposit item has been received into the
depository. The control circuitry
operates to sense the closing of the depository door in a step 504, and
responsive to sensing the door closure
changes the lock to the locked condition as represented by step 506. The
control circuitry of the depository
then operates to send one or more deposit item received messages to the
central circuitry to indicate that the
deposit item is located within the depository. This is represented by step
508. Responsive to receiving the
messages indicating that the deposit item is within the depository the central
circuitry is operative to update the
stored record data regarding the deposit item in the data store to indicate
that the deposit item is within the
particular destination depository as represented by step 510.
In some arrangements, the exemplary central circuitry then operates to cause
one or more
confirmation request messages to be sent to the portable wireless carrier
contact device of the item carrier
requesting confirmation that the deposit item has been placed in the
depository. This is represented by step
512. The portable wireless carrier contact device of the item carrier receives
the messages and provides
outputs to the user indicating the request for confirmation. This is
represented by step 514. Responsive to
inputs by the user to their portable wireless carrier contact device
confirming the placement of the deposit item
in the depository, the portable wireless carrier contact device is operative
to send one or more delivery
confirmation response messages as represented at step 516.
Responsive to the central circuitry receiving the at least one delivery
confirmation message that the
deposit item has been placed in the depository at step 518, the central
circuitry is operative to calculate the
payment that is due the item carrier for transport of the depository item.
This is represented by step 520. The
central circuitry is then operative to credit the transport user a payment
amount for the transport services
provided as represented at step 522. One or more messages are sent to the
carrier contact device at step 524
which are received by the user's portable wireless carrier contact device and
which provide outputs to the item
carrier indicating the payment made for the transport of the deposit item as
represented at step 526.
In some arrangements responsive to the determination by the central circuitry
that the deposit item has
been delivered to the indicated final destination depository, the central
circuitry is then operative to determine
the deposit item recipient to be notified of the delivery. The recipient data
including recipient contact data may
be included in the at least one transport request message associated with the
receipt of the deposit item.
Alternatively in some arrangements the delivery item delivery location data
may correspond to recipient data.
The recipient data for registered users including contact data for the user's
device may be stored in a data store
in operative connection with the central system circuitry. The determination
of the recipient data is
represented by step 528. In exemplary arrangements the recipient of the
deposit item may be the owner of the
depository into which the deposit item has been placed as the final
destination. Alternatively the recipient to
be notified may be a registered user of the system that is not the owner of
the depository in which the item has
been placed, which necessitates notification and providing access for the
intended recipient.
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Date Recue/Date Received 2021-05-26
An example where the recipient of the deposit item is the owner of the
depository is represented by
the logic flow included in Figures 28 through 30. Responsive to the central
circuitry determining that the
depository owner is the recipient of the deposit item to be notified in step
528, the central circuitry operates to
produce and at least one notification message to the depository owner at step
530.The central circuitry is also
operative to generate a one-time recipient access code for accessing the
depository to retrieve the deposit item
at step 532. The central circuitry then operates to send at least one
recipient notification message including
data corresponding to the one-time recipient access code to the portable
wireless device or other contact device
of the depository owner as represented at step 534. The central system
circuitry further operates store in
correlated relation the data corresponding to at least two of the identifying
data for the deposit item recipient,
the one-time code, the deposit item identifier, and the interior
area/depository in which the deposit item is
stored. The depository owner then travels to the depository and inputs their
identifying data wirelessly to the
RF input device of the depository as represented by step 536. This identifying
data may include an ID token
assigned through a registration process of the central system circuitry. The
control circuitry of the depository
receives the wireless messages including the identifying data at step 538 and
also operates to receive the one-
time recipient access code through the keypad, wireless portal or other input
device at step 540. The control
circuitry of the depository is then operative to send at least one depository
access request message including
data corresponding to the identification data, the input recipient access code
and the depository identifier to the
central circuitry at step 542.
The central circuitry operates to receive the data in the at least one
depository access request message
at step 544 and uses the stored data to verify at step 546 that the received
user identifying data and recipient
access code data correspond to the data for authorized access to the interior
area of the destination depository
housing the deposit item. The central circuitry then operates to send one or
more depository access approval
messages to the depository as indicated at step 548. The control circuitry of
the depository receives and
verifies the message data at step 550 and changes the condition of the lock on
the depository to the unlocked
condition as represented by step 552. The exemplary control circuitry of the
depository operates to capture
through sensors and/or input devices the deposit item identifying indicia on
the deposit item, size, property
and/or weight data associated with the deposit item being removed from the
depository as represented by step
554 and in some arrangements also captures images of the recipient depository
user and the deposit item which
are stored in the data store of the depository control circuitry along with
time data as represented at step 556.
Alternatively or in addition the user may operate their mobile wireless device
to capture images of the item
identifying indicia using a camera thereof and send it to the central
circuitry.
The exemplary control circuitry associated with the depository is operative to
send at least one parcel
removal message including data corresponding to the deposit item identifying
indicia, size, property and/or
weight data to the central circuitry as represented at step 558. The central
circuitry receives the data at step
.. 560 and at step 562 verifies that the indicia, size, property and/or weight
data sent regarding the deposit item
and the user identifying data, corresponds to the authorized removal of the
deposit item from the depository.
Date Recue/Date Received 2021-05-26
Alternatively or in addition the central circuitry receives the parcel
identifying indicia and/or other images or
data from the recipient's portable wireless device. In the exemplary
arrangement the central circuitry is
operative to determine that machine readable indicia read from the removed
deposit item corresponds to the
deposit item identifier. The central circuitry is operative at step 564 to
send one or more correct parcel
removal messages to the depository indicating that the received information is
appropriate. The control
circuitry of the depository receives the one or more correct parcel removal
messages at step 566 and provides
an indication through the one or more indicators or other output devices of
the depository that the deposit item
removal data is appropriate at step 568. Alternatively or in addition the at
least one correct parcel removal
message may be sent to the recipient device.
The exemplary control circuitry associated with the depository is then
operative to determine from the
captured image data, size, property and/or weight data the action status of
the deposit item. This is done in a
step 570 in which the action status that the deposit item has been removed
from the depository is determined.
The control circuitry then operates to sense the closing of the depository
door in step 572 and causes the
condition of the lock to be changed to the locked condition in a step 574. The
control circuitry of the
depository then operates to send one or more parcel removed messages to the
central circuitry to indicate that
the deposit item has been removed from the depository at step 576.
The exemplary central circuitry then operates to update the status data
included in one or more data
stores of the central circuitry to indicate the deposit item has been removed
from the depository as represented
in step 578. In some arrangements the central circuitry operates to send one
or more recipient confirmation
request messages to the portable wireless device or other device of the
recipient depository owner to confirm
that they have taken the deposit item as represented by step 580. The portable
wireless device or other device
of the recipient depository owner receives the receipt confirmation request
messages and provides outputs
indicating that the confirmation is requested. This is represented by a step
582. Responsive to the depository
owner providing one or more inputs to their portable wireless device or other
recipient device confirming
receipt of the deposit item, the recipient device operates to send one or more
recipient confirmation response
messages to the central circuitry as represented by step 584.
The central circuitry receives the at least one recipient confirmation
response message from the
depository owner at step 586. Responsive to receiving the confirmation that
the deposit item has been received
by the intended recipient, the central circuitry operates to send one or more
messages to the user device of the
shipper user who is responsible for causing transport of the deposit item to
the recipient. This is represented
by step 588. Receipt of the information by the shipper who is the originator
of the deposit item is represented
by step 590. The exemplary central circuitry is also operative at step 592 to
calculate the charge associated
with the transport of the deposit item and to assess the charge to the shipper
entity that requested the transport.
The entity requesting the transport is notified of the charge through one or
more messages which are sent at
step 594 and which are received by the user who is the shipper through their
portable wireless device at step
596. In the exemplary arrangement the charges are assessed to the funds source
in the manner as designated
41
Date Recue/Date Received 2021-05-26
by the user requesting transport at the time that the request was input to the
system. Of course these
approaches are exemplary and in other embodiments other approaches may be
used. For example in other
arrangements the charges may be assessed to a recipient.
The alternative exemplary logic flow when the recipient of the deposit item is
not the owner of the
destination depository is represented in Figures 31 to 34. In this exemplary
arrangement from step 528 the
central circuitry is operative to determine the deposit item recipient to be
notified as represented in step 598.
The recipient and/or recipient contact data may be included in the transport
request message. The recipient
and/or recipient contact data may alternatively be resolved by the central
circuitry from the delivery item
destination location or other data included in the request for transport based
on stored registered user data in
the at least one data store for the recipient. If the recipient is not a
registered system user the central control
circuitry may require additional information from the shipper user as part of
the transport request such as an
invoice number or other data that can be used to confirm the identity of the
recipient. The central circuitry is
further operative to determine the one-time recipient access code to be used
to access the interior area of the
depository in which the deposit item is held at step 600. The central
circuitry is also operative to determine
data stored in the associated data store which corresponds to the applicable
requirements associated with the
depository which houses the deposit item as represented at step 602. This may
include restrictions placed on
operation of the depository by the depository owner, such as limited times for
access or other requirements
which restrict use of the depository by entities other than the depository
owner. The central system circuitry
further operates to store in correlated relation the data corresponding to at
least two of the deposit item
recipient, the one-time code, the deposit item identifier, and the interior
area/depository in which the deposit
item is stored.
The exemplary central circuitry may be operative to send data corresponding to
the notification and
recipient access code and other applicable requirements to the portable
wireless device (or other device) of the
recipient in at least one notification message as represented by step 604. The
notification message may include
user identifying data for the recipient that is usable in connection with
obtaining the deposit item if the
recipient is not a registered system user who has an ID token. In some
situations the identifying data may
include an ID token or other identifying data that was provided to the
recipient during a registration process
that is required to participate in the system. The portable wireless device is
operative to provide outputs to the
recipient of the information needed to access the depository to retrieve the
deposit item. As can be
appreciated, in some arrangements the information sent to the recipient may
include GPS or other location data
that facilitates the recipient traveling to the depository to obtain the
deposit item.
In an exemplary arrangement the recipient upon being in proximity with the
depository operates their
portable wireless device to provide the user identifying data wirelessly to
the RF input device in operative
connection with the depository as represented by step 606. The depository
receives the identifying data as
represented by step 608 and also receives the one-time recipient access code
through the keypad, or wireless
portal or other input device as represented by step 610. In some cases the
recipient user may also be required
42
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to input other identifying data. The control circuitry is operative to cause
data corresponding to the received
user identifying data, the code data and depository identifying data to be
sent to the central circuitry in at least
one depository access request message as represented by step 612. The central
circuitry receives the data in
the at least one depository access request message as represented at step 614
and operates using the stored data
to verify the received user identifying data and the recipient access code
data as represented at step 616. The
central circuitry is then operative in a manner like that previously discussed
to send one or more depository
access approval messages to the depository indicating that the activity is
authorized and that the depository
interior area or particular compartment housing the deposit item should be
unlocked. This is represented by
step 618.
The control circuitry associated with the depository is operative to receive
and verify the at least one
depository access approval message from the central circuitry as represented
by step 620. Responsive at least
in part to the receipt of the messages the control circuitry is operative to
unlock the lock to the interior area
housing the deposit item as represented by step 622 and to cause the sensors
comprising reading devices to
capture the size, properties and/or weight associated with the item and the
machine readable indicia on the
deposit item removed from the interior area of the depository as represented
by step 624. Alternatively or in
addition the recipient may be prompted to capture item identifying indicia
from the parcel or other image data
through use of the camera on their portable wireless device and transmit
messages to the control circuitry or
the central circuitry including such image data and/or indicia. The control
circuitry is also operative in some
arrangements to capture images of the recipient user and the deposit item, and
store the images and size,
property and/or weight data in the data store associated with the control
circuitry along with time data as
represented by step 626.
The control circuitry associated with the depository in some arrangements is
operative to send data
corresponding to the indicia read and/or sensed from the deposit item such as
size, property and/or weight data
to the central circuitry in at least one parcel removal message as represented
by step 628. The central circuitry
receives the data from the depository and/or the recipient device as
represented by step 630 and operates to
verify that the received indicia and weight data corresponds to the
appropriate depository item and that the user
identifying data received corresponds to the authorized recipient as
represented by step 632. In an exemplary
arrangement the central circuitry is operative to verify that the machine
readable indicia read from the removed
deposit item corresponds to the delivery item identifier which identifies the
particular parcel. The central
circuitry is operative to send one or more correct parcel verification
messages to the depository indicating that
the information related to removal of the deposit item is correct. Such
messages may additionally or
alternatively be sent to the recipient device. This is represented by step
634. The control circuitry of the
depository is operative to receive the correct parcel verification messages
from the central circuitry as
represented by step 636 and to provide one or more outputs through the
indicators or other output devices on
the depository that the deposit item information is correct as represented by
step 638.
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The control circuitry of the exemplary depository is then operative to analyze
the captured image data,
size property and/or weight data to determine the action status associated
with the deposit item as represented
by step 640. In this situation the control circuitry is operative to determine
that the deposit item has been
removed from the depository. The control circuitry is also operative to sense
for closure of the depository door
as represented by step 642, and responsive to sensing the closure thereof, to
cause the lock to be returned to the
locked condition as represented by step 644. The control circuitry of the
depository is operative to send one or
more delivery completion messages to the central circuitry indicating that the
deposit item has been removed
from the depository as represented by step 646. The central circuitry is
operative to receive the delivery
completion messages from the depository and update the status data in the data
store related to the deposit item
to indicate that the deposit item has been removed from the depository as
represented in step 648.
In a manner like that previously discussed, in some arrangements the central
circuitry is further
operative to cause one or more receipt confirmation request messages to be
sent to the portable wireless device
of the recipient. This is represented by step 650. The messages request
confirmation that the deposit item has
been received by the recipient. The portable wireless device of the recipient
is operative responsive to the
messages to provide outputs requesting such confirmation as represented by
step 652. The recipient then
provides one or more inputs to their portable wireless device confirming
receipt of the deposit item as
represented by step 654. The recipient wireless device operates responsive to
the recipient inputs to send at
least one receipt confirmation response message to the central circuitry. The
central circuitry is operative to
receive the at least one receipt confirmation from the recipient at step 656,
and to send a notification message
to the user device of the shipper user that requested the transport of the
deposit item to indicate that the item
has been received at step 658. The portable wireless device of the shipper
user that requested the transport
receives one or more delivery indication messages as represented by step 660.
The exemplary central circuitry is also operative to calculate the charge to
be assessed to the shipper
user requesting transport of the deposit item for the transport thereof This
is represented by step 662. The
charge for transport is assessed to the shipper user in the manner designated
at the time of requesting shipment,
and the user is notified of the charge as represented at step 664. The user
receives the charge notifications
through their portable wireless device as represented by step 667.
