Delivery management system, delivery management method and program

Abstract

A package management system according to the present disclosure comprises: an acquisition means that acquires detection information detected by a sensor for a package delivered to a delivery destination; a recipient identification means that identifies a recipient of the package on the basis of the detection information; a determination means that uses package information including at least one of the detection information and information on the recipient to determine whether the package should be transferred to another delivery destination associated with the recipient, or the recipient should receive the package at the delivery destination without transfer of the package; and an output means that outputs a notification according to the determination result.

Description

Delivery management system, delivery management method, and recording medium

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a delivery management system and the like.

[0002] There are various services available that allow recipients to receive mail and packages even when they are not at home. For example, if the recipient specifies, the delivery company will deliver the package to a parcel locker or convenience store. The recipient can then pick up the package at their convenience.

[0003] There are also services that receive deliveries on behalf of recipients who are the destinations for the deliveries and forward them to the recipients. Patent Document 1 discloses a product management system that manages products shipped in response to an order from a requester in order to forward them to a forwarding destination corresponding to the requester.

[0004] JP 2019-168824 A

[0005] The delivery address of a package sent by a sender may be convenient or inconvenient for the recipient. However, it may be difficult for the recipient to request a change of delivery address from the sender depending on their own convenience. Therefore, the recipient must go to the delivery address selected by the sender to check the package.

[0006] The present disclosure aims to provide a delivery management system and the like that improves convenience in receiving delivered items.

[0007] The delivery management system of the present disclosure includes an acquisition means for acquiring detection information detected by a sensor regarding a delivery delivered to a delivery destination, a recipient identification means for identifying a recipient of the delivery based on the detection information, a determination means for determining, based on information regarding the delivery including at least one of the detection information and information regarding the recipient, whether the delivery should be forwarded to another delivery destination associated with the recipient, or whether the recipient should collect the delivery at the delivery destination without forwarding the delivery, and an output means for outputting a notification according to the determination result.

[0008] The delivery management method of the present disclosure acquires detection information detected by a sensor about a delivery item delivered to a delivery destination, identifies a recipient of the delivery item based on the detection information, and determines, based on information about the delivery item including at least one of the detection information and information about the recipient, whether the delivery item should be forwarded to another delivery destination associated with the recipient, or whether the delivery item should not be forwarded and the recipient should collect the delivery item at the delivery destination, and outputs a notification according to the determination result.

[0009] A program according to the present disclosure causes a computer to execute the following processes: acquire detection information detected by a sensor regarding a delivery item delivered to a delivery destination; identify a recipient of the delivery item based on the detection information; determine whether the delivery item should be forwarded to another delivery destination associated with the recipient, or whether the recipient should pick up the delivery item at the delivery destination without forwarding it, based on information regarding the delivery item including at least one of the detection information and information regarding the recipient; and output a notification according to the determination result. The program may be stored in a computer-readable non-transitory recording medium.

[0010] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to improve the convenience of receiving delivered items.

[0011] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a delivery item management system according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the internal structure of a storage box 20. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of a delivery item management system according to the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a delivery item management system according to the second embodiment. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of a delivery item management system according to the second embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a notification display screen. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of a forwarding determination process. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a continuation of the example of the forwarding determination process. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an example of a determination process for deliveries addressed to non-registered users. FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of a computer.

[0012] A delivery management system according to the present disclosure can be applied to managing deliveries delivered to a company's offices for employees. A company's mailroom worker may act as a proxy receiver for deliveries addressed to employees. The employee then comes to the office to pick up the deliveries. However, with the recent spread of telework, employee attendance rates have declined. Furthermore, employees may work at a different office than the one to which the deliveries were delivered. Therefore, depending on the deliveries or the employees, it may be preferable to deliver the deliveries to a different destination. However, it may be difficult to request the sender of the deliveries to change the delivery address. Furthermore, depending on the deliveries or the employees, it may be preferable to pick up the deliveries at the original destination. Therefore, a delivery management system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure determines whether a deliveries that have already been delivered to a destination should be picked up by the recipient at the destination without being forwarded, or whether the deliveries should be forwarded to a different destination.

[0013] However, the application of this disclosure is not limited to the management of deliveries delivered to companies. For example, this disclosure can also be applied to the management of deliveries received by other receiving agents. This disclosure can also be applied to the management of deliveries delivered to delivery boxes installed at stations or stores.

[0014] [First embodiment] Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a delivery management system 100 according to a first embodiment. The delivery management system 100 can be communicatively connected to a storage box 20 and a recipient DB (database) 30. The delivery management system 100 may also be communicatively connected to devices other than these. The delivery management system 100 may also be communicatively connected to another terminal device instead of the storage box 20.

[0015] The storage box 20 is a device installed at the delivery destination and capable of storing delivery items. A delivery company or a person receiving the delivery item on behalf of the recipient places the delivery item in the storage box 20. The storage box 20 may have multiple partitioned storage sections or may have a single storage section. The storage box 20 may also be a locker with a door that can be locked.

