Systems and methods for facilitating package delivery or pickup
View Patent ↗A system for facilitating package delivery or pickup at premises of senders or recipients has a package door that is used for receipt and collection of packages. The package door includes an input device for entering package information and an image capture device for visually recording the arrival of a courier. Based on the package information entered via the input device, the system determines whether the package information matches a predetermined value, such as a package tracking number. The system may automatically unlock the package door if the package information matches such predetermined value. In other embodiments, a user may remotely monitor the package information and/or information from the image capture device to determine whether to provide inputs for unlocking the package door. The system logs the package information received from the input device and the image capture device.
1 . A system for facilitating package deliveries, comprising:
a door at a destination for packages to be delivered by a user;
a door locking mechanism coupled to the door;
a data input device configured to receive an input provided by the user during delivery of at least one of the packages to the destination;
at least one computing device configured to receive the input from the data input device and perform a comparison between the input and stored data associated with the at least one of the packages, the at least one computing device further configured to control the door locking mechanism based on the comparison; and
a server configured to store, in memory, information related to the user, including at least a first shipping address for the user, the server further configured to associate the information with a universal customer identifier for the user, wherein for each of the packages the server is configured to receive the universal customer identifier from a respective merchant and to provide the first shipping address for delivery of the respective package to the destination in response to the universal customer identifier, wherein the server is configured to associate the universal customer identifier with a calendar indicating that packages to be delivered during a first time period are to be shipped to the first shipping address and packages to be delivered during a second time period are to be shipped to a second shipping address, and wherein the server for the at least one of the packages is configured to receive a time of delivery for the at least one of the packages and to compare the time of delivery to the calendar.
2 . A method for facilitating package deliveries, comprising:
locking, with a door locking mechanism, a door at a destination for packages to be delivered by a user;
receiving an input provided by the user during delivery of at least one of the packages to the destination;
comparing, with at least one computing device, the input and stored data associated with the at least one of the packages;
controlling, with the at least one computing device, the door locking mechanism based on the comparing;
storing, in memory, information related to the user, including at least a first shipping address for the user;
associating, in the memory, the information with a universal customer identifier for the user;
for each of the packages, receiving at a server the universal customer identifier from a respective merchant and providing, by the server, the first shipping address for delivery of the respective package to the destination in response to the universal customer identifier received by the server;
associating, with the server, the universal customer identifier with a calendar indicating that packages to be delivered during a first time period are to be shipped to the first shipping address and packages to be delivered during a second time period are to be shipped to a second shipping address;
for the at least one of the packages, receiving at the server a time of delivery for the at least one of the packages; and
comparing the time of delivery to the calendar with the server.
3 . A server for facilitating package deliveries, comprising:
memory; and
at least one processor to store, in the memory, information related to a user to receive packages delivered by at least one courier service, including at least a first shipping address for the user, the at least one processor further configured to associate the information with a universal customer identifier for the user, wherein for each of the packages the at least one processor is configured to receive the universal customer identifier from a respective merchant and to provide the first shipping address for delivery of the respective package to the destination in response to the universal customer identifier, wherein the at least one processor is configured to associate the universal customer identifier with a calendar indicating that packages to be delivered during a first time period are to be shipped to the first shipping address and packages to be delivered during a second time period are to be shipped to a second shipping address, and wherein the at least one processor for the at least one of the packages is configured to receive a time of delivery for the at least one of the packages and to compare the time of delivery to the calendar.
4 . A method for facilitating package deliveries, comprising:
storing, in memory, information related to a user to receive packages delivered by at least one courier service, including at least a first shipping address for the user;
associating, in the memory, the information with a universal customer identifier for the user;
for each of the packages, receiving at a server the universal customer identifier from a respective merchant and providing, by the server, the first shipping address for delivery of the respective package to the destination in response to the universal customer identifier received by the server;
associating, with the server, the universal customer identifier with a calendar indicating that packages to be delivered during a first time period are to be shipped to the first shipping address and packages to be delivered during a second time period are to be shipped to a second shipping address;
for the at least one of the packages, receiving at the server a time of delivery for the at least one of the packages; and
comparing the time of delivery to the calendar with the server.