Further in this exemplary arrangement because the deposit item was delivered
to the recipient through
the depository that is owned by a depository owner other than the recipient,
the depository owner receives a
payment for the associated use of their depository in connection with the
delivery of the deposit item. In the
exemplary arrangement the central circuitry is operative to calculate a
payment that is due the depository
owner as represented in a step 668. In some exemplary arrangements the central
circuitry is operative to send
one or more messages to the portable wireless device or other system device
operated by the depository owner
to indicate the receipt of the payments for the use of the depository.
Alternatively in other exemplary
arrangements, the central circuitry may operate to credit an account of the
depository owner for such use of the
depository by offsetting the amount of credits against charges to the
depository owner for acceptance, transport
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Date Recue/Date Received 2021-05-26
and/or delivery of deposit items. Of course it should be understood that these
approaches are exemplary and in
other embodiments other approaches may be used.
It should be understood that while the examples provided discuss users dealing
with a single
depository item, in exemplary systems numerous different deposit items will be
handled by each authorized
user. This may be particularly true of item carrier users that simultaneously
handle a plurality of deposit items
that are being transported as a bundle or group between different
depositories. The exemplary embodiments
help to assure that the proper depository items are removed and deposited in
the proper depository for purposes
of transporting the item to the proper destination. The ability of the
exemplary arrangements to provide an
indication of any incorrect actions and to track the whereabouts of deposit
items within the system at all times
facilitates the prompt and reliable transport and delivery of such depository
items.
Further the exemplary arrangements provide advantages for transport of items
between depositories
by enabling the transport to be made by individuals who often are otherwise
commuting or otherwise traveling
to locations where item transport can be conducted as an ancillary activity
that generates revenue for the users.
Such transport can also be made in incremental steps as previously discussed
based on the available transport
users. The ability to utilize such user resources can also provide more
options for transport of items, while
reducing costs compared to scheduled transport systems.
As previously discussed in other exemplary arrangements item carriers may
deliver deposit items to
recipient addresses rather than to an item depository as a final destination.
In such arrangements the item
carrier may use their carrier contact device for purposes of documenting the
delivery to the recipient. This
may include for example, using the carrier contact device as a reader to
capture images of the deposit item,
including the identifying indicia on the parcel, showing the parcel placed at
the delivery location.
Alternatively or in addition an item carrier may utilize the carrier contact
device and the camera thereon to
capture images that show the recipient facility or the individual to whom the
item is delivered. In still other
exemplary arrangements the item carrier device may be operated by the item
carrier to receive audio or
audiovisual acknowledgments from the recipient to document the delivery of the
parcel. Exemplary carrier
contact devices may also include circuit executable instructions that enable
the item carrier to capture a
"signature" of the parcel recipient through signature capture via recipient
finger contact with the touchscreen
of the carrier contact device or through other types of inputs which the
recipient has agreed correspond to their
legal signature. Messages including the parcel identifying indicia, and
delivery documentation are transmitted
to the central system circuitry from the carrier contact device. In some
arrangements the data sent may also
include position data, such as GPS data, which is indicative of the location
and time at which such
documentation was captured. Such information may be imbedded in metadata of
captured images for example.
The exemplary central system circuitry is operative to store in at least one
data store the delivery
documentation in connection with the other data related to the delivery item.
Such record information related
to the delivery of the parcel may be stored in at least one data store in
connection with the central circuitry for
a programmed period of time so that the delivery thereof to the recipient can
be audited and documented in the
Date Recue/Date Received 2021-05-26
event that questions arise as to the delivery or disposition of the particular
parcel. Of course these approaches
are exemplary and in other arrangements other approaches may be used.
Similar approaches may be used in some exemplary arrangements to have an item
carrier pick up
deposit items at an originating shipper address. The item carrier may operate
their mobile device to capture the
item identifying information and other item and shipper information to
document acceptance of the item for
transport.
In exemplary arrangements the central system or other connected systems may be
further operative to
assure that the depositories operate properly and that malfunctions or
anomalies are detected and corrected
promptly. For example in exemplary arrangements the central system may operate
to receive information from
the control circuitry associated with each depository that is indicative of
conditions or statuses associated with
the devices that are included as part of the depository or that are in
operative connection therewith. In some
exemplary arrangements the control circuitry of each depository may be
operative to automatically report
condition and/or status information on a periodic basis to the central
circuitry. Alternatively or in addition the
central circuitry may be operative to periodically poll the control circuitry
of each depository, which polling
messages are operative to cause sending of information by the depository, and
the receipt of the condition or
status information by the central circuitry. Various combinations of such
techniques and alternative
arrangements for obtaining condition and status information associated with
depositories may be provided in
exemplary arrangements.
The control circuitry of depositories in some exemplary arrangements may be
operative in accordance
with circuit executable instructions to monitor signals associated with the
devices included in or connected to
the depository. This may include sensors which are operative to detect errors
or malfunctions. For example,
the control circuitry may operate to detect situations where sensors such as
cameras or other image capture
devices associated with the depository are no longer operative to send image
signals or have degraded clarity
so as to indicate a loss of image capture capability. Other signals may be
operative to detect a malfunction of
other sensors, such as switches that are operative to determine the status of
the depository door or other
component monitored by the switch. In other exemplary arrangements conditions
associated with the lock or
locks associated with the depository door may be monitored for purposes of
detecting a malfunction or
possible efforts at tampering. In some exemplary arrangements the circuitry
may operate to monitor the
operation of the one or more sensors, such as property sensors of the types
previously discussed. Property
sensors such as weight sensors, size sensors, image sensors, and other sensor
types are monitored to determine
if a sensor has malfunctioned or has decreased sensitivity. Other sensors may
operate to detect abnormal
conditions such as high or low temperatures which may indicate a problem or a
malfunction. Other sensors
may operate to detect smoke or other particulate matter which may indicate
combustion or other possible
problems. Additional sensors may be operative to detect the temperature of the
control circuitry, a power
supply and/or a battery or other element in connection therewith, for purposes
of determining a possible
malfunction.
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Date Recue/Date Received 2021-05-26
In other exemplary arrangements conditions associated with sensors or devices
may be monitored to
determine malfunctions or other conditions indicative of problems or a
probable future problem. For example,
if the depository is located in an environment that needs to be illuminated
such as during evening hours,
sensors may be operative to monitor for the presence of a level of ambient
lighting that operates to illuminate
the area of the depository for security reasons. The absence of a sufficient
level of ambient illumination may
be detected as an unacceptable condition which needs to be remedied by the
replacement of bulbs or other
illumination devices in the area of the depository. Further in exemplary
arrangements the circuitry may be in
operative connection with sensors that are operative to detect the power draw
associated with the operation of
depository devices. For example the control circuitry may be operative to
detect the power draw associated
with the electrical actuation needed for locking or unlocking the lock of the
depository. The values associated
with the power required for such activity may be stored and monitored over
time so that changes indicative of
a developing problem due to changes can be determined. Alternatively or in
addition, conditions associated
with the available power capabilities provided by a battery and/or solar cells
may be monitored to identify
circumstances or trends which indicate that the battery and/or solar power
source has failed or is exhibiting
conditions which correspond to probable upcoming failure. In some exemplary
arrangements such data may
be stored and monitored over time. Such data may be analyzed to determine
trends which are indicative of the
particular component nearing an end-of-life condition or a probable future
malfunction.
In other exemplary arrangements the control circuitry may operate to monitor
connectivity associated
with wireless communications or other communication channels for purposes of
verifying that the depository
is maintaining the required communications capability with the central system.
The inability to maintain such
communications capability over a period of time may indicate problems
associated with the control circuitry
and/or the network in which the depository is connected. Further in exemplary
arrangements the depository
may include sensors which may sense conditions that are indicative of a
criminal attack on the depository.
These may include for example conductivity integrity sensors which are
positioned in the walls, a bottom
and/or one or more doors of the depository and which are operative to detect
holes, cutting action or other
attempts to access the depository interior. In other exemplary arrangements
seismic sensors may be included
in depositories for purposes of detecting circumstances under which a
depository may be moved or may be
subject to impacts for purposes of attempting to steal or breach the
depository. Still in other exemplary
arrangements sensors may be provided in or adjacent to the depository for
purposes of determining external
conditions such as fire, smoke, heat, flood or other conditions which are
problematic to the operation of the
depository unit. Of course these conditions which may be monitored and
analyzed are exemplary, and in other
embodiments other conditions may be detected and approaches may be used.
In exemplary arrangements the control circuitry associated with the depository
may operate to analyze
signals or conditions, and send messages to notify the central system
circuitry of the particular condition. In
some exemplary arrangements the depository control circuitry may be configured
to operate so that detection
of the condition may be automatically notified to the central system circuitry
as soon as it is detected. This
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Date Recue/Date Received 2021-05-26
may include categories of urgent conditions such as circumstances which
correspond to criminal attacks that
attempt to access the interior of the depository. In other circumstances data
corresponding to other less urgent
conditions may be stored as status data in one or more data stores associated
with the depository control
circuitry. Such status condition information may be sent individually or in
combination with other status
information to the central system circuitry when the depository is polled or
otherwise requested to submit
status data. Of course these approaches are exemplary and in other embodiments
other approaches may be
used.
In some exemplary arrangements the central system circuitry may be operative
to include data
corresponding to acceptable operating parameters and ranges for the operation
of components included in
depositories. Such stored data may correspond to a model, template or other
arrangement of information that
provides suitable ranges for detected readings, parameters or conditions when
a depository is operating
properly. In exemplary arrangements communications between the central system
circuitry and the control
circuitry of each depository may be operative to determine the information
from the depository necessary to
compare the status information associated with the depository to the stored
data. The central circuitry may
operate in accordance with its programmed instructions to identify anomalies
or irregularities in the data from
the depository and to determine the condition or conditions indicated by this
data. Further in exemplary
arrangements the central circuitry may be operative to identify the remedial
actions that are necessary in
response to the data that is received from a depository.
In exemplary arrangements in response to determining abnormal conditions,
problems, malfunctions
or developing conditions at a depository, the central system circuitry may
operate in accordance with its
programmed circuit instructions to take programmed actions in response to such
determinations. Such
programmed actions may include for example, sending one or more messages to
other systems to indicate the
need for repair, servicing or other actions associated with the particular
depository. In other circumstances
such actions may include notifying appropriate authorities of the condition at
a depository. For example if the
detected condition includes an attempted theft, breach of the depository or
fire condition, the central system
circuitry may operate to notify appropriate police or fire authorities in the
area where the depository is located.
In other circumstances the central system circuitry may operate in accordance
with its programming to
communicate with other systems to schedule a service call or other remedial or
preventive maintenance at the
particular depository to correct conditions and/or to replace parts that may
be reaching the predicted end of
useful life. Of course these approaches are exemplary and in other embodiments
other approaches may be
used.
In still other exemplary arrangements the central system circuitry may be
operative to communicate
with the depository to attempt remote correction of problematic conditions
which are detected. For example,
in circumstances where the depository or device included therein may not be
operating in a proper manner, the
exemplary system may operate to download to the control circuitry of the
depository, circuit executable
instructions that may correct or reduce the effect of the problem. This may
include for example, downloading
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Date Recue/Date Received 2021-05-26
to the control circuitry of the depository a substitute script to be executed
by the control circuitry for purposes
of controlling a particular device. The central system may cause the download
of instructions that cause the
control circuitry of the depository to execute the substitute script and
report the results to the central system.
The results reported may indicate further steps that can be taken by the
central system through detecting
signals from the control circuitry and downloading further scripts or other
instructions for purposes of
remotely determining the problem and/or making corrections. In other
arrangements the central system may
operate to cause the control circuitry of a depository or devices connected
thereto to reboot or otherwise
initialize in an attempt to address problems or correct anomalies. Of course
it should be understood that these
approaches are exemplary and in other embodiments numerous other approaches
may be used.
As illustrated in Figure 35 there is provided an exemplary parcel transaction
monitor 3501, for a
monitored-access parcel depository, which is alternatively referred to herein
as a repository or a lock box.
Deposit items and delivery items are alternatively referred to herein as
parcels or packages. The exemplary
repository (not shown), includes control circuitry including at least one
controller 3502 with sensor/actuator
arrays 3503 and 3504 respectively. The control circuitry is operable to
monitor parcel transactions for at least
one of parcel delivery or parcel extraction transactions in relation to said
repository, and providing for at least
one of:
= An incipient transaction detection module 3505 for prospectively
detecting an incipient parcel
transaction in relation to the repository of an at least one of a possible
parcel for delivery transaction, or a
possible parcel carrier intent on a repository parcel transaction;
= A parcel transaction characterization module 3506 for differentially
characterizing a parcel
transaction; or,
= A parcel-inventory and transaction-recording module 3507 for sensing a
change in repository
parcel inventory resulting from a repository parcel transaction.
These exemplary modules are adapted to variously employ elements and functions
of said controller
and array for the respective operations thereof, and the elements and
functions of the controller and array may
be variously shared between the modules in the execution of their respective
operations.
An incipient transaction detection module 3505 is comprised of a controller
3502 and sensor/actuator
arrays 3504/3503 for use with a controlled-access parcel repository which
includes an at least one sensor for
detecting proximity (which may involve physical contact with the repository or
something more distant) of a
possible parcel for delivery or a possible parcel carrier intent on a
repository parcel transaction.
By way of example, this module may employ for this purpose, the controller
with ones or
combinations of sensors/actuators of said array, including:
= Accelerometers, or similar repository movement or contact detectors,
(e.g. even something as
simple as a contact switch ¨ such as a button or a keyboard, or the operation
of a parcel repository access door
or chute);
= Ultrasonic, photoelectric, infra-red, exogenous motion or presence
detectors; or,
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Date Recue/Date Received 2021-05-26
= Proximity or estimated time of arrival by radio-frequency ¨ e.g. by
tracking a parcel or its
carrier location using a GPS signal through a smart phone or other
communications device (geo fencing, geo
location etc.), or more locally by detecting an RFID or NFC device signal, a
Bluetooth device or the like.
The proximity detection module may, on detection of such proximity, and
presupposing thereby a
possible parcel for delivery or a possible parcel carrier intent on a
repository parcel transaction, may be
operable to further actuate one or both of the other modules. Accordingly
therefore in aspects of exemplary
arrangements the incipient transaction detection module may further operate an
at least one actuator for:
= actuating a parcel transaction characterization module of said controlled-
access parcel
repository for differentially characterizing a parcel transaction.
= actuating a parcel-inventory and transaction-recording module for
sensing a change in
repository parcel inventory resulting from a repository parcel transaction.
In this way the transaction detection module may power-up other repository
modules which may have
been turned off or in a hibernating mode in the absence of a prospective
parcel transaction (as a power
conservation measure, or to prepare such modules for use, in order to expedite
the impending parcel
transaction).
