>In other aspects, a position sensing system 170 is shown in FIGS. 13 and 14. As shown in FIG. 13, the position sensing system 170 includes a printed circuit board (PCB) 172 used as a linear position sensor of the dividers 136. In some aspects, the PCB 172 is flexible and can follow a non-linear path. The position sensing system 170 also includes Hall effect sensors 174 arranged in a linear, multiplexed array. Each divider 136 includes a magnet 176 mounted a distance above the array of Hall effect sensors 174 (such as, for example, between 1 and 5 mm). In some aspects, the magnets 176 may be mounted to the tabs 138 on dividers 136 and are shown somewhat schematically in FIGS. 13 and 14. In some aspects, adjacent dividers 136 have magnets 176 with an opposite polarity. In this aspect, the dividers 136 are arranged with magnets 176 having alternating polarity (N,S,N,S and so on). As the divider 136 moves the magnet 176 along the array of Hall effect sensors 174, sequential Hall effect sensors 174 latch and unlatch, indicating the position of the magnet 176 along the array. Since Hall effect sensors 174 detect not only the position, but also the polarity of a magnet 176, the position sensing system 170 may be used to distinguish between dividers with N or S polarity. In some aspects, a specialized integrated circuit could be fabricated that integrates the Hall effect sensors 174 and measurement electronics in a single package, such as a rigid chip or a flexible tape. As the position sensing system 170 determines the position of a respective divider 136, the position may be stored in memory 124.

The container 100 may be used, in some aspects, according to the method 200 shown in FIG. 15. In use, the container 100 can be used within a larger ecosystem as a “smart” container, as the container 100 communicates with the ecosystem for route planning and delivery purposes of the parcels 102 within container 100. As shown in FIG. 15, the method 200 includes receiving a parcel (such as parcel 102) within the container 100, as shown at block 210. At block 210, the parcel 102 being received within the container 100 may be identified to the container 100, such as with a barcode identifier, QR code, or other identifier. The identifier for the parcel 102 may be received by, and stored in, memory 124. The parcel 102 may be manually placed within container 100 by an operator at block 210, or the parcel 102 may be loaded within container 100 in an automated fashion. As a parcel 102 is received within the container 100, the method continues by positioning the parcel 102 between dividers 136, as shown at block 220. To position the parcel 102 between dividers 136, the parcel 102 may be placed between a divider 136 already in place, such as divider 136D in FIG. 4, and the next stored, unused divider 136 on an end of the container 100, such as divider 136E in FIG. 4. The divider movement mechanism 140 may then be signaled to move divider 136E, to sweep the parcel (such as parcel 102D in FIG. 4) such that it is sandwiched between divider 136D and divider 136E. Once in this position, the method 200 continues by recording the position of the parcel (such as parcel 102D) within the container 100, as shown at block 230. The position of the parcel 102 is determined, in some aspects, by the position sensing system (such as the position sensing system 160 or the position sensing system 170). As shown at block 240, the parcel (such as parcel 102D) is associated with a delivery address. The association of the parcel with a delivery address can be done as the parcel 102 is received within the container 100, prior to the parcel 102 being received within the container 100 or after the parcel 102 is received within the container 100. The method 200 may then loop back to block 210, until all the desired parcels 102 have been loaded into the container 100, or until the container 100 is at capacity. At the desired location, such as at or near the address associated with the parcel, the container 100 selectively exposes the area of the open face (such as the bottom) of frame 104, as shown at block 250. As best seen in FIG. 1, the first panel 106 and the second panel 108 are moved cooperatively (such as moving the terminal end 114 of first panel 106 in line with the divider 136 forming one side of the compartment associated with the desired parcel, and moving the terminal end 114 of the second panel 108 in line with the divider forming the opposite side of the compartment associate with the desired parcel.) The motors 116 selectively move the first panel 106 and the second panel 108 to the positions needed to release the parcel, informed by the position of the dividers 136 sensed by the position sensing system 160 or the position sensing system 170. As shown in FIG. 1, with the gap between the terminal end 114 of the first panel 106 and the terminal end 114 of the second panel 116, the parcel 102 is allowed to exit the container 100 through the open bottom face, such as by gravity. Once the parcel 102 is release from the container, the first panel 106 and the second panel 108 are moved by motors 116 such that the terminal end 114 of the first panel 106 abuts the terminal end 114 of the second panel 108 to effectively close the open bottom face of the frame 104, as shown at block 260. The method 200 then loops back to block 250 until all the parcels 102 have been delivered.

The container 100 is well-suited to any number of use-case environments or scenarios. While some use-case scenarios are discussed below, the following discussion is not intended to in any way be limiting of the number or variety of use-cases for the container 100. FIG. 8 depicts a use-case scenario involving delivery of parcels 102 within container 100 by a UAV, such as a drone 300. Once loaded into the container 100, the parcels 102 may be transported by the drone 300 to a desired location. At the desired location, the desired parcel associated with the location or address is selectively released by the container 100, and the drone 300 can continue to the next location associated with a parcel 102 within the container 100. The drone 300 is not required to travel to the associated addresses or locations in any particular order, and the container 100 can store a variety of sizes of parcels 102, to be delivered in any order.

FIG. 9 depicts a use-case scenario associated with a robotic delivery mechanism 400, where parcels 102 may be released or dispensed from container 100 in any order, and only at the address or location associated with the parcel 102 to be dispensed.

