Apparatus and method to determine whether to unlock a delivered-package vault

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9858738-B2
Application number	US-201615183237-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 15, 2016
Priority date	Jul 17, 2015
Publication date	Jan 2, 2018
Grant date	Jan 2, 2018

Abstract

A delivered-package vault has a selectively-lockable access portal that is configured to contain at least one package, which package has at least one recipient-specific requirement associated therewith. The delivered-package vault also includes a two-way communications interface configured to communicate with a remote source having that at least one recipient-specific requirement and further includes a control circuit that operably couples to the two-way communications interface and the selectively-lockable access portal. The control circuit is configured to communicate with the remote source regarding the at least one recipient-specific requirement for the at least one package that is presently in the delivered-package vault and to unlock the selectively-lockable access portal to thereby provide access to the at least one package by a recipient who meets the at least one recipient-specific requirement.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus comprising:
a delivered-package vault having a selectively-lockable access portal and configured to contain at least one package having at least one recipient-specific requirement associated therewith;
a two-way communications interface configured to communicate with a remote source having the at least one recipient-specific requirement;
a radio-frequency identification (RFID)-tag reader;
a control circuit operably coupled to the RFID-tag reader, the two-way communications interface and the selectively-lockable access portal and configured to:
use the RFID-tag reader to read an RFID tag for the at least one package that is presently in the delivered-package vault;
use information gleaned from reading the RFID tag to automatically detect a need to download the recipient-specific requirements from the remote source for at least one package that is presently in the delivered-package vault;
communicate with the remote source, via the two-way communications interface, regarding the at least one recipient-specific requirement for the at least one package that is presently in the delivered-package vault; and
unlock the selectively-lockable access portal to thereby provide access to the at least one package by a recipient who meets the at least one recipient-specific requirement.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the two-way communications interface comprises a wireless two-way communications interface.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the at least one recipient-specific requirement comprises a recipient age-based requirement.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the recipient age-based requirement is a requirement that the recipient be at least 21 years of age, such that the control circuit will only unlock the selectively-lockable access portal for a recipient if the recipient is at least 21 years of age.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the at least one recipient-specific requirement comprises an identity-based requirement, such that the control circuit will only unlock the selectively-lockable access portal for a recipient if the recipient has an identity that matches the identity-based requirement.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the identity-based requirement includes a plurality of authorized identities.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the control circuit is further configured to:
assess credentials presented by an authorized delivery person to automatically unlock the selectively-lockable access portal to thereby permit the authorized delivery person to place another delivered item into the delivered-package vault notwithstanding that the at least one package is still in the delivered-package vault.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the control circuit is configured to communicate with the remote source, via the two-way communications interface, regarding the at least one recipient-specific requirement for the at least one package that is presently in the delivered-package vault by transmitting to the remote source information provided by a potential recipient and wherein the control circuit is configured to unlock the selectively-lockable access portal upon receiving unlock instructions from the remote source when the potential recipient meets the at least one recipient-specific requirement.

9. A method comprising:
by a control circuit that comprises a part of a delivered-package vault having a selectively-lockable access portal:
reading a radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag for at least one package that is presently in the delivered-package vault;
using information gleaned from reading the RFID tag to automatically detect a need to download recipient-specific requirements from a remote source for the at least one package that is presently in the delivered-package vault;
communicating with the remote source, via a two-way communications interface, regarding at least one recipient-specific requirement for the at least one package that is presently in the delivered-package vault; and
unlocking the selectively-lockable access portal to thereby provide access to the at least one package by a recipient who meets the at least one recipient-specific requirement.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the two-way communications interface comprises a wireless two-way communications interface.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein the at least one recipient-specific requirement comprises a recipient age-based requirement.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the recipient age-based requirement is a requirement that the recipient be at least 21 years of age, such that the control circuit will only unlock the selectively-lockable access portal for a recipient if the recipient is at least 21 years of age.

13. The method of claim 9 wherein the at least one recipient-specific requirement comprises an identity-based requirement, such that the control circuit will only unlock the selectively-lockable access portal for a recipient if the recipient has an identity that matches the identity-based requirement.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the identity-based requirement includes a plurality of authorized identities.

15. The method of claim 9 further comprising:
assessing credentials presented by an authorized delivery person to automatically unlock the selectively-lockable access portal to thereby permit the authorized delivery person to place another delivered item into the delivered-package vault notwithstanding that the at least one package is still in the delivered-package vault.

16. The method of claim 9 wherein:
communicating with a remote source, via a two-way communications interface, regarding at least one recipient-specific requirement for at least one package that is presently in the delivered-package vault comprises transmitting to the remote source information provided by a potential recipient; and
unlocking the selectively-lockable access portal to thereby provide access to the at least one package by a recipient who meets the at least one recipient-specific requirement comprises unlocking the selectively-lockable access portal upon receiving unlock instructions from the remote source when the potential recipient meets the at least one recipient-specific requirement.

Assignees

• Wal Mart Stores Inc

Inventors

• Wilkinson Bruce W

Classifications

• G07C9/37

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

• G07C9/30 Primary

  not involving the use of a pass · CPC title

• G07C9/22

  in combination with an identity check of the pass holder · CPC title

• G07C2009/00769

  with data transmission performed by wireless means · CPC title

• G07C9/00309 Primary

  operated with bidirectional data transmission between data carrier and locks · CPC title