Claims:
1. A method for managing secure and sustainable delivery of goods, the method comprising:
receiving a delivery request, by a management server (125), communicated from a user device associated with a user (105);
analyzing the delivery request, by the management server (125), wherein the analysis comprises at least identifying a fulfilment source, a geographical location of the fulfilment source, a geographical location of a destination, identifying the type of goods and quantity;
selecting a container from a plurality of containers distributed among a plurality of delivery persons and the identified fulfilment source, wherein the container is selected based on one or more of type of goods, quantity of goods, a geographical location of the fulfilment source, a geographical location of the destination, geographical location of the delivery persons, type of the containers, and status of the containers;
generating, by the management server (125), a first OTP for locking the selected container and securely communicating the delivery request, a container ID and the first OTP to a user device (110) of the fulfilment source for securing the goods in a container (120), wherein the container (120) includes an electronic digital locking mechanism;
selecting, by the management server (125), a delivery person among a plurality of delivery persons based on the geographical location of each of the delivery persons, the geographical location of the fulfilment source, and the geographical location of the destination;
communicating, by the management server (125), the delivery request to a user device (115) associated the selected delivery person;
generating, by the management server (125), a second OTP different from the first OTP, for unlocking the container (120) and communicating the second OTP securely, only to the user device (105) associated with the user;
configuring, by the management server (125), container (120) parameters based on the type of goods and the quantity, wherein the configuration includes at least setting a temperature;
tracking, by the management server (125), a geographical location of the delivery person based on the geographical location of the user device (115) associated with the delivery person, and the parameters of the container (120) during transit for detecting an anomaly.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the parameters of the container (120) are tracked through a sensor module (435) of the container (120).

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the parameters of the container (120) are configured automatically based on an input from the sensor module (435).

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the parameters of the container (120) is configured based on inputs from the sensor module (435), geographical location of the container (120), and weather.

5. A system (100) for managing secure and sustainable delivery of goods, the system (100) comprising:
a plurality of user devices (105) associated with a plurality of users;
a plurality of user devices (110) associated a plurality of fulfilment sources;
a plurality of user devices (115) associated with a plurality of delivery persons;
a plurality of containers (120) distributed among the plurality of delivery persons and the plurality of fulfilment sources, wherein each container (120) includes an electronic digital locking mechanism; and
a management server (125), wherein the management server (125) comprises:
a communication interface module (205) configured for receiving a delivery request communicated from the user device (105) associated with the user;
an order processing module (220) configured for analyzing the delivery request, wherein the analysis comprises at least identifying a fulfilment source, a geographical location of the fulfilment source, a geographical location of a destination, a type of goods, and quantity;
an automated logistic management (ALM) module (225) configured for:
selecting a container among a plurality of containers (120), based on one or more of a type of goods, quantity of goods, the geographical location of the fulfilment source, the geographical location of the destination, geographical location of each of the delivery persons, type of the containers, and status of the containers;
selecting a delivery person from the plurality of delivery persons based on the geographical location of the delivery persons, the location of the identified fulfilment source, and the geographical location of the destination;
a controller (210) configured for:
generating a first OTP for locking the selected container and securely communicating the delivery request, a container ID and the first OTP to a user device (110) of the fulfilment source for securing the goods in the container (120);
communicating the delivery request to the user device (115) associated with the delivery person;
generating a second OTP different from the first OTP for unlocking the container (120) and communicating the second OTP securely, only to the user device (105) associated with the user;
tracking a geographical location of the delivery person based on the geographical location of the user device (115) associated with the delivery person, and the parameters of the container (120) during transit for detecting an anomaly;
a container controller (230) configured for configuring container parameters based on the type of goods and the quantity, wherein the configuration includes at least setting a temperature.

6. The system (100) as claimed in claim 5, wherein each container among a plurality of containers (120) comprises:
a communication interface module (405) configured for enabling communication with the management server (125);
an input/output (I/O) interface (420) for inputting the first OTP and the second OTP;
a GPS module (425) for updating a geographical location of the container;
one or more actuator units (450) for locking and unlocking the container on receiving the first OTP and the second OTP;
a sensor module (435) configured for sensing the container parameters; and
a heating and cooling unit (430) configured for maintaining a temperature based on the instructions received from the management server (125) or automatically based on inputs from the sensor module (435).

