EP1410267A2

EP1410267A2 - Method for distributing goods

Info

Publication number: EP1410267A2
Application number: EP00943603A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Andrea Heilingbrunner; Christian May
Original assignee: Siemens AG
Current assignee: Siemens AG
Priority date: 1999-08-17
Filing date: 2000-05-15
Publication date: 2004-04-21
Also published as: WO2001013286A3; CN1175369C; CN1378676A; WO2001013286A2

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for distributing goods. According to said method, the good is deposited by a person delivering said good, and secured with a lock. A common electronic key is then allocated to the lock and to a personalized terminal belonging to the recipient of the good. When said key is transmitted from the terminal to the lock, said key is compared with the key that is allocated to the lock. The good is only released if the keys match.

Description

description

Process for the distribution of goods

The invention relates to a method for the distribution of goods.

So far, goods that have been ordered, for example, by post, telephone or the Internet, are usually delivered by a delivery service, a shipping company or the like to the address desired by the buyer. In order to be able to take over the goods, the buyer must either be on site at the time of delivery or commission a person to receive the goods. Unfortunately, due to the organizational structure, it is usually not possible for the delivery service to announce the exact time of delivery beforehand. Situations therefore very often arise in which the delivery service does not meet anyone at the delivery location to whom the goods can be handed over.

In these cases, the delivery service has so far usually left a message in the mailbox suggesting a new appointment or specifying a pick-up location (for example the post office). If a new delivery date is agreed, the same problem arises, since the exact date can rarely be specified here and is usually only possible in a limited time frame, for example during normal working hours. Also, the possibility of picking up the goods at a given pick-up location is usually not a real alternative, since the responsible office generally also has limited opening hours at this pick-up location. In addition, picking up the goods is only possible with great difficulty after personal identification.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an alternative to the methods mentioned. This task is solved by a procedure for the distribution of goods, in which the goods are deposited by a sender and secured with a lock and a common electronic key is assigned to the lock and a personalized end device of the owner and when the key is transmitted by the end device to the lock this key is compared with the key assigned to the lock and the goods are only released if the keys match.

The term "handover" is understood here to mean any person who is responsible for the handover of the goods, for example the seller himself or a delivery service commissioned by him. The term "transferee" is generally the person who takes over the goods, for example the buyer or a person who is intended to collect the goods. The personalized terminal can preferably be a mobile communication terminal, for example a mobile phone or a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), with its own unique personal identifier or with a corresponding chip card on which the personal identifier is stored. In the broadest sense, the telephone number of the device can also be regarded as a personal identifier. In principle, however, it can also be the chip card itself, for example a smart card, which is uniquely assigned to the transferee and which can be used in various devices or terminals.

The method according to the invention offers the possibility of storing the goods at any time and securing them in such a way that only an authorized person, namely the buyer himself or a person commissioned by him, can pick up the goods at any time. By assigning the common electronic key to the lock and to the owner's personalized end device, the highest possible security is security because the key is coupled with a unique identifier of the owner.

The process enables considerable time and personnel savings and thus cost advantages for delivery companies or mail order companies. For the purchaser or recipient, the invention has the advantage that he is independent of the opening times of a real business, particularly in the case of so-called e-commerce processes, or, in the case of delivery, of the delivery times or the opening hours of a pick-up location.

The electronic key is preferably transmitted to the owner's terminal using a remote data transmission method, for example via mobile radio. This method has the advantage that due to the relatively good

Flat coverage of the mobile radio networks, the key can be transmitted to the transferee at any time regardless of the location.

The transferee can then send the key on site to the locker directly from the mobile communication terminal. For this purpose, both the communication terminal and the locker have corresponding transmitters or receivers. These are preferably short-range transmitters or receivers. This includes, for example, infrared interfaces or so-called "Bluetooth" modules, i. H. Short-range radio transmitters or receivers that are used for data exchange between neighboring devices. Of course, it is also possible for the key to be output on a display of the mobile telephone and to be re-entered by the person picking it up using the keyboard on the device.

