WO2019016534A1

WO2019016534A1 - A device and method for confirming delivery

Info

Publication number: WO2019016534A1
Application number: PCT/GB2018/052019
Authority: WO
Inventors: Azhar Hussain
Original assignee: Hanhaa Limited
Priority date: 2017-07-17
Filing date: 2018-07-17
Publication date: 2019-01-24
Also published as: GB201711487D0

Abstract

A verification device is provided for verifying that a parcel has been successfully delivered. The verification device is configured to obtain verification data from a recipient of the parcel. It is configured to check that verification data against registered data that has been prestored in respect of the parcel. It is also configured to determine that the parcel has been successfully delivered if the verification data matches the registered data.

Description

A DEVICE AND METHOD FOR CONFIRMING DELIVERY

This invention relates to a device and a method for providing verification that a parcel has been successfully delivered.

The growth of internet shopping and other social and technological factors have led to increasing numbers of items being delivered to a purchaser via postal services. Usually some proof of delivery is required, such as the signature of the person who takes delivery on the touch screen of a handheld device of the delivery driver. A problem with this approach is that the person who signs for the delivery might not be the same person who ordered the goods. This can lead to the person who ordered the goods claiming that they have not been delivered, and potentially withholding payment for those goods from the supplier. This causes significant problems for suppliers, particularly because many recipients will just scrawl their first names on the handheld device. This makes it difficult for the supplier to link the signature with a specific individual to prove that the goods have indeed been delivered. Existing attempts to solve this problem tend to be prohibitively costly on transaction time and resources. They can also require changes to established work practices, e.g. by placing an undesirable burden on the delivery driver.

According to a first aspect, a verification device is provided for verifying that a parcel has been successfully delivered. The verification device is configured to obtain verification data from a recipient of the parcel. It is configured to check that verification data against registered data that has been prestored in respect of the parcel. It is also configured to determine that the parcel has been successfully delivered if the verification data matches the registered data.

Other aspects may include one or more of the following: The verification device may be configured to store the registered data. The registered data may be stored by another device, and the verification device may be configured to check the verification data against the registered data stored by that other device.

The verification device may be configured to obtain the verification data from a card presented to the device by the recipient. The verification device may comprise a card reader that is configured to read the verification data from the card when the card is brought into physical proximity with the card reader. The verification device may be configured to obtain biometric data from the recipient as the verification data.

The verification device may be configured to output an indication that a match has been achieved responsive to the determination that the verification data matches the registered data. The verification device may comprise a user input device that is configured to output the indication. The verification device may comprise a transmitter that is configured to transmit the indication to another device.

The verification device may be configured to accompany the parcel. The verification device may be configured to be attached to the parcel. The verification device may be configured to obtain verification data that can be used to levy a charge against the recipient. The verification device may comprise a location sensor that is configured to generate location data that can be used to provide additional verification that the parcel has been successfully delivered.

According to a second aspect, a method for verifying that a parcel has been successfully delivered is provided. The method comprises obtaining verification data from a recipient of the parcel. It comprises checking that verification data against registered data that has been prestored in respect of the parcel. It also comprises determining that the parcel has been successfully delivered if the verification data matches the registered data. The present invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings:

Figure 1 shows an example of a verification device;

Figure 2 shows an example of a method for verifying that a parcel has been successfully received; and

Figure 3 shows an example of an implementation in which the verification device is implemented by a postal tag attached to the parcel.

An example of a verification device is shown in Figure 1 . The purpose of the device, shown generally at 101 , is to verify that a parcel has been successfully delivered. The device includes a verification module 102 that is configured to obtain verification data from the recipient of the parcel. It also comprises a check unit 103 that is configured to check that verification data against registered data that has been prestored in respect of the parcel and determine that the parcel has been successfully delivered if the verification data matches the registered data.

The verification device may be configured to accompany the parcel so that it is present at the point of delivery. The verification device is preferably portable, so that it can either be carried by the delivery person or, in a preferred embodiment, be physically attached to the parcel. The latter arrangement may be advantageous because it enables the verification device to be within the control of the party who has dispatched the parcel rather than the postal service charged with delivering the parcel.

