Patent Application
20210214127
Food delivery services currently take place through a variety of providers who leverage technology-based applications as part of their process. Through these services, consumers typically receive their items in paper bags of varied compositions holding a range of consumable items. Within the current market, these bags are at times enclosed by some form of adhesive, or label in an attempt to improve hygiene and customer safety. However, in many instances, food delivery bags are not sealed or secured in any appropriate manner.
Instead, the bag is simply rolled or folded at the top to keep the contents in place during transit. Adhesives and labels do not provide an appropriate level of safety and security for consumable items as they may easily be removed. Additionally, folding or rolling the top of bags leaves customers completely at the mercy of food delivery drivers with the hope that they will deliver items in a manner that maximizes sanitary and hygienic measures. The global COVID-19 pandemic will have a long-standing impact, and safety and security considerations are at the forefront as efforts are made to minimize interpersonal contact through social distancing and contactless delivery methodologies. This results in the need for much higher levels of security and safety since this often necessitates the elimination of driver to customer hand offs. Instead, it is often the preference, for the safety of all parties, for items to be left at doorsteps or other preferred locations.
An additional problem is the lack of mechanisms to confirm that items are delivered to the correct recipient or location. This often results in the cancellation of orders, or consumable items being delivered to or accessed by the wrong parties. Currently, third-party delivery services primarily depend on the Global Positioning System (GPS) to direct drivers to delivery locations. However, there are no easily confirmable identifiers placed on the actual delivery bags to ensure that they are taken to the accurate location. This problem is exacerbated in situations where drivers are in possession of multiple bags that must be delivered to a variety of locations. The direct impact of this deficiency is a significant reduction in efficiency for delivery drivers, and a minimization in the safety standards and the quality of service for customers. Unfortunately there are no protocols or set criteria in place for these services, and there have been many documented cases of food/item tampering, missed deliveries, including those made to incorrect addresses.
In accordance with one embodiment, a securable and verifiable bag incorporates a panel that leverages Quick Response (QR)/Internet of Things (loT) technology, a self-adhesive component and a readily available confirmation number for immediate verification.
Accordingly, the Food Secure Bag is representative of advantages when considering multiple aspects, and these are as follows: to provide a self-adhering, tamper-evident panel which vastly improves upon the level of safety and security of any consumable item. When this self-adhering feature is utilized, items are only accessible with a pull strip, which results in the entry point to the bag becoming opened. This pull strip significantly improves security while synchronously maintaining ease of access for consumers. The QR/IoT technology and the conformation number printed to each bag allows for a seamless and reliable confirmation process. There are various applications of these features, and one or more embodiments involve an initial scan by the sender, confirmation by the delivery service provider to ensure accuracy of items submitted at each location, and a final confirmation by the party receiving the bag. Additional advantages of one or more aspects will be apparent from a consideration of the drawings and subsequent description.
Below is a brief description of each drawing included within this application. These were limited to four figures in an effort to present a clear and concise concept of the item and the correlated features:
In operation, an individual utilizes the bag in a normal manner with items being submitted through the upper end of the bag 11 at location 20. As per normal use, one may place the bag 11 in a vertical as illustrated in
The user may then scan the QR code 16 and/or document the correlated identification number 17 as this information is necessary for the individual receiving the item(s) to verify the bag 11. This information may be provided to the individual receiving the bag 11 through various means including but not limited to the following: E-mail notification, automated phone call, direct phone call from sender and notifications through a mobile application. This item is then submitted to the individual providing the delivery service. The delivery service is then responsible for ensuring that the bag 11 containing all items submitted by the sender is delivered to the receiver in an acceptable condition especially when considering the securable panel 13.
Additionally, this bag 11 may be placed inside any insulated or non-insulated bag which is typically used by a food delivery service provider. Upon delivery the bag 11 should still be fully secured. Prior to accepting, the individual receiving the bag will have an opportunity to verify the bag through various methods including but not limited to: Verification scan of the QR code 16, and/or verification that the correlated identification number 17 matches the number they received in prior notifications such as email, automated phone call, direct phone call from sender or notifications through a mobile application. Following such verification, the individual receiving the bag 11 will pull the pull strip 14 from either end horizontally across the entire length of the securable panel. Upon completion of this course of action, the receiver will have access to items, which were delivered in a secured and hygienic manner.
From the description above, a number of advantages of the outlined embodiment of my securable and verifiable food delivery bag become evident:
Accordingly, the reader will observe that the various components of the securable and verifiable bag results in a high level of functionality as it relates to improving the quality of service provided to consumers. Additionally, these features result in a level of safety especially times of global crisis such as the current COVID-19 pandemic. With this bag becoming broadly accessible to a variety of industries, markets and spaces at the global scale, many consumers will have a greater sense of confidence especially when using third-party delivery services. Reports of food tampering, inaccurate delivery locations and inefficiencies are a daily occurrence, and the securable and verifiable bag will present immediate solutions to many of these problems. Furthermore, the securable and verifiable food delivery bag presents many advantages in that:
The description above is inclusive of many of the specifics, however, these should not be considered as exhaustive. These serve to illustrate some of the applications and embodiments, and should not be seen as limiting in scope. As an example, there is flexibility for the placement of various components such as the QR code, and the technology leveraged within the actual code may vary. Ultimately, the securable and verifiable food delivery bag and its components may be tailored to meet the specific needs of the service provider and the customers.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| US/62/944238 | Jan 2020 | US | national |
This application claims the benefit of provisional patent application Ser. No. 62/944,456 filed 2019 Aug. 5 by the present inventors.
