Systems and methods of locating and selling items at attended delivery/pickup locations

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9811798-B2
Application number	US-201414201114-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 7, 2014
Priority date	Mar 12, 2013
Publication date	Nov 7, 2017
Grant date	Nov 7, 2017

Abstract

A system and method for locating nearby attended delivery/pickup locations with a particular item in stock is described. The system receives a request from an individual to purchase a particular item from an on-line retailer. The system receives information associated with attended delivery/pickup locations, including location and inventory information. The system then determines which (if any) attended delivery/pickup locations (e.g., the attended delivery/pickup locations are not the on-line retailer) are near the individual and have the particular item in stock and notifies the individual. In various embodiments, the system enables the user to purchase or reserve the particular item at the particular attended delivery/pickup location.

First claim

We claim:

1. A computer system comprising:
at least one processor, wherein the computer system is configured for:
(A) receiving, at a first server, an item notification associated with a user from a second server associated with a third-party seller, wherein the item notification comprises an indication that the user wishes to purchase a particular item from the third-party seller, and wherein the item notification is transmitted based on a user selection of a user-selectable indicium on a website associated with the third-party seller;
(B) receiving, at the first server, a location frequented by the user as indicated by a GPS location system associated with a user computing device;
(C) receiving, at the first server, delivery/pickup location information associated with each of a plurality of attended delivery/pickup locations, wherein:
i) the delivery/pickup location information comprises a geographic location associated with each of the plurality of attended delivery/pickup locations; and
ii) each of the plurality of attended delivery/pickup locations comprise:
1) a primary form of business other than receiving and storing one or more parcels; and
2) a capacity for storing one or more parcels;

(D) determining that a subset of the plurality of attended delivery/pickup locations are located near the user, based at least in part on:
i) the location associated with the user; and
ii) the location information associated with each of the plurality of attended delivery/pickup locations;

(E) receiving, at the first server, inventory information associated with each of the subset of the plurality of attended delivery/pickup locations, wherein the inventory information comprises the particular item offered for sale by the third-party seller;
(F) searching the inventory information associated with each of the subset of the plurality of attended delivery/pickup locations for the particular item;
(G) at least partially based on searching the inventory associated with each of the subset of the plurality of attended delivery/pickup locations, determining that at least one attended delivery/pickup location of the subset of the plurality of attended delivery/pickup locations has the particular item in stock; and
(H) determining that the at least one attended delivery/pickup location is the closest attended delivery/pickup location to the location frequented by the user;
(I) transmitting an inventory notification to the user computing device, wherein the inventory notification comprises:
i) an indication of the location of the at least one attended delivery/pickup location; and
ii) an indication that the at least one attended delivery/pickup location has the particular item in stock;

(J) receiving a purchase notification from the user comprising a designated attended delivery/pickup location, wherein the designated attended delivery/pickup location is the at least one attended delivery/pickup location closest to the location frequented by the user;
(K) generating an electronic receipt associated with the location of the designated attended delivery/pickup location;
(L) transmitting the electronic receipt to the user computing device;
(M) upon pickup of the particular item in stock at the designated attended delivery/pickup location, validating the electronic receipt by:
i) receiving a geographic location from the user computing device upon presentation of the electronic receipt at the designated attended delivery/pickup location, and
ii) determining the geographic location of the user computing device matches the designated attended delivery/pickup location associated with the electronic receipt;

(N) generating an electronic token based on validating the electronic receipt; and
(O) transmitting the electronic token to the third party seller to validate the identity of who picked up the particular item.

2. The computer system of claim 1 , wherein the computer system is further configured for enabling the user to purchase the particular item.

3. The computer system of claim 2 , wherein the computer system is further configured for receiving notice that the user has purchased the particular item.

4. The computer system of claim 3 , wherein the computer system is further configured for, at least partially in response to receiving the notice that the user has purchased the particular item, facilitating reserving the particular item for pickup from the at least one attended delivery/pickup location.

5. The computer system of claim 1 , wherein the computer system is further configured for enabling the user to reserve the particular item for purchase at the at least one attended delivery/pickup location.

6. The computer system of claim 1 , wherein the particular item is an item that is frequently purchased at the at least one attended delivery/pickup location.

7. The computer system of claim 1 , wherein:
(A) the particular item is an item of a plurality of items, wherein each of the plurality of items are a recently released product associated with a particular company; and
(B) the particular company has reserved space at the at least one attended delivery/pickup location for the storage of the plurality of items.

8. A computer-implemented method, by at least one processor, comprising:
(A) receiving at a first server, from a client device, an item notification associated with a user, wherein the item notification is received from a second server associated with a third-party seller, wherein the item notification is received based on a user selection of a user-selectable indicium on a website associated with the third-party seller, wherein the item notification comprises:
i) an indication that the user desires to purchase a particular item that is offered for sale by the third-party seller; and
ii) a location frequented by the user as indicated by a GPS location system associated with the client device;

(B) receiving, at the first server, delivery/pickup location information associated with each of a plurality of attended delivery/pickup locations, wherein:
i) the delivery/pickup location information comprises a geographic location associated with each of the plurality of attended delivery/pickup locations; and
ii) each of the plurality of attended delivery/pickup locations comprise:
1) a business other than receiving and storing one or more parcels; and
2) a capacity for storing one or more parcels;

(C) receiving, at the first server, inventory information associated with each of the plurality of attended delivery/pickup locations, wherein the inventory information comprises the particular item offered for sale by the third-party seller;
(D) searching the inventory information associated with each of the plurality of attended delivery/pickup locations for the particular item;
(E) at least partially based on searching the inventory associated with each of the plurality of attended delivery/pickup locations, determining that at least one attended delivery/pickup location of the plurality of attended delivery/pickup locations has the particular item in stock;
(F) determining that the at least one attended delivery/pickup location is the closest attended delivery/pickup location to the location frequented by the user;
(G) transmitting, to the client device, an inventory notification, wherein the inventory notification comprises:
i) an indication of the location of the at least one attended delivery/pickup location; and
ii) an indication that the at least one attended delivery/pickup location has the particular item in stock;

(H) enabling the user to purchase the particular item;
(I) receiving, from the user, a purchase notice with a designated attended delivery/pickup location;
(J) generating an electronic receipt assoc

Assignees

• United parcel service america inc

Inventors

• Lievens Daniel
• Dethier Vincent
• Henderickx Peter
• Pirenne Luc
• Payre Denis

Classifications

• G06Q10/083 Primary

  Shipping · CPC title

• G06Q10/087

  Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders · CPC title

• G06Q10/08355

  Routing methods · CPC title

• G06Q10/08345

  Pricing · CPC title

• B64C19/00 Primary

  Aircraft control not otherwise provided for · CPC title