The verification data could be any data that is capable of linking the parcel and the recipient together. In most implementations, the verification data that is required will be the same as the registered data. The registered data is suitably supplied by the intended recipient prior to the parcel being dispatched. Preferably the verification data is of a form that a match between the verification data and registered data that has been prestored in respect of the parcel cannot be readily refuted by a recipient. There are two qualities that can help achieve this. First, the verification data is preferably data that is strongly connected to the recipient such that, in the normal course of events, it is not data that would be available to anyone else without the recipient at least being complicit. Second, the verification data is preferably unique to the recipient, such that there is a very low to zero chance of other data achieving a false positive match with the registered data.

The verification data could be data that requires the presence of the recipient at the parcel delivery. An example is biometric data that is obtained directly from the recipient, such as a fingerprint scan, retina scan or voice recording. This type of data cannot be readily mimicked by someone else, so it provides irrefutable evidence of receipt providing that an acceptable match with the prestored data is achieved. The verification data could also be data that would normally be in the recipient's sole possession and only shared with another with their explicit permission. An example is personal data stored on a card belonging to the recipient. Most cards incorporate security measures to prevent the data stored thereon from being cloned, so in most scenarios another person will only have access to that verification data if the recipient has given them the card. Cards have the further advantage that 100% agreement should be possible between verification data read from the card and the prestored data, making a match between the two unarguable.

The verification module need not require 100% agreement between the verification data and the prestored registered data to find that there is a match between them. Instead there may be a predetermined degree of agreement that is considered acceptable. The degree of agreement required may depend on the type of data involved. For example, data that is read from a card will typically require 100% agreement whereas for some types of biometric data it may be possible to say that a match has occurred with less than 100% agreement.

A card may be any device that carries verification data in machine-readable form. The verification data may include personal data. The data itself may be capable of identifying an individual or the data may be combined with further information held by the organisation that holds the personal data to identify an individual (such as a bank or other financial institution). The verification data may also be capable of being used to obtain cash or credit. The "card" may be a piece of plastic or other material that is embedded with a barcode, magnetic strip, computer chip or other data storage medium. Typical examples include debit cards, credit cards, smart cards and ID cards. The "card" may also be embodied by a more complex device, such as a mobile phone or smart watch, or by an application running on such a device.

In some implementations, the verification module 102 includes a card reader. The card reader may be any device that is capable of reading verification data from a card when the card is brought into close physical proximity with the reader. The card may be a contactless card. The card reader may be capable of exchanging data wirelessly with the card via a suitable communication protocol. Near Field Communication (NFC) is one example of such a protocol. Other examples include WiFi, Bluetooth etc.

In some implementations, verification module 102 includes a biometric capture device that is configured to capture some distinctive, measurable characteristic of the recipient that is capable of distinguishing between individuals. Examples could include optical scanners, biometric scanners and microphones.

The verification device may comprise a memory for storing the registered data, in which case check unit 103 may be configured to check the verification data simply by checking the registered data that has been prestored in that memory. This arrangement has the advantage that checking is quick. It also does not require the verification device to have wireless coverage at the point of delivery since checking is purely a local operation. In another arrangement, the registered data may be stored by another device, such as a central server. In this arrangement, the verification device preferably includes a transmitter (which may be part of a wider communication unit) that can transmit the verification data to the other device for checking. This arrangement has the advantage that the other device may be capable of more complex processing than the verification device so that additional functionality can be provided. Examples of additional functionality include payment processing or additional verification that delivery has been successful.

Figure 2 shows a broad overview of a method for verifying that a parcel has been successfully delivered. The method comprises obtaining verification data from a recipient of the parcel (step S201 ). That verification data is then checked against registered data that has been prestored in respect of the parcel (step S202). It is then determined whether the parcel has been successfully delivered, based on whether the verification data matches the registered data (step S203).

An advantage of the verification device described above is that it links together a delivery with a recipient in such a way that the successful delivery is difficult to refute. It does not require any changes to work practices or infrastructure of the shipper. The shipping procedure remains essentially unchanged, with delivery personnel just asking for the required verification data rather than a signature.

The verification device will now be described in more detail with respect to a specific implementation in which the verification device is implemented by a small, contactless device that is configured to be physically attached to the parcel. This is for the purpose of example only, and it should be understood that principles and techniques described below are not limited to being used in this specific example but can be incorporated into any implementation of the verification device described above.