[0016] The storage box 20 is equipped with sensors that detect information about the delivery. The type of sensor is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, a camera, a scanner, a distance sensor, or a scale. The camera may capture the overall appearance of the delivery, or may capture a portion of the delivery including information attached to the delivery. The delivery contains address information. The delivery may also contain information such as the sender, information identifying the contents, handling instructions, or deadline. The scanner reads codes such as barcodes or two-dimensional codes attached to the delivery. Information related to the sender, delivery destination, recipient, size, or weight of the delivery may be linked to the code. The distance sensor measures the size of the delivery. The scale measures the weight of the delivery. The storage box 20 may also include other sensors, such as a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, or an odor sensor. The type of sensor included in the storage box 20 may be selected as appropriate, and multiple types of sensors may be included.

[0017] The sensor may be installed inside or outside the storage section of the storage box 20. For example, the sensor may detect information about the delivery item after it is detected that the delivery item has been stored in the storage section. Alternatively, the sensor may detect information about the delivery item before it is stored. For example, a person who stores a delivery item in the storage box 20 may have a scanner, which is a sensor, read a code on the delivery item before storing it. After reading the code, the storage box 20 may open one storage section to allow the delivery item to be stored.

[0018] Figure 2 is a diagram showing an example of the internal structure of the storage box 20. The person storing the delivery opens the door and places the delivery in the storage section of the storage box 20 from the direction of the arrow. In Figure 2, a camera for photographing the delivery is installed on the ceiling of the storage section. In addition, a scale for measuring the weight of the placed delivery is installed on the bottom of the storage section.

[0019] The recipient DB 30 stores information about recipients who receive deliveries to be delivered to the delivery destinations. The recipient DB 30 may be realized by a database that manages information about company employees. For example, the recipient DB 30 stores, for each recipient, the address at which the recipient can receive deliveries. The recipient DB 30 may also store the recipient's name, department, job title, telephone number, email address, home address, nearest station to the home, transportation costs from the home to the delivery destination, travel time, or labor costs per hour.

[0020] The delivery management system 100 comprises an acquisition unit 110, a recipient specification unit 120, a determination unit 130, and an output unit 140. Each functional block will be described below.

[0021] The acquisition unit 110 acquires detection information detected by a sensor regarding a delivery item delivered to a delivery destination. For example, the acquisition unit 110 acquires detection information detected by a sensor provided in the storage box 20. The detection information includes, for example, an image of the delivery item, a code reading result, the size or weight of the delivery item. If the delivery item has text written on it, the detection information may include the text recognized from the image of the delivery item. Furthermore, if the size of the delivery item can be measured from the image, the detection information may include the size of the delivery item recognized from the image.

[0022] The recipient identification unit 120 identifies the recipient of the delivery piece based on the detection information acquired by the acquisition unit 110. For example, the recipient identification unit 120 identifies the person listed in the address attached to the delivery piece as the recipient based on the results of character recognition. In addition, the code attached to the delivery piece may be linked to information about the recipient. In this case, the recipient identification unit 120 may acquire the information linked to the code based on the code reading results and identify the recipient. The recipient identification unit 120 may also identify the recipient by referring to the recipient DB 30.

[0023] The determination unit 130 determines, based on the information about the delivery item, whether the delivery item should be forwarded to another delivery destination associated with the recipient, or whether the delivery item should not be forwarded and the recipient should pick it up at the delivery destination. When the determination unit 130 determines that the delivery item should not be forwarded, for example, the determination unit 130 determines that the recipient should pick it up at the delivery destination. Here, the information about the delivery item includes at least one of the detection information acquired by the acquisition unit 110 and information about the recipient. The information about the recipient is, for example, information associated with the recipient that is stored in the recipient DB 30. The other delivery destination associated with the recipient is, for example, an address stored in the recipient DB 30 where the recipient can pick up the delivery item.

[0024] Whether or not a delivery should be forwarded may be predetermined for each recipient, so the determination unit 130 may refer to the settings for each recipient to determine whether or not a delivery should be forwarded.

[0025] For example, the determination unit 130 may determine that a piece having a weight or size equal to or greater than a predetermined value should be forwarded. Alternatively, the determination unit 130 may determine that such a piece should not be forwarded.

[0026] Furthermore, some deliveries may not be suitable for forwarding. For example, some deliveries may be prohibited from being forwarded. Some deliveries delivered to a business may be prohibited from being forwarded to the recipient's home. If criteria for what deliveries are not suitable for forwarding are set in advance, the determination unit 130 may determine whether the deliveries should be forwarded in accordance with the criteria in the information about the deliveries. Similarly, if criteria for deliveries that must be forwarded are set in advance, the determination unit 130 may determine whether the deliveries should be forwarded in accordance with the criteria in the information about the deliveries.