Of course, transmission over the extensive mobile network is also possible here. However, the use of a short-range means of communication for transmitting the key to the lock has the advantage that the transferee does not mistakenly transmit the key and can trigger a release of security for the good, even though it is not ready at the point of takeover.

In order to increase the security of the sender, it is furthermore possible that the transfer of the final ice cream to the end device of the owner takes place only after a predetermined transaction, for example a payment, has been carried out. This security can also be done in such a way that the transferee receives the key before the payment is made and the lock only releases the goods after receiving an additional release signal from the sender. This means that the key must be transmitted correctly and the release signal required to open the lock.

It is also possible that the key consists of two parts and one partial key is immediately forwarded to the person collecting the key and another partial key is only forwarded to the person collecting the key when payment has been made securely. The locker can only be opened with the key made up of these two parts.

With these methods, the previously existing problem of paying for the goods is thus also solved in a simple manner. A delivery on account or by credit card or direct debit is often too unsafe for the seller. The relatively safe cash on delivery method, in which the amount is paid when the goods are delivered to the delivery service, is associated with increased costs.

Preferably, information is also transmitted to the terminal at the same time as the key, from when and at which location the goods are ready for collection.

There are various options for assigning the key to the lock. In one exemplary embodiment, the key is reassigned to the locker for each deposit. This assignment can take place before, after or during the deposit. In this case, either the transmitter can freely select the key or, for example, a random key is automatically generated using a random generator and this key is transmitted to the transmitter, if necessary after a corresponding query. The latter can then forward the key to the recipient when ordering.

With the freely selectable assignment of the key to the lock, it is in particular possible that a unique personal identifier, for example a credit card number of the owner, or a unique identifier of the terminal belonging to the recipient, for example the mobile phone number, is selected as the key and is assigned to the lock , This procedure is particularly useful if the goods are ordered using a mobile phone or paid for with a credit card. In this case, the key does not have to be sent from the transmitter to the device.

The same key is always used in another exemplary embodiment. Here, however, the transmission to the end device of the owner should only take place in such a coded form that this key cannot be read by the recipient. The key is then stored in the terminal and used to unlock the lock when the goods are taken over, without the transferee getting the key.

For this purpose, it is particularly advantageous if the key automatically becomes invalid upon the occurrence of an invalidation requirement. Possible conditions of disability could include the expiry of a specified period of use for the property or a specified number of accesses to the property

Be a castle. This is the case with the exemplary embodiment mentioned above, in which it is always the same for the respective transferee not recognizable - key is used, the key is automatically invalid after a single transmission to the lock, so that after the takeover of the good no further access to the same lock is possible by the transferee.

Further invalidation conditions can, for example, multiple incorrect transmission of the key to the lock, i. H. unsuccessful attempts to open it, or a lock command sent by the handover to the lock.

The assignment of the key to the lock by the transmitter, the query of a key, the input of locks or the like are preferably also carried out with the aid of a remote data transmission method, for example mobile radio.

Of course, the key can be transmitted to the end device of the owner as well as to the lock by the handover via other data lines, for example the Internet or e-mail.

The method according to the invention can in particular be carried out with electronic locksmiths who control the locking device of a locker. Here, the goods are handed over to a corresponding, publicly accessible

Locker deposited and secured. The transferee can open the lock at any time with the key transmitted to him and remove the goods. Another possibility, in particular in the case of larger goods such as motor vehicles, which anyway have their own locking device, is to control this locking device itself by means of a corresponding electronic lock.

The invention therefore also includes a locking device for securing a good for carrying out the process according to the invention

Procedure specified. This accordingly has a lock with an assignment input for assigning an electronic Final ice and with an opening gear for entering an electronic closing ice for opening. In addition, it has a comparator that checks that the two keys match, and a releasing device that opens the locking device if the closing ice matches.

Depending on the desired method, this locking device can then additionally have an invalidation device which invalidates the key when the specified invalidation condition occurs.

Other components are, for example, a random generator for generating a key, which is assigned to the lock via a corresponding input and can be transmitted to the transmitter via a corresponding output or can be queried by the latter. Furthermore, such a locking device has a receiver or transmitter for transmitting the electronic key over a data transmission path. When using short-range communication between the end device of the owner and the lock, a correspondingly short-range receiver, for example an infrared interface, is provided for the opening.

