Body mounted camera system for monitoring deliveries

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11676464-B2
Application number	US-202117397330-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 9, 2021
Priority date	Jun 29, 2018
Publication date	Jun 13, 2023
Grant date	Jun 13, 2023

Abstract

A delivery monitoring system comprises a portable camera positioned on a delivery person; a camera activation application executed by a mobile electronic device to control a video-generating operation of the portable camera; and a special-purpose processor that outputs a data instruction to an electronic locking device to unlock an entrance to a location for delivering an item by the delivery person only when the portable camera is recording video.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A delivery monitoring system, comprising:
a wearable camera communicatively coupled to a mobile electronic device, the wearable camera associated with a delivery person delivering an item to a delivery location, wherein the wearable camera forms a communication link with the mobile electronic device;
an activation mechanism associated with the wearable camera triggers live capture by the wearable camera based on verifying the wearable camera is within a predetermined distance of the delivery location, the verification performed based on matching network credentials pertaining to the delivery location of the item with credentials of the mobile electronic device; and
a data storage device associated with the wearable camera, wherein real-time video of delivery of the item is streamed over a network while simultaneously storing a copy of video generated during delivery of the item on the data storage device, wherein a data instruction to unlock an electronic locking device associated with an entrance at the delivery location is transmitted in response to verification the wearable camera is currently generating video and the wearable camera is within the predetermined distance of the delivery location.

2. The delivery monitoring system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a camera activation application executed by the mobile electronic device that remotely controls video-generating operation of the wearable camera via the communication link, wherein the communication link is a long term evolution (LTE) network.

3. The delivery monitoring system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a location module executed by the mobile electronic device that determines a current location of the mobile electronic device, wherein the location module receives and processes global positioning satellite (GPS) verification data that provides the current location of the mobile electronic device and the wearable camera.

4. The delivery monitoring system of claim 1 , further comprising;
a credential module executed by the mobile electronic device that the credential module obtains the credentials pertaining to the delivery location of the item from a data storage.

5. The delivery monitoring system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a video monitoring module executed by the mobile electronic device that outputs a data instruction to unlock an electronic locking device associated with an entrance at the delivery location in response to verification the wearable camera is currently generating the video and the wearable camera is within the predetermined distance of the delivery location.

6. The delivery monitoring system of claim 5 , wherein the video monitoring module determines a communication path from the camera to a video storage device.

7. The delivery monitoring system of claim 5 , wherein the mobile electronic device outputs the data instruction to lock the electronic locking device and disconnect the wearable camera in response to a completion of a delivery operation.

8. The delivery monitoring system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a video server associated with a location remote from the delivery location, wherein real-time or near real-time captured video is uploaded from the wearable camera to the video server during the delivery.

9. The delivery monitoring system of claim 1 , wherein the wearable camera further comprises:
a pairing mode of the wearable camera, wherein the activation mechanism triggers forming the communication link between the camera and the mobile electronic device in the pairing mode.

10. A method for monitoring a delivery operation, comprising:
establishing, via an input/output device, a communication link between a wearable camera associated with a delivery person delivering an item to a delivery location and a mobile electronic device, wherein the wearable camera forms a communication link with the mobile electronic device;
generating, by the wearable camera, video in response to verification the mobile electronic device is within a predetermined distance of the delivery location, the verification performed based on obtained matching network credentials pertaining to the delivery location of the item and a current location of the mobile electronic device, wherein an unlock command is sent to an electronic locking device associated with an entrance to the delivery location giving the delivery person access to the delivery location the wearable camera is within the predetermined distance of the delivery location, the verification performed and the wearable camera is generating the video; and
streaming, by the wearable camera, generated real-time video of delivery of the item over a network; and
storing a copy of the video of the delivery on a data storage device associated with the wearable camera.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the video is generated before, during, and after the delivery, and further comprising:
establishing a long term evolution (LTE) network connection between the wearable camera and a video storage device for uploading a generated video based on the credentials.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
locking the electronic locking device, by the mobile electronic device;
disconnecting the camera from the mobile electronic device; and
deleting network credentials required for establishing the network connection in response to a completion of the delivery.

13. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
uploading the video to an alternative storage location in response to a determination of a failure of a video stream established by the network connection.

14. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:
determining, by the mobile electronic device, whether the mobile electronic device is within a predetermined distance from an entrance having the electronic locking device, the entrance associated with an instructed delivery of the item; and
sending an activation command to the wearable camera to control video-generation operations during a delivery operation in response to a determination the mobile electronic device is within the predetermined distance, the wearable camera including an activation mechanism that receives the activation command and places the wearable camera in a pairing mode with the mobile electronic device so that the mobile electronic device forms a communication link with the wearable camera.

15. A body mounted camera for monitoring deliveries, the body mounted camera comprising:
an input/output device for establishing a communication link with a mobile electronic device, wherein the body mounted camera is communicatively coupled to the mobile electronic device via a network connection, the body mounted camera associated with a delivery person delivering an item to a delivery location;
an activation mechanism associated with the body mounted camera that triggers a video-generating operation based on verifying the mobile electronic device and wearable camera are within a predetermined distance of the delivery location, the verification performed based on matching network credentials pertaining to the delivery location of the item with credentials of the mobile electronic device;
a data storage device on the body mounted camera storing video of a delivery operation generated by the body mounted camera; and
a network device that streams the video generated during the delivery operation at the delivery location in real-time or near real-time to a video server, wherein a video monitoring module executed by a processor outputs a data instruction to unlock an electronic locking device associated with an entrance at the de

Assignees

• Walmart Apollo Llc

Inventors

• Lark Walter
• Stein Bart
• Nguyen Thomas
• Provance Brett

Classifications

• H04W84/12

  WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks] · CPC title

• G07C9/30

  not involving the use of a pass · CPC title

• G07C9/00896 Primary

  specially adapted for particular uses · CPC title

• G08B13/19695

  Arrangements wherein non-video detectors start video recording or forwarding but do not generate an alarm themselves · CPC title

• G07C9/00571

  operated by interacting with a central unit · CPC title