System and method of delivering groceries purchased over the internet

Abstract

Delivery items ordered over the Internet by a particular time in the early evening may be delivered by the next morning to a location within a 5-6 hour delivery radius of a warehouse, according to one specific aspect of the present invention. The order for the delivery items is filled at the warehouse, where the items are placed in a tote for delivery. The filled tote is placed on a movable rack, with shelves that are pitched such that when a tote is removed, another tote falls into the space previously occupied by the first tote. Racks holding the totes are transferred to a first vehicle, typically a large trailer, that transports the racks to a transfer point where one or more racks are transferred to a second smaller vehicle, such as a van. The van delivers the totes to customers along a pre-established route. Upon reaching a delivery destination, the driver removes the appropriate tote and secures it in a locked expandable bag, such as a mesh net or insulated bag, that may be locked in two places and that is itself secured to a delivery box, which is secured outside the delivery destination. Later, the customer can remove the tote from the bag, and removes the delivery items from the tote.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] The present application is a divisional / continuation application from U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09 / 587,201, filed on Jun. 5, 2000, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] 1. Field of the Invention [0003] This invention relates to a method for distributing groceries that are ordered over the Internet, or by some other remote means such as by phone, email, or fax. [0004] 2. Description of the Related Art [0005] Some grocers have in recent years sought to develop businesses in which a full line of groceries may be sold over the Internet as an alternative to in-store sales. Selling merchandise over the Internet eliminates the need to maintain an abundance of sales personnel and thereby reduces costs. However, costs remain unnecessarily high for these Internet grocers because they have sought to emulate the business model of a conventional supermarket. Thus, they offer a full array ...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

Enables quick, efficient, and cost-effective delivery of fresh, frozen, and dry goods, reducing energy consumption and pollution, while allowing a single sales representative to cover a broader area, thus improving customer relations and reducing capital requirements.

Problems solved by technology

However, costs remain unnecessarily high for these Internet grocers because they have sought to emulate the business model of a conventional supermarket.

The amount of capital required to maintain multiple warehouses in each neighborhood has limited the potential to achieve profitability as well as the business' ability to expand the number of areas they can service.

It is difficult to find an abundance of qualified people who have the requisite customer relations skills and who are willing to perform such multiple responsibilities at a reasonable cost, particularly during prosperous economic times when the available labor pool is relatively small.

But the Internet grocers have found it challenging, if not impossible, to find an economical method of delivering perishable groceries, including dairy products, meats, frozen goods, and fresh fruits and vegetables outside of their local delivery areas without the groceries becoming spoiled.

However, refrigerating the delivery trucks is extremely expensive, results in increased pollution levels, and wastes a great deal of energy, particularly where the truck is filled with both perishables as well as non-perishables that do not require refrigeration.

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