[0027] The determination unit 130 may determine whether or not a delivery should be forwarded based on a plurality of types of information about the delivery selected from a plurality of types of detection information and a plurality of types of information about the recipient. An example of a determination method by the determination unit 130 will be described in more detail in the second embodiment.

[0028] The determination unit 130 may determine whether to forward a delivery by referring to a processing history of whether previously delivered deliveries were forwarded or picked up at the delivery destination. The determination unit 130 may, for example, refer to a processing history that is a past determination result. The determination unit 130 determines whether or not to forward a delivery, in the same way as for past deliveries that have matching information about the delivery.

[0029] The output unit 140 outputs a notification according to the determination result by the determination unit 130. The notification includes at least one of forwarding information regarding the forwarding of the delivery and collection information regarding the collection of the delivery.

[0030] For example, the output unit 140 outputs a notification to the recipient identified by the recipient identification unit 120. At this time, the output unit 140 references the recipient DB 30 and outputs the notification to the recipient's contact information. If the determination unit 130 determines that the delivery item should be forwarded, the output unit 140 may output a notification to the recipient that the delivery item will be forwarded. Information that the delivery item will be forwarded is an example of forwarding information. This notification allows the recipient to know that the delivery item will be forwarded. Furthermore, if the determination unit 130 determines that the delivery item should not be forwarded, the output unit 140 may output a notification to the recipient that the delivery item has been delivered to the delivery destination. If the delivery item is not forwarded, the information that the delivery item has been delivered can be used as an example of collection information. This notification allows the recipient to know that they need to pick up the delivery item at the delivery destination.

[0031] When the determination unit 130 makes a determination by referring to the history of processing of past deliveries, the output unit 140 may output a notification including an explanation that it has been determined to process the deliveries in the same manner as past deliveries. In this case, the output unit 140 may output a notification including information about the deliveries of the past deliveries or information about the delivery dates.

[0032] Furthermore, if the determination unit 130 determines that the piece should be forwarded, the output unit 140 may output a notification to the delivery company. For example, the output unit 140 notifies the delivery company of an instruction to forward the piece to another delivery destination associated with the recipient. The instruction to forward is an example of forwarding information. In response to the notification, the delivery company forwards the piece. Note that the delivery company that forwards the piece may be the same delivery company that delivered the piece to the delivery destination, or may be a different delivery company.

[0033] When the storage box 20 is locked, a key is distributed to the delivery company or the recipient. The output unit 140 of the delivery management system 100 may transmit a password for unlocking the storage box 20 to the terminal of the delivery company or the recipient. The password format is not particularly limited, but a two-dimensional code or a multi-digit number password, for example, can be used. The delivery company or the recipient reads the two-dimensional code with a scanner provided on the storage box 20 or enters the number on a keypad. In this way, the storage box 20 is unlocked. The delivery company removes the delivery from the unlocked storage box 20 and delivers it to another delivery destination. The recipient removes and collects the delivery. The password transmitted to the delivery company is an example of forwarding information, and the password transmitted to the recipient is an example of collection information.

[0034] The output unit 140 of the delivery management system 100 may output a bill for the cost of forwarding to the recipient. For example, the cost may be deducted from the recipient's account or paid cash on delivery. The output unit 140 may output an instruction to deduct the cost from the account to an external payment system. Also, if a company receives the delivery on behalf of its employees, the cost may be deducted from the recipient's salary. In this case, the output unit 140 outputs an instruction to deduct the cost from the salary to a salary management system (not shown). However, the delivery management system 100 may also manage the delivery so that the company that receives the delivery on behalf of its employees pays the forwarding cost to the employee.

[0035] 3 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the delivery management system 100 according to the first embodiment. For example, the delivery management system 100 starts the process shown in FIG. 3 in response to a delivery being stored in the storage box 20.

[0036] The acquisition unit 110 acquires detection information detected by a sensor about a delivery item delivered to a delivery destination (step S1). The recipient identification unit 120 then identifies the recipient of the delivery item based on the detection information acquired by the acquisition unit 110 (step S2). The determination unit 130 determines whether the delivery item should be forwarded to another delivery destination associated with the recipient based on information about the delivery item, including at least one of the detection information and information about the recipient (step S3).

[0037] If the determination unit 130 determines that the delivery should be forwarded (step S3: Yes), the output unit 140 outputs a notification to the recipient and the delivery company that the delivery will be forwarded (step S4).If the determination unit 130 determines that the delivery should not be forwarded (step S3: No), the output unit 140 outputs a notification to the recipient that the delivery has been delivered (step S5).

[0038] With the above, the delivery management system 100 ends the operation shown in FIG.