When using such locksmiths within a locker system, the locksmiths of a group of lockers can also be assigned a common electronic group key, all of these lockers with the common group key being assigned to a specific delivery company or a specific mail order company. When using a group key, it must of course be ensured when the key is transmitted to the locker system that the respective key only opens the desired locker. This can be done, for example, by an additional allocation code or the like. Especially when using a final ice cream that is suitable for the If the recipient is not legible and is deleted again immediately after an access authorization has expired, this group key has the advantage that it is not necessary to work with constantly changing keys in the organization of the sender or the delivery service.

According to the invention, a terminal for carrying out the method must have a device for receiving, storing and forwarding a corresponding electronic key to an electronic lock, the device for forwarding the key to the lock preferably being a short-range transmitter.

In a preferred exemplary embodiment, the device or the named components of the terminal are designed such that they receive the key in a form that cannot be read by the user, save it and transmit it to the lock.

Likewise, this terminal can have an invalidation device, for example with a watch or a payer, which, when a certain disability condition occurs, for example after a certain time or after a certain number of transmissions to the lock, possibly after a single use, the Key automatically deleted. The handover can transmit this disability condition together with the key to the device. In principle, however, the disability condition can also be preset in the device.

The device is preferably a mobile communication terminal, for example a cell phone or a PDA with a chip card, or the owner's chip card itself. It can be a normal SIM card on which the key from the mobile communication terminal is temporarily stored becomes. But it can also be a smart card, which itself is able to to control the corresponding desired functions largely independently of the communication transmitter used in each case. The use of a smart card also has the advantage that better coding of the key can be achieved in a simple manner, so that secure transmission is possible without a third party being able to obtain the key by listening to the transmission.

Of course, the receiver of the device or the transmitter of the communication terminal can be a so-called transceiver, which enables both reception and transmission, so that when the key for opening is handed over, two-way communication between the locking device and the communication terminal can take place. Additional queries and checks are therefore possible for additional security before the goods are unlocked.

Thus, in particular in a corresponding device on the locking device, the payment conditions under which it can be opened and only after the execution of a payment instruction via the communication terminal, for example by a type of online bank, the key to the opening can be stored.

If the respective good is a product that can itself be transmitted via a data link, for example music or software, the electronic lock can also be used to store the desired data on, for example, certain servers that are publicly accessible via the Internet and to secure it by means of a corresponding electronic lock, whereby the acceptance of the goods, that is to say a download process in this case, is only possible on the respective server, a key is transmitted from a corresponding end device of the owner to the server or the lock there , This method has particular advantages in the delivery of large amounts of data, as is the case with music or video films is. The transfer of such large amounts of data from a few central servers of a data producers is a re ^¬ tively high network load. Can drive with the erf dungsgemaßen Ver ^¬ this Kapazitatsproblem be solved so that the goods are deposited in remote mirrored servers. However, the respective operators of these servers, ie the data distributors, are not necessarily identical with the data producer, but rather it is a kind of delivery service for the actual supplier. Since the goods in the present case are not actually taken over, but rather copied, there is a corresponding device at the server, which logs the transfer of the correct key to the lock. This can serve the operator of the server as proof of the service provided to the original producer.

The invention is explained again below using two exemplary embodiments.

In a first exemplary embodiment, a customer orders any product using a mobile phone. The seller deposits the goods in a locker and assigns a key to this locker via a corresponding data transmission link, for example a radio link or a data line. This key assignment can also be made in advance, whereby the seller has reserved the corresponding locker and can store the goods in this locker at any time. These lockers are in a publicly accessible area at all times. The customer then receives a message on his mobile phone, from which locker he can pick up his goods and at what time. At the same time, the electronic key is downloaded to the customer's mobile phone, for example by download, Java-appled or WAP. The customer then goes to the locker at the desired time and takes the locker or the via his mobile phone appropriate short-range communication. Here the

Key sent to the locker. After all the necessary data has been exchanged and other security levels such as a query of the payment made have been successfully completed, the locker opens and the goods are released to the recipient.

