Delivery support system and delivery support method

Abstract

To provide a technique for supporting efficient delivery.SOLUTION: A system for supporting delivery according to one embodiment comprises a retrieval section that is configured, if a delivery box set up at a destination of delivery of a parcel is not vacant, to retrieve another delivery box satisfying a predetermined condition and a display section that is configured to display, on a predetermined terminal, a screen the other delivery box retrieved by the retrieval section is visualized on a map.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a delivery assistance system and a delivery assistance method. [Background technology]

[0002] Electronic commerce such as online shopping has become widespread, and as a result, there are more opportunities to receive products purchased through online shopping or the like via delivery services. Purchasers often want to know when the products will arrive, and one known technology related to this need is one that allows users to check the delivery status of products in real time (for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] On the other hand, delivery personnel who provide delivery services need to deliver packages efficiently, and various technologies (such as technologies for determining efficient delivery routes) have been proposed to achieve this. However, there are cases where packages need to be redelivered due to reasons such as the recipient being absent, which results in inefficient delivery of packages and incurs additional costs for redelivery. In recent years, delivery boxes have been installed in condominiums, apartments, private homes, etc., and packages can often be delivered even when the recipient is absent. However, redelivery of packages still needs to be performed if the delivery box is already in use and there are no available boxes. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-151658 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above points, and provides a technology that supports efficient delivery. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A delivery support system according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes a search unit configured to search for other delivery boxes that meet specified conditions when there are no available delivery boxes installed at the delivery destination of a package, and a display unit configured to display on a specified terminal a screen that visualizes the other delivery boxes searched for by the search unit on a map. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] We can provide technology to support efficient delivery. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the overall configuration of a delivery support system according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of a delivery support system according to a first embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a delivery box management table according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of a delivery support process according to the first embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a delivery destination candidate presentation screen. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a delivery destination presentation screen. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of a delivery support system according to a second embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a delivery box management table according to the second embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of a delivery support process according to the second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] An embodiment of the present invention will be described below. In each of the following embodiments, a delivery support system 1 will be described that can support efficient delivery of packages by designating another delivery box that meets predetermined conditions as the delivery destination when there is no available delivery box at the delivery destination of the package (for example, a delivery box installed at the recipient's home).

[0010] Here, a delivery locker refers to a facility or device that is the destination for packages delivered by a delivery service. Delivery lockers may be installed by the recipient at their own home, or in condominiums, apartments, etc. Delivery lockers may also be installed at train stations, commercial facilities, convenience stores, etc. Delivery lockers installed at train stations, commercial facilities, convenience stores, etc. are also called open-type delivery lockers, and are installed by companies that provide delivery locker installation services.

[0011] The delivery box may also be called, for example, a delivery box, delivery locker, delivery locker, parcel locker, delivery station, or distribution station. Furthermore, the term "delivery" often means delivering a package to the recipient's home, but it is not necessarily limited to this meaning, and in this specification, "delivery" also refers to delivering a package to a location where the recipient can receive it (for example, delivery to a delivery box installed at a station, commercial facility, convenience store, etc.).

[0012] [First embodiment] First, the first embodiment will be described.

[0013] <Example of overall configuration of delivery support system 1> An example of the overall configuration of a delivery support system 1 according to this embodiment is shown in Fig. 1. As shown in Fig. 1, the delivery support system 1 according to this embodiment includes a delivery support server 10, one or more deliveryperson terminals 20, and one or more recipient terminals 30. The delivery support server 10 and each deliveryperson terminal 20 are communicably connected via a communication network 40 such as the Internet. Similarly, the delivery support server 10 and each recipient terminal 30 are communicably connected via a communication network 40 such as the Internet.

[0014] The delivery support server 10 is a general-purpose server that manages the locations of delivery lockers. When there are no available delivery lockers at the delivery destination of the package, the delivery support server 10 presents the delivery person with other delivery lockers that meet certain conditions (for example, other delivery lockers within a 200-meter radius of the delivery locker at the delivery destination of the package). Furthermore, when the package is delivered to another delivery locker, the delivery support server 10 presents the recipient with information such as the name and location of the other delivery locker.

[0015] The deliveryperson terminal 20 is a terminal of any type (e.g., a smartphone, a tablet terminal, a wearable device, etc.) used by a parcel delivery person. For example, if there are no available parcel delivery boxes at the parcel delivery destination, the deliveryperson can use the deliveryperson terminal 20 to check other parcel delivery boxes that meet certain conditions. This allows the deliveryperson to deliver the parcel to another parcel delivery box, even if there are no available parcel delivery boxes at the recipient's home, for example. This prevents redelivery from being required, thereby enabling efficient parcel delivery.

