Anonymized Delivery Point Routing for Recipient Privacy
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current delivery systems face challenges in delivering items without revealing the recipient's physical address, as senders may not have access to or want to access the recipient's delivery point information, leading to difficulties in processing and handling anonymous and encrypted delivery point data.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that generate and process anonymous and/or encrypted delivery point information by receiving requests, querying databases, retrieving information, applying encryption algorithms, and sending encrypted data, allowing items to be delivered without exposing the recipient's physical address, using unique digital identifiers and computer-readable codes for tracking and routing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the recipient's physical address is used for delivery, then accurate routing and delivery are achieved, but recipient privacy and anonymity are compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary delivery point (such as a pickup location or hub) that acts as a mediator between the sender and recipient. The sender sends items to this intermediary point using anonymized routing information, and the recipient retrieves items from this point using authentication credentials. This intermediary structure enables accurate routing while maintaining recipient privacy, as the sender never needs to know the recipient's actual physical address.
Solution Approach 2:
The delivery system is segmented into multiple independent components: anonymized routing information for distribution network routing, authentication credentials for recipient verification, and physical delivery points for item transfer. This segmentation allows the routing function to operate with anonymized data while the authentication function ensures secure delivery, resolving the contradiction between routing accuracy and privacy protection.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If anonymized delivery point information is used, then recipient privacy is protected, but processing and handling complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-establishing the relationship between anonymized delivery point information and actual recipient locations in a secure database. The distribution network is pre-configured with anonymized routing codes that map to specific delivery points. This preliminary setup reduces processing complexity during actual deliveries, as the system only needs to perform lookups and verifications rather than complex real-time computations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses copied representations of delivery information in the form of anonymized codes and authentication credentials. Instead of processing actual physical addresses, the system processes simplified copied representations (anonymized delivery point codes) that contain all necessary routing information. This copying approach reduces processing complexity while maintaining privacy, as the simplified codes are easier to handle and process than full address data.
3Reliability
If encrypted delivery point information is processed, then security is enhanced, but information access and retrieval difficulty increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the essential routing information needed for delivery and places it in anonymized form, while keeping the actual recipient identification information separate and secure. The encrypted or anonymized delivery point code contains just enough information for routing to the correct delivery point, but not enough to identify the recipient. This extraction approach enhances security by minimizing exposed information while maintaining easy retrieval for authorized parties through the authentication process.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods for generating and implementing an anonymized delivery point processing system are disclosed. Anonymous addresses can be associated with actual physical delivery points. An item having an anonymous address thereon can be sorted and/or routed on item processing equipment based on the associated actual physical delivery point.