Parcel locker bank system with improved autonomous clusters of compartments

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12453434-B2
Application number	US-202318383561-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 25, 2023
Priority date	Oct 25, 2022
Publication date	Oct 28, 2025
Grant date	Oct 28, 2025

Abstract

A locker system for parcel deposit and pick-up, comprising a parcel locker bank constituted of at least one autonomous compartments cluster including at least one compartment equipped with a door and including a locking module, which electronically controls locking and unlocking of the door, and a mobile device configured to establish a local communication with the locking module via a short-distance communication, wherein the locking module comprises: an energy management module configured for managing transitions of energy states and allowing the at least one autonomous compartments cluster to be run in a very low energy state or in a low energy state and regularly allowing a partial wake-up from the very low energy state to the low energy state, a broadcasting timer for triggering a transition from a very low energy state to a low energy state, a radio transceiver module equipped with an antenna, and at least one processor running a firmware configured for, while in the very low energy state or in the low energy state, regularly emitting with the radio transceiver module a broadcasted short message towards the at least one mobile device characterized in that the locking module is configured for switching from a slow sleep mode associated with a slow repetition time period to a sleep mode associated with a repetition time period, which is shorter than the slow repetition time period.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A locker system for parcel deposit and pick-up, comprising:
a parcel locker bank constituted of at least one autonomous compartments cluster including at least one compartment equipped with a door and including a locking module, which electronically controls locking and unlocking of said door, and
a mobile device configured to establish a local communication with said locking module via a short-distance communication,
wherein said locking module comprises:
an energy management module that manages transitions of energy states and allows said at least one autonomous compartments cluster to be run in a very low energy state or in a low energy state and regularly allows a partial wake-up from said very low energy state to said low energy state, wherein in said very low energy state said locking module cannot communicate with said mobile device and said locking module cannot be wakened up by said mobile device,
a broadcasting timer that triggers a transition from a very low energy state to a low energy state,
a radio transceiver module equipped with an antenna, and
at least one processor running a firmware that, while in said very low energy state or in said low energy state, regularly emits via said radio transceiver module a broadcasted short message towards said at least one mobile device,
wherein said locking module switches from a slow sleep mode associated with a slow repetition time period to a sleep mode associated with a repetition time period, which is shorter than said slow repetition time period, the slow repetition time period and the repetition time period specifying respective time periods at which messages are broadcasted in respective ones of the slow sleep mode and the sleep mode.

2. The locker system according to claim 1 , wherein said mobile device is configured to send an active scan message when capturing said broadcasted short message and said switching from a slow sleep mode to a sleep mode is a response to said active scan message.

3. The locker system according to claim 1 , wherein said locking module further comprises a non-volatile memory storing a unique cluster identification for identifying said compartments cluster, and broadcasting and sleep mode parameters including said slow repetition time period, said repetition time period and a slow sleep return delay.

4. The locker system according to claim 1 , wherein said locking module replaces said slow repetition time period used by said broadcasting timer with said repetition time period copied from a non-volatile memory and transitions back in said low energy state and operates in said sleep mode with said broadcasting timer using said repetition time period to allow said switching from a slow sleep mode to a sleep mode.

5. The locker system according to claim 1 , wherein said locking module comprises a slow sleep timer that switches from the sleep mode back to the slow sleep mode and said slow sleep timer runs while said locking module is in said very low energy state for a duration defined by a slow sleep return delay stored in a non-volatile memory.

6. The locker system according to claim 5 , wherein said slow sleep return delay corresponds to a maximum time needed for a carrier agent to collect shipments from and deposit shipments into said parcel locker bank so that said locking module does not return to said slow sleep mode before said carrier agent has had sufficient time to finish interacting with said parcel locker bank.

7. The locker system according to claim 3 , wherein said broadcasted short message includes a copy of said unique cluster identification, and in that said mobile device is configured to specifically address an active scan message to said locker module based on said copy of said unique cluster identification.

8. The locker system according to claim 1 , wherein said at least one processor comprises a high energy processor module that is de-activated in said low energy state, and a low energy processor module that is de-activated in said very low energy state and which controls said radio transceiver module to send said broadcasted short message and wait for a response from said mobile device, and a very low energy processor module operable for minimal control.

9. The locker system according to claim 1 further operable with a long-distance communication network and further comprising a remote shipping system that communicates with said mobile device via said long-distance communication network wherein said remote shipping system stores, associated with said at least one autonomous compartments cluster, a unique cluster identification and broadcasting and sleep mode parameters including a repetition time period and a slow repetition time period and a slow sleep return delay.

10. The locker system according to claim 3 , wherein said mobile device comprises a SetConfig function to update said broadcasting and sleep mode parameters of said parcel locker bank.

11. A method for operating a parcel locker bank constituted of at least one autonomous compartments cluster including at least one compartment and including a locking module, via a mobile device wherein said locking module comprises an energy management module configured for managing transitions of energy states and allowing said locking module to be run in a very low energy state or in a low energy state and regularly allowing a wake-up from said very low energy state to said low energy state, wherein in said very low energy state said locking module cannot communicate with said mobile device and said locking module cannot be wakened up by said mobile device, the method comprising:
receiving an active scan message from said mobile device, which is a quick response informing said locking module that said mobile device is actively scanning,
switching from a slow sleep mode to a sleep mode, the slow sleep mode associated with a slow repetition time period, the sleep mode associated with a repetition time period, which is shorter than the slow repetition time period, the slow repetition time period and the repetition time period specifying respective time periods at which messages are broadcasted in respective ones of the slow sleep mode and the sleep mode,
starting a slow sleep timer for switching from said sleep mode back to said slow sleep mode,
transitioning from said very low energy state to said low energy state when a repetition time period is reached by a broadcasting timer,
broadcasting a second short message and actively listening to a response from said mobile device,
capturing by said mobile device said broadcasted second short message and responding by specifically sending by said mobile device a connect message for establishing a communication session with said locking module,
switching from said sleep mode to a full operation mode and establishing a communication session with said mobile device, and
stopping the slow sleep timer for switching from said sleep mode back to said slow sleep mode.

12. The method according to claim 11 , further comprising:
terminating said communication session by said mobile device,
transitioning into said very low energy state and returning to said sleep mode,
resetting and starting said slow sleep timer, and
returning to said slow sleep mode when said slow sleep timer reaches a slow sleep return delay.

13. The method according to claim 11 , further comprising:
reaching a slow repetition time period by said broadcasting timer,
transitioning from said very low energy state to said low energy state,
broadcasting a first short message and actively listening to a response from said mobile device,
capturing said first broadca

Assignees

• Quadient Tech France

Inventors

• Cubilier Christophe
• Yvoz Arnaud

Classifications

• G07C2009/00769

  with data transmission performed by wireless means · 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

• G07F9/001

  Interfacing with vending machines using mobile or wearable devices · CPC title

• G07F17/13

  the containers being a postal pick-up locker · CPC title

• H04W4/12

  Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements · CPC title