[0016] It is assumed that the deliveryman terminal 20 is equipped with an application program (hereinafter also referred to as a delivery support application) that provides functions that allow the user to check the delivery destination and delivery status of a package, and to check the route to the delivery destination on a map. Since these functions are existing functions, their description will be omitted in this specification. One example of a delivery support application that provides such functions is "GODOOR, an Internet<URL:https: / / godoor.jp / > " etc.

[0017] The recipient terminal 30 is a terminal of any type used by the recipient of the parcel (for example, a smartphone, a tablet terminal, a wearable device, a PC (personal computer), etc.). The recipient can use the recipient terminal 30 to check information such as the name and location of the delivery box to which the parcel addressed to them has been delivered.

[0018] 1 is merely an example, and is not intended to be limiting. For example, all or part of the functions of the delivery support server 10 may be provided by an external cloud service or the like.

[0019] <Example of functional configuration of delivery support system 1> FIG. 2 shows an example of the functional configuration of the delivery support system 1 according to this embodiment.

[0020] <Delivery Support Server 10> As shown in Fig. 2, the delivery support server 10 according to this embodiment has a search unit 101 and a notification unit 102. These functional units are realized, for example, by processing of one or more programs installed in the delivery support server 10, which is executed by a computing device such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The delivery support server 10 according to this embodiment also has a storage unit 103. The storage unit 103 is realized, for example, by a storage device such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or an SSD (Solid State Drive).

[0021] When the search unit 101 receives a search request from the delivery person terminal 20, it searches for delivery box information that meets predetermined conditions from the delivery box management table stored in the storage unit 103. Here, the delivery box management table is data in a table format that stores delivery box information including the delivery box ID, the name of the delivery box, the installation location of the delivery box, etc. Details of the delivery box management table will be described later.

[0022] Furthermore, the search unit 101 returns the delivery box information searched from the delivery box management table to the delivery person terminal 20 as a search result in response to the search request.

[0023] When the notification unit 102 receives a delivery completion notification from the delivery person terminal 20, it identifies the delivery box information from the delivery box ID included in the delivery completion notification, and then transmits a delivery completion notification including the delivery box information to the relevant recipient terminal 30. At this time, the notification unit 102 transmits the delivery completion notification to the recipient terminal 30 used by the recipient of the package whose delivery has been completed.

[0024] The storage unit 103 stores various information (for example, a delivery box management table, etc.). An example of a delivery box management table is shown in FIG. 3. As shown in FIG. 3, the delivery box management table according to this embodiment stores one or more pieces of delivery box information, and each piece of delivery box information includes a delivery box ID, name, installation location, etc. The delivery box ID is identification information that uniquely identifies a delivery box. The name is the name of the delivery box. The installation location is information that indicates the location where the delivery box is installed. Note that in the example shown in FIG. 3, the installation location is expressed as a pair (X, Y) of latitude and longitude coordinate values ​​of the location where the delivery box is installed, but this is just an example and is not limited to this. The installation location may also be information such as the address of the location where the delivery box is installed, for example.

[0025] <Delivery person terminal 20> 2, the deliveryperson terminal 20 according to this embodiment includes a UI providing unit 201, a search request unit 202, and a notification unit 203. Each of these functional units is realized by, for example, processing executed by a computing device such as a CPU by one or more programs including a delivery support application installed in the deliveryperson terminal 20.

[0026] The UI providing unit 201 displays various screens (for example, the delivery destination candidate presentation screen described below) on the display of the delivery person terminal 20, and accepts various operations using an input device such as a touch panel provided on the delivery person terminal 20.

[0027] When the UI providing unit 201 receives an operation indicating that there are no available delivery boxes at the delivery destination of the package, the search request unit 202 sends a search request to the delivery support server 10 to search for other delivery boxes that meet specified conditions.

[0028] When the UI providing unit 201 receives an operation indicating that delivery of a package to another delivery box has been completed, the notification unit 203 sends a delivery completion notification to the delivery support server 10, which includes the delivery box ID of the other delivery box and a package ID that uniquely identifies the package delivered to that delivery box.