Figure 3 illustrates an implementation in which the verification device 303 is attached to the parcel 302 by the dispatcher 301 . In some examples, the verification device may be incorporated in a postage tag. A postage tag may include one or more sensors for tracking a condition of the parcel and feeding back information to the dispatcher. Examples of suitable sensors may include a location sensor, an accelerometer, a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor and a light sensor. The output from these sensors give an indication of the condition of the tag, either because they sense something about the tag's location or its environment or because they can provide information about something that has happened to the tag (e.g. that it has been dropped). The sensor outputs are also indicative of the condition of the parcel and any items it contains.

The tag may also be configured to make postal information available to the postal service that will be delivering the parcel to facilitate delivery of that parcel. Preferably the information is made available in a form that is directly accessible to humans or machines. For example, the tag might include a visual indicator for presenting information visually, such as a light, display, screen or switch, or it might include a speaker for outputting information audibly or a vibrator for outputting information mechanically. Another option is for the information to be made available in machine- accessible form. For example, the tag might include a transmitter or wired port for outputting the information as electronic data, which might then be detected by some type of portable reader such as a scanner.

In a preferred implementation, the display may be configured to display an address or postage payment information, such as a representation of a postage stamp. The display would preferably be robust and relatively low power. An e paper display would be particularly suitable but any type of display may be used. Other interfaces might also be used, including interfaces incorporating raised type for visually impaired users or audio interfaces.

The tag is preferably configured for wireless communication. For example, it may include a communication unit that comprises an antenna, a radio frequency front end and a baseband processor. The baseband processor may comprise a microprocessor and a non-volatile memory. The non-volatile memory may store in non-transitory form program code that is executable by the microprocessor to cause the baseband processor to implement the communication protocol of a wireless network. The protocol may be any suitable wireless protocol, such as GSM, 3G, 4G, WiFi, Bluetooth, Bluetooth LE, Zigbee, ibeacon, NFC etc.

The tag may be configured to broadcast information to the postal services, delivery personnel or other interested parties. This information might include postal information or just general information about the tag or the object the tag is being used to track. Relevant information might include an identity associated with the tag, parcel or other object, the destination of the tag, information detected by sensors in the tag etc. The broadcast information might then be detected by an appropriate radio receiver without having to open the parcel or isolate the parcel from a consignment of many other parcels.

The tag 303 includes a contactless touch pad, which may be an integral part of a display. The recipient 305 is told ahead of delivery that the parcel 302 will only be released to them if they touch it with the correct, pre-designated card. The delivery person 306 has no knowledge of the card that the parcel is expecting. When the parcel arrives at its destination, the recipient touches the location of the touch pad with the pre-designated contactless card 304. This might be a credit card, ID card, mobile phone or other device, or an application running thereon.

When the contactless touch pad records the contact of the card 304, it will verify that the card is the one expected. This may be done locally: the authentication details can be downloaded to the tag 303 ahead of time and checked locally. This increases the speed of the transaction and does not require radio coverage. An alternative/additional strategy is for the tag to contact a central server to have the card details checked against those of the pre-designated card. The central server may also be able to perform or trigger additional processes or workflows, such as:

• Payment: the pre-designated card details could be used to take payment.

Payment could be in respect of goods contained in the parcel and/or delivery charges. The pre-designated card details could also be used to confirm that payment has been successfully received, for situations where the goods should have been paid for already.

• Notification/Alert: stakeholders can be informed once successful delivery has been confirmed or denied. Those stakeholders may include the original dispatcher of the parcel (i.e. the person or entity to whom the parcel and/or its contents originally belonged) and the intended recipient of the parcel. This notification could take the form of a call back/text/instant message alert, an update on a state of an application etc. The intended recipient could be invited to respond to the alert in the event that they wish to confirm receipt or dispute that the parcel has been delivered successfully.

• Address lookup: the location of the parcel at delivery (e.g. as reported by a location sensor in the tag) may be checked against the pre-designated delivery address or against a pre-designated geo-fence that should have been crossed for additional verification that the parcel has been delivered successfully.

In most implementations, these processes are expected to be performed by the central server but they could also be performed fully or partially performed by the tag.