FIG. 10 depicts yet another use-case scenario with the container 100 installed as part of a delivery vehicle 500. In this scenario, the container 100 may be installed on a rack system 502, and can be moved from the rack system 502 at or near the delivery location or address. The delivery vehicle 500 may also have a slide 504 or other delivery system to move a parcel 102 released from the container 100 to a desired location for retrieval by an operator of the delivery vehicle 500.

Throughout this disclosure, several embodiments of the container 100, or components thereof, are described. Some embodiments of different use-case scenarios have also been described. It will be recognized that not all embodiments of the container, or the use-case scenarios for the container, can be described in this disclosure, and therefore, it is intended by the inventors that the various aspects and components described relative to each embodiment or use case scenario of the container are not intended to be limiting, are interchangeable and can be in any combination with any other embodiment.

With regard to various embodiments described in this disclosure, and with reference to the method above, aspects of the present technology may take the form of methods (such as method 200); systems; one or more computer storage media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon that may be executed by one or more processors (such as CPU 122); or any combination thereof.

Referring back now to FIG. 16, an exemplary operating environment for implementing embodiments of the present invention is shown and designated generally as computing device 600. Computing device 600 is but one example of a suitable computing environment and is not intended to suggest any limitation as to the scope of use or functionality of the invention. Neither should the computing device 600 be interpreted as having any dependency or requirement relating to any one or combination of components illustrated.

The invention may be described in the general context of computer code or machine-useable instructions, including computer-executable instructions such as program modules, being executed by a computer or other machine, such as a personal data assistant or other handheld device. Generally, program modules including routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, etc. refer to code that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. The invention may be practiced in a variety of system configurations, including hand-held devices, consumer electronics, general-purpose computers, more specialty computing devices, etc. The invention may also be practiced in distributed computing environments where tasks are performed by remote-processing devices that are linked through a communications network.

With reference to FIG. 16, computing device 600 includes a bus 610 that directly or indirectly couples the following devices: memory 612, one or more processors 614, one or more presentation components 616, input/output ports 618, input/output components 620, and an illustrative power supply 622. In some aspects, some I/O ports may be linked to wired or wireless communications. The logic for when and which parcel 102 to deliver may be taken by the tote 130 or an external computing unit such as a handheld unit or an in-car computer managing several containers 100 simultaneously. Bus 610 represents what may be one or more busses (such as an address bus, data bus, or combination thereof). Although the various blocks of FIG. 16 are shown with lines for the sake of clarity, in reality, delineating various components is not so clear, and metaphorically, the lines would more accurately be grey and fuzzy. For example, one may consider a presentation component such as a display device to be an I/O component. Also, processors have memory. We recognize that such is the nature of the art, and reiterate that the diagram of FIG. 16 is merely illustrative of an exemplary computing device that can be used in connection with one or more embodiments of the present invention. Distinction is not made between such categories as “workstation,” “server,” “laptop,” “hand-held device,” etc., as all are contemplated within the scope of FIG. 16 and reference to “computing device.”

Computing device 600 typically includes a variety of computer-readable media. Computer-readable media can be any available media that can be accessed by computing device 600 and includes both volatile and nonvolatile media, removable and non-removable media. By way of example, and not limitation, computer-readable media may comprise computer storage media and communication media.

Computer storage media include volatile and nonvolatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in any method or technology for storage of information such as computer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules or other data. Computer storage media includes, but is not limited to, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory or other memory technology, Compact Disc Read-Only Memory (CD-ROM), digital versatile disks (DVD) or other optical disk storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium which can be used to store the desired information and which can be accessed by computing device 600. Computer storage media excludes signals per se.

Communication media typically embodies computer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules or other data in a modulated data signal such as a carrier wave or other transport mechanism and includes any information delivery media. The term “modulated data signal” means a signal that has one or more of its characteristics set or changed in such a manner as to encode information in the signal. By way of example, and not limitation, communication media includes wired media such as a wired network or direct-wired connection, and wireless media such as acoustic, radio frequency (RF), infrared and other wireless media. Combinations of any of the above should also be included within the scope of computer-readable media.

Memory 612 includes computer storage media in the form of volatile and/or nonvolatile memory and may include memory 124. The memory may be removable, non-removable, or a combination thereof. Exemplary hardware devices include solid-state memory, hard drives, optical-disc drives, etc. Computing device 600 includes one or more processors that read data from various entities such as memory 612, memory 124 or I/O components 620. Presentation component(s) 616 present data indications to a user or other device. Exemplary presentation components include a display device, speaker, printing component, vibrating component, etc.

I/O ports 618 allow computing device 600 to be logically coupled to other devices including I/O components 620, some of which may be built in. Illustrative components include a microphone, joystick, game pad, satellite dish, scanner, printer, wireless device, etc.

The subject matter of embodiments of the invention is described with specificity herein to meet statutory requirements. However, the description itself is not intended to limit the scope of this patent. Rather, the inventors have contemplated that the claimed subject matter might also be embodied in other ways, to include different steps or combinations of steps similar to the ones described in this document, in conjunction with other present or future technologies. Moreover, although the terms “step” and/or “block” may be used herein to connote different elements of methods employed, the terms should not be interpreted as implying any particular order among or between various steps herein disclosed unless and except when the order of individual steps is explicitly described.