[0029] <<Recipient terminal 30>> 2, the recipient terminal 30 according to this embodiment includes a UI providing unit 301. The UI providing unit 301 is realized, for example, by a process in which one or more programs installed in the recipient terminal 30 are executed by a computing device such as a CPU.

[0030] The UI providing unit 301 displays various screens (for example, the delivery destination presentation screen described below) on the display of the recipient terminal 30, and accepts various operations via an input device such as a touch panel provided on the recipient terminal 30.

[0031] <Delivery support processing> Below, we will explain, with reference to Figure 4, the process of supporting efficient delivery of packages in a case where the recipient is not at home when the delivery person arrives to deliver the package and there is no space in the delivery box installed at the recipient's home.

[0032] The UI providing unit 201 of the delivery person terminal 20 accepts an operation to the effect that there are no free delivery boxes installed at the recipient's home (step S101). Note that the delivery person can perform an operation to the effect that there are no free delivery boxes installed at the delivery destination of the package, for example, on a screen for managing the delivery status of the package.

[0033] When the UI providing unit 201 receives an operation indicating that there are no available delivery boxes at the recipient's home, the search request unit 202 of the delivery person terminal 20 sends a search request to the delivery support server 10 (step S102). The search request includes, for example, the location of the delivery box at the recipient's home.

[0034] When the search unit 101 of the delivery support server 10 receives the search request, it searches the delivery box management table stored in the storage unit 103 for delivery box information that meets predetermined conditions (step S103). Specifically, the search unit 101 uses the installation location of the delivery box installed in the recipient's home to search the delivery box management table for delivery box information of other delivery boxes within a radius R [m] from the delivery box. Here, R is a predetermined parameter, and it can be considered that R=200, for example.

[0035] However, the condition "within a radius R [m] from the location of the delivery box installed at the recipient's home" when searching for other delivery boxes is just one example, and various other conditions may also be used to search for other delivery boxes that meet those conditions.

[0036] For example, taking into consideration the recipient's means of transportation, the condition may be "within T minutes by a predetermined means of transportation from the location of the delivery box installed at the recipient's home." Examples of means of transportation include "walking," "bicycle," and "car." T is a predetermined parameter.

[0037] Also, different conditions may be used depending on the type of package. For example, if the type of package is "drinking water," the condition may be "within a radius R = 50 [m] from the location of the delivery box installed at the recipient's home," whereas if the type of package is "books," the condition may be "within a radius R = 200 [m] from the location of the delivery box installed at the recipient's home."

[0038] In addition to the above, conditions taking into consideration various other factors may be used. For example, a condition may be set such that roads with a gradient of at least a predetermined value are not passed through, or road widths are not passed through, or bridges or overpasses are not crossed, or the delivery box is located in a specific facility (for example, a train station).

[0039] Furthermore, a combination of two or more of the above conditions may be used as a condition. For example, a condition may be "within a radius R [m] from the location of the delivery box installed at the recipient's home and within T [minutes] by a specified means of transportation," or if the type of package is "drinking water," a condition may be "within a radius R = 50 [m] from the location of the delivery box installed at the recipient's home and without crossing an overpass."

[0040] Furthermore, if a search for delivery box information based on a certain condition does not find any delivery box information that meets that condition, the search may be repeated using other conditions. For example, if no delivery box information that meets the condition "within a 100 m radius from the location of the delivery box installed at the recipient's home" is found, the search may be repeated using the condition "within a 200 m radius from the location of the delivery box installed at the recipient's home."

[0041] The conditions to be used in step S103 above may be set in advance by the recipient, or conditions common to all recipients may be set in advance. Alternatively, for example, the conditions may be set for each recipient according to some rule or algorithm. Such rules or algorithms may select or determine appropriate conditions and parameter values ​​to be used for those conditions depending on, for example, the recipient's age, gender, frequency of absence, type of package, etc. For example, it may be possible to select "within a radius R [m] from the location of the delivery box installed in the recipient's home" as a condition common to all recipients, and to increase R the more frequently the recipient is absent, or decrease R the older the recipient is.

[0042] Next, the search unit 101 of the delivery support server 10 transmits the search results including the delivery box information searched in the above step S103 to the deliveryperson terminal 20 (step S104).

