Abstract: In some embodiments, systems and methods are provided herein useful to assess or determine available cargo capacity for multiple vehicles associated with crowdsourced delivery agents. In some embodiments, systems are provided to assess delivery vehicles and may include multiple electronic user devices each having a delivery agent interface operating thereon and an association with one or more crowdsourced delivery agents. At least one control circuit is communicatively coupled to the electronic user devices. By one approach, the control circuit may estimate delivery requirements for purchased orders, which includes volume requirements and geometric configurations of purchased orders. The control circuits may evaluate vehicles associated with crowdsourced delivery agents to determine which are suitable for delivery of the purchased order, and present, to the appropriate electronic user devices, an opportunity to deliver at least a portion of the purchased order to a delivery location.

Abstract: In some embodiments, apparatuses and methods are provided herein useful to facilitating the vehicle pick up of orders at shopping facilities. In some embodiments, there is provided a system including: an electronic interface for receiving an order corresponding to a customer and for receiving a time period during which the customer requests to pick up the order; a control circuit configured to: determine the location of the customer; determine a plurality of shopping facilities near the customer's location; determine when the order would be available for pick up; determine the subset of shopping facilities where the order would be available within the time period requested by the customer; transmit the location to the customer; and at least one shopping facility where the order is made available for pick up by the customer during the requested time period.

Abstract: In some embodiments, apparatuses and methods are provided herein useful to facilitating the vehicle pick up of orders at shopping facilities. In some embodiments, there is provided a system including: an electronic interface configured to receive an order corresponding to a customer; a control circuit configured to: determine the location of the customer; determine shopping facilities near the customer's location; determine time intervals when the order will be available for pick up at each of the shopping facilities; transmit a visual representation indicating the time intervals of availability at the shopping facilities; and a shopping facility where the order is made available for pick up by the customer during one of the time intervals.

Abstract: In some embodiments, systems and methods provide distributed item authentication. In some embodiments systems comprise: a housing; a set of sensor systems; a transceiver; and an authentication control circuit configured to: obtain first sensor data of an item being authenticated, obtain an initial identification of the item; access an item authentication block specific to the item; obtain a first set of authentication instructions; control one or more sensor systems in accordance with the first set of authentication instructions; compare multiple current authentication sensor data to the set of multiple historic authentication sensor data; confirm that each of a threshold number of the multiple current authentication sensor data is consistent within a threshold variation of a corresponding one of the set of multiple historic authentication sensor data; and cause the item authentication block to be updated to include the confirmation of authentication of the item.

Abstract: In some embodiments, apparatuses and methods are provided herein useful to facilitating the vehicle pick up of orders at shopping facilities. In some embodiments, there is provided a system including: an electronic interface for receiving an order corresponding to a customer and for receiving a time period during which the customer requests to pick up the order; a control circuit configured to: determine the location of the customer; determine a plurality of shopping facilities near the customer's location; determine when the order would be available for pick up; determine the subset of shopping facilities where the order would be available within the time period requested by the customer; transmit the location to the customer; and at least one shopping facility where the order is made available for pick up by the customer during the requested time period.

Abstract: In some embodiments, systems and methods are provided herein useful to assess or determine available cargo capacity for multiple commercial product delivery vehicles (“delivery vehicles”). In some embodiments, systems are provided to assess delivery vehicles and may include multiple electronic user devices each having a delivery agent interface operating thereon and an association with one or more delivery agents. At least one control circuit is communicatively coupled to the electronic user devices. By one approach, the control circuit may estimate delivery requirements for purchased orders, which includes volume requirements and geometric configurations of purchased orders.

Abstract: In some embodiments, systems and methods provide distributed item authentication. In some embodiments systems comprise: a housing; a set of sensor systems; a transceiver; and an authentication control circuit configured to: obtain first sensor data of an item being authenticated, obtain an initial identification of the item; access an item authentication block specific to the item; obtain a first set of authentication instructions; control one or more sensor systems in accordance with the first set of authentication instructions; compare multiple current authentication sensor data to the set of multiple historic authentication sensor data; confirm that each of a threshold number of the multiple current authentication sensor data is consistent within a threshold variation of a corresponding one of the set of multiple historic authentication sensor data; and cause the item authentication block to be updated to include the confirmation of authentication of the item.

Abstract: In some embodiments, methods and systems are provided that provide for facilitating delivery, via autonomous ground vehicles, of products ordered by customers of a retailer to customer-specified restricted areas accessible by an entryway openable via an access code.

Abstract: In some embodiments, apparatuses and methods are provided herein useful to creating a crowdsourced delivery plan. In some embodiments, a system for creating a crowdsourced delivery plan for a package comprises a certification system configured to receive, from a retailer, an indication of items included in the package, determine, based on the indication of items included in the package, a set of requirements, and transmit, to a plurality of portable devices, information regarding the delivery, each of the plurality of portable devices configured to receive, from the certification system, the information regarding the delivery, transmit, to the certification system, an acceptance of the delivery, wherein only ones of the plurality of portable devices associated with delivery agents meeting the set of requirements is capable of acceptance of the delivery, receive, in response to the transmission of the acceptance, an authorization, and present, at a pickup point, the authorization.