In an aspect of an exemplary arrangement a parcel transaction characterization
module is comprised of
a controller and sensor/actuator array for use with a controlled-access parcel
repository, and including at least
one automated sensor operable to facilitate at least one of package or item
carrier identification sensing of a
corresponding at least one of a possible package or possible carrier
presenting at said repository, wherein said
module differentiates sensed identification sensor input thereof to
correspondingly:
= facilitate an impending pre-authorized transaction corresponding to said
identification; or,
= call for a real-time ad hoc user-mediated authorization for an impending
transaction, and
facilitate a call-responsive ad hoc user-mediated authorization for said
impending transaction; or,
= decline (by default, in the absence of at least one of the two above
mentioned "authorizations"
to actively facilitate an otherwise unauthorized impending transaction.
Sensed identification sensor may be a controller and array associated camera
(which may include a
facial recognition facility) or scanner (e.g. bar code, or QR code or the
like), a voice or other acoustic input
recognition sensor, an RFID, Bluetooth or other parcel transaction identifier
for input into said module to
differentiate between and selectively facilitate the above operations.
In the instance of an impending pre-authorized transaction corresponding to
said sensed identification
input, this module may employ a controller/array associated communications
module 3508 to signal specifics
of the impending transaction to, for example, the repositories owner/user
and/or the parcel carrier or carrier
service.
In calling for a real-time ad hoc user-mediated authorization for an impending
transaction the parcel
transaction characterization module may actuate a communications module (which
the controller includes or
Date Recue/Date Received 2021-05-26
provides access to), to contact a user with a request for authorization of the
impending parcel transaction ¨ and
subject to a user's authorizing response thereto, to facilitate the impending
transaction as an authorized one.
In an instance of an identified pre-authorized transaction, or an instance
wherein a real-time ad hoc
user-mediated authorization is received in response to a call therefore, the
parcel transaction characterization
module may signal a latching actuator, as elaborated below in relation to an
accessibility control according to
an aspect of an exemplary arrangement.
Where the module operates otherwise than in facilitating an authorized
transaction, it may be operable
to notify a user (e.g. through said communications module as aforesaid) of an
unauthorized characterization
status of the presumed parcel transaction.
In another aspect of an exemplary arrangement there is provided a parcel-
inventory and transaction-
recording module, for use with a controlled-access parcel repository including
an at least one sensor for
sensing a change in package inventory resulting from a repository parcel
transaction.
Parcel sizes may be employed (scanned or otherwise sensed as for example by
photo-detectors
adapted to detect the presence of parcels through interruption of a light
beam), or recorded images of the
parcels may be stored for these purposes, but an exemplary operation senses
parcel weights, by way of a
weight (e.g. load) sensor that measures the accumulated parcel weight secured
within the interior of the
repository. The load or other inventory sensor communicates with a controller-
associated memory to log
changes in the sensed weight in association with changes in the parcel
inventory. In an exemplary
arrangement, such a memory correlates parcel transaction identifications with
the particular weight change
(and time for embodiments where the controller includes a clock facility for
such a purpose) associated with
the sensed change in the repository's parcel inventory.
In an exemplary arrangement, there is provided an accessibility control, for a
controlled-access parcel
repository, and comprised of at least one controller with a sensor/actuator
array operable to selectively control
access to said parcel repository, and comprised of at least one controller
with a sensor/actuator array operable
to facilitate controlled-access parcel transactions for at least one of parcel
delivery or parcel extraction
transactions in relation to said repository, and providing a parcel
transaction characterization module for
facilitating selective locking and unlocking operations of a repository lock
actuator, in association with
authorized parcel transactions characterized by said parcel transaction
characterization module. A latching
mechanism may be operated by an actuator through the controller operation by
the parcel transaction
characterization module.
The accessibility control may be used in association with any controlled
access repository, including
by way of example only, a building's vestibule, a parcel through-wall passage
portal, a garage door, a storage
shed, a chest or lock box or other such providing restricted access to an
interior space serving to secure parcels
reposing therein. Repositories of exemplary arrangements may, in addition to a
secured access thereto, may
also provide an unsecured access for facilitating parcel deliveries ¨ see for
example the provision of a one-way
chute in the repository embodiment depicted in Figures 36 through 39, which
may provide for delivery of
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Date Recue/Date Received 2021-05-26
parcels notwithstanding the authorization status associated with any given
delivery. In such cases, the
accessibility control may be used to selectively facilitate authorized access
to restricted areas of the repository
in question.
The accessibility control herein may further provide for at least one of the
incipient transaction
detection module or the parcel-inventory and transaction-recording modules
mentioned elsewhere herein.
In general, including in conjunction with modules 3505 ¨ 3507, communications
module 3508 may be
operated through controller 3505 to communicate sensor-related signals to
parties variously involved in a
parcel transaction; and to receive authorization and to control signals from
such parties, to operate actuators
associated with actuator array 3504. Cellular, Wi-Fi, land line, internet, or
other communications channels may
be employed in this connection. Other exemplary aspects of the controller and
array features relating to an
exemplary arrangement are disclosed in relation to the embodiments of Figures
40 through 44 described
elsewhere herein.
Referring now also to Figures 36 through 39 there is illustrated various views
of an example of a
parcel repository related to aspects of exemplary arrangements.
In accordance with an aspect of an exemplary arrangement, there is provided a
parcel repository
comprising a free-standing parcel repository 3601, defining an enclosure
comprised, in part, by a top panel
3602a adapted to cooperate with the enclosure's sides, back and bottom panel
assembly 3602b, and a molded
cabinet face frame 3602c.
This repository includes a one-way delivery chute 3603, providing an access
portal for introduction
and passage of a parcel delivery into said repository, but further including a
gate for interfering with removal
through that chute, of parcels secured within a secured storage bay portion of
the repository. External portions
of the chute which will be considered a door for purposes of this disclosure,
include a delivery chute front
panel 3603a, and a hinge 3603b for facilitating opening and closing of the
panel as well as operation of the
chute 3603 more generally.
This repository further includes a selectively securable (e.g.
locked/unlocked) parcel storage bay 3604
having a hinged storage bay door hinge 3604a and a corresponding hinge 3604b
to facilitate the opening and
closing thereof Storage bay 3604 corresponds to an interior area of the
repository.
Hinges 3603b and 3604b are mounted on respective portions of frame portion of
the cabinet face
3602c.
This repository arrangement (by way of example) provides for two delivery
modalities: one
facilitated through one-way delivery chute 3603; and the other directly into
storage bay 3604 through
selectively secured hinged door 3604a. However, of these two distinct delivery
modalities, only the hinged
door 3604a is adapted to facilitate withdrawal of parcels from the storage bay
3604. This arrangement flexibly
facilitates parcel deliveries to be made without necessarily requiring any
particular pre-authorization or real-
time authorization, but necessitates authorized access to storage bay 3604 in
order to remove delivered parcels
from the secured storage bay 3604.
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Date Recue/Date Received 2021-05-26
Repository 3601 also provides for an inner-delivery chute front interior panel
3603c for supporting
parcels for delivery during parcel introduction through delivery chute 3603 on
its way into storage bay 3604.
Chute 3603 is opened for a delivery transaction, by drawing a recessed handle
3603i forward and downwardly,
rotating front panel 3603a and attached front interior panel 3603c outwardly
together, around hinge 3603b.
Pivot anchors 3603f (secured to front interior panel 3603c), in turn draw
outwardly and downwardly through
pivot pins 3603k, pulling tray 3603h to rotate by the pivot pins 3603k which
are connected to connecting arms
3603e to anchor 3603j on the tray. Tray 3603h rotates in response to this
action, around tray pivots 3603g that
connect tray 3603h to enclosure side and back and bottom panel assembly 3602b
¨ and into a position that
provides a generally coplanar delivery chute surface alignment with front
interior panel 3603c. That co-planar
alignment facilitates the transfer of a parcel from the panel 3603c onto the
receiving surface 3603d of tray
3603h.
With a parcel positioned on the receiving surface 3603d of tray 3603h, the
return of front panel 3603a
towards its upright and ultimately re-closed position, rotates tray 3603h from
the coplanar alignment
mentioned above, into an inclined orientation, which induces the parcel to
slide along and ultimately off of
supporting tray 3603h, to release the parcel into the repository's interior
area, where delivered parcels
accumulate in storage bay 3604, in supported relation on parcel repository bay
floor 3608.
In the illustrated embodiment, parcel delivery transactions made through the
chute are not restricted
by the operation of the accessibility control.
Parcel bay floor 3608 is connected with a load sensor 3607, which is operable
to sense
increases/decreases in the accumulated weight of delivered parcels stored
within storage bay 3604 on bay floor
3608, as parcels are added by delivery transactions, or removed during pickup
transactions to and from
repository 3601.
Controller 3609 is connected to an array of sensors and actuators, including
latch actuator 3604c an
acoustic transducer 3610, an on-board camera/scanner (not shown), and load
sensor 3607. Controller 3609
also includes a power management connection for selectively powering the
repository operations using a utility
line voltage source (not shown) or battery power from battery 3606, or other
power sources (not shown, but
including by way of example, solar panels) The exemplary controller 3609 is
also in operative connection with
a wireless antenna 3605 to provide wireless communications.
The on-board camera provides for video and/or still pictures, as well as for
bar-code/QR-code scan
sensing. The acoustic transducer 3610 provides for audio signaling, and
optionally for audio pick-up (sound
sensing). Load sensor 3607 senses weight changes reflecting changes in parcel
inventory secured within
repository 3601 interior area ¨ and may further associate weight changes with
particular parcel transactions.
Latch actuator 3604c facilitates locking and unlocking operations of door
3604a to provide selective access to
storage bay 3604.
Referring now to Figures 40 through 44, there are illustrated examples of
aspects of exemplary
arrangements relating to a delivery lock box (i.e. repository) controller (or
controller module) for operating a
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Date Recue/Date Received 2021-05-26
delivery lock box, and comprises a controller operable for controlling lock
box peripherals of arrays thereof to
provide discrete modular functionalities variously related to unattended-
delivery lock box convenience as well
as operational and forensic security, but more particularly to providing
combinations of modular functions
variously cooperating for providing augmented, and in some embodiments, real-
time remote user interface
.. access for such operational/forensic security. In accordance with an
exemplary arrangement there is provided
discrete modular functionalities variously related to unattended-delivery lock
box convenience as well as
operational and forensic security, as well as providing combinations of
modular functions cooperating
variously for providing augmented, and in some embodiments, real-time remote
user interface access for such
operational/forensic security. More particularly, exemplary arrangements
include a (e.g. package) delivery
lock box controller module for operating a delivery lock box having a
controller operable for controlling lock
box peripherals including one or more of: a lock box communications module; a
camera and image recording
module; a proximity detection sensor module; a lock box motion/shock detection
sensor module; and/or a
remote lock actuator module.
The lock box communications module is adapted to facilitate RF (radio
frequency) communication of
.. lock box peripherals data to a lock box user, and may additionally
variously facilitate lock box peripheral
control by the user.
The camera and image recording module is adapted to be selectively operable
for pre-determinedly
capturing and recording at least one image of at least a portion of the lock
boxes surroundings. In an aspect of
the present arrangement, the camera may also serve a scanner/reader function.
The proximity detection sensor module may serve in the detection of a
triggering presence within a
range proximal to the lock box and signaling (buzzer or other acoustical
device, or RF e.g. through the lock
box communications module) a proximity notification of such presence.
The lock box motion/shock detection sensor module, operable for detecting a
triggering lock box
motion or shock and signaling (buzzer or other acoustic or illumination
device, or RF signaling e.g. through
the lock box communications module) a motion/shock detection notification.
The remote lock actuator module operable by an authorized remote user to
operate the lock actuator
module's lock actuator.
A controller module in the context of exemplary arrangements can be, for
example, a chip, an
expansion card, or a stand-alone device that interfaces with one or more
peripheral devices. Preferably, the
controller module comprises a single board implementation comprising a central
processing unit (processor)
that processes data, memory that holds the programs and data to be processed
(although memory may
alternatively be located off-board), and I/O (input/output) devices as
interfaces that communicate with diverse
peripheral devices.
Figure 40 schematically depicts an embodiment of a control module 4001
according to an exemplary
arrangement, comprising a printed circuit board 4002, a processor 4003, a
memory 4004, an I/O processor
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Date Recue/Date Received 2021-05-26
interface 4005, and on-board I/O devices 4006 and I/O pin socket 4007 for
connection to off-board I/O devices
(not shown).
In accordance with the exemplary arrangement, computer buses of one form or
another facilitate data
transactions between the processor, memory and these peripherals.
Referring now to Figure 41, a block schematic representation is provided to
illustrate a generalized
relationship between processor 4003, memory 4004, and a plurality of interface
devices 4005a, 4005b and
4005c associated with respective peripherals 4007a, 4007b and 4007c. Memory
bus 4008, address bus 4009
and control bus 4010 are also illustrated in an intermediary relationship with
the processor 4003, the interface
devices 4005a-c.
The control bus is used by the processor for communicating with other devices,
while the address bus
carries the information about the device with which the processor is
communicating and the data bus carries
the actual data being processed, and the control bus carries commands from the
processor and returns status
signals from the devices. Where an address bus is used to specify a physical
address ¨ such that when a
processor or direct memory access (DMA) enabled device needs to read or write
to a memory location, the
address bus specifies that memory location on the address bus, but the data
value to be read or written to or
from that address, is sent on the data bus. The memory bus typically connects
the main memory to the memory
controller and are often designed to connect directly to DRAM chips.
Referring now to Figure 42 there is depicted a function block diagram
depicting processor 4003
interactions with interface 4005, through the data bus 4008, the address bus
4009, and in the case of the control
bus 4010 as I/O read and I/O write transactions 4010a and 4010b. Interface
4005 in turn, transacts with I/O
devices such as devices 4006 or peripherals 4007a-c, through an I/O bus 4011
including data validation and
acceptance transactions 4012 and 4013.
Referring now to Figure 43, an exemplary embodiment of the controller module
is illustrated.
A main controller board 4002a, includes a general purpose I/O pin socket 4007,
servicing: door
lock/position sensors 4007d, for lock and door position sensors associated
with a delivery lock box locker
door(s); internal lighting control 4007e; external proximity sensor(s) 4007f;
and, a motion detector
(accelerometer) 4007g.
Controller board 4002a further includes a PWM (pulse width modulation) output
4014 for controlling
analog circuits with a microprocessor's digital outputs ¨ in this instance, a
transaction interaction buzzer 4007h
and a theft alarm 4007i.
Also provided on controller board 4002a, is a DSPI serial interface connection
4015 which is a fully
configurable SPI master/slave device, facilitating the microcontroller's
communication with serial peripheral
devices ¨ in this case an SD memory card 4019.
Controller board 4002a also provides for a universal asynchronous
receiver/transmitter (UART) to
serial peripheral interface (SPI) interface connection 4016, which is used for
communication between SPI
Date Recue/Date Received 2021-05-26
slave devices (from a processor) and a UART port ¨ in this instance providing
for a Wi-Fi/Bluetooth radio
peripheral 4020.
