Assistance system for the delivery of mail consignments
AssigneeInventio AG
InventorPaul FRIEDLI
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A mail delivery assistance system comprises a letterbox for receiving mail consignments that has an opening and an electronic locking mechanism, a data processing device that comprises a database having an address file in which a respective addressee is associated with a building address, and a reader for capturing mail consignment data of a mail consignment. The reader, during operation, is communicatively connected to the data processing device in order to send the mail consignment data to the data processing device. The data processing device checks whether the mail consignment data match an addressee in the address file, and, if this is the case, generates a control signal for the locking mechanism in order to open the opening and to allow delivery of the mail consignment.
Claims17
A mail delivery assistance system comprising:
- a mailbox for receiving mail items, wherein the mailbox comprises an opening and an electronic locking mechanism, wherein the electronic locking mechanism locks the opening in a closed state and releases said opening in an open state;
- a reader for recording mail item data of a mail item;
- and
- a data processing means comprising a database having an address file in which one addressee is associated with one building address, respectively, at which the addressee is registered, wherein the data processing means;
- is connected to the reader for communication, when in operation,
- checks whether the mail item data recorded by the reader contain an addressee registered in the address file, and
- generates a control signal for the locking mechanism, in order to release the opening and allow for the mail item to be deposited in the mailbox of a building
A method for operating a mail delivery assistance system comprising a mailbox for receiving mail items, a data processing means having a database that comprises an address file in which one addressee is associated with one building address, respectively, and a reader for recording mail item data of a mail item, wherein, in order to deliver a mail item, addressed to an addressee, to a building, the method comprising:
- recording mail item data of a mail item by means of the reader;
- determining an addressee of the mail item based on the mail item data;
- checking, using the data processing means, whether the addressee of the mail item is associated, in the address file, with the building address of the building;
- and,
- if the addressee is associated, in the address file, with the building address of the building, activating a locking mechanism of the mailbox in order to release an opening of the mailbox so that the mail item can be deposited in the mailbox.
A mailbox for receiving mail items, comprising:
- an opening through which a mail item can be deposited in the mailbox;
- an electronic locking mechanism which locks the opening in a closed state and releases said opening in an open state, and which can be actuated by means of a control signal generated by a data processing means;
- and
- a reader for recording mail item data of the mail item, wherein the reader can be connected to the data processing means for communication, when in operation, in order to transmit the mail item data to the data processing means, wherein the data processing means checks whether the mail item data recorded by the reader specify an addressee registered in the address file and, if this is the case, generates the control signal for the locking mechanism in order to release the opening and allow for the mail item to be deposited in the mailbox.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.