RU2807033C1 - 5box software and hardware complex - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: computer engineering.

SUBSTANCE: invention is presented to provide the ability to create an order announcement and its remote validation in response to a request from a partner for placing an order at the target parcel locker. It is achieved due to the fact that the hardware and software complex for managing the network of parcel lockers is designed with the ability to receive announcements of orders from an external logistics system through the façade pattern using a REST interface, placing orders in parcel lockers in accordance with the announcements, while the server is configured with the ability to create an announcement order and positive validation of this request by the target parcel terminal for placing an order, while the request is validated by a PC, which takes into account the availability of free cells in the required parcel terminal and the size of the required cell, the system components are built on a microservice architecture, the interaction of the server side components occurs through an integration data bus with interaction point-to-point type, data is stored in a relational DBMS, the complex is designed with the ability to interact monitoring services, support services, parcel terminal software users are divided into the roles of courier, technician and client, while each user can be authorized by entering their unique code, which must be validated by the PC.

EFFECT: providing the ability to create an order announcement and its remote validation in response to a request from a partner for placing an order at the target parcel locker.

1 cl, 1 dwg

Description

The invention relates to hardware and software systems that make it possible to manage a network of parcel terminals, for example, 5POST, located in the own stores of the X5 group of companies.

In general, a parcel locker is a station for receiving and issuing small-sized items, for example, orders from online stores, packages of documents, and parcels. Such stations have a number of advantages, including speed of receipt, no queues, a large number of collection points, no need to wait for the courier, the ability to receive 24/7, the ability to pay for the order on the spot, and a convenient notification system via SMS. Parcel terminals, as a rule, are installed in places where the maximum flow of citizens is concentrated, which makes it possible to provide additional comfort to users thanks to the ability to choose the terminal closest to their home: at train stations, in shopping centers, supermarkets, office buildings.

With the growing popularity of parcel terminals, there is a need to manage an entire network of such devices.

Various hardware and software systems are known from the prior art that allow you to control parcel lockers (see, for example, US 2017286905 A1, published 10/05/2017). The parcel locker includes a weatherproof housing, a communication module and an electrical circuit. The housing contains a lockable door to provide access to a protected cavity designed to receive a package for temporary safe storage of the package. The communication module receives delivery data, including the estimated delivery time of the package.

The disadvantage of such complexes is low efficiency due to the labor-intensive logistics of validating free cells in the required parcel locker.

The closest analogue, adopted as a prototype, is a hardware and software complex for managing a network of parcel terminals (see US 2018/0210468 A1, pub. July 26, 2018), containing a server that interacts with the parcel terminal, while the parcel terminal contains a router that connects a PC with a local network, POS terminal and cell controller. The parcel locker contains a display displaying the interface of the complex, a barcode scanner, a front camera, a cell controller that converts the logical signals of the complex into control signals for locks, and a POS terminal for accepting payment for orders with cash on delivery. At the same time, the known complex is designed with the ability to place orders in parcel lockers in accordance with announcements, issue orders from parcel lockers to customers and withdraw orders from parcel lockers back to the logistics system for return. In this case, orders can be issued at a prepaid rate or after payment at the POS terminal for the order with cash on delivery.

The disadvantages of the prototype are the lack of autonomy of the parcel locker in the event of a power outage, low efficiency due to the labor-intensive logistics of validating free cells in the required parcel locker, and the lack of a sufficient number of necessary roles for users of the parcel locker software.

The objective of the invention is to eliminate the disadvantages of the prior art. When fulfilling the purpose of the invention and performing the designated task, the invention achieves a technical result, which consists in providing the ability to create an order announcement and its remote validation in response to a request from a partner for placing an order at the target parcel terminal.