MIPI/USB interface connector 4017 enables USB connectivity to any image sensor
which is
compliant with Mobile Industry Processor Interface (MIPI) Camera Serial
Interface standard ¨ connected in
this case to camera/jpeg encoder 4021.
Controller board 4002a also supports an i.MX6 processor 4018. Processor 4018
facilitates high-
performance scalable multimedia processing, and includes integrated power
management based on an ARM
Cortex-A9 processor supporting HD 1080p encode and decode operation and having
integrated I/O for MIPI
CSI-2 camera, Gigabit Ethernet, multiple USB and PCI I/O. Power management is
facilitated in conjunction
.. with processor 4018, by way of power controller 4022, to control a hybrid
power system based on solar cells
4023 and lithium batteries 4024.
Referring now to Figure 44, an alternative embodiment depicting a controller
board housing 4051,
housing a controller board 4051a. Controller board 4051a can be designed to
support a generic application
processor, however, processor 4052 in this depicted embodiment is a PICO-IMX6
including an ARM Cortex-
A9 NXP i.MX6, Small Footprint, System-on-Module (SoM) having WiFi 802.11ac and
Bluetooth v. 4.1
communication interfaces providing a compact form factor optimized for free-
standing applications with IoT
connectedness. Alternative embodiments may employ other processors, such as
ARM core processors, or
ARM Cortex processors, such as for example, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 410e which
is an ARM Cortex A53
processor.
Processor 4052 provides I2C bus connections 4053, 4054 and 4055. The I2C bus
is a serial, half-
duplex - I2C (Inter-Integrated Circuit), synchronous, multi-master, multi-
slave, packet switched, single-ended,
serial computer bus for attaching lower-speed peripheral ICs to processors and
microcontrollers in short-
distance, intra-board communications.
Connection 4053 is connected to GPIO expanders 4053a which are TCA5416A I/O
expanders for the
two-line bidirectional (I2C) bus and are designed to provide general-purpose
remote I/O expansion through the
12C interface. Expanders 4053a are in turn connected to a blue tooth wifi
pairing button 4043b; an FET switch
4053c which is adapted to be connected through enclosure 405 lto a connector
405 lb and corresponding
delivery lock box connector 4051c, to delivery lock box external LED lights
4053e; an FET switch 4053d
which is adapted to be connected through connectors 405 lb and 4051c, to
delivery lock box door locks
actuators 4053f; and through connectors 4051b and 40451c to delivery lock box
open door sensors (door
µ`open" contact) 4053g. Connector 4053h connects to delivery lock box internal
LED lighting, and is co-
operable with sensors 4053g.
Connection 4054 supports both an accelerometer 4054a and a motion detection
module 4054b.
Accelerometer 4054a is provided by an L5M303 breakout board which combines a
magnetometer/compass module with a triple-axis accelerometer in a compact
navigation subsystem, and its
two pin I2C interface can be shared by other I2C devices, in this case
including module 4054b.
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Date Recue/Date Received 2021-05-26
Motion detection module 4054b provides a motion sensor connection using an
LTC2451 16-bit,
analog-to-digital converter which also communicates through the 12C interface
4054. It includes an integrated
oscillator that does not require any external components and employs a delta-
sigma modulator as a converter
core and provides single-cycle settling time for multiplexed applications. The
LTC2451 includes input
sampling scheme that reduces the average input sampling current several orders
of magnitude lower than
conventional AE converters. The LTC2451 is capable of up to 60 conversions per
second and, due to the very
large oversampling ratio, has extremely relaxed antialiasing requirements. It
connects through pin connector
4054c to motion sensor 4054d.
Connection 4055 connects processor 4052 to a separate, delivery lock box fuel
gauge circuit board
4055a carrying an LTC2943 module which measures battery charge state, battery
voltage, battery current for
battery bank 4055b, as well as its own temperature in standalone applications.
A precision coulomb counter
integrates current through a sensing resistor between the battery's positive
terminal and the load or charger.
Voltage, current and temperature are measured with an internal 14-bit No
Latency ATM ADC and the
measurements are stored in internal registers accessible via the onboard
FC/SMBus Interface. The LTC2943 is
programmable for setting high and low thresholds for all four measured
quantities. If a programmed threshold
is exceeded, the device communicates an alert by setting a flag in the
internal status register. The LTC2943
requires only a single low value sensing resistor to set the measured current
range.
Processor 4052 further includes a PWM (pulse width modulation) output 4056 for
controlling analog
circuits with a microprocessor's digital outputs ¨ in this instance, a buzzer
speaker or other audio transducer
.. 4056a. An SD card connector 4057 and a Wi-Fi Bluetooth connector 4058 are
also provided. Bluetooth
connector 4058 is connected to an active antenna power module 4058a. Connector
4058b provides for the
connection of a Wi-Fi/Bluetooth antenna.
The SD card connector 4057 is interconnected with an SD card slot 4057a,
mounted on controller
board 4051a. An SD card (Secure Digital Card), not shown, is inserted into
slot 4057a to provide reliable data
storage in a small form factor for, inter alia, digital camera images, etc. SD
cards contain an internal controller
interface that handles all internal flash memory operations and data transfer
between the processor 4052 and
the card is done in 512 byte block, clock serial mode ¨ using a selected one
of two bus protocols defined for
SD cards, (the default native SD mode or a slower SPI mode).
Processor 4052 also provides for a UART connection 4059, communicating with a
Debug TTL UART
4059a.
GPIO connection 4060 on processor 4052, supports an LT3651 automatic lithium
ion battery charger
circuit 4060a which functions as a solar charge controller (in conjunction
with power supply module 4060b),
charge regulator and battery regulator to limit the rate at which electric
current is added to or drawn from
battery bank 4055b electric batteries. Circuit 4060a prevents overcharging and
may protect against
overvoltage, which can reduce battery performance or lifespan, and may pose a
safety risk. It may also prevent
completely draining ("deep discharging") a battery, or perform controlled
discharges, depending on the battery
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Date Recue/Date Received 2021-05-26
technology, to protect battery life. Connector 4060c provides for the
connection of solar panels or external DC
power supplies.
Processor 4052 provides a camera Serial Interface (CSI) 4061 conforming to
MIPI Alliance
specifications that provide for an interface between a camera and host
processor 4052. Interface 4061 connects
to a MIPI connection 4061a which in turn is connected to an 0V5645 high
performance, 5-megapixel system-
on-chip (SOC) 4061b. This sensor's single MIPI port replaces both a bandwidth-
limited DVP interface and a
costly embedded JPEG compressor, with attendant savings on silicon footprint
and cost.
USB host connector 4062 connects to a USB to SATA bridge 4062a. Bridge 4062a
is a TUSB9261
ARM Cortex M3 microcontroller based USB 3.0 to serial ATA bridge. It
provides the necessary hardware
and firmware to implement a USB attached SCSI protocol (UASP)-compliant mass
storage device suitable for
bridging hard disk drives (HDD), solid state disk drives (SSD), optical
drives, and other compatible SATA 1.5-
Gbps or SATA 3.0-Gbps devices to a USB 3.0 bus. Bridge 4062a connects in turn
to SATA/PWR connector
4062b.
Serial Peripheral Interface bus (SPI) is a synchronous serial communication
interface 4063a for
connecting to an analog to digital converter 4063a. Converter 4063a is an
ADS1148 device providing 16-bit
analog-to-digital converter that includes many integrated features to reduce
system cost and component count
for sensor measurement applications ¨ including a low-noise, programmable gain
amplifier (PGA), a precision
delta-sigma (As) ADC with a single-cycle settling digital filter, and an
internal oscillator and a built-in, low-
drift voltage reference, and two matched programmable excitation current
sources (IDACs).
GPIO interface 4064 connects though FET switches 4064a to control LED lights
connected through
connectors 4053e and 4053h.
Referring now to the drawings in general: One aspect of an exemplary
arrangement provides for a
delivery lock box controller module, housed for example in a housing 4051, and
adapted for operating a
delivery lock box (not shown). This aspect of the exemplary arrangement
comprises a controller (such as
controller board 4051a and processor 4052), that is operable for controlling
lock box peripherals. In particular,
the module according to this aspect of the exemplary arrangement provides for
a remote lock actuator module
that is operable by an authorized remote user. The remote lock actuator module
comprises processor 4052 and
12C bus connection 4053, GPIO expanders 4053a, FET switch 4053d and enclosure
connector 405 lb. With
enclosure connector 405 lb engaged with delivery lock box connector 4051c,
processor 4052 may be instructed
by an authorized user, to operate lock box door lock actuators 4053f to in
turn permit access to the lock box
interior and thereby facilitate introduction or removal of lock box contents.
Preferably, the operation of the
lock box door lock actuators 4053f is attended by the operation of lock box
external LED lights 4053e by
processor 4052 acting across the connection of connectors 405 lb and 4051c,
and by way of FET switch 4053c,
GPIO expanders 4053a and FC bus connection 4053 of processor 4052. This
arrangement can draw a
delivery agent's attention to the lock box and aid in the delivery agent's
completion of the user-authorized lock
box transaction. This can be important since it is often desirable for the
lock box installation to be discretely
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Date Recue/Date Received 2021-05-26
placed, and/or to have it fit unobtrusively into the local decor. Note too,
however, that external LED lights
4053e can be operated by processor 4052 independently of the operation of door
lock actuators 4053f. This
facility for independent operation of external LED lights 4053e permits them
to be used simply as a local
source of augmented lighting; or as a flashing light source in the case of an
emergency or security threat
without occasioning the concurrent release of the locks. Moreover lock box
internal LED operation through
connector 4053h is also independent of the operation of external LED lights
4053e, and operate instead in
cooperation with open door sensor 4053g with its connections through
connectors 405 lb and 4051c, GPIO
expanders 4053a, I2C bus connections 4053 to processor 4052. This represents a
power saving in
circumstances where illumination of the lock box interior is not required and
is an important consideration for
lock box installations that function without recourse to the electrical grid.
The lock box controller module comprising controller board 4051a and processor
4052 may make
provision for a camera and image recording module ¨ as for example by way of
camera 40461b, MIPI
interface 4061a, and camera serial interface 4061. This arrangement is
preferably selectively operable to
(optionally pre-determinedly) capture and record at least one image of at
least a portion of said lock boxes
surroundings. The recording may be captured using an off-board storage drive,
using USB host connector
4062, USB to SATA bridge 4062a, and USB host connector 4062b, under the
direction of processor 4052.
Alternatively, the recording may be captured on an SD card (not shown) using
SD card connector 4057 and
SSD card slot 4057a. An authorized user may trigger processor 4052 to activate
the camera or the camera and
the recorder to selectively capture images. In one embodiment processor 4052
operates camera 4061b more or
less continuously, and records captured images on a memory device as mentioned
above, but in a short term
first-in-first out over-writing buffer file. Subject then to the occurrence of
a pre-determined triggering event,
the buffer file is transferred to an archive file, preserving images recorded
in advance of the triggering event
and appending recordings of images subsequently captured and recorded to the
archive file, for a
predetermined time or condition. Thereafter, the camera 4061b reverts to said
more or less continuous
operation and recording later images into the over-write buffer as aforesaid.
The lock box controller module comprising controller board 4051a and processor
4052 may also make
provision for a proximity detection sensor module comprising motion sensor
4054d, pin connector 4054c,
motion detection module 4054b and I2C bus connection 4054 for detecting a
triggering presence within a range
proximal to the lock box, and signaling (e.g. by but not limited to a buzzer
or other acoustical device, or
flashing external LEDs as mentioned above), a proximity notification of such
presence. This signaling may
aid in directing legitimate approaches to the lock box, or deter illegitimate
interest in same, and in either case,
place the authorized user on alert to the motion in proximity to the lock box.
Similarly, the lock box controller module comprising controller board 4051a
and processor 4052 may
also make provision, through accelerometer 4054a and I2C bus connection 4054,
for a lock box motion/shock
detection sensor module, operable for detecting a triggering lock box motion
or shock and signaling (again, for
example, via buzzer or other acoustic or illumination device) a motion/shock
detection notification to the user.
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Date Recue/Date Received 2021-05-26
Preferably, this notification is of a loud and insistent character that will
assertively deter any attendant theft
attempt or vandalism.
In an exemplary embodiment, the controller board 4051a and processor 4052
provide for a lock box
communications module, in this case by way of a System-on-Module (SoM) having
built in Wi-Fi 802.11ac
and Bluetooth v. 4.1 radios and communication interfaces providing a compact
form factor optimized for free-
standing applications with local RF networks as well as providing for IoT
(internet of things) connectedness.
Processor 4052 is thereby adapted to facilitate RF communication of lock box
peripherals data to a lock box
user ¨ using in this particular case, SPI connector 4063, A/D converter 4063a
as well as Bluetooth connector
4058 and active antenna power module 4058a with its connections through
connectors 405 lb and 4051c to
antenna 4058b. In operation, control module 4001 with a communications module
(e.g. associated with
processor 4052 as per the above) comprises a lock box Bluetooth/Wi-Fi
communications module which
provides for Bluetooth-mediated configuration of Wi-Fi network connections
between the lock box
communications module and an available (e.g. local) user-selected Wi-Fi
network. More particularly, the
Bluetooth facility may be operable to link with a user phone and in turn
enable a user phone to
connect/configure the lockbox to a user selected local Wi-Fi network.
Controller module 4001 may also be operable such that a "proximity
notification" includes remotely
communicating a "detected presence" to a user's communication device (or some
other user proxy), through
the communications module. (Note that in general, communications to the user
device are typically mediated
via Wi-Fi or other local RF networks as well as through cellular, internet,
landlines, microwave and all the
various modems/gateways or the like that may be variously associated with
those networks). In an exemplary
embodiment, for example, the control module 4001 further comprises a cellular
data modem (not shown)
operable to provide an alternative user notification to a user in the event
that WIFI functionality is not used or
not available for this purpose.
Similarly, controller module 4001 may be operable to convey motion/shock
detection notifications by
remotely communicating a detected motion/shock notification to a user's
communication device, substantially
as described in the preceding paragraph.
The operation of the exemplary camera and image recording module is
selectively predetermined to
provide continuous operation and recording and this is facilitated by one or
both of an on-board recording
storage or to Wi-Fi connected storage. (Either or both such storage facilities
can be FIFO (first-in-first out)
over write in order to facilitate currency of recordings in the absence of
unlimited storage capacity). Controller
module 4001 may also be employed such that the camera and image recording
module is additionally or
alternatively selectively predetermined to be intermittently operated ¨
subject, for example, to a detected-
event-triggered operation. In one exemplary arrangement for example,
controller module 4001 may be
operable such that a proximity notification comprises triggering the camera
and image recording module to
record and/or communicate to a user's communication device (or user proxy),
that at least one image
associated with the proximity notification. Similarly, the control module 4001
may be operated such that the
Date Recue/Date Received 2021-05-26
motion/shock detection notification comprises triggering said camera and image
recording module to record
and/or communicate to a user's communication device (or user proxy), of an at
least one image associated with
the motion/shock detection. In an exemplary arrangement, the intermittent
operation of the camera and image
recording module is coextensive with ongoing detection of a detected trigger
event.
