US 2,015,186,840 · Filed 2014-12-23
The Smart Locker Patent That Powers Package Pickup Everywhere
Imagine a wall of secure boxes at your apartment lobby or local store where delivery drivers can drop off your packages 24/7, and you grab them whenever you want using a code or app. This patent covers the whole system—the electronic locks, the computer controlling access, and the software tracking who sent what and when.
The plain-English version
What it protects
The claim covers an automated locker system with multiple compartments of different sizes, each with an electronically controlled door latch. What's protected here is the combination of: individual secure compartments, electronic locks that release on command, an input/output interface (like a touchscreen or app), and a central computer that manages access permissions and tracks parcel information for delivery drivers and recipients.
Why it matters
Smart lockers have become essential infrastructure for the e-commerce boom—solving the problem of failed deliveries, package theft, and inconvenient re-delivery attempts. By patenting this integrated system (lockers plus software plus electronic control), the inventor secured a foundational technology that major retailers, apartment complexes, and logistics companies now rely on for contactless, 24/7 parcel pickup.
Real-world use
When you receive a text saying your Amazon package is at the lobby locker and you scan a QR code to pop it open, you're using the exact system this patent describes.
Original USPTO abstract
Exemplary Electronic Smart Locker compartments may be used for the ease, convenience, and security of delivering and retrieving parcels. Each locker station may include a set of individual lockers of various sizes, each with an electronic controlled release operated door latch. Each locker station has an input/output device(s) that is electronically connected to an internal computer. The input/output device(s) permits control of the smart locker system to deliver and retrieve parcels. The computer and software are used to store, retrieve and manipulate delivery courier and parcel recipient pertinent information and parcel delivery tracking information.
Patent details
- Publication number
- US 2,015,186,840
- Filing date
- 2014-12-23
- Grant date
- Application — not yet granted
- Assignee
- Lori TORRES / Brian SUGGS
- Inventor(s)
- TORRES LORI, SUGGS BRIAN
- CPC class
- G06Q10/0836
Want to file your own patent?
If you're designing any kind of secure, automated storage or access system, check whether similar patents already cover your concept before you invest in tooling and testing.
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