7. The system (100) as claimed in claim 6, wherein the sensor module (435) comprises one or more sensors from a group of sensors comprising, but not limited to, weight sensor, temperature sensors, ambient temperature sensors, humidity sensor, gyroscope, accelerometer, and pressure sensors.

8. The system (100) as claimed in claim 7, wherein one or more of the cameras, the gyroscope, the accelerometer, and the pressure sensors are used for detecting an anomaly.

9. The system (100) as claimed in claim 5, wherein the management server (125) comprises an inventory management module (235) for storing a status of the plurality of containers (120), wherein the status includes, the geographical location of the containers, containers’ ownership details, space availability status of the containers, and type of the containers.

10. The system (100) as claimed in claim 5, wherein the management server (125) comprises a demand forecasting module (240) for forecasting delivery requests for container replenishment.
, Description:TECHNICAL FIELD

[001] The present disclosure relates to methods, systems, and devices for delivery of goods and devices, and more particularly relates to a system and method for secure and sustainable delivery of goods.

BACKGROUND

[002] Generally, delivery is a fundamental component of trade and involves the process of transporting goods from a source location to a destination location. Among various types and modes of deliveries, doorstep delivery refers to delivery of goods from a point of sale to a consumer’s location rather than consumer having to collect from the point of sale. In such a delivery system, a consumer typically places orders online and deliveries are organized and carried out by the seller or by specialized delivery companies. With the growth of e-commerce and online shopping, and various other constraints of the consumers such as time, flexibility, cost, etc., consumers often prefer the use of online platforms and delivery services for purchase and delivery of all types of goods including, but not limited to food, grocery, meat, home appliances, personal and healthcare products, stationary products, etc. In addition, the sellers and the business owners are preferring online platforms and participating in doorstep deliveries preferably through delivery services to reach large consumers over different geographical locations and hence to maximize their turnover. For example, restaurants are preferring online aggregators and the delivery services for reaching large consumers within a given city.
[003] As described, the doorstep delivery option has various advantages for both the consumers and the business owners. However, conventional methods and systems that are enabling the home delivery, have various disadvantages for both the consumers and the business owners. Considering an example of food delivery, food items are generally packed using materials such as plastic, wood, paper, etc., for delivering, and with such packaging, the food once delivered is likely to be at room temperature rather than a preferred or acceptable or serving temperature range of that food item. In addition, such materials are one-time-use or use and throw type of materials and harm the environment. Further, conventional delivery containers are generally not secure, and consumers have no way of knowing if the food or the goods are tampered with during transit. Furthermore, delivery agents associated with the delivery services often carry multiple orders associated with multiple consumers and the foods are generally packed using materials such as plastic, wood, paper, etc., and the packages are placed in one delivery bag, for example. With such a system, the consumer is at risk of receiving contaminated food, for example a vegetarian dish may get contaminated with fish odor when placed in a container storing a fish meal. Furthermore, the delivery process may be problematic if the consumer or any recipient is not available to receive the delivery. In such a case, keeping the package at the delivery location may lead to theft, contamination, or environmental damage. On the other hand, any kind of contamination, or damage or theft may lead to one or more of return, cancellation, re-delivery, and all of them are time consuming and involve additional cost. In addition, conventional system fails to ensure safety of delivery persons. For example, in an event of miscreants snatching from delivery persons, conventional systems fail to provide means for detecting and notifying such an event to concerned persons for quick assistance. Furthermore, any of the issues stated above, when it arises, may lead to dissatisfied consumers which in turn has an impact on the business of the business owners and the delivery services.