In exemplary embodiments where the control module 4001 operates image storage
as a first-in-first
out overwrite storage buffer, the camera and image recording module is further
operable in response to a
detected trigger event, to save the associated at least one image from the
first-in-first out overwrite storage
buffer to a long term storage archival location, and preferably so that when a
detected trigger event so operates
the camera and image recording module, that module saves associated images
from the buffer, beginning from
a predetermined time preceding detection of the detected event. Moreover, in
an exemplary arrangement when
a detected trigger event so operates the camera and image recording module, it
is operated so as to save
associated images for a predetermined time following termination of detection
of the detected event.
In the depicted exemplary embodiment control module 4001 is further operable
to manage a hybrid
power source power supply module 4060b provided from a primary power source
selected from at least one of
a solar power source and a line power source; and, a secondary battery power
reserve source (battery bank
supply 4055b), with the hybrid power source being operable to variously power
the delivery lock box
operations, and employs delivery box fuel gauge circuit board 4055a in that
connection. The control module
4001 also operates power supply module 4060b, using battery charger circuit
4060a to charge the secondary
(battery bank 4055b) source from the primary source(s).
The control module 4001 may further comprise a cellular data modem to provide
an alternative user
notification to a user, (collateral with Wi-Fi functions, or as an alternative
if Wi-Fi is not available).
In an aspect of an exemplary arrangement, there is also provided a weigh scale
peripheral connection
4066. The connection to processor 4052 can be variously facilitated ¨ e.g.
through a general input output
interface. The weigh scale peripheral may be used to signal the
arrival/presence of a package within a
repository enclosure ¨ and also in conjunction with the parcel inventory
module, to track arrival and
withdrawal of one or more parcels from the parcel inventory secured within the
repository.
Figures 45 ¨ 48 show an alternative arrangement of a delivery item repository
670. Repository 670 is
configured to be utilized in a system which includes a plurality of
repositories of the same or similar
configuration, such as one of the repository configurations previously
discussed herein. The exemplary system
is usable to transport delivery items which are also referred to as parcels,
from a respective originating
repository to a respective destination repository so as to achieve transport
of the parcel from one geographic
location to another. Exemplary arrangements may facilitate small-scale parcel
delivery operations in which
item carriers exchange parcels through controlled transfers which occur
through intermediate destination
repositories under the control of one or more servers or other central system
circuitry in a manner like that
previously discussed.
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The exemplary systems facilitate the use of crowd sourced item carrier
participation. Such item
carriers may operate to transport parcels between originating repositories and
destination repositories. In other
exemplary arrangements item carriers may further operate to carry out pickup
and delivery activities at points
of parcel shipment origination or endpoints of parcel transport that do not
include repositories. Exemplary
arrangements may provide for a parcel delivery system which is configured to
transport parcels that are
provided from and delivered to diverse locations and at different times by a
plurality of different shipper and
recipient system user types.
In exemplary arrangements the system may include a plurality of geographically
dispersed
repositories such as repository 670. Repository 670 includes a body having a
plurality of separated
compartment interior areas each of which bound a respective enclosed
compartment space (alternatively
referred to herein as a compartment) that is suitable for holding one or more
parcels. Each of the compartment
interior areas has a respective opening that is selectively accessible by
authorized users who are enabled to
unlock compartment associated locks and open closure members such as
respective doors that are movable to
provide access to respective compartment interior areas. Each respective
repository may be operated as an
originating repository as well as an intermediate or final destination
repository. Thus the exemplary system
provides for a fully connected physical topography of repositories.
In exemplary arrangements each of the plurality of repositories is in
operative connection with central
system circuitry like that previously discussed which is alternatively
referred to herein as control circuitry.
The exemplary central system circuitry operates as a control grid to manage
item carrier authorizations and
assignments. The central system circuitry also performs monitoring of the
pickups of parcels from originating
repositories and the delivery of parcels into the destination repositories.
Further in exemplary arrangements
the monitoring functions of the central system circuitry may operate to assure
that parcel items are delivered in
accordance with required schedules and/or other handling requirements that may
be associated with particular
parcels.
Further in exemplary arrangements the central system circuitry which controls
the acceptance,
transport and delivery of parcels, provides useful aspects compared to other
parcel distribution methods. This
is achieved in some arrangements due to the handling, transport and sorting of
a relatively small number of
parcels by each authorized shipping user and item carrier user of the system.
For example in exemplary
arrangements, each item carrier will generally be involved in handling less
than 10 parcels simultaneously at
any given time.
The use of crowd sourced item carriers receiving parcels from originating
depositories and
transporting parcels through intermediate destination repositories,
facilitates the transport and delivery of
parcels. As item carriers act to provide parcel transport generally in
coordination with their other activities
such as commuting or other travel, the ability to move parcels to a final
destination repository is facilitated
even though item carriers may only be willing to carry parcels a portion of
the overall parcel transport path.
Further the exemplary arrangements provide for item carrier compensation for
transport of parcels, which
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Date Recue/Date Received 2021-05-26
compensation may be readily obtained by the item carrier in connection with
their normal commuting or travel
activities
The exemplary parcel repository 670 shown in Figures 45 ¨ 48 is configured to
operate as a free
standing device and perform the functions associated with an originating
depository and a destination
repository concurrently for a plurality of parcels. The exemplary repository
670 includes a body which is
alternatively referred to herein as a housing 672. The housing is supported on
a base 674. The base 74
includes a forward extending portion 676. The forward extending portion of the
exemplary arrangement
includes a front to rearward upwardly sloped face 678.
The exemplary repository housing 672 further includes a top or cap 680. The
exemplary top includes
a roof panel 682. Roof panel 682 is sloped downward from front to rear of the
housing 672. The top 680
further includes a forward extending cornice 684. Cornice 684 extends forward
beyond the front of the central
position of the housing 672. Cornice 684 has a sloped face 686 that is sloped
toward the rear of the housing
further downward along the face 686.
The exemplary face 686 includes a recess 688. Recess 688 includes a lens 690.
The exemplary lens
690 is translucent to enable illumination of the front of the housing by one
or more lamps that are positioned
within the housing. The cornice 684 further includes a port or opening 692
therein. An electronics housing
694 extends in the opening 692. The electronics housing 694 is configured to
hold control circuitry 696 which
may be of the type previously discussed, as well as at least one sensor or
input device 698 such as a camera or
scanner and a wireless portal.
The exemplary housing 672 includes a pair of side panels 700, 702 and a back
panel 704. Panels 700,
702 and 704 bound a partitioned housing interior that includes a plurality of
separated interior areas. Locker
doors 706, 708, 710, 712 714, 716, 718, 720, 722 and 724 are each movably
mounted in operative supported
connection with the housing 762 through respective hinges 726. Each of the
locker doors selectively controls
access to a respective interior area within the housing 672. In the exemplary
arrangement each of the doors is
changeable between a locked condition and an unlocked condition responsive to
a respective electrically
actuated lock in a manner similar to that used in the previously described
repository arrangements.
The exemplary repository 670 is in operative connection with control circuitry
which may function in
a manner similar to that described in connection with repository 10. In
addition repository 670 may include
suitable power sources, sensors, input and output devices cameras, microphones
and wireless portals that
operate in ways like those discussed in connection with the previously
described repositories. In some
exemplary arrangements the repository 670 may operate responsive entirely to
wireless communication with
remote central system circuitry and local portable wireless devices. For
example user identifying information,
access codes and other data that is required to be communicated to the control
circuitry of repository 670 may
be received via a wireless portal, rather than keypads, touchscreens or other
types of manually actuatable input
devices. Further in exemplary arrangements may provide outputs wirelessly that
can be perceived by system
users adjacent to the repository through their portable wireless devices. In
this manner the exemplary
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Date Recue/Date Received 2021-05-26
repository avoids having externally accessible components that may be subject
to vandalism or tampering. Of
course it should be understood that these approaches are exemplary and in
other arrangements other
approaches may be used.
It should be understood that the number of separate enclosed compartment
spaces within repository
760 is exemplary, and other repositories may have different numbers of
separately accessible interior areas.
The exemplary repository 670 also includes a pair of smaller sized interior
areas corresponding to doors 720,
722 compared to the other interior areas, and a single large interior area
corresponding to door 714. Other
parcel repositories used in connection with exemplary systems may have
different numbers and sizes of
compartments and compartment spaces so as to accommodate the sizes of parcels
being handled through
operation of the repository. Other exemplary repositories may be comprised of
separate housings that are
positioned in adjacent relation so as to provide larger numbers of
compartments with interior areas for the
acceptance and release of parcels. Such multiple repositories may be
controlled responsive to common control
circuitry and a single user interface, or may be separately controlled and
operable independent of an adjacent
repository. Further, the exemplary repository is configured to be positioned
in a location that is readily
accessible to ground transportation routes. Such configuration facilitates
access to the repository by shipper
users, item carriers and parcel recipients.
Figure 49 shows a system 728 of an exemplary arrangement and the flow of
parcels which may occur
between repositories in such a system. The exemplary system includes
repository 670 as well as a plurality of
other repositories schematically indicated 730, 732, 734, 736, and 738. In the
exemplary arrangement the
repositories included in the system may be similar to repository 760 or the
other repositories described herein.
In alternative arrangements other repository configurations may be used. It
should be understood that the
exemplary system further includes central system circuitry which may be
similar to the central system circuitry
previously discussed.
As represented by arrows T, parcels may be moved between repositories in the
system by item
carriers. As represented in Figure 49 parcels that are input to the exemplary
system at repository 670 that are
required to be delivered at remote final destination repository 734 may be
transported in numerous different
ways depending on the available item carriers. For example, in some situations
a parcel may be transported by
an item carrier directly from the originating repository 670 to the final
destination repository 734, as
represented by Arrow 740. Such a direct transport from the originating
repository to the final destination
repository may be the result of the fortuitous availability of an item carrier
who is available to make such direct
transport. Alternatively such a direct route for the parcel may be the result
of the shipping user paying an
incentive fee for prompt delivery or other circumstances.
In alternative circumstances a parcel that is received in originating
repository 670 that is determined
by the central system circuitry as required to move to repository 734 as the
final destination repository, may be
moved by item carriers to one or more intermediate destination repositories
before reaching the final
destination repository. For example a parcel may be moved from the originating
repository 670 to
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Date Recue/Date Received 2021-05-26
intermediate destination repository 730 by an initial item carrier as
represented by Arrow 742. The parcel may
then be moved from repository 730 to interim destination repository 732 by
another item carrier as represented
by Arrow 744. Finally the parcel may be moved from repository 732 to the final
destination repository 734 by
another item carrier as represented by Arrow 746. Of course as can be
appreciated from the other arrows
shown in Figure 49, the parcel may take a more direct path to the final
destination repository 734 as a result of
the availability of other item carriers that can transport the parcel along
the more direct path.
As can be appreciated, the exemplary system 728 may also be operated
responsive to the central
system circuitry to achieve parcel deliveries to a final destination
repository in a more rapid manner than might
otherwise occur based on the availability of item carriers. For example the
programming associated with the
central system circuitry may provide for the consolidation of multiple parcel
transport jobs that can be offered
to a single item carrier as an incentive to complete the parcel transports
more quickly. For example the
exemplary central system circuitry may operate to accommodate transport of a
collection or bundle of parcels
to an intermediate destination repository that may not be on the most direct
path to a final system repository
for some of the parcels. However, by moving the parcels to an interim
destination repository that is closer to
the final destination repository more quickly via transport consolidation, the
system may achieve delivery at
the final destination repository more quickly than might otherwise occur.
Further the central system circuitry
may take advantage of item carriers who have extended time or delivery
location availability compared to
other item carriers to achieve movement of more parcels to interim destination
repository locations, from
which delivery at the final destination repositories may be more rapidly
achieved. As can be appreciated these
results may be based on the central system circuitry evaluating factors such
as available item carriers and
carrier locations during different dates and times, as well as other factors
that are usable to predict and
optimize parcel transport.
Of course as can be appreciated, from a shipper user perspective, the
operation of the exemplary
system 728 achieves the delivery of delivery items such as parcels from an
initial originating location such as a
first repository to a final location such as a destination repository. As a
result, conceptually the shipment may
be considered to have a universal origin as represented schematically as 748,
and a universal destination as
represented schematically as 750. Although a given parcel may be transported
under the control of the central
system circuitry through numerous different intermediate parcel repositories
by different item carriers, such
system activity does not involve the shipper user or the delivery item parcel
recipient.
Of course it should be understood that exemplary systems may be implemented in
various network
topographies such as a peer to peer network communications environment between
devices included in the
system. Alternatively, the network topography may include a centralized
dedicated network adapted to
cooperatively link the various system components. Of course other arrangements
may include combinations of
different system and network topographies to achieve communications between
the different system
components.
Date Recue/Date Received 2021-05-26
As can be appreciated from the prior discussion in connection with repository
10, the exemplary
system 728 may provide for communication through central system circuitry with
numerous different types of
authorized and/or registered system users who carry out different roles in
connection with the system. For
example in exemplary arrangements network communication may be provided with
the wireless carrier contact
devices of item carriers to determine transport availability and to provide
transport assignments. Further in
exemplary arrangements such carrier contact devices may be utilized for
purposes of tracking parcels in
transport via GPS or other location monitoring systems. In addition camera or
other reader equipped carrier
contact devices may be utilized for purposes of scanning machine-readable
indicia on parcels, determining size
information of parcels or carrying out other actions. Similarly such wireless
devices may include wireless
portals which enable communication wirelessly with repositories so as to
communicate information necessary
to access selected interior areas for purposes of receiving or depositing
parcels.
Further as can be appreciated, in exemplary arrangements the network
communications between the
repositories and the central system circuitry may be operative to communicate
status and operational
information of the types previously discussed. Such information may facilitate
the quick repair of any
repository malfunctions and the avoidance of future malfunctions for which
symptoms can be detected in
advance. Similarly such communications may achieve capturing and retaining
documentation regarding parcel
receipt, transport and delivery such as by the capture of sensor data and
other data associated therewith. This
may include for example the capture and retention of image data and other data
that is usable to document and
verify activities related to various parcels. Of course these functions and
capabilities are exemplary and in
other arrangements different or alternative approaches may be used.
Figure 50 schematically represents components utilized in connection with an
exemplary system such
as system 728. In the exemplary arrangement the central system circuitry 752
comprises at least one processor
754 in operative connection with at least one data store 756. As previously
discussed, although in this
exemplary arrangement the central system circuitry may be represented as a
central server or other computer
device, in other exemplary arrangements distributed processing and control of
the system may be provided in a
cloud environment or in a virtual environment within one or more shared
platforms.
