Selective Delivery Route Access for Shipping Address Privacy
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Solution Overview
Problem
Customers are concerned about privacy issues when disclosing precise shipping addresses to merchants and carriers during online purchases, as the exact delivery address is often exposed throughout the shipping process.
Innovation Solution
A trusted system is implemented to selectively grant access to permitted portions of a delivery route, using credentials to control the disclosure of address information, ensuring privacy until the last mile by communicating with carriers and utilizing mechanisms to expire or re-establish privacy based on delivery route completion.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If complete shipping address is disclosed to merchants and carriers for order fulfillment, then delivery efficiency is improved, but customer privacy is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the shipping address into multiple portions and distributes them across different systems. The merchant system receives only the portion needed for order processing, while the trusted system holds and releases remaining portions to carriers only when appropriate, thus enabling delivery efficiency while protecting customer privacy through address segmentation
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a trusted system as an intermediary between the merchant and carriers. This trusted system acts as a mediator that selectively releases address portions to carriers based on predetermined conditions, allowing delivery operations to proceed efficiently while maintaining customer privacy by controlling information flow
2Measurement precision
If precise address information is provided to carriers throughout the shipping process, then delivery accuracy is improved, but privacy protection is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary action by having the trusted system pre-configure which address portions should be released to carriers under specific conditions. Before the shipping process begins, the system establishes rules for address disclosure, ensuring that precise address information is provided to carriers only when necessary for delivery accuracy while maintaining privacy protection throughout the process
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies dynamics by making address information disclosure dynamic rather than static. The trusted system adjusts the level of address information provided to carriers based on the current stage of shipping and predetermined conditions, allowing precise address information to be revealed only when needed for delivery accuracy while protecting privacy during earlier stages
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method are provided to selectively grant access to permitted portions of address information associated with a delivery route, based on credentials provided by requesting parties. The method includes receiving a first request to obtain geographic address information for a delivery of an item, the first request comprising an identifier of the item and a credential associated with a first requestor; responsive to authorizing the first request based on possession of the credential, determining a first permitted portion of a delivery route based on the first requestor; and responding to the first request by providing at least the first permitted portion of the delivery route to the first requestor. Related computer-readable media are also disclosed.