Location-based pick up and delivery services

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11023846-B2
Application number	US-201615130311-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 15, 2016
Priority date	Apr 24, 2015
Publication date	Jun 1, 2021
Grant date	Jun 1, 2021

Abstract

Computer program products, methods, systems, apparatus, and computing entities are provided. In one embodiment, a method is provided. The method comprises receiving location information for an item. The location information indicates the current physical location of the item. The method further comprises determining whether the item is located within a first configurable distance of an establishment and responsive to determining that the item is located within the first configurable distance of the establishment, requesting first location information for the consignee of the item and second location information for the consignee of the item. The method further comprises determining whether the consignee is within a second configurable distance of the establishment based at least in part on the first location information for the consignee and the second location information for the consignee and providing a notification for display via a user interface of an application executing on a customer computing entity.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method, performed in a carrier system, for delivering an item to a customer at an alternate delivery location based in part on a real-time location of the customer, the method comprising:
receiving location information for the item, the location information indicating a current physical location of the item;
determining a distance between the item and an entity at a location other than a delivery address of the item, based at least in part on first location coordinates of the current physical location of the item and second location coordinates of a known location of the entity;
determining whether the item is located within a first configurable distance of the entity based at least in part on the distance determined from the first location coordinates and the second location coordinates;
responsive to determining that the item is located within the first configurable distance of the entity, requesting a first determination of a current physical location of the customer and a second determination of the current physical location of the customer;
determining whether the customer is within a second configurable distance of the entity based at least in part on the first determination of the current physical location of the customer and the second determination of the current physical location of the customer;
in response to determining that the customer is within the second configurable distance of the entity, transmitting a notification via a network to a customer computing entity for display via a user interface of an application executing on the customer computing entity, wherein the notification comprises a mechanism via the user interface for the customer to remotely request or reject delivery of the item at the entity; and
responsive to receiving user input via the user interface requesting delivery of the item at the entity, facilitating delivery of the item to the customer at the entity.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the entity is an establishment.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the first configurable distance, the second configurable distance, or both is defined (a) by the establishment or (b) about the establishment.

4. The method of claim 2 , wherein the first determination of the current physical location of the customer is provided by an establishment computing entity associated with the establishment.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the establishment comprises a sensor configured to determine if the customer computing entity associated with the customer is present at the establishment and provide an indication of the determination by the sensor to the establishment computing entity.

6. The method of claim 2 , further comprising, responsive to receiving user input via the user interface indicating that the customer would like to take delivery of the item at the establishment, providing a notification that the customer would like to take delivery of the item at the establishment to a carrier.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the location information for the item is determined by the item, a delivery vehicle transporting the item, or a user computing entity associated with a driver of the delivery vehicle that the item is inside of.

8. An apparatus comprising at least one processor and at least one memory including program code, the at least one memory and the program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least:
receive location information for an item, the location information indicating a current physical location of the item;
determine whether the item is located within a first configurable distance of an entity at a location other than a delivery address of the item, based on the location information for the item and the location of the entity within a coordinate system;
responsive to determining that the item is located within the first configurable distance of the entity, request a first determination of a current physical location of a consignee of the item provided by a computing device associated with the consignee and a second determination of the current physical location of the consignee provided by a computing device associated with the entity;
determine whether the consignee is within a second configurable distance of the entity based at least in part on the first determination of the current physical location of the consignee and the second determination of the current physical location of the consignee;
in response to determining that the consignee is within the second configurable distance of the entity, transmit a notification to a user computing entity associated with the consignee for display via a user interface of an application executing on the user computing entity, wherein the notification comprises a mechanism via the user interface for the consignee to remotely request or reject delivery of the item at the entity; and
responsive to receiving user input via the user interface requesting delivery of the item at the entity, facilitate delivery of the item to the consignee at the entity.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the entity is an establishment.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the first configurable distance, the second configurable distance, or both is defined (a) by the establishment or (b) about the establishment.

11. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the first determination of the current physical location of the consignee is provided by an establishment computing entity associated with the establishment.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the establishment comprises a sensor configured to determine if the user computing entity associated with the consignee is present at the establishment and provide an indication of the determination by the sensor to the establishment computing entity.

13. The apparatus of claim 9 , further comprising, responsive to receiving user input via the user interface indicating that the consignee would like to take delivery of the item at the establishment, providing a notification that the consignee would like to take delivery of the item at the establishment to a carrier.

14. A computer program product comprising at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable program code portions stored therein, the computer-readable program code portions comprising:
an executable portion configured to receive location information for an item, the location information indicating a current physical location of the item;
an executable portion configured to determine whether the item is located within a first configurable distance of an entity at a location other than a delivery address of the item;
an executable portion configured to, responsive to determining that the item is located within the first configurable distance of the entity,
request a first determination of a current physical location of a consignee of the item, and
request a confirmation of the current physical location of the consignee from a different source than the first determination;
an executable portion configured to determine whether the consignee is within a second configurable distance of the entity based at least in part on the first determination of the current physical location of the consignee and the confirmation of the current physical location of the consignee;
an executable portion configured to, in response to determining that the consignee is within the second configurable distance of the entity, transmit a notification via a network to a customer computing entity associated with the consignee for display via a user interface of an application executing

Assignees

• United parcel service america inc

Inventors

• Gillen Robert J
• Sisco David
• Zoromsky Sara
• Enyart Jeff
• Robinson Kalin
• Carder David

Classifications

• G06Q10/0631

  Resource planning, allocation, distributing or scheduling for enterprises or organisations · CPC title

• G06Q10/0833

  Tracking · CPC title

• G01S19/13

  Receivers · CPC title

• G06Q10/083 Primary

  Shipping · CPC title

• G06Q10/087

  Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders · CPC title