[0039] According to one embodiment, the acquisition unit 110 acquires detection information detected by a sensor regarding a delivery item delivered to a delivery destination, and the recipient identification unit 120 identifies the recipient of the delivery item based on the detection information. The determination unit 130 then determines whether the delivery item should be forwarded to another delivery destination associated with the recipient based on information regarding the delivery item, including at least one of the detection information and information regarding the recipient. The output unit 140 outputs a notification according to the determination result. Therefore, depending on the status of the delivery item and the status of the recipient, the recipient can receive the already delivered delivery item at a different delivery destination or can pick it up at the original delivery destination. Therefore, according to one embodiment, convenience in receiving delivered delivery items can be improved.

[0040] Furthermore, if a delivery is delivered to a company's business premises and the delivery is forwarded to an employee, the company does not have to pay the employee's transportation costs when coming to the office to pick up the delivery. This allows the company to reduce costs. Furthermore, if the delivery is forwarded, the employee does not have to come to the office just to pick up the delivery, which is highly convenient. Furthermore, if the delivery company places the delivery in the storage box 20, the workload of the company's mail room workers can be reduced.

[0041] [Second Embodiment] Figure 4 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a delivery management system 200 according to the second embodiment. The delivery management system 200 includes an acquisition unit 210, a recipient identification unit 220, a determination unit 230, an output unit 240, and a reception unit 250. The reception unit 250 may be provided as needed. Regarding the acquisition unit 210, the recipient identification unit 220, the determination unit 230, and the output unit 240, descriptions of the same configurations as the acquisition unit 110, the recipient identification unit 120, the determination unit 130, and the output unit 140 according to the first embodiment will be omitted.

[0042] The determination unit 230 according to the second embodiment includes a calculation unit 231, an estimation unit 232, and a schedule specification unit 233. However, the determination unit 230 may be provided with the calculation unit 231, the estimation unit 232, and the schedule specification unit 233 as needed.

[0043] The calculation unit 231 calculates the cost of the recipient going to the delivery destination to pick up the delivery and the cost of forwarding the delivery to another delivery destination associated with the recipient, based on information about the delivery. At this time, the determination unit 230 can determine whether the delivery should be forwarded based on the costs calculated by the calculation unit 231. For example, if the forwarding cost is lower than the pick-up cost, the determination unit 230 can determine that the delivery should be forwarded. Also, if the pick-up cost is higher and the difference between the forwarding cost and the pick-up cost does not exceed a threshold, the determination unit 230 can determine that the delivery should be forwarded.

[0044] The cost of the recipient going to pick up the delivery from the delivery destination includes the recipient's transportation costs. The calculation unit 231 calculates the transportation costs by referring to the information stored in the recipient DB 30. The cost of going to pick up the delivery may also include the recipient's labor costs. The calculation unit 231 may calculate the labor costs by multiplying the travel time from the recipient's home to the delivery destination by the labor cost per hour. In cases where the labor cost per hour is not stored in the recipient DB 30, the calculation unit 231 may estimate the labor costs based on the recipient's job title.

[0045] The cost of forwarding a delivery item to another delivery destination associated with the recipient is calculated based on, for example, a fee determined by a delivery company according to its size and weight. The calculation unit 231 calculates the cost based on the size and weight of the delivery item, which are included in the information about the delivery item. The fee may also be determined according to the delivery distance. In this case, the calculation unit 231 calculates the cost based on the address of the other delivery destination, which is included in the information about the delivery item.

[0046] The calculation unit 231 may calculate the cost of forwarding to another delivery destination by taking into account fees for optional services such as express delivery, registered mail, personal delivery, tracking, and secure delivery. In this case, the determination unit 230 may determine whether to use the optional service based on information about the delivery. For example, the determination unit 230 determines whether to use the optional service for each sender based on detection information detected about the sender listed on the delivery. Furthermore, the determination unit 230 may determine to use the optional service if the detection information includes recognized characters indicating the need for prompt action, such as "important," "urgent," "please open immediately," or "bill enclosed."

[0047] The estimation unit 232 estimates the processing deadline for the delivery piece based on information about the delivery piece. The processing deadline is the deadline by which the recipient must open the delivery piece and perform any necessary processing on the contents. At this time, the determination unit 230 can determine whether the delivery piece should be forwarded based on the processing deadline estimated by the estimation unit 232. For example, if the processing deadline is closer than a predetermined threshold, the determination unit 230 determines whether or not the delivery piece should be forwarded.

[0048] The processing deadline date may be clearly indicated on the delivery. In this case, the estimation unit 232 estimates characters indicating a date from among the characters recognized from the image of the delivery based on the detection information. The estimation unit 232 then estimates that this date is the processing deadline for the delivery. Furthermore, when specific characters indicating the need for prompt action, such as "important," "urgent," "please open immediately," or "bill enclosed," are recognized from the image of the delivery, the estimation unit 232 estimates a predetermined date as the processing deadline. For example, the estimation unit 232 estimates that the processing deadline is three days after the date the delivery was made. The estimation unit 232 may learn the relationship between the recognized characters and whether the delivery was processed immediately, and use the learned model to estimate the processing deadline.

