Secure lockers for use as item exchange points

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11625971-B2
Application number	US-201715658071-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 24, 2017
Priority date	Jul 27, 2016
Publication date	Apr 11, 2023
Grant date	Apr 11, 2023

Abstract

A secure, computerized locker bank that is adapted to facilitate the payment for, and physical exchange of an item between entities who have brokered the sale of the item via a marketplace, such as an on-line marketplace (e.g., an on-line auction site, an on-line classified advertisement site, or an online retail marketplace), or a traditional marketplace (e.g., traditional paper classified advertisements). In particular embodiments, each locker in the computerized locker bank comprises one or more imaging devices for allowing a potential purchaser to view an item (e.g., stored within a locker) before purchasing the item and retrieving it from the locker.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A locker bank comprising:
a plurality of lockers that are physically connected together in the locker bank, wherein the locker bank includes a point-of-sale (POS) system for accepting payment from users, each respective locker comprising:
(A) a housing defining an interior storage portion that is dimensioned for selectively receiving and storing one or more items, and
(B) at least one door for selectively preventing access to one or more items stored within the interior storage portion;

one or more computer systems that are located in the locker bank and control the locker bank, comprising a computer processor and memory, adapted for:
(A) receiving a request, from a seller, to store an item within the locker bank beginning at a particular start time for a particular time period for later pickup by a purchaser who has purchased the item, wherein the request includes the particular start time and the particular time period;
(B) in response to receiving the request from the seller, reserving a particular locker of the plurality of lockers to permit access to an interior storage portion of the particular locker, wherein the particular locker is reserved to store the item beginning at the particular start time and for the particular time period;

in response to receiving no indication within a predetermined amount of time after the particular start time that the seller has attempted to access the locker, canceling the reservation of the locker;
in response to receiving an indication within the predetermined amount of time after the particular start time that the seller has attempted to access the locker, opening a particular door of the particular locker of the plurality of lockers to permit access to the interior storage portion of the particular locker;
(C) registering the closing and locking of the particular door, after the locker bank receives one or more particular items into the particular locker's interior storage portion;
(D) after the step of registering the closing of the particular door, receiving a request, by the purchaser of the item to retrieve the one or more particular items from the locker;
(E) in response to receiving the request to retrieve the one or more particular items from the locker, facilitating payment for the one or more particular items by the purchaser;
(F) confirming that payment has been received for the one or more particular items; and
(G) in response to confirming that payment has been received for the one or more particular items, unlocking a door of the particular locker so that the purchaser can retrieve the one or more particular items from the interior storage portion of the particular locker,

wherein the one or more computer systems are adapted for preventing the use of the locker bank for facilitating the sale of items by one or more sellers who have not been validated to be trustworthy sellers.

2. The locker bank of claim 1 , wherein the step of registering the closing and locking of the particular door comprises receiving one or more signals indicating that the particular door has been closed and, at least partially in response to receiving the one or more signals, locking the particular door.

3. The locker bank of claim 1 , wherein the step of facilitating payment for the one or more particular items by the purchaser comprises facilitating payment for the one or more particular items via an account that the purchaser has with a logistics service provider.

4. The locker bank of claim 1 , wherein the one or more computer systems are adapted for:
after opening the door of the particular locker so that the purchaser can retrieve the one or more particular items, receiving an indication from the purchaser that the purchaser wishes to return the item to the locker;
at least partially in response to receiving the indication from the purchaser that the purchaser wishes to return the item to the locker;
receiving the item into an interior storage portion of a selected one of the plurality of lockers; and
at least partially in response to receiving the item into the interior portion of the selected one of the plurality of lockers, facilitating closure and locking of the door of the selected locker in order to at least temporarily prevent access to the item.

5. The locker bank of claim 4 , wherein the one or more computer systems are adapted for at least partially in response to receiving the item into the interior portion of the selected locker of the plurality of lockers, transmitting a message to the seller of the item indicating that the item has been returned.

6. The locker bank of claim 1 , wherein the one or more computer systems are adapted for:
after opening the door of the particular locker so that the purchaser can retrieve the one or more particular items, communicating to the purchaser that, if they wish not to accept the one or more items, they may return the one or more items to a locker within the locker bank within a predetermined period of time; and
at least partially in response to the purchaser returning the one or more items to the locker within the locker bank within the predetermined period of time, cancelling a payment transaction, from the purchaser to the seller, for the one or more items.

7. The locker bank of claim 1 , wherein:
the locker bank comprises at least one imaging device positioned to take an image of an item when the item is disposed within the interior storage portion of the particular locker; and
the one or more computer systems are adapted for:
after the step of facilitating closure and locking of the particular door and while the one or more particular items are within the interior storage portion of the particular locker, using the at least one imaging device to capture an image of the one or more particular items; and
storing the image to memory.

8. The locker bank of claim 7 , wherein the one or more computer systems are adapted for, at least partially in response to receiving the request to retrieve the one or more particular items from the locker, communicating the image of the one or more particular items to the purchaser so that the purchaser can assess the presence or condition of the item.

9. The locker bank of claim 8 , wherein the step of communicating the image occurs before the step of facilitating payment for the one or more particular items by the purchaser.

10. The locker bank of claim 1 , wherein the one or more computer systems are adapted for preventing the use of the locker bank for facilitating the sale of items by the one or more sellers who have not been validated to be trustworthy sellers by a logistics service provider.

11. The locker bank of claim 1 , wherein: the one or more computer systems are adapted for, after receiving the one or more particular items into the particular locker's interior storage portion, communicating item access information to the purchaser that the purchaser may use to gain access to the item from the locker bank; and
receiving a request from the purchaser of the one or more particular items to retrieve the one or more particular items from the locker, wherein receiving the request comprises receiving the item access information from the purchaser.

12. A locker bank comprising:
a plurality of lockers that are physically connected together in the locker bank, wherein the locker bank includes a point-of-sale (POS) system for accepting payment from users, each respective locker comprising:
(A) a housing defining an interior storage portion that is dimensioned for selectively receiving and storing one or more items;
(B) at least one door for selectively preventing access to one or more items stored within t

Assignees

• United parcel service america inc

Inventors

• Dotterweich Andrew
• Cooper Jeffrey

Classifications

• G06Q30/06

  Buying, selling or leasing transactions · CPC title

• G07F17/12 Primary

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

• G06Q10/0836

  Recipient pick-ups · CPC title

• G07C9/00912

  for safes, strong-rooms, vaults or the like · CPC title

• G07C9/00896

  specially adapted for particular uses · CPC title