System and method of securely sending and receiving packages via drones

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2018144302-A1
Application number	US-201615357821-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Nov 21, 2016
Priority date	Nov 21, 2016
Publication date	May 24, 2018
Grant date	—

Abstract

An autonomous vehicle comprising a transport body configured to travel to an identified location, a package retention device for securing one or more packages to the transport body; one or more processors integral to the transport body, wherein the processors are configured by code executing therein to: access shipper and recipient profile data; wherein the shipper and recipient profile data includes location data for shipper and recipient; navigate the autonomous vehicle to a shipping destination and a delivery destination; provide access to the package retention device upon authentication of a shipper presenting a package at a shipping destination, and provide access to the package retention device upon authentication of a recipient retrieving a package at the delivery destination.

First claim

What is claimed:

1 . A system comprising:
a mobile vehicle frame having a package receptacle configured to secure one or more packages to the mobile vehicle frame and equipped with an engageable access device, the mobile vehicle frame having one or more processors configured by code to:
access an authorized shipper profile and authorized receiver profile from a database, wherein the shipper and receiver profiles include respective location data and identification data;
navigate, using the location data, the mobile vehicle frame to the shipping location;
receive authentication data from a shipper;
authenticate the shipper by comparing the shipper authentication data with the shipper identification data;
permit access to the package receptacle upon a match of the shipper identification data and shipper authentication data by disengaging the access device of the package receptacle,
navigate, using the location data, the mobile vehicle frame to the recipient location;
authenticate the recipient by comparing the recipient authentication data with the recipient identification data; and
permit access to the package receptacle upon a match of recipient identification data and recipient authentication data by disengaging the access device of the package receptacle.

2 . The system of claim 1 wherein the shipper profile includes a shipper image depicting the shipper and a shipper personal identification number associated with the image; and wherein the receiver profile includes a recipient image depicting the receiver and a receiver personal identification number associated with the receiver photo.

3 . The system of claim 2 wherein the processor is further configured to:
generate a shipper location alert indicating that the drone is present at the shipping location; and
transmit the shipper location alert to at least one electronic address identified in the shipper profile.

4 . The system of claim 2 wherein the mobile vehicle body further includes at least one biometric data acquisition device.

5 . The system of claim 2 wherein the processor is further configured to:
authenticate the shipper by capturing at least one image of the shipper at the shipping location;
extracting one or more biometric data points from the captured image;
extracting one or more biometric data points from the shipper photo; and
comparing the biometric data points.

6 . The system of claim 5 wherein the processor is further configured to:
prompt the shipper to input a shipper personal identification number on an input device coupled to the mobile vehicle platform;
receive input data from the input device; and
compare the input data to the personal identification number stored in the shipper profile.

7 . The system of claim 2 wherein the processor is further configured to:
navigate, using the location data, the mobile vehicle frame to a storage location upon failure to authenticate.

8 . A method for authenticating shippers and recipients of packages using an autonomous package delivery device equipped with a package securing device and one or more processors, the method comprising the steps of:
obtaining an authorized shipper profile, wherein the authorized shipper profile includes a at least a shipper photo of a shipper, a shipper location and personal identification data associated therewith and an authorized recipient profile, wherein the authorized recipient profile includes at least a recipient photo of a recipient, a recipient location and a personal identification data associated therewith; navigating the autonomous package delivery device using the shipper location data to the shipping location; accessing, from one or more image devices, an image of one or more individuals present at the shipping location; authenticating the shipper by comparing, using one or more facial recognition modules configured as code executing in the processor, the shipper photo and the image of the one or more identified individuals; permitting access to the package securing device upon authentication of the shipper; navigating the autonomous package delivery device to the receiving location using the receiver location data; obtaining an image of one or more individuals present at the receiving location; authenticating the receiver by comparing, using one or more facial recognition modules configured as code executing in the processor, the receiver photo and the image of the one or more identified individuals to determine an identity match; and permitting access to the package securing device upon authentication of the recipient where an identity match is found.

9 . The method of claim 8 further comprising the step of:
returning to a broker where an identity match is not found.

10 . The method of claim 8 further comprising the step of:
prompting the shipper to input a personal identification number.

11 . The method of claim 10 further comprising the step of receiving a personal identification from an input device coupled to the autonomous package delivery device.

12 . The method of claim 10 further comprising the step of receiving a personal identification from an input device in remote communication to the autonomous package delivery device.

13 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the step of obtaining images of one or more individuals present at the shipping location or recipient location includes acquiring one or more images using an image capture device communicatively coupled to the drone.

14 . The method of claim 8 wherein the step of obtaining the shipper and recipient profile includes accessing a remote database containing stored profiles for the shipper and recipient.

15 . The method of claim 8 wherein the permitting access to the package securing device includes sending one or more authorization values to an electronic lock device integral to the package securing device and activating the electronic lock in response to the authorization value.

16 . The method of claim 8 further comprising the step of:
generating a shipper location alert indicating that the drone is present at the shipping location.

17 . An autonomous vehicle comprising:
a transport body configured to travel to an identified location, a package retention device for securing one or more packages to the transport body; one or more processors integral to the transport body, wherein the processors are configured by code executing therein to:
access shipper and recipient profile data; wherein the shipper and recipient profile data includes location data for shipper and recipient;
navigate the autonomous vehicle to a shipping destination and a delivery destination;
provide access to the package retention device upon authentication of a shipper presenting a package at a shipping destination; and
provide access to the package retention device upon authentication of a recipient retrieving a package at the delivery destination.

18 . An autonomous vehicle of claim 17 further comprising one or more biometric data capture devices.

19 . An autonomous vehicle of claim 18 wherein the processor is further configured to:
authenticate the shipper and recipient by capturing biometric data using the one or more biometric data capture devices and comparing the captured data to one or more feature identification devices identifiers.

20 . An autonomous vehicle of claim 17 further comprising one or more input devices integral to the transport body.

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Murray Brian J
• Ransom Todd Latimer
• Stone Dewane Cecil
• Walton Kaleb Dean

Classifications

• B64U2201/104

  using satellite radio beacon positioning systems, e.g. GPS · CPC title

• G06Q10/08355 Primary

  Routing methods · CPC title

• G07C2009/0092

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

• G07C9/37

  using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voice recognition · CPC title

• B64C2201/128

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic