Patent Application
20240349924
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The disclosure relates to package storage devices and more particularly pertains to a new package storage device for storing a package delivery until an intended recipient can retrieve the package. The device includes a battery of lockers and a communication unit integrated into the battery of lockers to facilitate personal electronic devices to remotely communicate with the battery of lockers to facilitate a delivery driver to deposit a packet in a respective one of the battery of lockers which cannot be unlocked until the intended recipient communicates a pre-determined unlock code to the communication unit.
The prior art relates to package storage devices which typically involve a single locked storage cabinet that is in wireless communication with a personal electronic device via an extrinsic communication network to facilitate an intended recipient to retrieve a package that was deposited by a delivery person and a battery of storage lockers that are in communication with a remote computer system. In no instance does the prior art disclose a battery of lockers that are not only located in a public location but is also in wireless communication with a public communication network to facilitate anyone with a personal electronic device to order and subsequently employ a storage locker to retrieve a package delivery.
An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a battery of lockers positioned in a public location to be accessible to delivery drivers and intended recipients. Each of the battery of lockers includes a door and a lock and a communication unit is integrated into the battery of lockers. The communication unit is in communication with the lock in the door associated with each of the battery of lockers. The communication unit receives a delivery command from an extrinsic communication network originating from a respective one of the plurality of personal electronic devices and the communication unit subsequently assigns a respective one of the battery of lockers to the respective personal electronic device. The communication unit communicates an unlock code via the extrinsic communication network to the respective personal electronic device when the communication unit receives the delivery command.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the disclosure in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
The objects of the disclosure, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the disclosure, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure.
The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:
With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to
As best illustrated in
A communication unit 28 is integrated into the battery of lockers 12 and the communication unit 28 is in communication with the lock 16 in the door 14 associated with each of the battery of lockers 12. The communication unit 28 is in remote communication with an extrinsic communication network 30 thereby facilitating the communication unit 28 to be in communication a plurality of personal electronic devices 32. In this way the communication unit 28 can be in communication with the intended recipients. The extrinsic communication network 30 may be the internet, a cellular phone network or other type of wireless communication network and the plurality of personal electronic devices 32 may include smart phones or other electronic devices that have wireless communication capabilities. The communication unit 28 receives a delivery command from the extrinsic communication network 30 originating from a respective one of the plurality of personal electronic devices 32. Subsequently, the communication unit 28 assigns a respective one of the battery of lockers 12 to the respective personal electronic device 32. The communication unit 28 communicates an unlock code via the extrinsic communication network 30 to the respective personal electronic device 32 when the communication unit 28 receives the delivery command.
The communication unit 28 comprises a control circuit 34 is integrated into the battery of lockers 12. The control circuit 34 receives a lock input and an unlock input and the control circuit 34 is electrically coupled to a power source 36. The power source 36 may comprise an electrical system of a building adjacent to which the battery of lockers 12 is positioned or other source of continuous electrical power. The communication unit 28 includes a first transceiver 38 that is integrated into the battery of lockers 12 and the first transceiver 38 is electrically coupled to the control circuit 34. The first transceiver 38 is in wireless communication with the extrinsic communication network 30 such that the first transceiver 38 receives the delivery command from the extrinsic communication network 30. Additionally, the first transceiver 38 broadcasts the unlock code to the extrinsic communication network 30. The first transceiver 38 may comprise a radio frequency transceiver or the like and the first transceiver 38 may employ a WPAN signal or other type of conventional protocol that facilitates wireless communication on a public network.
The communication unit 28 includes a touch screen 40 that is integrated into the angled surface 22 of the control panel 20 such that the touch screen 40 is accessible to a user. The touch screen 40 is electrically coupled to the control circuit 34 and the touch screen 40 displays indicia 42 comprising a graphical user interface for the control circuit 34. The communication unit 28 includes a point of sale unit 44 that is integrated into the angled surface 22 of the control panel 20 such that the point of sale unit 44 is accessible to the user. The point of sale unit 44 is electrically coupled to the control circuit 34 and the point of sale unit 44 processes a payment for a respective one of the battery of lockers 12 thereby facilitating the respective one of the battery of lockers 12 to be assigned to an intended recipient. The touch screen 40 may comprise a light emitting diode screen or other type of electronic display and the point of sale unit 44 may include a keyboard and a card reader for reading forms of electronic payment.
