Systems and methods for securely delivering, transferring ownership, storing, accessing and receiving or returning an item from another are disclosed herein. In one embodiment, a system and method are provided to securely receive a variety of different sizes and types of packages at one or more locations, including but not limited to on or adjacent a recipient's property. In another embodiment, the system and method allow a user to receive, store and/or return an item without exposing the item to loss, damage, spoilage or other events that would impair the value of the items. Methods of utilizing the systems described herein are also disclosed.

A cubby unit includes a unit housing, a plurality of cubbies disposed within the unit housing, and an interface positioned along the unit housing. Each of the plurality of cubbies includes a cubby housing defining an internal compartment and a door coupled to the cubby housing. The door facilitates accessing the internal compartment of the cubby housing. The interface provides a cubby selection interface that facilitates manual assignment of a respective cubby to a respective order by an employee.

An apparatus for physical correspondence recognition and processing in a postal system is described, comprising a housing comprising an opening for receiving physical correspondence, the physical correspondence including a readable element including textual information, and a secure enclosure for storing the physical correspondence, a visual processing and digitizing component, for processing the physical correspondence and the at least one readable element, dimension and weighing component for determining dimensions and weight of the physical correspondence, and a communication component coupled to the housing, for transmitting and receiving recognition and processing information related to the physical correspondence and readable element.

A method having the steps of obtaining temporal information communicated to a first device; carrying out one or more of the following tests: a test to determine whether the first device is in a state following an initial operation, a battery replacement or other power outage, or a reset, a test to determine whether a deviation between temporal information of the clock and the communicated temporal information is less than or equal to a threshold which is specified, and a test to determine whether the communicated temporal information has the same date as the temporal information of the clock; and synchronizing the clock using the communicated temporal information if all of one or more defined conditions are satisfied, wherein one of the one or more conditions requires that at least one of the one or more tests carried out has a positive result.

In one embodiment, a controller determines a particular compartment of a smart postal box in which a package is to be delivered. The controller associates the particular compartment with an authorized entity. The controller provides the authorized entity access to the particular compartment by aligning rolling doors of the smart postal box with the particular compartment.

A package receiving container, including a main body to store at least one item therein, a lid assembly movably disposed on at least a portion of the main body to prevent access within the main body while closed and facilitate access within the main body while opened, a lock disposed on at least a portion of the lid assembly to prevent the lid assembly from opening in response to being locked; and a control unit disposed within at least a portion of the main body to monitor for receipt of the at least one item within the main body and sending a signal to an external device that the at least one item has been delivered in response to the main body receiving the at least one item.

A system for delivering an article from a first location to a second location with a robot having a closeable transport container for housing the article during transport. A closeable recipient container is provided at the second location for receiving the article. At least one computer configured to navigate the robot over an outdoor transportation network between locations is provided. The robot has a robot article transport mechanism controlled by the at least one computer for removing the article from the transport container and the recipient container has a recipient article transport mechanism for moving the article inside the recipient container.

The secure package delivery receptacle with bar code is a container. The secure package delivery receptacle with bar code comprises a receiving box and a control circuit. The control circuit is contained in the receiving box. The receiving box is a hollow structure. The receiving box is configured for use with one or more packages. The receiving box securely receives and stores the one or more packages. The control circuit controls access into the hollow interior of the receiving box. The control circuit scans a bar code found on the one or more packages. The control circuit confirms that the scanned bar code is expected with an appropriate authority. Once the expected receipt is confirmed, the control circuit allows access into the receiving box for the delivery of one or more packages.

An apparatus and system for receiving parcels from a drone is provided. The apparatus comprises: a storage compartment having a housing defining an aperture for receiving a drone and a parcel. A barrier is mounted to a track, the track mounted on an uppermost portion of the housing. The barrier is configured to move to a first barrier position for closing the aperture restricting access to an interior of the storage compartment, and to a second barrier position for opening the aperture to provide access to the interior of the storage compartment. A landing platform is defined by the housing, the landing platform configured to move to a first platform position proximate to the aperture or to a second platform position away from the aperture. An actuator is provided to move the landing platform to the first platform position or the second platform position.

A containment unit that facilitates delivery of parcels using drones is provided. An example containment unit comprises an inner housing unit and an outer housing unit. The inner housing unit includes a first and second sidewall that are connected by an end piece and have a bottom opening in between. The inner housing unit is movable from a retracted position over a floor of the containment unit to an extended position, where a portion of the opening is extended beyond the floor. A parcel may be inserted into a volume of space within the inner housing unit from below through the opening and pulled into the containment unit by the end piece when the inner housing unit is retracted. The containment unit can be used as part of a drone delivery system that can also include an elevated delivery platform, a computer application, or any combination of these aspects.