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US 10,896,427 B2Granted
Computer-implemented process for improved delivery of commodities to consumers
OwnerGreg Grinberginventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The invention provides an improved method of logistics and/or operations for conducting a direct-to-consumer e-commerce retail business. The logistics and/or operations system of the present invention may be used in connection with any online or e-commerce retail sector, including, for example, but not limited to, food retail (i.e., grocery retail), electronics, home goods, books, clothing, and shoes.
Claims38
A distribution device comprising:
- a plurality of compartments configured to respectively receive and store one or more containers deposited by a first user and to provide access to and retrieval of the one or more containers by a second user;
- a latch configured to restrict movement of the one or more containers to and from a given compartment;
- an environmental control device configured to control an environment of the distribution device, wherein the environmental control device separately regulates a specific environment in each of the plurality of compartments based on environmental requirements of contents in the one or more containers in each of the plurality of compartments and collected environmental information of each of the plurality of compartments;
- a first one-way valve for air flow into the distribution device and second one-way valve for air flow out of the distribution device, wherein operation of the first and second one-way valves is enabled by a pressure change within the distribution device caused by a respirating organism occupying the distribution device;
- and
- an electronic device comprising a memory and configured to:
- communicate with an external device to receive delivery information regarding the one or more containers to be deposited by the first user, wherein the delivery information identifies the one or more containers and identifies the distribution device,
- operate in concert with the given compartment and the latch by:
- storing contents of the given compartment in the memory, the contents corresponding to the delivery information and the one or more containers deposited by the first user and retrieved by the second user, and
- operating the latch to provide access to the given compartment;
- wherein the electronic device comprises an interface device configured to receive information utilized by the electronic device to authenticate the first or second users;
- wherein the information utilized by the electronic device to authenticate the second user is supplied by the second user and encrypted upon being supplied by the second user;
- wherein the given compartment comprises a space saving drawer comprising one or more removable dividers configured to allocate available space of the given compartment into sub-compartments to store a number of the one or more containers according to varying sizes;
- wherein the space-saving drawer comprises a plurality of machine-readable markings configured to denote respective positions of the one or more removable dividers;
- wherein the plurality of machine-readable markings are spaced apart from each other on a wall of the space-saving drawer to correspond to the respective positions of the one or more removable dividers and to a plurality of possible positions of the one or more removable dividers;
- wherein the electronic device records the respective positions of the one or more removable dividers from one or more machine-readable markings of the plurality of machine-readable markings,
- wherein the space saving drawer further comprises:
- a blocking material configured to obstruct viewing and accessing by the second user of at least a given sub-compartment of the sub-compartments;
- and
- an electro-mechanical mechanism configured to operate to move the blocking material into a determined position;
- and
- wherein the electronic device (i) controls the electro-mechanical mechanism to enable the moving of the blocking material when the space saving drawer is fully inserted into the given compartment;
- and (ii) operates the latch to allow the space saving drawer to be pulled out once the moving of the blocking material is complete.
20 more elements
A system, comprising:
- a distribution device comprising a plurality of compartments configured to respectively receive and store one or more containers deposited by a first user and to provide access to and retrieval of the one or more containers by a second user;
- an external device comprising a first memory for storing delivery information regarding the one or more containers to be deposited by the first user;
- an environmental control device configured to control an environment of the distribution device, wherein the environmental control device separately regulates a specific environment in each of the plurality of compartments based on environmental requirements of contents in the one or more containers in each of the plurality of compartments and collected environmental information of each of the plurality of compartments;
- and
- a computer-implemented ordering sub-system in communication with the external device and configured to:
- receive an order from the second user, wherein the order identifies the contents in the one or more containers and identifies the distribution device,
- generate the delivery information based on the order, and
- transfer the delivery information to the external device,
- wherein the distribution device further comprises a latch, and an electronic device, wherein the electronic device comprises a second memory and is configured to:
- communicate with the external device to receive the delivery information regarding the one or more containers to be deposited by the first user,
- operate in concert with a given compartment of the plurality of compartments and the latch by storing the contents in the one or more containers in the given compartment in the second memory, the contents corresponding to the delivery information and the one or more containers deposited by the first user and retrieved by the second user, and operating the latch to provide access to the given compartment;
- wherein the electronic device comprises an interface device configured to receive information utilized by the electronic device to authenticate the first or second users;
- and
- wherein the information utilized by the electronic device to authenticate the second user is supplied by the second user and encrypted upon being supplied by the second user;
- wherein the given compartment comprises a space saving drawer comprising one or more removable dividers configured to allocate available space of the given compartment into sub-compartments to store a number of the one or more containers according to varying sizes;
- wherein the space-saving drawer comprises a plurality of machine-readable markings configured to denote respective positions of the one or more removable dividers;
- wherein the plurality of machine-readable markings are spaced apart from each other on a wall of the space-saving drawer to correspond to the respective positions of the one or more removable dividers and to a plurality of possible positions of the one or more removable dividers;
- wherein the electronic device records the respective positions of the one or more removable dividers from one or more machine-readable markings of the plurality of machine-readable markings;
- wherein the space saving drawer further comprises:
- a blocking material configured to obstruct viewing and accessing by the second user of at least a given sub-compartment of the sub-compartments;
- and
- an electro-mechanical mechanism configured to operate to move the blocking material into a determined position;
- wherein the electronic device (i) controls the electro-mechanical mechanism to enable the moving of the blocking material when the space saving drawer is fully inserted into the given compartment;
- and (ii) operates the latch to allow the space saving drawer to be pulled out once the moving of the blocking material is complete;
- and
- wherein the distribution device includes a first one-way valve for air flow into the distribution device and second one-way valve for air flow out of the distribution device, wherein operation of the first and second one-way valves is enabled by a pressure change within the distribution device caused by a respirating organism occupying the distribution device.