The exemplary central system circuitry 752 is in operative connection with one
or more interfaces
schematically indicated 758. The interfaces 758 provide communications
connectivity to other system
components which communicate in the system. One or more communication
interfaces 760 are provided to
enable communication of the central system circuitry 752 in the different
wired and/or wireless networks to
which the components included in the system are connected. Of course it should
be understood that in various
embodiments numerous different types of communications interfaces may be used.
The plurality of parcel repositories are in operative connection with the
system through the network
and send communications through an interface 760. Such repositories are
represented schematically by a
repository 762. Repository 762 may include components similar to repository 10
or repository 760 or the other
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repositories that have been previously discussed. As schematically shown, each
repository includes a plurality
of connected components as represented schematically by sensors 764 and
actuators 766.
The exemplary system further includes carrier contact devices which are
utilized by item carriers in a
manner like that previously discussed. Such wireless carrier contact devices
such as smart phones are
represented by device 768. Such carrier contact devices include control
circuitry therein. The control circuitry
may include for example a scanner and/or code reader circuitry 770. The
exemplary carrier contact device
may also include a tracking application such as a GPS circuitry 772. Interface
circuitry 774 suitable for
communicating with the central system circuitry 752 may also be included in
the exemplary item carrier
contact device. Of course it should be understood that these device components
are exemplary and in other
arrangements other or additional components may be used.
As schematically indicated, in the exemplary system devices operated by
shipper users as
schematically represented 776, may also be in operative connection with the
central system circuitry through
interfaces 760. Shipper user devices 776 may operate in a manner like that
previously discussed to provide
communications which enable parcel delivery items to be transported through
the system and delivered into the
interior area of an originating repository. As can be appreciated numerous
different types of shipper user
devices and systems may be operative to communicate in the system. The
exemplary system further includes
one or more administrator devices schematically indicated 778. Such
administrator devices may be utilized for
purposes of monitoring operation of other devices in the system, providing the
mechanism for adding and
removing authorized/registered users of the system, receiving alerts or
problems identified through operation
of system components, generating reports and other information, and providing
other oversight and monitoring
functions. Of course it should be understood that this schematic
representation of system components is
merely a high level representation of those system components that are
included in an exemplary arrangement.
As has been previously described in detailed examples, the exemplary system
enables a shipper user
to utilize the system to ship a parcel from an originating location to a
destination location through operation of
the shipper user device 776. The shipper user device may be operative to
provide to the system information
regarding the shipment such as for example the ID token associated with the
shipper that is recognized by
being registered or otherwise authorized to participate in the system. With
regard to the particular shipment,
the shipping user device may provide information regarding the delivery item
and its transport including the
originating and destination locations, scheduling requirements (if
applicable), item dimensions, weight
characteristics and markings, and other information such as a funds source for
payment for the shipment.
The exemplary central system circuitry 752 may operate in accordance with the
information received
from the shipper device to determine an originating repository and a final
destination repository for the
particular parcel. The exemplary central system circuitry may also carry out
other functions such as checking
for space availability in the originating repository. The central system
circuitry may also provide other
information like that previously discussed, that enables the shipper user to
apply a label including machine-
readable indicia to the parcel that includes a delivery item identifier
(alternatively referred to herein as a parcel
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Date Recue/Date Received 2021-05-26
identifier) or other information which is usable to identify the particular
parcel in the system. The central
system circuitry may also provide to the shipper user device, location
information regarding the designated
originating depository, an item depositor access code and other information
that enables the shipper user to
place the parcel in a designated interior area of the originating repository.
The exemplary system circuitry also operates to evaluate available item
carriers, current item carrier
locations and available location destinations for item transport. The central
system circuitry may operate in a
manner like that discussed to optimize parcel transport or to consolidate
movement of multiple parcels to
facilitate the receipt of such parcels at each final destination repository.
Central system circuitry may also
present opportunity messages to item carriers and assign transport jobs to
such item carriers. The central
.. system circuitry may also monitor such item carriers to assure that
performance of transport jobs is timely
commenced, and if not, may reassign transport jobs to other item carriers.
The exemplary arrangements further enable the central system circuitry to
monitor repositories for
purposes of determining the placement and removal of parcels into selected
interior areas such as
compartments by providing access to authorized users such as shipper users,
item carriers, and final parcel
.. recipients. The central system circuitry operates in coordination with the
control circuitry of the repositories to
monitor the placement, and taking of each parcel between each originating
repository and destination
repository. Further the exemplary system tracks the parcel and assures the
desired movement of the parcel to
its final destination repository. In some arrangements the system further
operates to provide the recipient of
each parcel with notification of the receipt of the parcel at the final
destination repository. In such
arrangements the system provides selective controlled access to enable the
recipient to remove the parcel from
the interior area of the final destination repository, and documents the
taking thereof so as to assure that the
parcel has been properly delivered. Further in exemplary arrangements the
charges and credits associated with
the transport of items are provided through the central system circuitry to
assure that parcel transports are paid
for and that participants in the system are credited as appropriate for their
activities. Of course it should be
understood that the functions, activities and approaches described herein are
exemplary and in other
arrangements other approaches may be used.
Further as previously discussed in some exemplary arrangements the central
circuitry may be operated
so that item carriers deliver parcels to the destination address of the
recipient. In such arrangements the central
circuitry may be operative to determine a common route which may be followed
by an item carrier to deliver
multiple parcels to the recipient addresses. In such arrangements an item
carrier may collect the parcels from
one or more compartments within the interior area of a repository responsive
to the central system giving
access thereto. The user may then utilize their portable wireless device to
document the taking of the parcels
from the repository for delivery. Further in some exemplary arrangements the
central circuitry may be
operative to cause the placement of multiple parcels that will be transported
together in a group or bundle that
is collected via placement in a single compartment. This may be done to
facilitate the ability of the item
carrier to obtain the items to be transported by the item carrier in a shorter
period of time. In such
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Date Recue/Date Received 2021-05-26
arrangements the central system may provide the item carrier with the
destination address of each parcel. The
item carrier may then document the delivery of each parcel at the respective
destination address through
operation of their mobile wireless device in a manner like that previously
discussed. Of course these
approaches are exemplary and in other arrangements other approaches may be
used.
In some exemplary arrangements the control circuitry associated with the
parcel repositories is
operative to maintain information concerning the available compartment volume
in each enclosed
compartment space. This capability enables the control circuitry to determine
where a particular parcel may be
placed within the compartments of a particular repository. Further in
exemplary arrangements the ability to
determine the available volume in compartments enables the control circuitry
to determine if a plurality of
parcels which may be subsequently transported together as a group or bundle by
an item carrier, can be placed
together in a single compartment. This capability may facilitate the ability
of the item carrier to obtain the
parcels from the repository so that they can be more readily accessed and
transported to a destination
repository or other destination.
In some exemplary systems the at least one data store associated with the
central system circuitry
includes data corresponding to information that is accessible to item carrier
contact devices and that can be
used to facilitate the placement of parcels into and the removal of parcels
from repositories. Such additional
data is used in exemplary arrangements to assist item carriers in locating
repositories and also in carrying out
the necessary processes to access and carry out the necessary parcel
transactions at each repository. Such
additional data may also be usable by item carriers to locate areas at
customer addresses where shipments may
originate or be delivered.
In some exemplary arrangements the pickup, transport and delivery of parcels
is facilitated by having
assigned geographic catchment areas associated with particular parcel
repositories. In exemplary arrangements
a catchment area is a defined geographic region. In arrangements where parcels
are picked up from entities
originating shipments from initial pickup addresses and/or parcels are
delivered to parcel recipients at final
delivery addresses by item carriers, each catchment area may define an area
that is associated with a particular
parcel repository. For example in some arrangements parcels that are picked up
from a parcel shipment
initiating addresses located in a catchment area are generally initially
transported by an item carrier to a
specific repository that is associated with that catchment area. Likewise if a
final delivery address of a parcel
recipient is located within a catchment area, the parcel is generally
transported to the repository associated with
that catchment area before it is taken by an item carrier to the final
delivery address of the recipient. In other
exemplary arrangements where shippers take their parcels to a repository to
initiate a shipment, the catchment
area in which the address of the shipper is located may determine the
repository to which the shipper is
directed. Likewise, in arrangements where the recipient receives their parcel
directly from a repository, the
catchment area in which the parcel recipient's address is located may be used
to determine the repository to
which the parcel is directed. This helps to assure that the parcel is
delivered to a repository that is in
reasonably close proximity to the recipient's address. While in some exemplary
arrangements a defined
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Date Recue/Date Received 2021-05-26
geographic catchment area may be used for defining a region for both pickup
and delivery addresses (and/or
shipper and recipient addresses) for items going to and from a particular
repository, in other arrangements a
single repository may have one catchment area associated with parcel pickups
and a different catchment area
associated with parcel deliveries. Further in other exemplary arrangements one
repository may be used only
for incoming parcels that will be transported to another repository, while
another repository may be used only
for outgoing "last mile" parcels that will be delivered directly from the
repository to the final delivery
addresses of the parcel recipients by an item carrier. Numerous different
arrangements may be utilized
depending on the requirements and desired operation of the particular system.
Figure 51 represents a plurality of catchment areas 780, 782, 784, 786, 788,
790, 792, 794, 796, 798,
and 800. Each of the catchment areas represents a defined geographic area.
Such areas may be bounded by
streets, geographic features, political boundaries or boundaries which have
been set by the system operator. It
should be appreciated that the catchment areas shown may be a subset of
catchment areas and may have other
catchment areas in surrounding relation thereto if the operator of the system
provides parcel pickups and/or
deliveries in adjacent geographical areas.
A plurality of parcel repositories 802, 804, 806, 808, 810, 812, 814, 816,
818, 820 and 822 are each
located within a respective catchment area. For example repository 806 is
located in catchment area 784. As
previously discussed, in exemplary arrangements the central system circuitry
includes data corresponding to
each catchment area and a particular repository that is located in the
respective catchment area. In the at least
one data store the data corresponding to each respective repository is
associated with the one respective
catchment area in which it is located. Further in exemplary arrangements the
central circuitry includes data
and circuit executable instructions that enable the determination of the
respective catchment area in which
shippers or initial pickup addresses are located, as well as the respective
catchment area associated with
recipient and final delivery address information. Further in exemplary
arrangements the at least one data store
includes for parcels that are to be transported from an initial pickup address
to a final delivery address, data
corresponding to the respective pickup and delivery addresses which is usable
by the central system circuitry
to determine the respective catchment area and the respective parcel
repository associated with the catchment
area. In exemplary arrangements the data corresponding to the initial pickup
address and the final delivery
address are stored in associated relation with the parcel ID and/or other data
that uniquely identifies the
particular parcel. Of course it should be understood that this approach is
exemplary and in other arrangements
other approaches may be used.
As can be appreciated from Figure 51, because each catchment area abuts a
number of other
catchment areas, there can be situations where it is faster and/or more cost-
effective to provide for parcel
routing through a repository other than the particular repository that is
associated with the catchment area in
which the initial pickup address or final delivery address is located. For
example, if a parcel is going to be
delivered at a final delivery address represented 824, the parcel would
normally be routed to repository 806 in
catchment area 784. However, because of other parcels that are being
transported and are planned for delivery
Date Recue/Date Received 2021-05-26
at about the same time, it may be faster and/or more cost-effective to have
the parcel that is going to be
delivered at final delivery address indicated 824, be transported through
repository 802, 804 or 808. This is
because other parcels that are being transported through those repositories
may have final delivery addresses in
the respective catchment areas that are physically closer to final delivery
address 824 than other parcels that
are currently planned for delivery in catchment area 784. This results because
as represented in Figure 51,
catchment areas 802, 804 and 808 all include geographic locations that are in
relatively close proximity to final
delivery address 824 in catchment area 784.
In order to identify situations where particular parcels may be delivered more
rapidly and/or in a more
cost-effective manner by moving the parcels through repositories other than
the repository associated with the
catchment area in which the final delivery address for the parcel is located,
the exemplary system circuitry may
carry out a logic flow like that schematically represented in Figures 52 ¨ 56.
It should be understood that this
logic flow is shown in simplified form and may include additional functions
and operations. Further as can be
appreciated this logic flow may be carried out concurrently by the central
circuitry with other operations and
functions that have been previously described herein.
In the exemplary arrangement the central system circuitry is operative to
determine the routing for
parcels that are to be delivered by item carriers to respective final delivery
addresses. The routing
determination begins by selection of the particular parcel to be evaluated as
represented by step 826. The
circuitry is operative to review the data corresponding to the final delivery
address that is stored in the at least
one data store in association with the parcel ID or other parcel identifying
information. This is represented by
step 828.
Responsive at least in part to the final delivery address associated with the
parcel and the stored data
and circuit executable instructions, the central system circuitry is operative
to determine the particular
catchment area in which the final delivery address is located. This is
represented by a step 830. In a step 832
the circuitry is operative to determine if the particular parcel has already
been assigned to an item carrier for
.. delivery to the final delivery address for the parcel. This determination
is based on the stored data that
indicates the item carrier assignments that have been made to transport
respective parcels. If it is determined
in a step 834 that the particular parcel has already been assigned to an item
carrier to be delivered at the
respective final delivery address, the circuitry operates to remove that
particular parcel from consideration as
represented in a step 836. The circuitry then proceeds to select a different
parcel for consideration.
If it is determined in step 834 that a final delivery assignment has not yet
been made for the particular
parcel, the central system circuitry then operates as represented in a step
838. The circuitry operates to
determine the closest final delivery address for another parcel that is going
to be delivered in the same
respective catchment area. The circuitry also operates as represented in a
step 840 to determine if a final
delivery assignment has already been made to an item carrier to make the final
delivery of the parcel that has
the delivery address closest to that of the parcel currently being considered.
If the parcel that has the closest
final delivery address to the parcel currently under consideration has already
been assigned to an item carrier
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for delivery, the exemplary circuitry operates to remove that closest parcel
from consideration as represented
by step 842. The exemplary circuitry then operates to determine another parcel
in the same catchment area
which has its final delivery address closest to the final delivery address of
the parcel being considered.
If in the step 840 it is determined that a final delivery assignment to an
item carrier has not yet been
made for the parcel having the closest final delivery address to the parcel
currently being considered, an
evaluation is then made as represented by step 844. In step 844 the data
associated with the other parcel in the
at least one data store is reviewed to determine routing data which indicates
if the other parcel will be routed to
the repository associated with the catchment area in which the final delivery
address is located for the parcel
currently under consideration. In step 846 a determination is made whether the
closest parcel will be routed to
the repository that is associated with the catchment area in which the final
delivery address for the parcel under
consideration is located. If in step 846 it is determined that the other
parcel having the closest delivery address
to the parcel under consideration is not going to be routed to the repository
associated with the catchment area,
and circuitry operates to remove that parcel from consideration as represented
in step 842. The central system
circuitry then operates to determine another parcel that has its final
delivery address in the catchment area
closest to the final delivery address of the parcel under consideration.