The task is performed, and the technical result is achieved by a software and hardware complex for managing a network of parcel terminals, containing at least one server that interacts with at least one parcel terminal, each of which contains a router connecting a PC, a POS terminal and a controller with a local network cells, wherein the PC is configured to provide the operating logic of the complex, and each of at least one parcel locker contains: a display displaying the interface of the complex; Barcode Scanner; front camera; cell controller, which converts the logical signals of the complex into control signals to the locks; POS terminal for accepting payment for orders with cash on delivery; and an uninterruptible power supply, while, according to the invention, the complex is designed with the ability to receive announcements of orders from an external logistics system through the façade pattern using a REST interface, placing orders in parcel lockers in accordance with the announcements, issuing orders from parcel lockers to customers and withdrawing orders for return from parcel lockers back to the logistics system, while the server is configured to create an order announcement in response to a request from a partner for placing an order at the parcel locker, as well as positive validation of this request by the target parcel locker for placing an order, while the validation of the request is carried out by a PC, which takes into account the availability of free cells in the required parcel locker and the size of the required cell, the system components are built on a microservice architecture, the interaction of the server side components occurs through an integration data bus with point-to-point interaction, the data is stored in a relational DBMS, monitoring, support, security services work with the system through a portal with role model, users of the parcel locker software are divided into the roles of courier, technician and client, and interact with the parcel locker through an interface on the parcel locker display, while each user can be authorized by entering their unique code, which must be validated by a PC, while the issuance of orders is organized in two directions: at a prepaid rate and after payment at the POS terminal for an order with cash on delivery.

The essence of the invention is illustrated in Figure 1, which shows a non-limiting example of the infrastructure diagram of the proposed hardware and software complex.

The software and hardware complex for managing a network of parcel terminals contains at least one server that interacts with at least one parcel terminal.

Each of the parcel terminals contains a router that connects a PC with a local network; display showing the complex interface; Barcode Scanner; front camera; cell controller, which converts the logical signals of the complex into control signals to the locks; POS terminal for accepting payment for orders with cash on delivery; and an uninterruptible power supply. In this case, the PC is designed to provide the logic of the complex operation.

The complex is designed to receive announcements of orders from an external logistics system through the façade pattern using a REST interface, placing orders in parcel lockers in accordance with the announcements, issuing orders from parcel lockers to customers and withdrawing orders from parcel lockers back to the logistics system for return. In this case, the server is configured to create an order announcement in response to a request from a partner for placing an order at the parcel terminal, as well as positive validation of this request by the target parcel terminal for placing an order. In this case, the request is validated by a PC, which takes into account the availability of free cells in the required parcel locker and the size of the required cell.

The system components are built on a microservice architecture.

The interaction of the server components occurs through an integration data bus with point-to-point interaction.

Data is stored in a relational DBMS.

Monitoring, support, and security services work with the system through a portal with a role model.

Users of the parcel locker software are divided into the roles of courier, technician and client, and interact with the parcel locker through an interface on the parcel locker display. In this case, each user can be authorized by entering their unique code, which must be validated by the PC.

The issuance of orders is organized in two directions: at a prepaid rate and after payment at the POS terminal for the order with cash on delivery.

Operating principle of PAK:

1) receiving announcements of orders for integration with the OMNI logistics system developed by 5POST;

2) placing orders at parcel terminals in accordance with announcements;

3) issuing orders from parcel terminals to customers:

i. issuing orders for prepaid traffic;

ii. accepting payment for orders with cash on delivery before delivery;

4) withdrawal for return of orders from parcel terminals back to the OMNI logistics system.

Interaction with the external OMNI system is implemented through the façade pattern using a REST interface.

The system components are built on a microservice architecture.

The interaction of the server components occurs through an integration data bus with point-to-point interaction. Data is stored in a relational DBMS.

Interaction between the server and parcel terminals occurs through a star-type integration bus.

Monitoring, support, and security services work with the system through a portal with a role model.

Users of the parcel locker software are divided into the roles of courier, technician and client. Interact with the parcel terminal through the interface on the display of parcel terminals.

Placing an order at a parcel locker is implemented by two business processes: authorization of the courier at the parcel locker and the actual process of placing parcels.

Minimum hardware:

1) router – organization of a local network on the PAK (necessary for interaction between a PC, POS terminal, and cell controller);

2) PC – providing the logic for the operation of the control system;

3) display – display of the 5BOX interface;

4) cell controller - conversion of logical signals from 5BOX into control signals for locks;

5) scanner – work with barcodes;

6) front camera – ensuring security processes.

Additional hardware, which in the vast majority of cases is also installed:

1) POS terminal – payment acceptance;

2) UPS – PC protection from power surges, continuous provision of service.

