Pre-arrival Notification System for Delivery Vehicles

Solution Overview

Problem

In existing delivery services, recipients are often unaware of impending shipments or service arrivals due to lack of advanced notice, leading to delays and inefficiencies, especially in industries like furniture delivery where access issues can cause rescheduling and wait times.

Innovation Solution

A notification system that determines a vehicle's estimated time to a destination and compares it to a recipient-defined pre-arrival notification interval, sending alerts when the two correspond, using location tracking and appointment management to ensure timely notifications.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of information

If the delivery service provides advanced notice of arrival, then the recipient is aware of impending delivery and can prepare accordingly, but the system complexity increases due to location tracking and notification scheduling requirements

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvearrival informationVSAvoidnotification system

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of informationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary action by calculating the estimated time of arrival in advance and proactively sending notifications before the actual arrival. The appointment module determines the ETA and compares it against the pre-arrival notification interval threshold, sending notifications proactively rather than reactively, ensuring the recipient is informed before the delivery vehicle arrives.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The notification system acts as an intermediary between the delivery vehicle and the recipient. It receives location data from the vehicle, processes the ETA calculation, and transmits arrival information to the recipient through various communication channels, thereby mediating the information flow and reducing information loss without requiring direct complex interactions between all system components.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Ease of operation

If the recipient is notified exactly when the vehicle arrives, then no advance preparation is needed, but the recipient cannot prepare for the delivery arrival

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedelivery processVSAvoidarrival timing information

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary action by calculating the estimated time of arrival in advance and proactively sending notifications before the actual arrival. The appointment module determines the ETA and compares it against the pre-arrival notification interval threshold, sending notifications proactively rather than reactively, ensuring the recipient is informed before the delivery vehicle arrives.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

3Reliability

If the delivery vehicle waits for recipient access, then the delivery can be completed successfully, but the delivery time is delayed and subsequent shipments are postponed

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedelivery completionVSAvoiddelivery delay

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system implements feedback by continuously monitoring the vehicle's location and comparing the current ETA against the recipient's pre-arrival notification interval preference. This feedback loop allows the system to adapt to real-time conditions and send notifications at the optimal moment, ensuring the recipient is informed with sufficient advance notice without causing unnecessary delays or requiring rescheduling.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs preliminary action by calculating the estimated time of arrival in advance and proactively sending notifications before the actual arrival. The appointment module determines the ETA and compares it against the pre-arrival notification interval threshold, sending notifications proactively rather than reactively, ensuring the recipient is informed before the delivery vehicle arrives.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentUS8682363B1System and method of sending notifications prior to service arrival

Publication Date: 2014.03.25 EPORIN

AI summary

A system and method for providing notification to a recipient of an arrival of a vehicle at an instant when the vehicle's estimated time to a destination corresponds to a recipient-defined pre-arrival notification interval is disclosed. In one embodiment, a system includes a location status module that determines the location of the vehicle. An appointment module determines the vehicle's estimated time to a destination and then determines if the estimated time to destination corresponds to a recipient-defined pre-arrival notification interval. If the vehicle's estimated time to destination corresponds to the recipient-defined pre-arrival notification interval, the appointment module sends a notification to the recipient. According to embodiments, the appointment module determines if the vehicle's estimated time to destination equals a pre-arrival notification interval. If the estimated time to destination equals the pre-arrival notification interval, a notification is sent to the recipient.