The second exemplary embodiment is an electronic rental car lock. First, the donor, i. H. the car rental center, a key is assigned to a special rental car lock. This is, for example, the credit card number that the transferee, i.e. H. the lessee has specified when ordering the rental car and via which payment was made. For this purpose, the rental car lock has a corresponding receiver for a mobile radio transmission, so that the car rental center uses the normal mobile radio network to assign this key to the car lock. The transferee is also informed via the mobile radio network of where and when he can pick up his car. With a suitable device for the mobile phone, for example an infrared interface, the transferee can then open the car by transmitting his credit card number. Of course, instead of the credit card number, the personal key can also be a personal number on the SIM card or a smart card in the mobile phone, which is sent as a key directly at the push of a button without further input on the mobile phone. After the rental period has expired, the key is automatically validated in the lock of the motor vehicle, so that the lessee no longer has access to the car.

Claims

claims

1. Procedure for the distribution of goods, in which the goods are deposited by a sender and secured with a lock and a common electronic key is assigned to the lock and a personalized terminal of the recipient and when the key is transmitted from the terminal the lock, this key is compared with the key assigned to the lock, and the goods are only released if the key is approved.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the electronic key is transmitted with the aid of a remote data transmission method to the terminal of the owner.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that the key of a form which is unreadable for the transferee is transmitted to the terminal.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the transmission of the final ice from the terminal of the owner to the castle takes place via a short-range data transmission method.

5. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the transmission of the key to the terminal of the transferee and / or the release of the good by the lock takes place only after a predetermined transaction has been carried out.

6. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that information about the time and / or the location of the deposit is transmitted simultaneously with the transmission of the key to the terminal of the owner.

7. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the key is automatically validated when an Invalidierungsbedmgung occurs.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that the key is automatically validated after a predetermined time and / or after a predetermined number of openings of the lock.

9. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a new key is assigned to the lock for each deposit.

10. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the key is determined with the aid of a random generator and assigned to the lock.

11. The method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the key is assigned to the lock freely selectable via an input m a memory.

12. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the key is assigned to the lock with the aid of a remote data transmission method.

13. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the transmission of the key to the terminal and / or the assignment of the key to the lock takes place via mobile radio.

14. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 13, characterized in that a unique personal identifier of the owner and / or a unique identifier of the terminal is selected as the key.

15. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the release of the goods takes place only after receipt of a release command from the transmitter.

16. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the lock controls a locking device of a locker.

17. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the lock controls a locking device of the good itself.

18. Locking device for securing a good for carrying out the method according to one of the preceding claims with a lock with a mapping input for assigning an electronic key, with an opening gear for entering an electronic key for opening, with a comparator that matches the two Key checked, and with a Enticherungsemπchtung, which opens the locking device if the keys match.

19. Locking device according to claim 18, characterized by a device for automatic disablement of the closing ice when a predetermined disability condition occurs.

20. Locking device according to claim 18 or 19, characterized by a random generator that generates a key and assigns it to the lock via the assignment input, and an output via which the generated key is transmitted to the transmitter.

21. Locking device according to one of claims 18 to 20, characterized by a receiver and / or one

Transmitter for transmitting the electronic key over a data transmission link.

22. Locking device according to one of claims 18 to 21, characterized by a short-range receiver for transmitting the electronic key to the opening entrance.

23. Locker with a locking device according to one of claims 18 to 22.

24. Locker system with several lockers according to claim 23.

25. Locker system according to claim 24, characterized in that the locks of a group of lockers are assigned a common electronic group key.

26. Terminal with a unique personal identifier and a device for receiving, storing and transmitting an electronic key to a lock according to a method according to one of claims 1 to 17.

27. Terminal according to claim 26, characterized by an invalidation device which automatically invalidates the key when an invalidation condition occurs.

28. The terminal according to claim 27, characterized by an invalidation device which automatically invalidates the key after a certain time and / or after a certain number of transmissions to the lock.

29. Terminal according to one of claims 26 to 28, characterized in that the device receives the key in a form unreadable for the user, stores it and transmits it to the lock.

30. Terminal according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the terminal comprises a chip card.