Pneumatic transport delivery control
US9292823B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jun 25, 2014 |
| Grant date | Mar 22, 2016 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jun 25, 2034 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC B)Performing Operations; Transporting
- CPC primaryB65G51/44
- WIPO fieldHandling
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
The presented inventions seek to create a verifiable and closed loop chain-of-custody for a specific transaction in a pneumatic tube transport system while allowing a sender and recipient to perform asynchronous activity. That is, one aspect the presented inventions allows a sender to securely send a carrier to a desired recipient while allowing the desired recipient to receive the secured carrier at a convenient time and/or location without tying up system resources. Another aspect improves the physical barriers between high value payloads and the unintended recipients. This is done in part by introducing randomness into the carrier delivery process such that no member of the general public or facility staff knows the location and/or delivery time of a secured carrier without having access to specific database records indicating the current location and/or delivery status of the secured carrier.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.