BRIEF SUMMARY

[004] This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simple manner that is further described in the detailed description of the disclosure. This summary is not intended to identify key or essential inventive concepts of the subject matter nor is it intended for determining the scope of the disclosure.
[005] To overcome at least one of the problems mentioned above, there exists a need for a system and a method for secure and sustainable delivery of goods.
[006] The present disclosure discloses a system for managing secure and sustainable delivery of goods, the goods including, but not limited to, food, perishable goods, home appliances, personal and healthcare products including medicines, stationary products, etc. The system comprises, a plurality of user devices associated with a plurality of users, a plurality of user devices associated a plurality of fulfilment sources, a plurality of user devices associated with a plurality of delivery persons, a plurality of containers distributed among the plurality of delivery persons and the plurality of fulfilment sources, wherein each container includes an electronic digital locking mechanism, and a management server. In one embodiment, the management server comprises, a communication interface module configured for receiving a delivery request communicated from the user device associated with the user, an order processing module configured for analyzing the delivery request, wherein the analysis comprises at least identifying a fulfilment source, a geographical location of the fulfilment source, a geographical location of a destination, a type of goods, and quantity, an automated logistic management (ALM) module configured for, selecting a container among a plurality of containers, based on one or more of a type of goods, quantity of goods, the geographical location of the fulfilment source, the geographical location of the destination, geographical location of each of the delivery persons, type of the containers, and status of the containers, selecting a delivery person from the plurality of delivery persons based on the geographical location of the delivery persons, the location of the identified fulfilment source, and the geographical location of the destination, a controller configured for, generating a first OTP for locking the selected container and securely communicating the delivery request, a container ID and the first OTP to a user device of the fulfilment source for securing the goods in the container, communicating the delivery request to the user device associated with the delivery person, generating a second OTP different from the first OTP for unlocking the container and communicating the second OTP securely, only to the user device associated with the user, tracking a geographical location of the delivery person based on the geographical location of the user device associated with the delivery person, and the parameters of the container during transit for detecting an anomaly, a container controller configured for configuring container parameters based on the type of goods and the quantity, wherein the configuration includes but not limited to setting a temperature.
[007] Also disclosed is a method for managing secure and sustainable delivery of goods, the method comprising the steps of, receiving a delivery request, by a management server, communicated from a user device associated with a user, analyzing the delivery request, by the management server, wherein the analysis comprises at least identifying a fulfilment source, a geographical location of the fulfilment source, a geographical location of a destination, identifying the type of goods and quantity, selecting a container from a plurality of containers distributed among a plurality of delivery persons and the identified fulfilment source, wherein the container is selected based on one or more of type of goods, quantity of goods, a geographical location of the fulfilment source, a geographical location of the destination, geographical location of the delivery persons, type of the containers, and status of the containers, generating, by the management server, a first OTP for locking the selected container and securely communicating the delivery request, a container ID and the first OTP to a user device of the fulfilment source for securing the goods in a container, wherein the container includes an electronic digital locking mechanism, selecting, by the management server, a delivery person among a plurality of delivery persons based on the geographical location of each of the delivery persons, the geographical location of the fulfilment source, and the geographical location of the destination, communicating, by the management server, the delivery request to a user device associated the selected delivery person, generating, by the management server, a second OTP different from the first OTP, for unlocking the container and communicating the second OTP securely, only to the user device associated with the user, configuring, by the management server, container parameters based on the type of goods and the quantity, wherein the configuration includes at least setting a temperature, tracking, by the management server, a geographical location of the delivery person based on the geographical location of the user device associated with the delivery person, and the parameters of the container during transit for detecting an anomaly.
