Systems and methods for confirming an identity of an individual, for example, at a locker bank

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10217079-B2
Application number	US-201414561041-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 4, 2014
Priority date	Oct 14, 2013
Publication date	Feb 26, 2019
Grant date	Feb 26, 2019

Abstract

Systems, according to various embodiments, are adapted to use any of a variety of different techniques to identify an individual. In particular embodiments, the system is adapted to, at least partially in response to confirming the identity of a consignee of a parcel, provide the consignee with access to a parcel stored within a secured locker. In particular embodiments, the system may use the current or past location of the consignee, or information from one or more objects physically associated with the consignee (e.g., a portable computing device or an electronic or paper info notice) to verify the consignee's identity.

First claim

We claim:

1. A computer-implemented method for directing one or more parcels having a consignee to a suitable locker bank location and facilitating a release of the one or more parcels from the suitable locker bank location, the method comprising:
receiving, by a processor, a first indication that delivery of one or more parcels is not possible to the consignee at a primary delivery location;
determining, by a processor, a suitable locker bank location based at least in part on the primary delivery location;
facilitating delivery of the parcel to the suitable locker bank location;
receiving, by a processor, from a computing device associated with the suitable locker bank location, a first request to deliver the one or more parcels to the suitable locker bank location;
at least partially in response to receiving the first request, unlocking, by a processor, one or more lockers at the suitable locker bank location;
receiving, by a processor, a second indication that the one or more parcels have been placed in a particular one of the one or more lockers;
at least partially in response to receiving the second indication, associating, by a processor, the one or more parcels with the particular one of the one or more lockers;
receiving, by a processor, from an individual at the computing device associated with the suitable locker bank, a second request to retrieve the one or more parcels from the particular one of the one or more lockers;
at least partially in response to receiving the second request, confirming an identity, by a processor, of the individual as an individual authorized to retrieve the one or more parcels, wherein confirming the identity comprises:
receiving, by a processor, one or more pieces of package level detail information that at least partially identifies the consignee;
receiving, by a processor, one or more pieces of identifying information associated with the individual;
comparing, by a processor, the one or more pieces of package level detail information with the one or more pieces of identifying information to determine whether the one or more pieces of identifying information at least partially match the one or more pieces of package level detail information;
at least partially in response to determining that the one or more pieces of identifying information at least partially match the one or more pieces of package level detail information, at the suitable locker bank location, confirming the identity of the individual as the one or more individuals authorized to retrieve the one or more parcels for the consignee, wherein confirming the identity of the individual comprises:
receiving identifying data from a mobile device associated with the individual, the identifying data being unique to the individual and including at least a current location of the individual,
using the identifying data to confirm the identity of the individual, and
using the current location of the individual to confirm that the individual is at the suitable locker bank location; and

at least partially in response to confirming the identity of the individual, facilitating, by a processor, the release of the one or more parcels from the particular one of the one or more lockers to the individual, wherein facilitating the release of the one or more parcels from the particular one of the one or more lockers to the individual comprises substantially automatically unlocking a door of the particular one of the one or more lockers containing the one or more parcels to provide the individual with physical access to an interior of the particular one of the one or more lockers.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving from the consignee, by a processor, a third request to view tracking information associated with the one or more parcels; and
at least partially in response to receiving the third request, displaying, by a processor, the tracking information and a location of the suitable locker bank to the consignee.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein:
the consignee is associated with a consignee account associated with a carrier responsible for handling the one or more parcels; and
the method further comprises notifying the consignee via the consignee account, by a processor, at least partially in response to receiving the second indication, of the delivery of the one or more parcels to the suitable locker bank location.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3 , wherein:
the notification to the consignee comprises a machine-readable indicia, the machine-readable indicia being associated with the one or more parcels; and receiving the second request comprises receiving, by a processor, information derived from a reading, by a machine-readable indicia reading device, of the machine-readable indicia at the suitable locker bank location.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4 , wherein:
the machine-readable indicia is further associated with the consignee account; and
at the suitable locker bank location, confirming the identity of the individual further comprises substantially automatically confirming the identity of the individual based at least in part on receiving the information.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5 , wherein the individual is selected from a group consisting of:
i. the consignee; and
ii. an individual on behalf of the consignee.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein:
at the suitable locker bank location, confirming the identity of the individual further comprises:
reading, via a card reader associated with the computing device associated with the suitable locker bank location, an identification card associated with the individual;
at least partially in response to reading the identification card:
verifying, by a processer, an authenticity of the identification card; and
determining, by a processor, the one or more pieces of identifying information associated with the individual;
at least partially in response to verifying the authenticity of the identification card and determining the one or more pieces of identifying information, comparing, by a processor, the one or more pieces of package level detail information with the one or more pieces of identifying information;
at least partially in response to comparing the one or more pieces of package level detail information with the one or more pieces of identifying information, determining, by a processor, whether at least a threshold number of the one or more pieces of identifying information are substantially similar to the one or more pieces of package level detail information; and
at least partially in response to determining that at least the threshold number of the one or more pieces of identifying information are substantially similar to the one or more pieces of package level detail information, confirming, by a processor, the identity of the individual.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising determining whether a threshold number of the one or more pieces of identifying information at least partially match the one or more pieces of package level detail information, wherein:
the one or more pieces of package level detail information comprise a first name of the consignee, a last name of the consignee, and an address of the consignee;
the one or more pieces of identifying information comprise a first name of the individual, a last name of the individual, and an address of the individual;
the threshold number is two pieces of the one or more pieces of package level detail information and the one or more pieces of identifying information; and
at the suitable locker bank location, confirming the identity of the individual as an ind

Assignees

• United parcel service america inc

Inventors

• Robinson Kalin
• Carder David
• Gillen Robert J

Classifications

• G06Q10/0838

  Historical data · CPC title

• G06Q10/0836 Primary

  Recipient pick-ups · CPC title

• G06F2221/2141

  Access rights, e.g. capability lists, access control lists, access tables, access matrices · CPC title

• G06F21/62

  Protecting access to data via a platform, e.g. using keys or access control rules · CPC title