[0049] The estimation unit 232 may also estimate the processing deadline based on sender information from the detection information. For example, senders who send deliveries that require immediate processing may be registered in advance. The estimation unit 232 may also learn the relationship between each sender and the processing deadline, such as whether immediate processing is required, based on the processing dates of deliveries delivered in the past, and estimate the processing deadline using the learned trained model. Similarly, the estimation unit 232 may estimate the processing deadline for each recipient based on recipient-related information.

[0050] For some deliveries, the processing deadline can be determined from the appearance. Therefore, the estimation unit 232 may estimate an object from an image and estimate a processing deadline based on the estimated object. Calendars and advertisements may be disposed of as unwanted items. The estimation unit 232 may estimate that unwanted items have no processing deadline. For example, if the delivery is estimated to be a calendar, the estimation unit 232 may estimate that the processing deadline is within one year. The estimation unit 232 may learn the relationship between the appearance of deliveries delivered in the past and whether the deliveries were immediately disposed of, and use the learned model to estimate whether the deliveries are unwanted items.

[0051] The schedule identification unit 233 identifies the recipient's schedule based on information about the recipient. The schedule identification unit 233 may access a system that manages and shares employee schedules and identify the schedule. The schedule identification unit 233 may identify whether the recipient is scheduled to come to work. The schedule identification unit 233 may identify a future schedule based on a past schedule. The schedule identification unit 233 may estimate a future work schedule based on a past work attendance history. In this case, the determination unit 230 can determine whether the delivery should be forwarded based on the schedule identified by the schedule identification unit 233. For example, if the recipient is scheduled to come to work at the delivery destination, the determination unit 230 determines that the delivery should not be forwarded.

[0052] The determination unit 230 can also determine whether to forward the delivery based on various other information related to the delivery. For example, scores representing the degree of anxiety about infectious diseases, the degree of anxiety about moving through crowded places, or the degree of difficulty in walking can be stored in the recipient DB 30. In this case, the determination unit 230 can determine whether to forward the delivery based on the scores.

[0053] The determination unit 230 may perform different determination processes depending on whether the specified recipient is still employed. In this case, the recipient DB 30 may further store whether the recipient is still employed or has left the company. The determination unit 230 may refer to the recipient DB 30 to determine whether the recipient is still employed. The details of the determination process will be described later.

[0054] The output unit 240 may output a notification to the recipient including a determination result as to whether it is recommended to forward the delivery or to pick up the delivery. A determination result indicating that it is recommended to forward the delivery is an example of forwarding information, and a determination result indicating that it is recommended to pick up the delivery is an example of pick-up information.

[0055] The output unit 240 may output to the recipient a notification including the detection information acquired by the acquisition unit 210, such as the name of the sender, the name of the recipient, the size, the weight, and an image of the delivery. The output unit 240 may also output a notification including information about the delivery that served as the basis for the determination by the determination unit 230.

[0056] In both cases where forwarding the delivery is recommended and where pick-up is recommended, the output unit 240 may output a notification including the cost calculated by the calculation unit 231. For example, the output unit 240 outputs a notification including one or both of the cost of the recipient picking up the delivery, which is an example of pick-up information, and the cost of forwarding, which is an example of forwarding information.

[0057] In addition, the output unit 240 may output a notification including a pickup time, which is a time recommended for picking up the delivery at the delivery destination, in both cases where forwarding the delivery is recommended and where picking up the delivery is recommended. Alternatively, when the determination unit 230 determines that the delivery should be picked up at the delivery destination, the output unit 240 may output a notification to the recipient including a time recommended for picking up the delivery at the delivery destination. The pickup time is an example of pick-up information.

[0058] For example, when the estimation unit 232 estimates the processing deadline, the determination unit 130 may determine the period until the processing deadline as the collection time. Alternatively, the determination unit 130 may determine the recipient's scheduled arrival date at work, which is identified by the schedule identification unit 233, as the collection time. The output unit 240 may output the determined collection time.

[0059] Furthermore, the output unit 240 may output a notification including an address of another delivery destination associated with the recipient in both cases where it is recommended to forward the delivery item and where it is recommended to pick up the delivery item. Alternatively, the output unit 240 may output a notification including an address of another delivery destination associated with the recipient when the determination unit 230 determines that the delivery item should be forwarded. For example, the output unit 240 outputs the same address as that of a delivery item previously forwarded as a candidate forwarding address based on the history of past processing. The address of another delivery destination associated with the recipient, including the candidate forwarding address, is an example of forwarding information.

[0060] The output unit 240 may output a notification including a notification according to the determination result in the body of an email. Alternatively, the output unit 240 may display the notification according to the determination result on a page accessed using an account in the delivery management system 200. In this case, in response to the determination made by the determination unit 230, the output unit 240 may output a notification such as an email requesting the recipient to access the delivery management system 200.