[008] To further clarify advantages and features of the present disclosure, a more particular description of the disclosure will be rendered by reference to specific embodiments thereof, which is illustrated in the appended figures. It is to be appreciated that these figures depict only typical embodiments of the disclosure and are therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope. The disclosure will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail with the accompanying figures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[009] The disclosed method and system will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail with the accompanying figures in which:
[0010] Figure 1A illustrates a system for secure and sustainable delivery of food items in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0011] Figure 1B illustrates an exemplary delivery bag in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0012] Figure 2 is a block diagram of the management server 125 in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0013] Figure 3 illustrates a delivery flow diagram in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure; and
[0014] Figure 4 illustrates a block diagram of an exemplary container in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0015] Further, persons skilled in the art to which this disclosure belongs will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and may not have been necessarily drawn to scale. Furthermore, in terms of the construction of the joining ring and one or more components of the bearing assembly may have been represented in the figures by conventional symbols, and the figures may show only those specific details that are pertinent to understanding the embodiments of the present disclosure so as not to obscure the figures with details that will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art having benefit of the description herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0016] For the purpose of promoting an understanding of the principles of the disclosure, reference will now be made to the embodiment illustrated in the figures and specific language will be used to describe them. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the disclosure is thereby intended. Such alterations and further modifications to the disclosure, and such further applications of the principles of the disclosure as described herein being contemplated as would normally occur to one skilled in the art to which the disclosure relates are deemed to be a part of this disclosure.
[0017] It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory of the disclosure and are not intended to be restrictive thereof.
[0018] In the present disclosure, relational terms such as first and second, and the like, may be used to distinguish one entity from the other, without necessarily implying any actual relationship or order between such entities.
[0019] The terms "comprises", "comprising", or any other variations thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process or method that comprises a list of steps does not include only those steps but may include other steps not expressly listed or inherent to such a process or a method. Similarly, one or more elements or structures or components preceded by "comprises... a" does not, without more constraints, preclude the existence of other elements, other structures, other components, additional devices, additional elements, additional structures, or additional components. Appearances of the phrase “in an embodiment”, “in another embodiment” and similar language throughout this specification may, but do not necessarily, all refer to the same embodiment.
[0020] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs. The components, methods, and examples provided herein are illustrative only and not intended to be limiting.
[0021] Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying figures.
[0022] Embodiments of the present disclosure disclose a method and system configured for managing a secure and sustainable delivery of goods, wherein the method and system enable (1) secure delivery of goods from a source location to a destination location using digitally lockable and unlockable containers, (2) preservation of original state of the goods by remotely or automatically configuring and controlling various parameters of the containers using sensors and temperature controllers, (3) preservation of original state and intended taste (in case of food, perishable goods and other edible items) by assigning a right container for delivery and by configuring and controlling its various parameters, (4) demand prediction for procurement and distribution of containers, and (5) anomaly detection using real-time or near-real-time tracking, sensors, camera, etc. and (6) re-use of the containers. The term goods, as described herein, may include but are not limited to food, perishable goods, home appliances, personal and healthcare products including medicines, stationary products, etc., and delivery may be doorstep delivery from a fulfilment source, delivery between a point-of-sale terminal to a consumer, a sender and a receiver, a manufacturing unit and a customer, a manufacturing unit and a distribution unit or storage space, etc. For ease of explanation and understanding, food is considered as an exemplary goods and a method and system enabling secure and sustainable delivery of food items from a fulfilment source (a restaurant for example) to a consumer is described in the present disclosure.