If the card is validated, the tag 303 will issue a notification to this effect so that the delivery person 306 knows that they can hand the parcel over to recipient 305. There are a number of ways in which this notification might be implemented. For example:

• A visual notification: for example, via a display or light visible on the parcel. In some implementations, the visual indication could be machine-readable, e.g. a bar code that can be read by a handheld device of the delivery person and which embodies a release code for the parcel.

• An audio notice: for example, via a beep or buzzer or a voice recording confirming that the parcel can be released.

• An electronic notification: for example, to a handheld device of the delivery person instructing them to release the parcel.

There are a number of benefits that can be ascribed to one or more aspects of the arrangement described above. First, this arrangement creates a hard intersect with the cardholder, location, time and parcel. This makes it difficult for someone to creditably challenge that the parcel was delivered to them or their nominated representative. Second, this arrangement eliminates the delivery person from the verification process. Third, it can provide instant verification to all stakeholders that the parcel has been successfully delivered. Fourth, it can extend the usefulness of the verification device beyond confirming successful delivery. For example, it can link the pre-designated card to the purchase of the goods contained in the parcel. It can be also be used as a means of confirming payment from the recipient.

The description above describes verifying that a parcel has been successfully received. The term "parcel" is used here in a non-limiting sense to refer to any item that is transported by a postal service. The term is not intended to place any restriction on the size or type of that item, which could range from simple letters or postcards to goods delivered on pallets.

The term "postal service" is intended to encompass any company, person or machine engaged in the business of collecting, despatching, transporting and/or delivering items. It encompasses, for example, both domestic post and business-to-business supply chains. The term "postal information" encompasses any data that should facilitate transportation of the tag by a postal service. For example, it may include a postal address and/or postage stamp. The term "postage stamp" is used herein to indicate any data, code, visual representation or otherwise that acts as evidence that a postal service has been paid for, including conventional a stamp, a license key or a freepost tag.

The applicant hereby discloses in isolation each individual feature described herein and any combination of two or more such features, to the extent that such features or combinations are capable of being carried out based on the present specification as a whole in the light of the common general knowledge of a person skilled in the art, irrespective of whether such features or combinations of features solve any problems disclosed herein, and without limitation to the scope of the claims. The applicant indicates that aspects of the present invention may consist of any such individual feature or combination of features. In view of the foregoing description it will be evident to a person skilled in the art that various modifications may be made within the scope of the invention.

Claims

1 . A verification device for verifying that a parcel has been successfully delivered, the verification device being configured to:

obtain verification data from a recipient of the parcel;

check that verification data against registered data that has been prestored in respect of the parcel; and

determine that the parcel has been successfully delivered if the verification data matches the registered data.

2. A verification device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the verification device is configured to store the registered data.

3. A verification device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the registered data is stored by another device, and the verification device is configured to check the verification data against the registered data stored by that other device.

4. A verification device as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the verification device is configured to obtain the verification data from a card presented to the device by the recipient.

5. A verification device as claimed in claim 4, wherein the verification device comprises a card reader that is configured to read the verification data from the card when the card is brought into physical proximity with the card reader.

6. A verification device as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the verification device is configured to obtain biometric data from the recipient as the verification data.

7. A verification device as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the verification device is configured to output an indication that a match has been achieved responsive to the determination that the verification data matches the registered data.

8. A verification device as claimed in claim 7, wherein the verification device comprises a user input device that is configured to output the indication.

9. A verification device as claimed in claim 7 or 8, wherein the verification device comprises a transmitter that is configured to transmit the indication to another device.

10. A verification device as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the verification device is configured to accompany the parcel.

1 1 . A verification device as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the verification device is configured to be attached to the parcel.

12. A verification device as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the verification device is configured to obtain verification data that can be used to levy a charge against the recipient.

13. A verification device as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the verification device comprises a location sensor that is configured to generate location data that can be used to provide additional verification that the parcel has been successfully delivered.

14. A method for verifying that a parcel has been successfully delivered, the method comprising:

obtaining verification data from a recipient of the parcel;

checking that verification data against registered data that has been prestored in respect of the parcel; and

determining that the parcel has been successfully delivered if the verification data matches the registered data.