[0043] When the UI providing unit 201 of the deliveryperson terminal 20 receives the search results from the delivery support server 10, it displays a candidate delivery destination presentation screen in which delivery boxes represented by delivery box information included in the search results are visualized on a map as candidate delivery destinations (step S105). An example of the candidate delivery destination presentation screen is shown in FIG. 5. On the candidate delivery destination presentation screen 1000 shown in FIG. 5, a delivery destination icon 1001 representing the recipient's home and candidate delivery destination icons 1101 to 1103 representing each piece of delivery box information included in the search results are visualized on a map. In this way, on the candidate delivery destination presentation screen, delivery boxes corresponding to the delivery box information searched in step S103 above are presented to the deliveryperson as candidate delivery destination icons. Therefore, the deliveryperson can arbitrarily select one of the candidate delivery destination icons and deliver the package to the delivery box corresponding to that candidate delivery destination icon. In the following, it is assumed that a delivery person selects a candidate delivery destination icon and then the package is actually delivered to the delivery box corresponding to that candidate delivery destination icon (i.e., it is assumed that delivery of the package to that delivery box has been completed).

[0044] The UI providing unit 201 of the delivery person terminal 20 accepts an operation to notify the delivery person that delivery of the package to the selected delivery box has been completed (step S106). Note that the delivery person can perform an operation to notify the delivery person that delivery of the package to the delivery box has been completed by, for example, pressing a button on a screen for managing the delivery status of the package that indicates that delivery to the delivery box has been completed.

[0045] When the UI providing unit 201 receives an operation indicating that delivery of the package to the delivery box has been completed, the notification unit 203 of the deliveryperson terminal 20 transmits a delivery completion notification to the delivery support server 10 (step S107). The delivery completion notification includes, for example, the package ID of the package whose delivery has been completed and the delivery box ID of the delivery box to which the package has been delivered.

[0046] When the notification unit 102 of the delivery support server 10 receives the delivery completion notification, it identifies the delivery box information from the delivery box ID included in the delivery completion notification, and then sends the delivery completion notification including the delivery box information to the recipient terminal 30 (step S108). At this time, the notification unit 102 identifies the recipient of the package with the package ID from the package ID included in the delivery completion notification received from the deliveryperson terminal 20, and then sends the delivery completion notification to the recipient terminal 30 used by the recipient.

[0047] When the UI providing unit 301 of the recipient terminal 30 receives the delivery completion notification, it displays a delivery destination presentation screen in which the delivery box indicated by the delivery box information included in the delivery completion notification is visualized on a map as the delivery destination (step S109). An example of the delivery destination presentation screen is shown in FIG. 6. On the delivery destination presentation screen 2000 shown in FIG. 6, a delivery destination icon 2100 representing the delivery box to which the package was actually delivered is visualized on a map. In this way, on the delivery destination presentation screen, the delivery box to which the package was actually delivered is presented to the recipient as a delivery destination icon. Therefore, even if there are no available delivery boxes installed in the recipient's own home, the recipient can receive the package from another delivery box.

[0048] [Second embodiment] Next, a second embodiment will be described. In the first embodiment, the usage status of each delivery box (i.e., whether the delivery box is available or not) was determined by the delivery person at the time of actual delivery, but in recent years, the number of delivery boxes connected to communication networks has increased, and it is often possible to check the usage status of each delivery box in real time. If the usage status of the delivery box can be checked in real time, it is possible to know whether there is an available delivery box at the recipient's home before the actual delivery, and if there is no available delivery box at the recipient's home, it is also possible to have the recipient select which of the other delivery boxes to use for delivery.

[0049] Therefore, in the second embodiment, under the circumstances where the usage status of each delivery box is managed, if it is confirmed before delivery that there are no available delivery boxes at the recipient's home, other available delivery boxes that meet predetermined conditions are presented to the recipient, and the recipient is allowed to select the delivery box to which the package should be delivered. This prevents redelivery from occurring as in the first embodiment, and is also expected to improve customer satisfaction, as the package is delivered to the delivery box of the recipient's choice.

[0050] In the second embodiment, differences from the first embodiment will be described, and descriptions of components similar to those in the first embodiment will be omitted.

[0051] <Example of functional configuration of delivery support system 1> FIG. 7 shows an example of the functional configuration of the delivery support system 1 according to this embodiment.

[0052] <Delivery Support Server 10> 7, the delivery support server 10 according to this embodiment has, in addition to the functional units and storage units described in the first embodiment, a usage status confirmation unit 104. The usage status confirmation unit 104 is realized, for example, by a process in which one or more programs installed in the delivery support server 10 are executed by a computing device such as a CPU.