If the other parcel with the closest final delivery address to the final
delivery address of the parcel
under consideration is going to be delivered to the repository associated with
the catchment area in which the
final delivery address for the parcel under consideration is located, the
circuitry then operates as represented in
a step 848 to determine data corresponding to one or more values that are
referred to herein as a transport
distance. In some exemplary arrangements the transport distance may correspond
to an absolute distance
between the final delivery address for the parcel under consideration and the
final delivery address for the
other parcel which has the closest final delivery address thereto. In other
arrangements the transport distance
may correspond to a distance that an item carrier has to travel between the
pair of final item delivery addresses,
based on highways that extend between the two final delivery addresses. Such
analysis may take into
.. consideration road closures or other current conditions that affect the
distance. The transport distance as used
for the analysis may also include data corresponding to an estimated time that
an item carrier has to travel
between the two final delivery addresses. In some exemplary arrangements the
transport distance may
correspond to one or more values and/or factors associated with moving the
parcel under consideration
between the closest final delivery address and the final delivery address of
the parcel under consideration. In
some arrangements the one or more values and/or factors which comprise the
transport distance may be usable
by the system circuitry to determine an incremental cost for having an item
carrier move the parcel from the
closest final delivery address to the final delivery address for the parcel
under consideration.
Further in the exemplary arrangement the central system circuitry is operative
to determine data
corresponding to a delivery density. This is represented by a step 850. In
exemplary arrangements the
delivery density is one or more values indicative of the number of final
delivery addresses for other parcels
that are currently being transported, and that are located within a set
distance and/or travel time window of the
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final delivery address for the parcel currently under consideration. As can be
appreciated the number of
parcels that have to be delivered within relatively close proximity to the
final delivery address for the parcel
under consideration, is indicative that an item carrier will be assigned to
transport other parcels to final
delivery addresses in close proximity to the final delivery address under
consideration. Further in other
.. exemplary arrangements the central system circuitry may additionally or
alternatively calculate the delivery
density for the parcel that has its final delivery address closest to the
final delivery address of the parcel under
consideration. Alternatively or in addition the central system circuitry may
calculate the delivery density
based on the number of parcels that are expected to need to be delivered
within a set proximity to each of the
two final delivery addresses. Further in other exemplary arrangements the
circuitry may be operative to
determine the delivery density based on other actions that an item carrier may
be assigned to carry out in
proximity to the final delivery address of the parcel currently subject to
consideration, or the other parcel
which has the closest final delivery address thereto. Such activities may
include for example, an initial parcel
pickup at an address that is in proximity to the final delivery address of
either parcel. The need for making an
initial parcel pickup in close proximity to one or both of the final delivery
addresses may be factored into the
delivery density to indicate that an item carrier will be in the immediate
area of the final delivery address for
the parcel pickup and may also be assigned to make the parcel delivery. Of
course it should be understood that
these approaches are exemplary and in other arrangements other approaches and
other factors may be utilized
and weighted in making parcel routing determinations.
The central system circuitry then operates as represented by step 852 to
determine the catchment areas
that are adjacent to the catchment area in which the final delivery address
for the parcel under consideration is
located. In exemplary arrangements the central system circuitry is operative
to determine what is referred to
herein as an immediately adjacent catchment area. An immediately adjacent
catchment area for purposes
hereof refers to a selected catchment area that is determined through
operation of the circuitry responsive to
certain distance relationships. An immediately adjacent catchment area is one
that will be analyzed for
purposes of determining if a final delivery address of a parcel that is being
delivered in the respective
immediately adjacent catchment area may be within a sufficiently short
transport distance of the final delivery
address of the parcel that is currently subject to consideration, so that it
is more cost and/or time effective to
have an item carrier deliver the parcel that is subject to consideration in
combination with the parcel in the
immediately adjacent catchment area, rather than routing the parcel currently
subject to consideration through
the repository that is associated with the catchment area in which the final
delivery address for such parcel is
located. In some exemplary arrangements the central system circuitry may
determine the immediately adjacent
catchment areas by determining catchment areas that are in direct abutting
relation with the catchment area in
which the final delivery address for the parcel currently subject to
consideration is located. In other exemplary
arrangements the central system circuitry may determine the immediately
adjacent catchment areas by
determining catchment areas within a set threshold distance of the final
delivery address of the parcel that is
currently subject to consideration. This may include for example, a catchment
area that is not in direct
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abutting contact relation with the catchment area in which the final delivery
address for the parcel under
consideration is located, but which catchment area is nonetheless within the
set threshold distance. This
situation may arise for example, when catchment areas are of relatively small
size. Further in other exemplary
arrangements the central system circuitry may operate to determine that a
catchment area is not an immediately
adjacent catchment area even though the catchment area may be in abutting
contact with the catchment area in
which the final delivery address for the parcel currently under consideration
is located. This may occur for
example in situations where a distance between the final delivery address for
the parcel currently under
consideration and the closest point of abutting contact with the adjacent
catchment area is beyond a set
threshold distance. Of course these approaches for determining the immediately
adjacent catchment areas are
exemplary and in other arrangements other approaches may be used.
The circuitry operates as represented in a step 854 to select one of the
immediately adjacent catchment
areas. A determination is then made as represented in a step 856, of the final
delivery address for delivery of
another parcel that is to be delivered in the selected adjacent catchment
area, that is closest to the final delivery
address of the parcel currently under consideration. This determination
identifies another parcel that is
currently being moved toward delivery in the immediately adjacent catchment
area that has its associated final
delivery address closest to the final delivery address of the parcel under
consideration. As can be appreciated
from Figure 51, in some circumstances the parcel in the immediately adjacent
catchment area may be delivered
to an address that is closer to the final delivery address for the parcel
under consideration than other parcels
that are available to be delivered in the same catchment area as the parcel
under consideration. The analysis
carried out in the exemplary arrangement operates to identify such situations
to achieve more cost-effective
and/or timely deliveries of parcels by arranging to have such parcels routed
through a common repository and
delivered to their respective final delivery addresses by the same item
carrier.
In the exemplary arrangement the system circuitry then operates as represented
by step 858 to
determine if the parcel having the final delivery address in the immediately
adjacent catchment area that is
.. closest to the final delivery address for the parcel under consideration,
has already been assigned to an item
carrier for purposes of making the item delivery at the final delivery
address. This is done in a manner like
that previously described by checking the stored data records concerning the
particular parcel transport
assignments and the final delivery assignments that have been made to item
carriers. If it is determined in step
858 that the parcel having the closest final delivery address has already been
assigned for final delivery, the
parcel is removed from consideration as represented by step 860, and the
circuitry then operates to identify
another parcel which then has the closest final delivery address.
If the parcel with the closest final delivery address has not yet been
assigned to an item carrier to make
the final delivery, the exemplary circuitry then operates as represented by
step 862 to check the data in the at
least one data store indicative that the parcel will be routed to the
repository associated with the respective
immediately adjacent catchment area. A determination is then made as
represented in step 864 that the parcel
having the closest final delivery address will be routed to the repository
associated with the immediately
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adjacent catchment area. If in step 864 it is determined that the closest
parcel will not be routed to the
repository in the immediately adjacent catchment area, then that parcel is
removed from consideration as
represented by step 860, and the circuitry returns to identify the parcel
within the immediately adjacent
catchment area that then has its respective final delivery address closest to
the final delivery address of the
parcel under consideration.
If the parcel in the immediately adjacent catchment area will be routed to the
repository associated
with that catchment area, the exemplary system circuitry is then operative to
determine a transport distance as
represented in step 866. In exemplary arrangements this transport distance may
be calculated in one or more
of the ways previously described. The evaluation is operative to provide at
least one value which is indicative
of how far and/or how much time it would take for an item carrier to travel
from the final delivery address for
the parcel in the adjacent catchment area to the final delivery address of the
parcel currently under
consideration. The exemplary circuitry also operates as represented in step
868 to determine delivery density
associated with the final delivery address for the closest parcel in the
immediately adjacent catchment area
and/or the final delivery address for the parcel under consideration,
including deliveries (and in some
arrangements, parcel pickups) in proximity to the final delivery address for
the parcel under consideration. Of
course as can be appreciated in other exemplary arrangements other values and
factors may be calculated for
purposes of determining the relative time and distance associated with having
a common item carrier handle
both the final delivery of the parcel currently under consideration and the
delivery of the closest parcel in the
immediately adjacent catchment area.
The exemplary system circuitry then operates in accordance with its circuit
executable instructions to
determine if all the immediately adjacent catchment areas have been evaluated
to determine if a final delivery
address for a parcel in the immediately adjacent catchment area may have a
more favorable distance, delivery
density or other properties that suggest that the parcel under consideration
should be handled for delivery by a
common item carrier in conjunction with the closest parcel in that catchment
area. The central system circuitry
operates in step 870 to determine if all the immediately adjacent catchment
areas to the catchment area in
which the final delivery address for the parcel under consideration is
located, have been evaluated. If not the
logic flow returns to step 854 to select another immediately adjacent
catchment area for which to carry out the
evaluation related to a parcel in the respective catchment area that has the
closest final delivery address to the
parcel currently being evaluated.
In the exemplary arrangement after the central circuitry has evaluated the
catchment area in which the
final delivery address of the parcel under consideration is located and the
immediately adjacent catchment
areas, the central system circuitry then operates to determine a parcel action
status for the parcel currently
being evaluated. This is represented by a step 872. In the exemplary
arrangement the parcel action status is
indicative of a parcel repository in which the parcel under consideration is
currently located or is currently
being transported to by an item carrier. As can be appreciated, the at least
one data store associated with the
central circuitry includes record data indicative of this information that is
stored in associated relation with the
Date Recue/Date Received 2021-05-26
parcel ID for the parcel under consideration. This record data is useful as it
indicates where the particular
parcel is or will be in the relatively near future. This action status data
can then be considered for purposes of
deciding the further routing of the parcel toward its final delivery address.
The exemplary circuitry then operates to carry out an evaluation as
represented by step 874. In
exemplary arrangements the circuitry is operative to evaluate the respective
transport distances between the
closest final delivery addresses for respective parcels in the catchment area
in which the final delivery address
for the parcel under consideration is located, as well as the closest final
delivery address for a respective parcel
in each immediately adjacent catchment area. Further in exemplary arrangements
the evaluation includes the
delivery density information determined for the delivery in each catchment
area. As previously discussed the
delivery density is indicative of the number of deliveries (and in some
arrangements, pickups) that an item
carrier will need to make within a set proximity of the final delivery address
for the parcel under consideration
and/or the closest parcel. As can be appreciated the higher the delivery
density for a given routing approach
the more cost-effective it will generally be to assign a common item carrier
to make the delivery of both
parcels.
Further in exemplary arrangements the evaluation carried out by the central
system circuitry includes
consideration of the parcel action status data. This includes for example, the
data corresponding to repository
where the parcel is currently located or will soon be located. In some
exemplary arrangements if the parcel
action status data indicates that the parcel under consideration is currently
located in a repository associated
with a catchment area that is an immediately adjacent catchment area to the
catchment area in which the final
delivery address of the parcel is located, and deliveries to final delivery
addresses in close proximity to the
final delivery address of the parcel under consideration are going to be made
for other parcels from the
repository where the parcel under consideration is currently located, then the
central system circuitry may
determine it is faster and/or more cost-effective to route the parcel directly
from the repository where it is
currently located to the final delivery address. The exemplary evaluation in
step 874 may also include a
determination of cost data. The cost data may be determined responsive at
least in part to the respective
transport distance and may include for example, costs associated with
transporting parcels by an item carrier an
incremental distance within a given catchment area or in a sub geographic area
within a catchment area where
the final delivery address is located. Other cost data may include data
corresponding to incremental costs
associated with handling the parcel and transporting it to the repository
associated with the catchment area in
which the final delivery address is located. Such "touch costs" which
correspond to handling costs for
transporting the parcel to the repository to which it would normally be
directed may be considered for purposes
of determining the most cost-effective parcel routing. Cost data may also
include or be calculated based on
rates payable to item carriers, the delivery density and associated
incremental costs associated with having an
item carrier handle the parcel subject to consideration in addition to other
parcels that will be routed to nearby
final delivery addresses. Other cost data may also be evaluated of the types
previously discussed or of other
types that are applicable and reflect the costs associated with the different
parcel delivery routing options.
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In exemplary arrangements the evaluation that is carried out by the system
circuitry in step 874 may
also include consideration of timing data associated with requirements
associated with the particular parcel
under consideration. As previously discussed, certain parcels may have
associated requirements for delivery to
be made within a particular time window. Also certain shippers or recipients
may be entitled to obtain certain
"service levels" that require parcel deliveries by certain deadlines. In
exemplary arrangements the central
circuitry is operative to evaluate the data corresponding to the parcel under
consideration to determine
associated record data in the at least one data store indicative of a required
time for delivery of the parcel. The
evaluation may also include data corresponding to an estimated time to
delivery. In exemplary arrangements
the estimated time to delivery may be determined based on his historical data
for deliveries within a set
distance of the final delivery address from each respective repository to
which the parcel may be routed. The
exemplary system circuitry may use the estimated time to delivery information
in combination with delivery
density information to evaluate the parcel routing that will provide delivery
of the parcel under consideration
to the final delivery address within the required time parameters. Of course
the types of evaluations and
associated data that is subject to evaluation are exemplary and in other
arrangements other types of evaluations
and data may be used.
As represented by step 876 the central system circuitry is then operative to
make a determination as to
the particular repository to which the parcel under consideration will be
routed. As represented by step 878 the
central system circuitry is then further operative to make a determination as
to which other parcels may be
transported in association with the parcel under consideration to the
determined repository by a single item
carrier. As previously discussed, these other parcels may be parcels which are
being transported to the
particular repository for purposes of delivery to a respective final delivery
address. Other parcels may be
transported to the particular repository as an interim step to move them
closer to their respective final
destinations. The exemplary circuitry is then operative to select an item
carrier in a manner like that
previously discussed to cause the parcel that is subject to consideration as
well as other parcels that are to be
bundled therewith, to be transported from the current location of the parcel
under consideration to the selected
item repository. Responsive at least in part to the selection of the
particular item carrier, the exemplary
circuitry is then operative to cause at least one message to be sent to the
carrier contact device of the selected
item carrier. This is represented by step 880. The at least one message sent
to the item carrier will then cause
the item carrier to transport the parcel to the designated repository. In the
exemplary arrangement the logic
flow of the central system circuitry then operates to return to carry out the
routing analysis for another parcel to
determine the routing of that parcel to a respective repository. Of course it
should be understood that the logic
flow that has been described is exemplary of approaches that may be taken for
determining the routing of a
parcel to a repository from which it will then be taken to his final delivery
address. Numerous other
approaches may be taken utilizing some or all of the features that have been
described.
