Internet of things (IoT) enabled container to determine whether container has been opened

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11631120-B2
Application number	US-201816118888-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 31, 2018
Priority date	Aug 31, 2018
Publication date	Apr 18, 2023
Grant date	Apr 18, 2023

Abstract

In some examples, a server may receive a first order to acquire a product. The server may receive a request to cancel the first order and determine that the product has been shipped. The server may determine, based on sensor data received from a sensor in the container, that the container is unopened. After receiving a second order to ship the product to a second location, the server may instruct a courier to transport the product to the second location. For example, if the container is located at the first location, the server may instruct the courier to transport the container from the first location to the second location. If the server determines that the courier is currently transporting the container to the first location, the server may instruct the courier to transport the container to the second location instead of to the first location.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
receiving, by one or more processors, a request to cancel a first order to purchase a product and ship the product to a first location;
determining, by the one or more processors, that the product has been shipped to the first location in a container that includes an insulated cable wrapped around an exterior of the container that is coupled to a sensor receptive to electrical conductivity;
receiving, by the one or more processors, sensor data from the sensor, the sensor data transmitted over a wireless network;
determining, by the one or more processors and based on the sensor data regarding electrical conductivity, whether the insulated cable has been cut so as to open the container;
based on the open container determination, if the container has not been opened,
placing, by the one or more processors, the product in a canceled order inventory;
monitoring, by the one or more processors, incoming orders to determine if the incoming orders comprise the product;
receiving, by the one or more processors, a second order of the monitored incoming orders to purchase the product, the second order including instructions to ship the product to a second location;
instructing a customer who transmitted the request to cancel the first order to ship the first order to the second location;
instructing, by the one or more processors, a courier to transport the product to the second location to complete the purchase of the product as a new product with respect to the second order and to avoid processing the product as a returned product with respect to the first order; and
based on the open container determination, if the container has been opened,
instructing, by the one or more processors, a courier to transport the product to a location associated with a seller of the product.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein instructing the courier to transport the product to the second location comprises:
determining that the container is located at the first location; and
instructing the courier to transport the container from the first location to the second location.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein instructing the courier to transport the product to the second location comprises:
receiving, by the courier, the product provided by the customer; and
instructing the courier to transport the container to the second location.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the insulated cable is electrically coupled to the sensor to create a circuit having a closed state; and
cutting a portion of the insulated cable to open the container causes the sensor to determine that the circuit has changed from the closed state to an open state indicating that the container has been opened.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the container includes a modem that is capable of wirelessly transmitting the sensor data.

6. A server comprising:
one or more processors; and
one or more non-transitory computer readable media storing instructions executable by the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:
receiving a request to cancel a first order to purchase a product and ship the product to a first location;
determining that the product has been shipped to the first location in a container that includes an insulated cable wrapped around an exterior of the container that is coupled to a sensor receptive to electrical conductivity;
receiving sensor data over a wireless network from the sensor;
determining, based on the sensor data regarding electrical conductivity, whether the insulated cable has been cut so as to open the container;
based on the open container determination, if the container has not been opened,
placing the product in a canceled order inventory;
monitoring, by the one or more processors, incoming orders to determine if the incoming orders comprise the product;
receiving a second order of the monitored incoming orders to purchase the product, the second order including instructions to ship the product to a second location;
instructing a customer who transmitted the request to cancel the first order to ship the first order to the second location;
instructing a courier to transport the product to the second location to complete the purchase of the product as a new product with respect to the second order and to avoid processing the product as a returned product with respect to the first order; and
based on the open container determination, if the container has been opened,
instructing, by the one or more processors, a courier to transport the product to a location associated with a seller of the product.

7. The server of claim 6 , wherein instructing the courier to transport the product to the second location comprises:
determining that the container is located at the first location; and
instructing the courier to transport the container from the first location to the second location.

8. The server of claim 6 , wherein instructing the courier to transport the product to the second location comprises:
determining that the courier is transporting the container to the first location; and
instructing the courier to transport the container to the second location instead of to the first location.

9. The server of claim 6 , wherein:
the insulated cable is electrically coupled to the sensor to create a circuit having a closed state; and
cutting a portion of the insulated cable to open the container causes the sensor to determine that the circuit has changed from the closed state to an open state indicating that the container has been opened.

10. One or more non-transitory computer readable media storing instructions executable by one or more processors to perform operations comprising:
receiving a request to cancel a first order to purchase a product and ship the product to a first location;
determining that the product has been shipped to the first location in a container that includes an insulated cable wrapped around an exterior of the container that is coupled to a sensor receptive to electrical conductivity;
receiving sensor data over a wireless network from the sensor;
determining, based on the sensor data regarding electrical conductivity, whether the insulated cable has been cut so as to open the container;
based on the open container determination, if the container has not been opened,
placing the product in a canceled order inventory;
monitoring, by the one or more processors, incoming orders to determine if the incoming orders comprise the product;
receiving a second order of the monitored incoming orders to purchase the product, the second order including instructions to ship the product to a second location;
instructing a customer who transmitted the request to cancel the first order to ship the first order to the second location;
instructing a courier to transport the product to the second location to complete the purchase of the product as a new product with respect to the second order and to avoid processing the product as a returned product with respect to the first order; and
based on the open container determination, if the container has been opened,
instructing, by the one or more processors, a courier to transport the product to a location associated with a seller of the product.

11. The one or more non-transitory computer readable media of claim 10 , wherein instructing the courier to transport the product to the second location comprises:
determining that the container is located at the first location; and
instructing the courier to transport the container from the first location to the second location.

12. The one or more non-transitory computer readable media

Assignees

• Dell Products Lp

Inventors

• Bikumala Sathish Kumar
• Lena Marcio Stumpf

Classifications

• G06Q30/0633 Primary

  Managing shopping lists, e.g. compiling or processing purchase lists (shipping orders G06Q10/083; order filling G06Q10/087) · CPC title

• G06Q10/083 Primary

  Shipping · CPC title