[0053] The usage status confirmation unit 104 refers to the delivery box management table stored in the memory unit 103 to confirm the usage status of the delivery box installed at each recipient's home. Here, the delivery box information stored in the delivery box management table according to this embodiment includes the delivery box ID, the name of the delivery box, the installation location of the delivery box, and the like, as well as the usage status of the delivery box. An example of the delivery box management table according to this embodiment is shown in FIG. 8. As shown in FIG. 8, each delivery box information stored in the delivery box management table according to this embodiment includes the usage status in addition to the delivery box ID, name, installation location, and the like. The usage status is information that indicates whether the delivery box is available or not. In the example shown in FIG. 8, if the usage status is "in use," it means that the delivery box is not available, and if it is "available," it means that the delivery box is available.

[0054] Furthermore, the delivery box management table according to this embodiment manages not only open-type delivery boxes, but also delivery box information for delivery boxes installed in recipients' homes, apartments, etc. In the example shown in Fig. 8, delivery box IDs "10001" to "10002" etc. are delivery box information for delivery boxes installed in recipients' homes, apartments, etc.

[0055] When the usage status confirmation unit 104 confirms that there are no available delivery boxes at the delivery destination of the package, the search unit 101 according to this embodiment searches the delivery box management table for delivery box information of other available delivery boxes that meet predetermined conditions. The search unit 101 according to this embodiment also transmits the search results to the relevant recipient terminal 30. At this time, the search unit 101 transmits the search results to the recipient terminal 30 used by the recipient of the package.

[0056] Furthermore, when the notification unit 102 according to this embodiment receives a desired delivery destination notification from the recipient terminal 30, it identifies delivery box information from the delivery box ID included in this desired delivery destination notification, and then transmits a desired delivery destination notification including the delivery box information to the delivery person terminal 20. At this time, the notification unit 102 transmits the desired delivery destination notification to the delivery person terminal 20 used by the delivery person in charge of delivering the package.

[0057] <Delivery person terminal 20> As shown in FIG. 7, the deliveryman terminal 20 according to this embodiment does not have a search request unit 202, unlike the first embodiment.

[0058] <<Recipient terminal 30>> 7, the recipient terminal 30 according to this embodiment has, in addition to the functional units described in the first embodiment, a notification unit 302. The notification unit 302 is realized, for example, by a process in which one or more programs installed in the recipient terminal 30 are executed by a computing device such as a CPU.

[0059] When the UI providing unit 301 receives an operation to select a delivery box desired by the recipient, the notification unit 302 transmits to the delivery support server 10 a desired delivery destination notification including the delivery box ID of the delivery box.

[0060] <Delivery support processing> Hereinafter, assuming that a delivery box at a recipient's home is designated in advance as the delivery destination of a certain package, a process for supporting efficient delivery of the package in this case will be described with reference to Fig. 9. Note that steps S201 to S208 in Fig. 9 are executed before the delivery date of the package (for example, the day before the delivery date of the package, the morning of the delivery date, etc.).

[0061] The usage status confirmation unit 104 of the delivery support server 10 refers to the delivery box management table stored in the storage unit 103 and confirms the usage status of the delivery box designated as the delivery destination of the package (step S201). In the following, it is assumed that the usage status of the delivery box is confirmed to be "in use" (i.e., there is no vacant box).

[0062] If the usage status of the delivery box designated as the delivery destination of the package is "in use," the search unit 101 of the delivery support server 10 searches the delivery box management table stored in the storage unit 103 for delivery box information that satisfies predetermined conditions and has a usage status of "free" (step S202). Note that the conditions can be the same as those in the first embodiment.

[0063] Next, the search unit 101 of the delivery support server 10 transmits the search result including the delivery box information searched in step S202 above to the recipient terminal 30 (step S203). At this time, the search unit 101 transmits the search result to the recipient terminal 30 used by the recipient of the package. Note that the search unit 101 may transmit a search result including all of the delivery box information searched in step S202 above, or may transmit a search result including only some of the delivery box information. When transmitting a search result including only some of the delivery box information, for example, the search result may include only one delivery box information closest to the recipient's home, or only a predetermined number of delivery box information in order of proximity to the recipient's home.

[0064] When the UI providing unit 301 of the recipient terminal 30 receives the search results from the delivery support server 10, it displays a screen in which the delivery boxes represented by the delivery box information included in the search results are visualized on a map as potential delivery destinations (step S204). This allows the recipient to select a delivery box that they wish to use as their pickup location on this screen. Note that if only one delivery box is visualized on the screen, it can also be interpreted as a request for the recipient's permission to deliver to that delivery box.