[0023] Figure 1A illustrates a system for secure and sustainable delivery of food items in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown, system 100 comprises a plurality of user devices (shown are two devices 105-1 and 105-2) each associated with one of a plurality of consumers, a plurality of devices (shown are two devices 110-1 and 110-2) associated with one of a plurality of fulfilment sources, a plurality of user devices (shown two devices 115-1 and 115-2) associated with each of a plurality of delivery persons, a plurality of containers (120-1 to 120-6), and a management server 125, wherein said devices are communicatively connected through a communication network 130.
[0024] The user device 105 associated with the consumers and the user device 115 associated with the delivery persons may be any computing device that often accompanies its users to perform various activities such as browsing, communicating emails, etc. By way of example, the user device 105 and the user device 115 may include a smartphone, a laptop, a notebook computer, a tablet, and the like having communication capabilities. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the user device 105 and the user device 115 comprises one or more functional elements capable of communicating through the communication network 130 to receive one or more services offered by the management server 125. As well known in the art, a consumer may use the user device 105 for ordering food items online with one or more fulfilment sources (restaurants) using applications associated with food ordering and delivery platforms, for example Swiggy™. That is, the consumer may place a delivery request with one or more fulfilment sources through the user device 105. Once the consumer places the delivery request, the request is communicated to the selected one or more restaurants and to a selected delivery person out of a plurality of delivery persons. The delivery person may use the user device 115 for confirming and delivering the ordered food items. For said purpose, the user device 115 associated with the delivery person is installed with a dedicated application offered by the food ordering and delivery platform.
[0025] The device 110 associated with the fulfilment sources may include a smartphone, a desktop computer, a point-of-sale terminal, a laptop, a notebook computer, a tablet, and the like having communication capabilities. As well known in the art, the device 110 is installed with a dedicated application offered by the food ordering and delivery platforms for receiving the order request, confirming the fulfilment of the order, updating the status, etc.
[0026] The communication network 130 may be a wireless network or a wired network or a combination thereof. Wireless network may include long range wireless radio, wireless personal area network (WPAN), wireless local area network (WLAN), mobile data communications such as 3G, 4G or any other similar technologies. The communication network 130 may be implemented as one of the different types of networks, such as intranet, local area network (LAN), wide area network (WAN), the internet, and the like. The communication network 130 may either be a dedicated network or a shared network. The shared network represents an association of the different types of networks that use a variety of protocols, for example, Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), Wireless Application Protocol (WAP), and the like. Further the communication network 130 may include a variety of network devices, including routers, bridges, servers, modems, computing devices, storage devices, and the like. In one implementation, the communication network 130 is internet which enables communication between various devices of the system 100 for enabling secure data communication among the devices.
[0027] The management server 125 may include, for example, a computer server or a network of computers or a virtual server which provides functionalities or services for other programs or devices such as for the user device 105 associated with the consumers, the user device 115 associated with the delivery persons and the device 110 associated with the fulfilment sources. In one implementation, the server 125 is a cloud server comprising one or more processors, associated processing modules, interfaces and storage devices communicatively interconnected to one another through one or more communication means for communicating information. The storage associated with the server 125 may include volatile and non-volatile memory devices for storing information and instructions to be executed by the one or more processors and for storing temporary variables or other intermediate information during processing. In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the management server 125 enables secure and sustainable delivery of goods on receiving a delivery request from the consumer. The way the management server 125 enables secure and sustainable delivery of goods (considering food items) is described in detail further below.