23 more elements
A distribution device comprising:
- a plurality of compartments configured to respectively receive and store one or more containers deposited by a first user and to provide access to and retrieval of the one or more containers by a second user;
- wherein the second user authorizes one or more other users in addition to the second user to access and retrieve the one or more containers;
- a latch configured to restrict movement of the one or more containers to and from a given compartment;
- an environmental control device configured to control an environment of the distribution device, wherein the environmental control device separately regulates a specific environment in each of the plurality of compartments based on environmental requirements of contents in the one or more containers in each of the plurality of compartments and collected environmental information of each of the plurality of compartments;
- a first one-way valve for air flow into the distribution device and second one-way valve for air flow out of the distribution device, wherein operation of the first and second one-way valves is enabled by a pressure change within the distribution device caused by a respirating organism occupying the distribution device;
- and
- an electronic device comprising a memory and configured to:
- communicate with an external device to receive delivery information regarding the one or more containers to be deposited by the first user, wherein the delivery information identifies the one or more containers and identifies the distribution device,
- operate in concert with the given compartment and the latch by:
- storing contents of the given compartment in the memory, the contents corresponding to the delivery information and the one or more containers deposited by the first user and retrieved by at least one of the one or more users authorized by the second user and the second user, and operating the latch to provide access to the given compartment;
- wherein the electronic device is configured to provide the access to the second user and to the one or more other users by respectively interfacing with different electronic access mechanisms storing user specific information;
- wherein the given compartment comprises a space saving drawer comprising one or more removable dividers configured to allocate available space of the given compartment into sub-compartments to store a number of the one or more containers according to varying sizes;
- wherein the space-saving drawer comprises a plurality of machine-readable markings configured to denote respective positions of the one or more removable dividers;
- wherein the plurality of machine-readable markings are spaced apart from each other on a wall of the space-saving drawer to correspond to the respective positions of the one or more removable dividers and to a plurality of possible positions of the one or more removable dividers;
- wherein the electronic device records the respective positions of the one or more removable dividers from one or more machine-readable markings of the plurality of machine-readable markings;
- wherein the space saving drawer further comprises:
- a blocking material configured to obstruct viewing and accessing by the second user of at least a given sub-compartment of the sub-compartments;
- and
- an electro-mechanical mechanism configured to operate to move the blocking material into a determined position;
- and
- wherein the electronic device (i) controls the electro-mechanical mechanism to enable the moving of the blocking material when the space saving drawer is fully inserted into the given compartment;
- and (ii) operates the latch to allow the space saving drawer to be pulled out once the moving of the blocking material is complete.
19 more elements
A system, comprising:
- a distribution device comprising a plurality of compartments configured to respectively receive and store one or more containers deposited by a first user and to provide access to and retrieval of the one or more containers by a second user;
- wherein the second user authorizes one or more other users in addition to the second user to access and retrieve the one or more containers;
- an external device comprising a first memory for storing delivery information regarding the one or more containers to be deposited by the first user;
- an environmental control device configured to control an environment of the distribution device, wherein the environmental control device separately regulates a specific environment in each of the plurality of compartments based on environmental requirements of contents in the one or more containers in each of the plurality of compartments and collected environmental information of each of the plurality of compartments;
- and
- a computer-implemented ordering sub-system in communication with the external device and configured to:
- receive an order from the second user, wherein the order identifies the contents in the one or more containers and identifies the distribution device,
- generate the delivery information based on the order, and
- transfer the delivery information to the external device,
- wherein the distribution device further comprises a latch, an electronic device, wherein the electronic device comprises a second memory and is configured to:
- communicate with the external device to receive the delivery information regarding the one or more containers to be deposited by the first user,
- operate in concert with a given compartment of the plurality of compartments and the latch by storing the contents in the one or more containers in the given compartment in the second memory, the contents corresponding to the delivery information and the one or more containers deposited by the first user and retrieved by at least one of the one or more users authorized by the second user and the second user, and
- operating the latch to provide access to the given compartment;
- wherein the electronic device is configured to provide the access to the second user and to the one or more other users by respectively interfacing with different electronic access mechanisms storing user specific information;
- wherein the given compartment comprises a space saving drawer comprising one or more removable dividers configured to allocate available space of the given compartment into sub-compartments to store a number of the one or more containers according to varying sizes;
- wherein the space-saving drawer comprises a plurality of machine-readable markings configured to denote respective positions of the one or more removable dividers;
- wherein the plurality of machine-readable markings are spaced apart from each other on a wall of the space-saving drawer to correspond to the respective positions of the one or more removable dividers and to a plurality of possible positions of the one or more removable dividers;
- wherein the electronic device records the respective positions of the one or more removable dividers from one or more machine-readable markings of the plurality of machine-readable markings;
- wherein the space saving drawer further comprises:
- a blocking material configured to obstruct viewing and accessing by the second user of at least a given sub-compartment of the sub-compartments;
- and
- an electro-mechanical mechanism configured to operate to move the blocking material into a determined position;
- wherein the electronic device (i) controls the electro-mechanical mechanism to enable the moving of the blocking material when the space saving drawer is fully inserted into the given compartment;
- and (ii) operates the latch to allow the space saving drawer to be pulled out once the moving of the blocking material is complete;
- and
- wherein the distribution device includes a first one-way valve for air flow into the distribution device and second one-way valve for air flow out of the distribution device, wherein operation of the first and second one-way valves is enabled by a pressure change within the distribution device caused by a respirating organism occupying the distribution device.
23 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.