[0065] The UI providing unit 301 of the recipient terminal 30 accepts the selection operation of the delivery box desired by the recipient (step S205). Note that the recipient can perform the selection operation by selecting the delivery box desired by the recipient on the above screen.

[0066] When the UI providing unit 301 receives the above selection operation, the notification unit 302 of the recipient terminal 30 sends a desired delivery destination notification including the delivery box ID of the delivery box selected by this selection operation to the delivery support server 10 (step S206).

[0067] When the notification unit 102 of the delivery support server 10 receives the desired delivery destination notification, it identifies the delivery box information from the delivery box ID included in the desired delivery destination notification, and then transmits the desired delivery destination notification including the delivery box information to the delivery person terminal 20 (step S207). At this time, the notification unit 102 transmits the desired delivery destination notification to the delivery person terminal 20 used by the delivery person in charge of delivering the package.

[0068] When the UI providing unit 201 of the deliveryperson terminal 20 receives the desired delivery destination notification, it displays a screen in which the delivery box information included in the desired delivery destination notification is visualized on a map as the delivery destination (step S208). This allows the deliveryperson to deliver the package to the delivery box desired by the recipient.

[0069] After the delivery of the package is completed, steps S106 to S109 in FIG. 4 are executed, but since this is the same as in the first embodiment, the description thereof will be omitted.

[0070] [summary] As described above, in the delivery support system 1 according to the first and second embodiments, even if the recipient is not at home and there are no available delivery boxes at the recipient's home or other location, another delivery box that meets certain conditions can be designated as the delivery destination. This eliminates the need for the delivery person to redeliver, enabling efficient delivery of packages. Furthermore, the recipient also eliminates the need to request redelivery, reducing the effort required for requesting redelivery.

[0071] The present invention is not limited to the above-described specifically disclosed embodiments, and various modifications, changes, and combinations with known technologies are possible without departing from the scope of the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0072] 1. Delivery support system 10 Delivery support server 20 Delivery person terminal 30 Recipient terminal 40 Communication Network 101 Search Department 102 Notification Department 103 Storage section 104 Usage Status Verification Department 201 UI provision department 202 Search request section 203 Notification Department 301 UI provision department 302 Notification Department

Claims

1. a search unit configured to search for other delivery lockers that satisfy predetermined conditions when there are no available delivery lockers installed at the delivery destination of the package; a display unit configured to display on a predetermined terminal a screen that visualizes on a map the other delivery boxes searched for by the search unit; and The predetermined condition is: A delivery support system in which the conditions depend on the age, sex, frequency of absence of the recipient of the package, and type of the package.

2. the delivery assistance system includes a first terminal used by a delivery person of the package; The display unit The delivery support system according to claim 1, wherein the delivery support system is configured to display on the first terminal a screen that visualizes the other delivery boxes on a map as potential delivery destinations for the package.

3. the delivery assistance system includes a second terminal used by a recipient of the package; The display unit The delivery support system of claim 2, wherein when the package is delivered to one of the candidate delivery destinations, the second terminal is configured to display a screen that visualizes on a map the delivery box to which the package was delivered.

4. the delivery assistance system includes a second terminal used by a recipient of the package; The display unit The delivery support system according to claim 1, wherein the second terminal is configured to display a screen that visualizes the other delivery boxes on a map as potential receiving locations for the package.

5. the delivery assistance system includes a first terminal used by a delivery person of the package; The display unit The delivery support system of claim 4, wherein when the recipient selects one of the candidate receiving locations for the package as the receiving location for the package, the first terminal is configured to display a screen that visualizes a delivery box representing the receiving location on a map.

6. The predetermined condition is: A delivery support system as described in any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the delivery is within a radius of a delivery box installed at the delivery destination of the package corresponding to at least one of the age and the frequency of absence.

7. The storage unit is configured to store a table that manages the usage status indicating whether the delivery box is available or not, The search unit The delivery support system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, which is configured to search for other delivery boxes that satisfy the specified conditions and whose usage status indicates that they are available.

8. If there are no available delivery boxes at the delivery destination, a search procedure is performed to find other delivery boxes that meet the specified conditions. a display step of displaying on a predetermined terminal a screen in which the other delivery boxes searched for by the search step are visualized on a map; The computer executes The predetermined condition is: A delivery assistance method in which the conditions depend on the age, sex, frequency of absence of the recipient of the package, and type of the package.

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