[0028] The plurality of containers 120-1 to 120-6 are IoT enabled containers for secure and sustainable delivery of goods in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. The containers 120-1 to 120-6 may be distributed among delivery persons and restaurants as shown in Figure 1A, and each container is assigned with a container ID for uniquely identifying the container among the plurality of containers 120-1 to 120-6. It is to be noted that the container ID may include numbers, letters or combination of numbers and letters, and made visible for ease of identification. For example, the container ID may be displayed on an I/O interface of the container, or a dedicated display may be provided for displaying the container ID. Alternatively, the container ID may be embedded in any known tamperproof methods such as barcode, QR code, etc. In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the container IDs are assigned so as to identify the container type by the delivery person, the consumer and the person associated with the fulfilment source. An exemplary container ID may be “VEG1234”, indicating container dedicated for delivering vegetarian food items. In one embodiment, a database is maintained for the plurality of containers, wherein the database is updated with the geographical location of the containers, containers’ ownership (may be updated manually or tagged based on the geographical location), space availability status of the containers, type of the containers (for example containers dedicated for vegetarian and non-vegetarian foods, containers dedicated for hot and cold food), etc. Further, one or more containers may be assigned for an order based on the order quantity. Furthermore, a container may have multiple compartments for storing food items of the order or for storing food items of multiple orders. In one embodiment, a delivery person may carry multiple containers in a delivery bag for delivering multiple orders of multiple consumers. Figure 1B illustrates an exemplary delivery bag in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown, the delivery bag 150 comprises multiple pods (shown eight pods 155-1 to 155-8) for anchoring the containers, a GPS module 160 for tracking the geographical location, and optionally may include heating and cooling elements, sensors for sensing environmental parameters, etc.
[0029] Figure 2 is a block diagram of the management server 125 in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown, the management server 125 comprises a communication interface module 205 configured for enabling communicating with the communication network 130, a controller 210 and a memory module 215 storing instruction to be executed by the controller 210. Further, the management server 125 comprises an order processing module 220, an automated logistics management (ALM) module 225, a container controller 230, an inventory management module 235 and a demand forecasting module 240.
[0030] Figure 3 shows a delivery flow diagram in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. Referring to both the Figure 2 and 3, a consumer may place a delivery request (order) using the user device 105-1, for example. The delivery request may include, but not limited to, consumer details, a delivery (destination) location, a list of food items, selected fulfilment source (restaurant), preferred time of delivery, etc. The management server 125, on receiving the delivery request from the user device 105-1, processes the delivery request using the order processing module 220, wherein the processing includes one or more of identification of the fulfilment source and the delivery location (the destination location), and classification of the food items based on the type of the food item such as, but not limited to, vegetarian food, non-vegetarian food, frozen food, quickly perishable food, etc.
[0031] As described, the containers 120-1 to 120-6 may be distributed among the delivery persons and the restaurants, and the status of the containers 120-1 to 120-6 are updated in an inventory management module 235. In one embodiment of the present disclosure, upon processing the delivery request, the ALM module 225 selects a container 120-1 among the plurality of containers 120-1 to 120-6 and selects a delivery person for delivering the order, wherein the container and the delivery person are selected based on one or more criteria. In one embodiment, the ALM module 225 selects a container 120-1 available with the selected fulfilment source based on the food type. The delivery request may include food items including, but not limited to, vegetarian and non-vegetarian food items, hot and cold and frozen food items, dry, crisp, and wet or moist food items, etc. In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the ALM module 225 is configured for selecting a container based on the food type and quantity of the of the food in the delivery request. For example, if the order contains non-vegetarian food items, a container assigned (dedicated) to deliver the non-vegetarian food items is selected for delivering the ordered food items. Upon selecting the container 120-1, a delivery person is selected based on the current geographical location of the delivery persons, the geographical location of the fulfillment source, and the delivery location. Further, containers of different sizes may be selected based on the quantity of the order.
[0032] In another embodiment, a delivery person among a plurality of persons carrying the one or more containers may be selected based on container availability, the food type, current geographical location of the delivery persons, the geographical location of the fulfillment source, and the geographical location of delivery. For example, if the order contains vegetarian food items and the container for delivering vegetarian food is unavailable at the consumer selected fulfilment source, then a delivery agent having a container (for example 120-2, not shown in figure 3) for delivering the vegetarian food items is selected for delivering ordered food items.