[0061] The reception unit 250 receives a notification from the recipient as to whether or not the delivery should be forwarded. For example, after seeing the email output by the output unit 240, the recipient accesses the delivery management system 200 using their account. The recipient refers to various information contained in the notification, such as the assessment result and an image of the delivery, and determines whether or not forwarding is necessary. In this way, the notification helps the recipient make a decision. The reception unit 250 then receives a notification as to whether or not forwarding is necessary. If forwarding is accepted, the reception unit 250 may further receive a designation of a forwarding address from the recipient.

[0062] 5 and 6 are flowcharts showing an example of the operation of the delivery management system 200 according to the second embodiment. For example, the delivery management system 200 starts the process shown in FIG. 5 in response to a delivery being stored in the storage box 20.

[0063] The acquisition unit 210 acquires detection information detected by a sensor about a delivery item delivered to a delivery destination (step S21). Thereafter, the recipient identification unit 220 identifies the recipient of the delivery item based on the detection information acquired by the acquisition unit 210 (step S22).

[0064] Here, the determination unit 230 may change the processing depending on whether the specified recipient is employed or not. The determination unit 230 determines whether the recipient is employed (step S23). If the recipient is employed (step S23: Yes), the determination unit 230 executes a forwarding determination process (step S24). If the recipient is not employed (step S23: No), the determination unit 230 executes a determination process for a delivery addressed to a non-employee (step S25).

[0065] A notification according to the determination result of step S24 or step S25 is output (step S26). With the above, the delivery management system 200 ends the processing of FIG.

[0066] 6, when the determination unit 230 executes the forwarding determination process in step S24, the delivery management system 200 may receive a request for forwarding after executing step S26. The reception unit 250 receives a request for forwarding of the delivery from the recipient (step S27).

[0067] If the reception unit 250 receives a message from the recipient indicating that the delivery will be forwarded (step S28: Yes), the output unit 240 outputs a notification to the recipient and the delivery company indicating that the delivery will be forwarded (step S29). If the reception unit 250 receives a message from the recipient indicating that the delivery will not be forwarded (step S28: No), the operation of the delivery management system 200 can end as shown in FIG.

[0068] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen for a notification to the recipient output by the output unit 240 when it is determined that forwarding to the recipient's home is recommended. FIG. 7 is an example of a page accessed using an account in the delivery management system 200. The screen in FIG. 7 includes a notification that forwarding to the recipient's home is recommended. For example, when the recipient selects one of the radio buttons for the receiving method on the screen in FIG. 7 and presses the "Send reply" button, the receiving unit 250 receives a request for forwarding or not, depending on the selection.

[0069] 8 and 9 are flowcharts showing an example of the forwarding determination process shown in step S24 of Fig. 5. In the following example, it is assumed that a case is being described in which it is determined whether or not a delivery delivered to a company's office should be forwarded to the home.

[0070] The determination unit 230 determines whether the recipient is scheduled to come to work based on the schedule determined by the schedule determination unit 233 (step S31). If the recipient is scheduled to come to work (step S31: Yes), the determination unit 230 proceeds to step S32. Next, the determination unit 230 determines whether the determined scheduled time to come to work is within the delivery processing deadline estimated by the estimation unit 232 (step S32). If the recipient is scheduled to come to work by the processing deadline, it is assumed that the recipient will be able to come to the business office where the delivery is made and pick up the delivery. Therefore, if the scheduled time to come to work is within the processing deadline (step S32: Yes), the determination unit 230 proceeds to step S33. Next, the determination unit 230 determines whether the delivery is lighter or smaller than a predetermined standard (step S33). If the delivery is light or small (step S33: Yes), the determination unit 230 determines that the delivery should not be forwarded to the recipient's home (step S39).

[0071] In some cases, a delivery destination may have a storage period for the delivery. Therefore, in step S32, the determination unit 230 may determine whether the recipient plans to come to work within the storage period for the delivery. If the recipient plans to come to work before the storage period, it is assumed that the recipient will be able to come to the business office of the delivery destination and pick up the delivery.

[0072] If the recipient is not scheduled to come to work (step S31: No), if the scheduled arrival date is after the processing deadline (step S32: No), or if the delivery is heavy or large (step S33: No), the determination unit 230 proceeds to step S34. The determination unit 230 determines whether the scheduled delivery date to another delivery destination if the delivery is forwarded will exceed the processing deadline estimated by the estimation unit 232 (step S34). If the scheduled delivery date exceeds the processing deadline (step S34: Yes), the recipient should come to work to pick up the delivery. Therefore, the determination unit 230 determines that the delivery should not be forwarded to the recipient's home (step S39). If the scheduled delivery date does not exceed the processing deadline (step S34: No), the determination unit 230 proceeds to step S35 of FIG. 9.

[0073] The determination unit 230 determines whether the delivery cannot be forwarded to the recipient's home (step S35). If forwarding to the recipient's home is not possible (step S35: Yes), the determination unit 230 determines that the delivery should not be forwarded to the recipient's home (step S39). If forwarding to the recipient's home is possible (step S35: No), the determination unit 230 proceeds to step S36.

