Delivery system, control method for delivery system, and server device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11222493-B2
Application number	US-201916265458-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 1, 2019
Priority date	Feb 2, 2018
Publication date	Jan 11, 2022
Grant date	Jan 11, 2022

Abstract

A delivery system includes a vehicle configured to deliver a package placed in a case that is lockable-unlockable; a storage unit configured to store key information of the case; a receiving unit configured to receive information about a delivery status of the package; and a control unit configured to change a process according to the delivery status of the package, the process performed for the key information of the case.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A delivery system comprising:
a vehicle configured to deliver a package placed in a case that is lockable-unlockable;
a storage unit configured to store key information of the case, the key information comprising first key information associated with a providing user and second key information associated with a receiving user;
a receiving unit configured to receive information about a delivery status of the package; and
a control unit configured to:
upon determination that the package has been loaded into the case by the providing user, invalidate the first key information; and
upon determination that the package has been unloaded from the case by the receiving user, invalidate the second key information.

2. The delivery system according to claim 1 , wherein:
the case is a case that is configured to be unloaded from the vehicle and transferred to a receiver of the package; and
the control unit is configured to, when a notification of delivery completion or receipt confirmation of the package is received, transmit the key information to a terminal of the receiver of the package and invalidate the key information stored in the storage unit.

3. The delivery system according to claim 1 , wherein:
the case is the vehicle itself, a package compartment provided in the vehicle, or a case placed in the vehicle; and
the control unit is configured to transmit the key information to a terminal of a user who loads the package into the case, and to a terminal of a receiver of the package, the control unit configured to record locking-unlocking of the case when the locking-unlocking of the case is performed by a user other than the receiver of the package.

4. The delivery system according to claim 3 , wherein the control unit is configured to, when a notification of delivery completion or receipt confirmation of the package is received, invalidate the key information transmitted to the terminal of the user who loads the package into the case, and to the terminal of the receiver of the package.

5. The delivery system according to claim 3 , wherein the control unit is configured to, when a notification of delivery completion or receipt confirmation of the package is received, delete a record of the locking-unlocking of the case.

6. The delivery system according to claim 1 , wherein the vehicle is configured to perform autonomous driving.

7. The delivery system according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit is configured to change a security level of the key information according to the delivery status of the package.

8. The delivery system according to claim 7 , wherein the control unit is configured to set a different security level of the key information between a case where locking-unlocking of the case is performed by a user other than a receiver of the package and a case where the locking-unlocking of the case is performed by the receiver of the package.

9. The delivery system according to claim 7 , wherein the control unit is configured to set a different security level of the key information between time before a delivery completion notification of the package or a receipt confirmation of the package is received and time after the delivery completion notification of the package or the receipt confirmation of the package has been received.

10. A control method for a delivery system, the control method comprising:
by a management device that manages a vehicle that delivers a package placed in a case that is lockable-unlockable,
storing key information of the case into a storage unit, the key information comprising first key information associated with a providing user and second key information associated with a receiving user;
upon determination that the package has been loaded into the case by the providing user, invalidating the first key information; and
upon determination that the package has been unloaded from the case by the receiving user, invalidating the second key information.

11. The control method of claim 10 , further comprising receiving information about a delivery status of the package and changing a security level of the key information according to the delivery status of the package.

12. The control method of claim 11 , further comprising setting a different security level of the key information between a case where locking-unlocking of the case is performed by a user other than a receiver of the package and a case where the locking-unlocking of the case is performed by the receiver of the package.

13. The control method of claim 11 , further comprising setting a different security level of the key information between time before a delivery completion notification of the package or receipt confirmation of the package is received and time after the delivery completion notification of the package or the receipt confirmation of the package has been received.

14. A server device comprising:
a storage unit configured to store key information of a case that is lockable-unlockable, the case configured such that a package that is delivered by a vehicle is placed in the case, the first key information associated with a providing user, and the second key information associated with a receiving user;
a receiving unit configured to receive information about a delivery status of the package; and
a control unit configured to:
upon determination that the package has been loaded into the case by the providing user, invalidate the first key information; and
upon determination that the package has been unloaded from the case by the receiving user, invalidate the second key information.

15. The server device of claim 14 , wherein the control unit is configured to change a security level of the key information according to the delivery status of the package.

16. The server device of claim 15 , wherein the control unit is configured to change a security level of the key information according to the delivery status of the package.

17. The server device of claim 15 , wherein the control unit is configured to set a different security level of the key information between time before a delivery completion notification of the package or a receipt confirmation of the package is received and time after the delivery completion notification of the package or the receipt confirmation of the package has been received.

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kaneko Yusuke
• Endo Masato
• Kaneichi Daiki
• Sassa Shinji
• Shiga Takahiro
• Tanigawa Yohei

Classifications

• G07F17/12 Primary

  comprising lockable containers, e.g. for accepting clothes to be cleaned · CPC title

• G07C9/00174

  Electronically operated locks; Circuits therefor; Nonmechanical keys therefor, e.g. passive or active electrical keys or other data carriers without mechanical keys (mechanical locks with electric permutation E05B49/00; arrangements for sensing or reading record carriers G06K7/00; electronic switching H03K17/00) · CPC title

• G06Q10/083

  Shipping · CPC title

• B65D55/14

  Applications of locks, e.g. of permutation or key-controlled locks · CPC title

• G07C2009/0092

  for cargo, freight or shipping containers and applications therefore in general · CPC title