The process of announcing orders occurs, for example, as follows.

The customer created an order on the partner's website.

The partner announced the order in the SUP.

On the adapter side, order attributes are validated.

When the order is successfully validated.

Then the order is created in the SUP and parcel terminal.

Process description:

1. After the order is ready for shipment from the 5BOX warehouse, the Partner announces the order in the SUP.

2. The adapter validates the order. If the validation was successful, the adapter returns a positive response; otherwise, a negative response.

3. If the order is successfully validated, the adapter sends commands to create an order to the EMS and postmat.

4. The order is created in the EMS and a response is returned about the creation results.

5. The order is created at the parcel terminal and a response is returned about the results of creation.

After the announcement is delivered to the adapter, the order is validated. The following checks occur:

1. Filling out all the required attributes of the order announcement.

2. Check for uniqueness.

3. The parcel delivery point is in the "ACTIVE" status.

4. The maximum dimensions of the parcel do not exceed the maximum dimensions of the storage cells in the parcel locker.

5. Possibility of payment at the point of delivery, if the order announcement provides for NP.

6. Phone number in +7 or 8 and 10 digit format; no symbols, no spaces.

If errors are identified during the check, the order announcement is not created in the EMS, and the response with an error is sent to the partner’s system.

If the checks are passed, the order is created in the EMS, the order number in the EMS system is returned in a response to the partner’s system.

The proposed software and hardware complex allows us to eliminate the shortcomings of the existing level of technology, allowing us to achieve a technical result consisting in increasing the efficiency of the software and hardware complex by reducing the labor intensity of logistics for validating free cells in the required parcel locker, increasing the autonomy of the parcel locker during a power outage, and ensuring a sufficient number of necessary roles for parcel locker software users.

In addition to the main technical result, the software and hardware complex allows the following: management of an unlimited number of specifications and modifications of parcel terminals from any vendor; flexible management of security events, distributed storage of logs and media for security events; integration with TS X5 processes; x86 and arm architecture support, platform-independent executable application code.

A search through publicly available sources of information showed that the entire set of features of the hardware and software complex is not known from the prior art and does not clearly follow, and therefore the invention meets the conditions of patentability “novelty” and “inventive step”.

The software and hardware complex contains software and hardware characteristic of this field of technology, that is, it can be used in industry, which is why the invention meets the patentability condition of “industrial applicability”.

It should be understood that after a specialist reviews the given description with an example of the implementation of the proposed hardware and software complex, other changes, modifications and embodiments of the invention will become obvious to him. Thus, all such changes, modifications and variations, as well as other applications that do not deviate from the spirit of the present invention, should be considered protected by the present invention within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims (7)

A hardware and software complex for managing a network of parcel terminals, containing at least one server that interacts with at least one parcel terminal, each of which contains a router connecting a PC, a POS terminal and a cell controller with a local network, wherein the PC is configured to provide operation logic complex, and each of at least one parcel locker contains: a display displaying the interface of the complex; Barcode Scanner; front camera; cell controller, which converts the logical signals of the complex into control signals to the locks; POS terminal for accepting payment for orders with cash on delivery; and an uninterruptible power supply, characterized in that the complex is designed with the ability to receive announcements of orders from an external logistics system through the façade pattern using a REST interface, placing orders in parcel lockers in accordance with the announcements, issuing orders from parcel lockers to customers and withdrawing orders from parcel lockers back for return into the logistics system, while the server is configured with the ability to create an order announcement in response to a request from a partner for placing an order at a parcel terminal, as well as positive validation of this request by the target parcel terminal for placing an order, while the validation of the request is carried out by a PC, which takes into account the availability of free cells in the required parcel locker and the size of the required cell, system components are built on microservice architecture, the interaction of the components of the server part is carried out through an integration data bus with point-to-point interaction, data is stored in a relational DBMS, the complex is designed with the ability to interact with the monitoring service, support service, and security service with the system through a portal with a role model, the interface on the display of each of at least one parcel locker is designed to allow interaction between parcel locker software users, who are divided into the roles of courier, technician and client, while each user can be authorized by entering their unique code, which is validated by a PC, Moreover, the complex is designed with the ability to issue orders at a prepaid rate and after payment at the POS terminal for the order with cash on delivery.