Abstract: In some embodiments, methods and systems are provided that provide for facilitating delivery, via autonomous ground vehicles, of products ordered by customers of a retailer to customer-specified restricted areas accessible by an entryway openable via an access code.

Abstract: In some embodiments, systems and methods provide distributed item authentication. In some embodiments systems comprise: a housing; a set of sensor systems; a transceiver; and an authentication control circuit configured to: obtain first sensor data of an item being authenticated, obtain an initial identification of the item; access an item authentication block specific to the item; obtain a first set of authentication instructions; control one or more sensor systems in accordance with the first set of authentication instructions; compare multiple current authentication sensor data to the set of multiple historic authentication sensor data; confirm that each of a threshold number of the multiple current authentication sensor data is consistent within a threshold variation of a corresponding one of the set of multiple historic authentication sensor data; and cause the item authentication block to be updated to include the confirmation of authentication of the item.

Abstract: A method for tracking an item in a distributed environment is provided. At least one node in a network adds a new block to a first cryptographically verifiable ledger represented by a first sequence of blocks that is stored in one or more non-transitory computer-readable media. The new block added to the first cryptographically verifiable ledger contains a component identifier and a hash of a previous block in the first sequence of blocks. The at least one node in the network adds a new block to a second cryptographically verifiable ledger represented by a second sequence of blocks that is stored in the one or more non-transitory computer-readable media. The new block added to the second cryptographically verifiable ledger contains a destination identifier, the first sequence of blocks, and a hash of a previous block in the second sequence of blocks.

Abstract: In some embodiments, apparatuses and methods are provided herein useful to creating a crowdsourced delivery plan. In some embodiments, a system for creating a crowdsourced delivery plan for a package comprises a certification system configured to receive, from a retailer, an indication of items included in the package, determine, based on the indication of items included in the package, a set of requirements, and transmit, to a plurality of portable devices, information regarding the delivery, each of the plurality of portable devices configured to receive, from the certification system, the information regarding the delivery, transmit, to the certification system, an acceptance of the delivery, wherein only ones of the plurality of portable devices associated with delivery agents meeting the set of requirements is capable of acceptance of the delivery, receive, in response to the transmission of the acceptance, an authorization, and present, at a pickup point, the authorization.

Abstract: In some embodiments, methods and systems are provided that provide for facilitating delivery, via autonomous ground vehicles, of products ordered by customers of a retailer to customer-specified restricted areas accessible by an entryway openable via an access code.

Abstract: A method for tracking an item in a distributed environment is provided. At least one node in a network adds a new block to a first cryptographically verifiable ledger represented by a first sequence of blocks that is stored in one or more non-transitory computer-readable media. The new block added to the first cryptographically verifiable ledger contains a component identifier and a hash of a previous block in the first sequence of blocks. The at least one node in the network adds a new block to a second cryptographically verifiable ledger represented by a second sequence of blocks that is stored in the one or more non-transitory computer-readable media. The new block added to the second cryptographically verifiable ledger contains a destination identifier, the first sequence of blocks, and a hash of a previous block in the second sequence of blocks.

Abstract: An autonomous storage and retrieval tower with dynamic resizing of available space is discussed.

Abstract: Described in detail herein is an autonomous object storage and retrieval system. In one embodiment, an object storage and retrieval system includes a computing system hosting a service application and in communication with a database and storage and retrieval apparatuses configured to store and dispense physical objects. Each storage and retrieval apparatus is in communication with the computing system. The computing system can transmit instructions to a first one of the storage and retrieval apparatuses to render the status of the first physical object on the interactive display of the storage and retrieval apparatus.

Abstract: Systems and methods for recording codes in a distributed environment are provided. A first node receives data including at least one code from a code generation computing device via a network. The first node adds a first new block to a first cryptographically verifiable encrypted ledger, the first block containing the at least one code. The first node adds a second new block to a second cryptographically verifiable, the second block containing the at least one code. The first node or a second node retrieves the at least one code from the second cryptographically verifiable unencrypted ledger. The first node or the second node analyzes the at least one code pursuant to a set of rules.

Abstract: In some embodiments, apparatuses and methods are provided herein useful to receiving retail products. In some embodiments, there is provided a system for receiving retail products including a storage container. The storage container includes one or more chambers; one or more sensors including at least a radio frequency sensor; a locking assembly; and a storage container control circuit configured to provide an unlock signal based on a first trigger signal associated with at least one of the one or more sensors and a second trigger signal associated with an electronic control device to enable access to the one or more chambers.

Abstract: In some embodiments, apparatuses and methods are provided herein useful to receiving retail products. In some embodiments, there is provided a system for receiving retail products including: a temperature controlled storage container and comprising: one or more chambers having corresponding chamber temperatures that are each individually maintained and adjustable based on a particular temperature assigned by a server to each of the one or more chambers; one or more temperature sensors; a locking system; and a storage container control circuit configured to: receive the particular temperature; and maintain each one of the corresponding chamber temperatures.