Self-Service Delivery Compartments for Low-Dwell Package Pickup

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing delivery systems require human intervention for package retrieval, leading to inefficiencies in resource utilization and increased congestion.

Innovation Solution

A self-service delivery method that uses a delivery vehicle equipped with securable compartments, where users receive messages offering self-service delivery options based on relative location conditions, allowing them to access and retrieve their packages autonomously.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If traditional delivery personnel manually deliver packages to destinations, then delivery service is provided, but resource utilization is inefficient and congestion increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedelivery efficiencyVSAvoidresource expenditure

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The system enables recipients to autonomously retrieve packages from securable compartments on delivery vehicles by providing authentication credentials and compartment location information through electronic messages, eliminating the need for delivery personnel to manually deliver each package

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The invention extracts the package retrieval function from the delivery personnel's manual task and transfers it to the recipient, who can independently access packages from dedicated securable compartments on the delivery vehicle

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

2Productivity

If delivery personnel repeatedly travel to destinations and back to vehicle for each package, then multiple deliveries are fulfilled, but time consumption and congestion increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedelivery capacityVSAvoiddwell time

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

Packages are pre-loaded into securable compartments on the delivery vehicle before departure, and recipients receive advance notification with authentication credentials and compartment information, enabling them to retrieve packages during brief vehicle stops without requiring delivery personnel to return for each package

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

Recipients independently complete the package retrieval process by authenticating and collecting packages during vehicle stops, eliminating the need for delivery personnel to spend time on repeated trips and manual handovers

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

3Productivity

If self-service delivery uses communal lockers, then delivery efficiency improves, but authentication complexity and access inconvenience increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedelivery efficiencyVSAvoidaccess convenience

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of using centralized communal lockers, the system segments storage space into dedicated securable compartments on the delivery vehicle, with each compartment assigned to specific packages and accessible only to authorized recipients through unique authentication credentials

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The system uses electronic messages as an intermediary to transmit authentication credentials and compartment location information to recipients, simplifying the access process compared to physical locker systems that require on-site authentication infrastructure

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

4Productivity

If delivery vehicles carry large numbers of packages, then delivery capacity increases, but package retrieval complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedelivery capacityVSAvoidcompartment access complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The delivery vehicle's cargo space is segmented into multiple securable compartments, with each compartment containing specific packages and accessible through unique authentication credentials, enabling organized storage and simplified retrieval despite high delivery capacity

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The system provides electronic messages to recipients containing authentication credentials and compartment location information, creating a feedback loop that guides recipients to the correct compartments and simplifies the retrieval process even when vehicles carry large numbers of packages

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Data Source

PatentUS20250037068A1Interactive delivery

Publication Date: 2025.01.30 TEVVA MOTORS LTD

AI summary

In a first aspect, this specification describes a method for enabling self-service delivery, and which comprises: responsive to determining that a first predetermined condition relating to relative locations of a delivery vehicle and a first delivery location is satisfied, sending, to a user associated with the first delivery location, a first message offering a self-service delivery option; receiving, from the user in response to the first message, an indication of a user selection of the self-service delivery option; responsive to receiving the indication: sending, to the user, a second message comprising information relating to accessing a securable compartment from among plural securable compartments associated with the delivery vehicle; and issuing a message to cause an item associated with the user to be loaded into the securable compartment.