Once the parcel has reached the repository from which it will be taken by an
item carrier to the final
delivery address, the central system circuitry operates in a manner like that
previously discussed to receive
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messages and signals that are indicative that the parcel subject to
consideration has been received in the
particular repository to which the item carrier has been directed to deliver
the parcel. This is represented by
step 882. The central system circuitry is then operative to determine a
particular route that can be utilized to
deliver a plurality of parcels which are positioned in the respective item
repository to the respective final
delivery addresses of the parcels. This is represented by a step 884. The
central system circuitry is then
operative in a manner like that previously discussed to select a particular
available item carrier to make the
deliveries of the plurality of parcels to the respective final delivery
addresses. The system circuitry is then
operative to send messages to the carrier contact device associated with the
selected item carrier to access the
items from the repository and to transport the items to each final delivery
address. This is represented by step
886. Of course as can be appreciated, in exemplary arrangements the circuitry
operates to a assure that
authorized access is only given to the designated item carrier for purposes of
being able to remove the proper
parcels from the repository and documenting the removal and transport thereof
Once an item carrier has been given a final delivery assignment for the
particular parcel, the central
system circuitry is operative as represented in step 888 to include record
data in the at least one data store that
indicates that a final delivery assignment has been made for the particular
parcel. As can be appreciated from
the prior description of the exemplary logic flow, the final delivery address
associated with the parcel is no
longer considered for purposes of determining the routing of other parcels.
This is because the particular
parcel is no longer at a stage within the delivery process in which the final
delivery might be combined with
other parcels that have not been designated to be delivered along the route
that has been assigned to the item
carrier.
The exemplary system circuitry then operates as represented in step 890 to
acquire the data from the
item carrier contact device to document the proper delivery of each parcel at
the final delivery destination.
This may be done in a manner like that previously discussed. Further the
circuitry operates to calculate the
amounts that are due to the particular item carrier who has made the final
delivery of the parcel. Calculations
are also made related to charges for the shipment of the parcel and the
charges are assessed to the entity
responsible for payment. This is represented in step 892. The central system
circuitry then operates to archive
the data corresponding to the parcel and the delivery. The data is stored in
the at least one data store for
purposes of being able to audit and verify that the proper delivery of the
parcel was made and that the charges
and payments associated therewith have been properly presented. This is
represented by a step 894. Of course
it should be understood that these approaches are exemplary and in other
arrangements additional steps and
operations may be carried out.
In exemplary arrangements the central system circuitry may operate to carry
out a similar analysis
with regard to the initial pickup and routing of parcels to selected
repositories. In exemplary arrangements the
analysis may be carried out concerning the initial pickup addresses at which
item carriers are required to pick
up parcels in the near future, so that the pickup of each parcel may be
carried out in a timely and cost-effective
manner. The exemplary logic flow carried out by the central system circuitry
in connection with the pickup
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and routing of parcels from initial pickup addresses is represented in Figures
57 ¨ 60. It should be appreciated
that the exemplary logic flow is shown at a high level and additional
functions and operations may also be
carried out in connection therewith.
In the exemplary arrangement the central circuitry is operative to select a
particular parcel that is to be
picked up to initiate a shipment. This is represented by a step 896. The
central system circuitry is operative to
determine the initial pickup address associated with the particular parcel as
represented in a step 898. This
may be done in exemplary arrangements through review of the initial pickup
address data stored in at least one
data store in associated relation with the parcel ID or other parcel
identifying data. The exemplary circuitry is
then operative to determine the particular catchment area in which the initial
pickup address is located. This is
represented by a step 900.
The circuitry is then operative as represented by a step 902 to review the
stored data to see if there has
been an initial pickup assignment for the respective parcel to an item
carrier. In step 904 a determination is
made as to whether an initial pickup assignment has already been made to an
item carrier. If in step 904 it is
determined that an item carrier has already been assigned to make the initial
pickup of the particular parcel, the
parcel is removed from consideration as represented in a step 906. The
exemplary circuitry then operates to
evaluate another parcel.
If in step 904 it is determined that an initial pickup assignment for the
particular parcel under
consideration has not yet been made to an item carrier, the circuitry operates
as represented in a step 908 to
determine an initial pickup address for another parcel that is closest to the
parcel under consideration and that
is within the same catchment area. A determination is then made as represented
by a step 910 as to whether
the closest initial pickup address to the initial pickup address for the
parcel under consideration, has already
been assigned to an item carrier for initial pickup. If an initial pickup
assignment for the closest parcel has
already been made, the central circuitry removes that closest parcel from
consideration as represented by step
912. The circuitry then operates in accordance with its circuit executable
instructions to determine the parcel
having the then closest initial pickup address in the same catchment area as
the parcel subject to consideration.
If the parcel having the closest initial pickup address in the same catchment
area has not been subject
to an initial pickup assignment, the circuitry then operates as represented in
a step 914 to review the record
data stored in the at least one data store to verify that the parcel having
the closest initial pickup address has
been designated to be transported to the parcel repository associated with the
catchment area. In step 916 a
determination is made that the closest parcel to the parcel under
consideration will be routed to the repository
associated with the particular catchment area in which the initial pickup
address is located for the parcel under
consideration. If in the step 916 it is determined that the closest parcel to
the initial pickup address will not be
routed to the repository associated with the catchment area, then the closest
parcel is removed from
consideration as represented by step 912 and a closest initial pickup address
for a parcel remaining subject to
consideration is determined.
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If in the step 916 it is determined that the parcel having the closest initial
pickup address to the initial
pickup address for the parcel subject to consideration is being routed to the
repository for the catchment area,
the central system circuitry is then operative to determine data corresponding
to at least one pickup transport
distance value. This is represented by a step 918. In exemplary arrangements
the at least one the pickup
transport distance may correspond to one or more of an actual direct distance,
a travel distance along existing
highways and/or a time value corresponding to the time that it would take an
item carrier to travel between the
initial pickup addresses for the parcel subject to consideration and the
parcel having the closest initial pickup
address within the catchment area. The at least one pickup transport distance
may be determined in a manner
like that previously discussed in connection with the determination of at
least one delivery transport distance.
In a step 920 the exemplary system circuitry is operative to determine pickup
density. In exemplary
arrangements the pickup density may be calculated based on the number of
initial pickup addresses located
within a set distance of the initial pickup address for the parcel subject to
consideration, the closest initial
pickup address to the parcel under consideration, or both. Further in a manner
like that previously discussed,
the determination of the delivery density may also consider other actions of
an item carrier that may be carried
out in proximity to the initial pickup address or addresses. This may include
in some arrangements deliveries
of other parcels to final delivery addresses within a set distance of the
initial pickup address of the parcel
subject to consideration.
As represented by step 922 the exemplary central circuitry is then operative
to determine an
immediately adjacent catchment area to the catchment area in which the initial
pickup address for the parcel
subject to consideration is located. In a step 924 the circuitry operates in
accordance with its circuit executable
instructions to select an immediately adjacent catchment area. This may be
done by the central system
circuitry in a manner like that previously discussed. The circuitry is then
operative to determine the initial
pickup address for the parcel in the immediately adjacent catchment area that
is closest to the initial pickup
address for the parcel that is subject to consideration. This is represented
by step 926. As represented in a step
928 a determination is made as to whether the parcel having the closest
initial pickup address in the
immediately adjacent catchment area has already been assigned to an item
carrier for initial parcel pickup. If
so the initial pickup address for that closest parcel in that catchment area
is removed from consideration as
represented by step 930. The circuitry then operates to select the parcel
having the closest initial pickup
address remaining subject to consideration that is in the immediately adjacent
catchment area.
If the parcel in the immediately adjacent catchment area having the closest
initial pickup address to
the initial pickup address of the parcel subject to consideration has not been
assigned to an item carrier for
pickup, the circuitry then operates as represented in a step 932 to check the
at least one data store for record
data that indicates that the parcel having the closest initial pickup address
in the immediately adjacent
catchment area will be routed to the repository associated with that catchment
area. If as represented in step
934 it is determined that the parcel with the closest initial pickup address
will not be routed to the repository
for the immediately adjacent catchment area, then that parcel is removed from
consideration and the circuitry
Date Recue/Date Received 2021-05-26
operates to select a parcel in the immediately adjacent catchment area that
remains and that has the closest
initial pickup address to the initial pickup address of the parcel that is
subject to consideration.
If the parcel having an initial pickup address in the immediately adjacent
catchment area is determined
in step 934 to be one that will be routed to the repository for that catchment
area, the central circuitry then
operates as represented by step 936 to determine data corresponding to at
least one pickup transport distance.
The at least one pickup transport distance is determined for the initial
pickup address of the parcel subject to
consideration and the parcel having the closest initial pickup address in the
adjacent catchment area. This
determination may be carried out in a manner like that previously discussed.
Thereafter as represented by a
step 938 the exemplary circuitry is operative to determine the pickup density
associated with the initial pickup
addresses (and in some arrangements other item carrier activities such as
parcel deliveries) that will occur
within a set distance of the initial pickup address of the parcel subject to
consideration, the closest initial
pickup address the parcel in the immediately adjacent catchment area, or both.
The exemplary system circuitry then operates in accordance with its circuit
executable instructions to
make a determination as represented in a step 940, concerning whether the
closest address for an initial parcel
pickup has been carried out for all immediately adjacent catchment areas to
the catchment area in which the
initial pickup address is located for the parcel subject to consideration. If
additional immediately adjacent
catchment areas remain to be evaluated, the system circuitry then operates to
select another immediately
adjacent catchment area as represented by step 924 and the analysis is
repeated to determine the initial pickup
address in the respective adjacent catchment area that is closest to the
initial pickup address of the parcel
subject to consideration.
Once the initial pickup addresses for parcels in all the immediately adjacent
catchment areas to the
catchment area in which the initial pickup address is located for the parcel
subject consideration have been
evaluated, the circuitry operates as represented by step 942 to carry out an
evaluation. The exemplary system
circuitry may operate in a manner like that previously discussed to evaluate
data such as pickup transport
distance and timing related to having the initial pickup of the parcel subject
to consideration made in
conjunction with other parcels that will be picked up (and in some
arrangements delivered) in the same
catchment area or in the immediately adjacent catchment areas. The evaluation
may also include evaluations
of data such as timing requirements associated with the particular parcel ID,
cost data, pickup density data and
other data and weighing factors that may be utilized by the circuitry to
determine suitable timing and cost-
.. effective initial pickup of the parcel subject to consideration.
As represented in a step 944 responsive to the evaluation, the circuitry is
then operative to make a
determination as to the particular parcel repository to which the parcel will
be routed. The circuitry is then
operative to evaluate parcels which have initial pickup addresses (and in some
arrangements delivery
addresses) in proximity and along a particular route which may be traveled by
an item carrier. The exemplary
.. circuitry then determines a particular route that will be taken by an item
carrier which includes the address for
the initial pickup of the parcel that is subject consideration. This is
represented by step 946.
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Date Recue/Date Received 2021-05-26
The exemplary system circuitry operates in a manner like that previously
discussed to determine an
available item carrier that can carry out the initial pickup of the parcel as
well as the other parcels that we
picked up along the assigned route. The circuitry then operates as represented
by a step 948 to communicate
with the carrier contact device of the selected item carrier to instruct the
item carrier to pick up the parcel at the
initial pickup address and transport the parcel to the selected repository.
This includes providing the selected
item carrier with the capabilities to access the selected repository so that
the parcel may be placed in the
interior area thereof Further in the exemplary arrangement the central system
circuitry is operative to cause
record data to be stored in associated relation with the particular parcel to
indicate that an initial pickup
assignment has been made to an item carrier. This is represented by a step
950. The record data
corresponding to the assignment for initial pickup to an item carrier is
operative to cause the particular initial
pickup address for the parcel subject to consideration to no longer be
utilized in connection with the evaluation
of parcels that can be initially picked up by item carriers in conjunction
with other parcels.
As can be appreciated, in exemplary arrangements the central system circuitry
is operative to enable a
parcel at an initial pickup address to be picked up in coordinated relation
with other parcels that are required to
be picked up at initial pickup addresses in a timely and cost-effective
manner. This exemplary arrangement
takes into consideration the dynamic changing population of other parcels that
are currently being presented
for shipment through the system. This includes parcels in catchment areas that
may be outside the catchment
area in which the initial pickup address is located, but which may be more
readily picked up and transported to
a parcel repository than would be carried out if consideration of the initial
pickup addresses were limited to the
catchment area in which the initial pickup address is located. Likewise,
parcels that are subject to delivery to a
final delivery address of the recipient can be delivered in a timely and cost-
effective manner due to dynamic
consideration of other parcels that are currently subject to delivery both
within the catchment area where the
final delivery address is located and in adjacent catchment areas. The
exemplary approaches further help to
more effectively utilize the services of item carriers and the repositories
that are available. Such capabilities
may include more effectively combining pickups and/or deliveries for multiple
parcels that have been
"bundled" for pickup and/or delivery along common routes. Of course these
approaches that have been
described are exemplary and in other arrangements other approaches may be
utilized.
Thus the exemplary arrangements described herein achieve improved operation,
eliminate difficulties
encountered in the use of prior devices and systems, and attain the useful
results described herein.
In the foregoing description, certain terms have been used for brevity,
clarity and understanding.
However, no unnecessary limitations are to be implied therefrom because such
terms are used for descriptive
purposes and are intended to be broadly construed. Moreover the descriptions
and illustrations herein are by
way of examples and the inventive features are not limited to the exact
features shown and described.
Further in the following claims any feature described as a means for
performing a function shall be
construed as encompassing any means known to those skilled in the art as being
capable of carrying out the
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Date Recue/Date Received 2021-05-26
recited function and shall not be deemed limited to the particular means shown
or described for performing the
recited function in the foregoing description or mere equivalents thereof
It should be understood that features and/or relationships associated with one
arrangement can be
combined with features and/or relationships from another arrangement. That is,
various features and/or
relationships from various arrangements can be combined in further
arrangements. The inventive scope of the
disclosure is not limited to only the arrangements shown or described herein.
In the foregoing description the referenced circuit executable instructions or
other stored program data
shall be deemed to be capable of being included in a non-transitory computer
readable medium. The term
"non-transitory" with regard to a computer readable medium is intended to
exclude only the subject matter of a
transitory signal, per se, where the medium itself may be transitory. The term
"non-transitory" is not intended
to exclude any other form of computer readable media, including but not
limited to media comprising data or
executable instructions that are only temporarily stored or stored in a
temporary manner no matter the duration
of such storage. Should the law change to allow computer readable medium
itself to be transitory signals, then
this exclusion is no longer valid or binding.
Having described the features, discoveries and principles of the exemplary
arrangements, the manner
in which they are constructed and operated, and the advantages and useful
results attained, the new and useful
structures, devices, elements, arrangements, parts, combinations, systems,
equipment, operations, methods,
processes and relationships are set forth in the appended claims.
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