[0074] The determination unit 230 determines whether the transportation costs for the recipient to travel to the delivery destination are cheaper than the delivery fee (step S36). Next, the determination unit 230 determines whether the cost for the recipient to pick up the item is cheaper, taking into account the labor costs of the recipient in addition to the transportation costs (step S37). If the transportation costs are cheaper (step S36: Yes), or if the cost taking labor costs into account is cheaper (step S37: Yes), the determination unit 230 proceeds to step S38.

[0075] The determination unit 230 determines whether the delivery item is lighter or smaller than a predetermined standard (step S38). If the delivery item is light or small (step S38: Yes), the determination unit 230 determines that the delivery item should not be forwarded (step S39). If the delivery item is heavy or large (step S38: No), or if the cost of picking up the delivery item is higher than the cost of delivery (step S37: No), the determination unit 230 determines that the delivery item should be forwarded to the recipient's home (step S40).

[0076] This completes the forwarding determination process when the recipient is present.

[0077] FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of a determination process for a delivery addressed to a non-registered person.

[0078] The determination unit 230 determines whether or not there is an urgency in processing the delivery based on the detection information (step S41). Urgency includes, for example, when the delivery is hot, emitting an unusual odor, is abnormally packaged, or the humidity inside the storage box 20 is high. If there is an urgency (step S41: Yes), the determination unit 230 determines that urgent processing is required (step S49). If there is no urgency (step S41: No), the process proceeds to step S42.

[0079] The determination unit 230 refers to the past determination history and determines whether there is a determination record for the recipient (step S42). For example, the determination unit 230 determines whether there is a determination record in the past to forward a delivery addressed to the recipient to another person. If there is a determination record (step S42: Yes), the determination unit 230 determines that the delivery should be forwarded to the same forwarding destination to which the delivery was previously forwarded (step S46).

[0080] If there is no judgment history for the recipient (step S42: No), the judgment unit 230 identifies a forwarding destination for the delivery (step S43). For example, if the recipient is a retired employee and the recipient's former supervisor can be identified, or if a successor employee has been selected, the forwarding destination for the delivery can be identified. The employee at the forwarding destination can process the delivery on behalf of the recipient. If the forwarding destination can be identified (step S44: Yes), the judgment unit 230 determines that the delivery should be forwarded to the identified forwarding destination (step S46).

[0081] If the recipient was not employed at the company in the past or if a successor employee has not been selected, the forwarding destination of the delivery cannot be identified. Therefore, if the forwarding destination cannot be identified (step S44: No), the determination unit 230 determines that the delivery should be returned to the sender (step S45). Note that in step S45, the determination unit 230 may also determine that the delivery should be discarded.

[0082] This completes the process for determining whether a delivery is addressed to a non-registered person.

[0083] When it is determined that emergency handling is required, for example, the output unit 240 outputs a notification to a worker at the delivery destination that emergency handling is required. The worker may view the notification and discard the delivery or contact the authorities. When it is determined that the delivery should be forwarded, for example, the output unit 240 outputs a notification to a worker at the delivery destination or a delivery company that the delivery will be forwarded. The output unit 240 may also output a notification to an employee at the forwarding destination that the delivery will be forwarded. When it is determined that the delivery should be returned, for example, the output unit 240 outputs a notification to a worker at the delivery destination or a delivery company that the delivery will be returned.

[0084] The flowcharts shown above are merely examples, and some of the steps may be omitted or the order of the steps may be changed. Furthermore, the determination unit 230 may not make a determination according to the flowchart. A flowchart may be created for each individual. Furthermore, for example, the determination unit 230 may use a machine-learned model to determine whether a delivery should be forwarded. After the determination by the determination unit 230, the result of the necessity of forwarding received by the reception unit 250 may be used to retrain the model.

[0085] According to one embodiment, as in the first embodiment, it is possible to improve the convenience of receiving a delivered item. Also, according to one embodiment, the output unit 240 outputs a notification to the recipient in accordance with the determination result by the determination unit 230, and the reception unit 250 receives from the recipient whether or not the delivery item needs to be forwarded in accordance with the notification. Therefore, it is possible to support the recipient in determining whether to forward the delivery item or to pick it up themselves.

[0086] Furthermore, when the delivery has been delivered to the delivery destination, the output unit 140 outputs a notification, which prevents the delivery from being left unnoticed. The delivery management system 200 can manage the delivery so that the recipient can process the delivery by the processing deadline.

[0087] [Hardware Configuration] In each of the above-described embodiments, each component of the delivery management system 100, 200 represents a functional block. Some or all of the components of the delivery management system 100, 200 may be realized by any combination of a computer 500 and a program.

[0088] Fig. 11 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of a computer 500. Referring to Fig. 11, the computer 500 includes, for example, a processor 501, a read only memory (ROM) 502, a random access memory (RAM) 503, a program 504, a storage device 505, a drive device 507, a communication interface 508, an input device 509, an input / output interface 511, and a bus 512.

