A receiving and pick-up arrangement for postal items with a foldable housing. When the arrangement is not in use, the housing can be folded up to save space. For this purpose, the side walls are foldable, so that the side walls are arranged or stowed between the top wall and the bottom wall in the folded up state. In the folded up state, the arrangement does not have a receiving chamber for receiving postal items. In operation, the housing is unfolded. In the unfolded state of the housing, the postal item can be placed into the receiving chamber then formed between the side walls via the first opening or the second opening and removed again at a later stage. Also, a method for receiving and a method for picking up a postal item with such an arrangement.

A smart box cooler having a computing device is provided. The smart box cooler can obtain authorization data, and determine whether the authorization data authorizes access to a cavity of the smart box cooler. The smart box cooler can activate an electrically operated actuator to control access to the cavity.

A smart box cooler includes a cooler body and a delivery lid coupled to the liner or the cooler body. The delivery lid is adapted to close an opening that extends through the cooler body and the liner into at least one cavity of the cooler body. The smart box cooler can maintain a food safe temperature in the cavity. The cooler body or the delivery lid includes a delivery assembly with a lock mechanism, an electrically operated actuator adapted to prevent the lock mechanism from being unlocked, and a computing device. The computing device can initiate access to the cavity of the cooler body.

A lockbox and parcel management system is implemented in which a lockbox having multiple compartments is controllable via an access device that locks and unlocks respective compartments upon receiving a proper access code input. A user may place an order with an e-commerce service using an e-commerce application or website. The e-commerce service, upon receiving the order, may transmit order information to a lockbox remote service which can communicate with a user device associated with the user who placed the order, the access device for the lockbox, and a deliverer's device from the delivery company. The lockbox remote service or authorized user/owner may set access codes for the deliverer to open and place a parcel in a lockbox's compartment for safe and secure storage until the user arrives home.

In one aspect, a method is provided including receiving, at a server computer, a communication that indicates controllability of an access control device by a client application associated with an e-commerce service. The access control device associated with a property and configured to selectively allow access to the property relative to interaction with the client application. The method further includes determining that the property is constituted by dwellings beyond the access control device and identifying, based on a reconciliation of addresses of the dwellings with information of user accounts of an e-commerce service, at least one of the dwellings associated with the e-commerce service. The method further includes causing relative to the reconciliation an update to at least one of the user accounts associated with the at least one of the dwellings, the update opting-in the at least one of the user accounts to a feature of the e-commerce service.

The present invention discloses a system particularly adapted for refrigerated or heated goods that can keep the goods at a desired temperature until the goods are picked up by the patrons. More precisely, there is disclosed a secured delivery box for storing and providing access to goods therefrom, comprising: a structure defining storage areas to store the goods; doors, wherein each door is controllably movable between a closed position and an open position respectively preventing and providing access to a respective one of the storage areas; locking mechanisms, wherein each locking mechanism is associated to a respective one of the doors, and wherein the locking mechanisms when in a lock state lock the respective door in a closed position preventing access to the respective one of the storage areas; and a processor connected to Internet and to the locking mechanisms, wherein the processor is adapted to signal the locking mechanisms to exit the locked state.

A container for delivering packages comprising a plurality of package storage modules, each module comprising an individually controlled access door on an external wall of the transport, wherein one or more packages are placed in at least some of the plurality of modules at a distribution point, wherein the container is configured to be transported to multiple delivery destinations, and wherein, upon arrival at each delivery destination, the appropriate access door receives a signal to allow access to the package intended for that delivery destination.

A system for delivering packages from a warehouse to end destinations, the system comprising a fleet of containers, each configured to be loaded at the warehouse with packages destined for drop off points at end destinations. A fleet of delivery vehicles are configured to transport the containers from the warehouse to an end destination. At least one delivery robot is carried with each container and the delivery robot is configured to carry at least one package from the container at the end destination to the drop off point.

A vehicle for delivering packages, comprising a tractor comprising a motor, a pair of front wheels, a rear wheel, and a rail between the pair of front wheels and the rear wheel, and a removable container comprising a space for storing packages where a bottom of the container is configured to fit over and mount to the rail.

A fleet for delivering packages comprising a first number of containers, each container comprising at least one compartment for receiving packages at a main distribution center. The container comprises a first attachment member on an outer surface and a second attachment member on an outer surface. The fleet comprises a second number of long-range transports, each long-range transport is configured to carry multiple containers from the main distribution center to an intermediate distribution center, each long-range transport comprising multiple first attachment receivers, whereby the multiple containers are attached to the long-range transports during transport from the main distribution center to the intermediate distribution center. The fleet comprises a third number of short-range tractors, each short-range tractor is configured to carry at least one container from the intermediate distribution center to delivery destinations for the packages in the container, each tractor comprising at least one second attachment receiver, whereby the at least one container is attached to the short-range tractor during transport from the intermediate distribution center to the delivery destinations and back to the intermediate distribution center. The third number is at least twice as large as the second number and wherein the first number is at least twice as large as the third number.