[0033] In yet another embodiment, a container carried by a delivery person is selected first and then a delivery person is selected from among a plurality of delivery persons based on the geographical location of the delivery persons, the geographical location of the fulfilment source and the geographical location of delivery. For example, if a container for delivering vegetarian food items is unavailable at the consumer selected fulfilment source, and a delivery person carrying a container dedicated for vegetarian food is near to the fulfilment source, however, could not be able to manage the task for one or more constraints (as determined by the management server 125), the delivery person is instructed to handover the containers to the fulfilment source through the user device 115 associated with the delivery person. Then another delivery person is selected for delivering ordered food items. The one or more constraints may be, for example, sub-optimal routing for delivery. For example, the delivery person carrying the container dedicated for vegetarian food may be delivering other orders to other geographical location away from the geographical location of delivery. In such a scenario, the delivery person is instructed to handover the containers to the fulfilment source and a second delivery person are selected for delivering the food from the fulfilment source to destination.
[0034] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, upon selecting the container 120-1, the controller 210 generates a first OTP for locking the container 120-1. Then the controller 210 securely communicates the first OTP, the delivery request, and the selected container ID to the device 110-1 associated with the selected fulfilment source as shown in Figure 3. Further, the container ID is also communicated to the user device 115-1 associated with the selected delivery person for picking the right container from the fulfilment source for the delivery. In another embodiment, as an additional security measure, an identity number (ID) is assigned to each delivery person and the ID of the selected delivery person is also communicated to the fulfilment source for authentication. Alternatively, one time code may be generated for each order and the same is communicated to both the selected delivery person and the fulfilment source (that is to the user device 115-1 and the device 110-1) for authenticating the delivery person and hence to enhance the security. It is to be noted that the delivery request may be communicated to the fulfilment source before selecting the delivery person and generating the first OTP. In such an implementation, the container ID, the OTP for locking the container, and optionally the delivery person ID or the one-time code is communicated to the device 110-1 associated with the fulfilment source once the delivery person is selected by the ALM module 225.
[0035] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the controller 210 generates a second OTP for unlocking the selected container 120-1, the second OTP is securely communicated to the user device 105-1 associated with the consumer for unlocking the container 120-1.
[0036] Once the fulfilment source prepares the order, the food items are kept inside the container 120-1 and locked using the first OTP received from the management server 125. In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the container controller 230, in communication with the controller 210 and the order processing module 220, is configured for remotely configuring the container parameters based on the food type. The container parameters may include temperature and the temperature inside the container 120-1 is changed based on the food type. In one example, if one of the food items in the delivery request is pizza, the temperature is set and maintained at a preferred or acceptable or serving temperature range of that food item. In another example, if one of the food items in the delivery request is a juice, the temperature of the compartment of the container 120-1 is set and maintained at a preferred or acceptable or serving temperature range of that food item. In one embodiment of the present disclosure, in addition to the food type, the container location, delivery location and weather conditions are determined, and desired parameters’ values are calculated and the container 120-1 is configured and controlled accordingly. In order to set the parameters, the container controller 230 triggers the one or more modules of the container 120-1, for example heating and cooling modules, and the parameters’ value is maintained at the desired level by continuously or periodically monitoring the parameter value during the transmit, using one or more sensors, for example temperature sensor.
[0037] Once the delivery person picks up the order for delivery, the geographical location of the delivery person, the status of the container 120-1, and the values of the parameters of the container 120-1 are tracked continuously or periodically for detecting anomaly and hence for ensuring secure delivery of the food items. In addition, the status of the container 120-1 is monitored using one or more sensors such as accelerometer, gyroscope, pressure or impact sensor, etc., for detecting anomaly such as snatching, accidents, etc. In such an event, a SOS is triggered and communicated to predefined users of the system in order to ensure safety of the goods and the delivery person. As well known in the art, the geographical location of the delivery agent is detected and traced through the user device 115-1. The status of the container 120-1 and the values of the parameters of the container 120-1 are tracked using the one or more sensors of the container 120-1. Upon receiving the container 120-1, the consumer may use the second OTP for unlocking the container 120-1. In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the delivery person may update the status of delivery using the user device 110-1, wherein the update may include includes successful or unsuccessful delivery, time of delivery, consumer feedback, container status mentioning the transfer of container to the consumer or collection of the empty container, etc. On receiving the update from the delivery person, the inventory management module 235 updates the status of the container. For example, if the container is handed over to the consumer, then the ownership of the container is changed from delivery person to consumer. In such an event, the consumer may change or update the status, through the application installed in the user device 105, to return the container. It is to be noted that, based on the time of delivery, the management server 125 may set a time before which the consumer needs to update the status for returning the container. This is done to prevent the consumers from keeping the containers longer than necessary and hence to maintain enough containers for further deliveries., the management server 125 keeps track of such containers and assigns a collection task to one or more of the delivery persons during subsequent delivery events. It is to be noted that the collection task is managed by the ALM module 225 in a similar way as that of the delivery task. That is, the ALM module 225 assigns the container collection task to one of the delivery persons based on the geographical location of the consumer, the geographical location of the delivery person, storage space availability in the delivery bag of the delivery person, replenishment location, etc.
