Methods and apparatus for facilitating transport of items between a store and a customer via a customer access portal
US12333915B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Dec 12, 2021 |
| Grant date | Jun 17, 2025 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Dec 12, 2041 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG07F9/009
- WIPO fieldControl
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A customer access system includes one or more customer access portals to dispense ordered items to customers and/or receive returned items from customers. A tote transfer system transports one or more totes to carry the ordered items and the returned items to and from the customer access portals. The customer access system may also include a storage structure to temporarily store one or more totes to provide a buffer to reduce or mitigate customer wait times at the customer access portal and/or to more efficiently disposition items by consolidating returned items. The storage structure may further allow “asynchronous dispositioning” of returned items where the retrieval of a returned item from the customer and the dispositioning of the returned item occurs at different times. In some implementations, the customer access portal includes one or more drawers to exchange of items with a customer in a safe and efficient manner.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.