The communication unit 28 includes a camera 46 that is integrated into the front face 24 of the battery of lockers 12 to capture footage of people employing the battery of lockers 12 and the camera 46 is electrically coupled to the control circuit 34. In this way the footage can be subsequently reviewed by law enforcement, for example, in the event of vandalism or theft. The camera 46 may comprise a digital video camera or other type of electronic camera.
A plurality of weight sensors 48 is provided and each of the plurality of weight sensors 48 is integrated into a respective of the battery of lockers 12 to sense the weight of a package 18 placed in the respective one of the battery of lockers 12. Each of the plurality of weight sensors 48 is positioned in a floor 50 of the respective one of the battery of lockers 12 and each of the weight sensors 48 is electrically coupled to the power source 36. Furthermore, each of the plurality of weight sensors 48 may comprise an electronic weight sensor or the like with a minimum weight sensitivity of approximately 15.0 grams.
A plurality of second transceivers 52 is included and each of the plurality of second transceivers 52 is integrated into a respective one of the battery of lockers 12 and each of the plurality of second transceivers 52 is electrically coupled to the weight sensor 48 in the respective one of the battery of lockers 12. Furthermore, each of the plurality of second transceivers 52 is in wireless communication with the first transceiver 38. The second transceiver 52 in a respective one of the battery of lockers 12 broadcasts a weight signal to the first transceiver 38 when the weight sensor 48 in the respective one of the battery of lockers 12 senses weight. Additionally, the control circuit 34 receives the lock input when the first transceiver 38 receives the weight signal from any of the plurality of second transceivers 52. Each of the plurality of second transceivers 52 is electrically coupled to the power source 36 and each of the plurality of second transceivers 52 may comprise a radio frequency transceiver or the like.
The lock 16 in the door 14 of each of the battery of lockers 12 includes a third transceiver 54 that is in wireless communication with the first transceiver 38. The third transceiver 54 in the lock 16 in the door 14 of a corresponding one of the battery of lockers 12 receives a lock command from the first transceiver 38 when the control circuit 34 receives the lock input as a result of the second transceiver 52 associated with the corresponding one of the battery of lockers 12 broadcasting the weight signal to the first transceiver 38. In this way the lock 16 in the door 14 of the corresponding one of the battery of lockers 12 can secure the package 18 that has been deposited in the corresponding one of the battery of lockers 12. The third transceiver 54 in the lock 16 in the door 14 of the corresponding one of the battery of lockers 12 receives an unlock command from the first transceiver 38 when the first transceiver 38 receives a pre-determined unlock code from an associated one of the plurality of personal electronic devices 32. In this way the lock 16 in the door 14 of the corresponding one of the battery of lockers 12 facilitates the intended recipient to retrieve the package 18 from the corresponding one of the battery of lockers 12.
In use, the battery of lockers 12 is positioned in a public area that is easily accessible to delivery drivers and intended recipients. The intended recipient employs a delivery application on their smart phone, for example, to order a locker 12 in the battery of lockers 12 and the first transceiver 38 communicates the unlock code to the intended recipient. Furthermore, the delivery driver is notified of which locker 12 has been ordered by the intended recipient to facilitate the delivery driver to deliver the package 18 to the locker 12 that was ordered. The weight sensor 48 senses the weight of the package 18 and the lock 16 on the door 14 of the locker 12 that was ordered is actuated to lock the door 14 once the door 14 is closed and the weight sensor 48 senses weight. In this way the door 14 on the locker 12 that was ordered cannot be opened until the unlock code is entered on the touch screen 40 on the battery of lockers 12 or if the unlock code is entered into the intended recipient's personal electronic device 32. In this way the intended recipient can retrieve their package 18 from the locker 12 that was ordered at any time that is convenient for them. Furthermore, the intended recipient can order a locker 12 with the touch screen 40 and pay for the locker 12 with the point of sale unit 44 rather than remotely ordering the locker 12 with their personal electronic device 32. Additionally, the intended recipient can enter the unlock code with the touch screen 40 to open the locker 12 that was ordered and retrieve their package.
With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by an embodiment of the disclosure.
Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the disclosure. In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements.