[0038] In one embodiment, the inventory management module 235 maintains a database for the plurality of containers, wherein the database is updated with the geographical location of the containers, containers’ ownership (may be updated manually or tagged based on the geographical location), space availability status of the containers, type of the containers (for vegetarian and non-vegetarian foods, for example), etc.
[0039] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the demand forecasting module 240 of the management server 125 is configured for forecasting the delivery requests for a given fulfilment source based on the delivery request history. The forecast data is used for container replenishment, wherein demand forecasting module 240 fetches the current container inventory data of the fulfilment source from the inventory management module 235 and the forecast data is used for container replenishment. Further, the demand forecasting module 240 may be configured for forecasting the delivery requests for a given geographical area based on the delivery request history. The forecast data may be used for maintaining adequate number of containers with the fulfilment sources in the given geographical area.
[0040] Figure 4 illustrates a block diagram of an exemplary container in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown, the container 120 comprises a communication interface module 405 configured for enabling communication between the management server 125, a controller 410 and a memory module 415 storing instructions to be executed by the controller 410. Further, the container 10 comprises an input/output (I/O) interface 420, a GPS module 425, heating and cooling units 430, a sensor module 435, a battery unit 440, a camera module 445 and one or more actuator units 450.
[0041] As described, each container is assigned with a unique identifier and the containers communicate with the management server 125 through the communication interface module 405 and the communication network 130. In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the status (availability, space, etc.) of the container 120 is detected using one of the camera module 445 and a weight sensor, and the status details are updated to the inventory management module 235. Alternatively, a user, for example the delivery person or a consumer or a person associated with the fulfilment source, may update the status of the container 120 manually through the I/O interface 420.
[0042] The I/O interface 420 may include a touchscreen interface for entering the OTP by the fulfilment source for locking the container and by the consumer for unlocking the container 120. The OTP entered is authenticated by comparing with the OTP generated by the management server 125. Upon successful OTP authentication, the controller 410 triggers the actuator units 450 for locking or unlocking the container 120. As described, the container may include two or more compartments and two or more actuators may be used for locking and unlocking the compartments. If each compartment is used for different orders, then compartment identifiers are used for generating the OTPs and hence for locking and unlocking the compartments individually.
[0043] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the controller 410 receives the container parameters’ configuration values and actuates the heating and cooling units 430 to set and maintain the desired temperature. Further, the sensor module 435 comprising weight sensor, temperature sensors, ambient temperature sensors, humidity sensor, etc., are used for sensing the container parameters and the measured values of the parameters are communicated to the management server 125 for configuring the container parameters. In addition, the camera module 445 may be configured and used for monitoring the status of the food during delivery and the status of the container. The heating and cooling units 430 may include resistive heaters, coil heaters, refrigerator units, fans, etc., and same are powered using the battery unit 440. In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the sensor module 435 further comprises gyroscope, accelerometer, pressure sensors and the like for detecting tampering. Any such event is communicated to the management server 125 and to the predefined users of the system. As described, the management server 125 may remotely configure the container parameter values based on the type of the food, the geographical location of the container, the geographical location of delivery and the weather conditions which may be determined using the sensor module 435 or weather forecast data and may vary the parameters values based on the data received from the sensor module 435. Alternatively, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, the container parameters’ values may be determined locally by the controller 410 based on the input from the sensor module 435 and the camera module 445, and the heating and cooling units 430 are configured automatically for maintaining the desired temperature.
[0044] As described, the method, system and apparatus disclosed in the present disclosure enables secure and sustainable delivery of goods by means of IoT based secure containers, OTP based locking and unlocking systems, delivery person authentication, and remotely configurable containers for maintaining the quality of the goods. Further, the method and system eliminate the risk of contamination and theft, by remotely monitoring the status of the goods and the container storing the goods.
[0045] While specific language has been used to describe the disclosure, any limitations arising on account of the same are not intended. As would be apparent to a person skilled in the art, various working modifications may be made to the method in order to implement the inventive concept as taught herein.
[0046] The figures and the foregoing description give examples of embodiments. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that one or more of the described elements may well be combined into a single functional element. Alternatively, certain elements may be split into multiple functional elements. Elements from one embodiment may be added to another embodiment. For example, orders of processes described herein may be changed and are not limited to the manner described herein. Moreover, the actions of any flow diagram need not be implemented in the order shown; nor do all of the acts necessarily need to be performed. Also, those acts that are not dependent on other acts may be performed in parallel with the other acts. The scope of embodiments is by no means limited by these specific examples. Numerous variations, whether explicitly given in the specification or not, such as differences in structure, dimension, and use of material, are possible. The scope of embodiments is at least as broad as given by the following claims.