[0089] The processor 501 controls the entire computer 500. The processor 501 may be, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The number of processors 501 is not particularly limited, and there may be one or more processors 501.

[0090] The program 504 includes instructions for implementing each function of the delivery management systems 100, 200. The program 504 is stored in advance in the ROM 502, RAM 503, or storage device 505. The processor 501 executes the instructions included in the program 504 to implement each function of the delivery management systems 100, 200. The RAM 503 may also store data processed in each function of the delivery management systems 100, 200.

[0091] The drive device 507 reads and writes data from and to the recording medium 506. The communication interface 508 provides an interface with a communication network. The input device 509 is, for example, a mouse or keyboard, and accepts information input from an administrator or the like. The output device 510 is, for example, a display, and outputs (displays) information to an administrator or the like. The input / output interface 511 provides an interface with peripheral devices. The bus 512 connects these hardware components. The program 504 may be supplied to the processor 501 via a communication network, or may be stored in advance on the recording medium 506, read by the drive device 507, and supplied to the processor 501.

[0092] It should be noted that the hardware configuration shown in FIG. 11 is an example, and other components may be added, or some components may not be included.

[0093] There are various variations in the method of realizing the delivery management systems 100 and 200. For example, the delivery management systems 100 and 200 may be realized by any combination of different computers and programs for each component. Furthermore, multiple components included in the delivery management systems 100 and 200 may be realized by any combination of a single computer and program.

[0094] Furthermore, at least a part of the delivery management systems 100 and 200 may be provided in a software as a service (SaaS) format. That is, at least a part of the functions for realizing the delivery management systems 100 and 200 may be executed by software executed via a network.

[0095] Although the present disclosure has been described above with reference to the embodiments, the present disclosure is not limited to the above embodiments. Various modifications that can be understood by those skilled in the art can be made to the configuration and details of the present disclosure within the scope of the present disclosure. Furthermore, the configurations in the respective embodiments can be combined with each other without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0096] 100, 200 Delivery management system 110, 210 Acquisition unit 120, 220 Recipient specification unit 130, 230 Determination unit 231 Calculation unit 232 Estimation unit 233 Schedule specification unit 140, 240 Output unit 250 Reception unit 20 Storage box 30 Recipient DB

Claims

1. An acquisition means for acquiring detection information detected by a sensor regarding a delivery item delivered to a delivery destination; a recipient identification means for identifying a recipient of the delivery based on the detection information; a determination means for determining whether the delivery should be forwarded to another delivery destination associated with the recipient, or whether the recipient should collect the delivery at the delivery destination without forwarding the delivery, based on information about the delivery including at least one of the detection information and information about the recipient; an output means for outputting a notification according to the determination result; A delivery management system comprising:

2. The determination means a calculation means for calculating a cost for the recipient to go to the delivery destination to pick up the delivery and a cost for forwarding the delivery to the other delivery destination based on information about the delivery, determining whether to forward the delivery based on the calculated cost; The delivery management system according to claim 1 .

3. The determination means an estimation means for estimating a processing deadline for the delivery item based on information about the delivery item; determining whether to forward the delivery based on the estimated processing deadline; The delivery management system according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The determination means a schedule specifying means for specifying a schedule of the recipient based on information about the recipient; determining whether to forward the delivery based on the identified schedule; The delivery management system according to claim 1 or 2.

5. a receiving means for receiving a request for forwarding of the delivery from the recipient, the output means outputs the notification to the recipient; The reception means receives a notification as to whether or not a transfer is necessary. The delivery management system according to claim 1 or 2.

6. The notification includes at least one of forwarding information regarding forwarding of the delivery item and collection information regarding collection of the delivery item. The delivery management system according to claim 1 or 2.

7. The output means outputs a recommended pickup time for pickup at the delivery destination as the pickup information. The delivery management system according to claim 6.

8. The acquisition means acquires the detection information detected by the sensor regarding the delivery stored in the storage box equipped with the sensor. The delivery management system according to claim 1 or 2.

9. Acquires detection information detected by a sensor regarding a delivery item delivered to a delivery destination, Identifying a recipient of the delivery based on the detection information; determining, based on information about the delivery including at least one of the detection information and information about the recipient, whether to forward the delivery to another delivery destination associated with the recipient, or whether the delivery should not be forwarded and the recipient should collect the delivery at the delivery destination; Output a notification according to the judgment result How to manage deliveries.

10. Acquires detection information detected by a sensor regarding a delivery item delivered to a delivery destination, Identifying a recipient of the delivery based on the detection information; determining, based on information about the delivery including at least one of the detection information and information about the recipient, whether to forward the delivery to another delivery destination associated with the recipient, or whether the delivery should not be forwarded and the recipient should collect the delivery at the delivery destination; Output a notification according to the judgment result A program that causes a computer to perform a process.

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