Abstract:
Described is a method and system for providing a verified delivery of a package. First, registration information is obtained from a recipient; the registration information includes a biometric identification of the recipient. A delivery service obtains the package from a sender which is addressed to the recipient and forwards the package to the recipient. At the point of delivery, the delivery service obtains a further biometric identification from the recipient using a portable device which includes a biometric reader. The delivery service releases the package to the recipient only if the biometric identification is substantially identical to the further biometric identification.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention relates to a system and method for verification of a recipient&#39;s identity by a delivery service (e.g., United States Postal Service [USPS], United Parcel Service [UPS], Federal Express [FedEx], etc.) by using an individual&#39;s biometric identifiers (e.g., fingerprint, voice, retina, etc.) 
   BACKGROUND 
   Delivery services have been requiring for many decades recipients to sign for packages or parcels in order to insure that the intended person received the shipment. With the advent of new technology, the pen-and-paper method of recording the recipient&#39;s identity has become obsolete. Presently, many of the delivery services record the signature electronically and store that signature in a central database which may be accessed later by the sender (e.g., through a website) for verification purposes. However, this system of verification still relies on capturing only the signature of the recipient and does not verify his identity in any other way. 
   There are a number of problems that arise when such conventional systems are utilized in secure deliveries. For example, the secure deliveries may be packages that contain precious (e.g., gems, bonds, secure documents, etc.) or dangerous items (e.g., chemical and biological agents) which are directed to a very specific recipient (e.g., “diamond district” of New York City, brokerage houses, law firms, laboratories, etc.). The mere recording of the recipient&#39;s signature may be insufficient in these situations because it cannot verify if the intended recipient in fact received the package. Sometimes the recipient may have a designated representative who is authorized to receive and sign for the packages. However, when the authorized representative is absent another individual may simply sign for the authorized representative, and thus gaining the access to the contents of the package. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention relates to a method and system for providing a verified delivery of a package. First, registration information is obtained from a recipient; the registration information includes a biometric identification of the recipient. A delivery service obtains the package from a sender which is addressed to the recipient and forwards the package to the recipient. 
   At the point of delivery, the delivery service obtains a further biometric identification from the recipient using a portable device which includes a biometric reader. The delivery service releases the package to the recipient only if the biometric identification is substantially identical to the further biometric identification. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute part of the specification, illustrate several embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain examples of the present invention. In the drawings: 
       FIG. 1   a  shows an exemplary system for providing a verified delivery of a package according to the present invention; 
       FIG. 1   b  shows an exemplary system for providing a verified delivery of a package according to the present invention; 
       FIG. 2  shows a schematic diagram of an exemplary embodiment of an identification card according to the present invention; 
       FIG. 3  shows a schematic diagram of an exemplary embodiment of a scanning device according to the present invention; 
       FIG. 4  shows a flow chart illustrating an exemplary embodiment of a method for the recipient to register with the delivery service according to the present invention; 
       FIG. 5  shows a flow chart illustrating an exemplary embodiment of a method for verifying the recipient&#39;s identity using the identification card according to the present invention; and 
       FIG. 6  shows a flow chart illustrating an exemplary embodiment of a method for verifying the recipient&#39;s identity according to the present invention. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
   The present invention is directed at a system and method for a biometric verification of a recipient&#39;s identity upon delivery of the shipment by a delivery service. 
     FIG. 1   a  shows an exemplary flow of a package from a sender  2  to a recipient  6  using a delivery service  4 . The sender  2  may be a particular entity that needs to ship, e.g., precious or dangerous merchandise. First, the sender  2  prepares the merchandise for shipment by placing it in a package and attaching a special label. The label may notify the delivery service  4  that the package must only be delivered to the designated recipient  6 . In addition, the sender  2  may specify which representatives of the recipient  6  are authorized to receive the package. The information pertaining to the authorized representatives is stored by the delivery service  4  in a database  5 . The database  5  may be used by the delivery service  4  to store the biometric identifiers of the authorized representatives of the recipient  6 . 
   The sender  2  then forwards the package to the delivery service  4  (e.g., the sender  2  either drops off the package at a specified location or the delivery service  4  picks up the package directly from the sender  2 ). The sender  2  may also insure the contents of the package or request a return receipt in order to confirm the delivery, e.g., using certified mail, electronic delivery confirmation. 
   The delivery service  4  may be any local, nationwide or worldwide parcel or mail services (e.g., UPS, USPS, etc.). The delivery service  4  is notified (e.g., via the special packaging or the label) that the package may be delivered only to the authorized representatives. Upon obtaining the package from the sender  2 , the delivery service  4  inputs the identities of the authorized representatives into the database  5 . The package then travels through the distribution network of the delivery service  4  to a local branch office near which the recipient  6  is located. Once the package reached the recipient&#39;s  6  local branch office, the delivery service  4  will attempt to deliver the package. 
   As mentioned above, the recipient  6  may be any entity that regularly receives packages that contain precious or dangerous items. The recipient  6  may designate representatives who are authorized to receive the packages. The authorized representative are registered with the delivery service  4 . In particular, biometric identification data of the authorized representative is obtained and stored in the database  5 . Based on such data, a card  20  shown in  FIG. 2  may be obtained. Upon registering the authorized representatives, the recipient  6  is ready to receive the packages using the system of biometric verification according to the present invention. 
   During delivery of the package, the delivery service  4  may obtain the signature of the authorized representative and the corresponding biometric identifier for the verification purposes using a scanning device  30  (shown in  FIG. 3 ) and the card  20 . This process is shown in  FIG. 5  and is described in more detail below. The identity of the authorized representative is verified by comparing the biometric identifier obtained using the scanning device  30  to the biometric identifier stored in the database  5 . If the biometric identifiers match then the delivery service  4  may release the package into possession of the authorized representative. 
   The exemplary card  20  which contains data on individual authorized representative may be issued by the delivery service  4 . This exemplary process is shown in  FIG. 4  and is described in more detail below. The card  20  may serve as an additional layer of security, since the authorized representative has to show the card to the delivery service  4  in order to obtain the package. 
   The card  20  may consist of the authorized representative&#39;s photograph  22 , a biometric identifier  24 , identification information  26  (e.g., name, address, company, etc.), and a barcode  28 . The barcode  28  may be a two-dimensional barcode which stores the above-identified information. The biometric identifier in this embodiment is a fingerprint  24 . The present invention may also utilize any other biometric identifier such as, a retina scan, a voice recording, DNA, etc. Such biometric identifiers are more complex than a fingerprint and, as the result, they may require additional digital storage space than a fingerprint identifier. Therefore, a system which utilizes fingerprints as the biometric identifier may be easier to implement and it may be more cost-efficient. The biometric data and other information may also be stored on a computer chip which may be embedded into the card  20  and may be read by the scanning device  30 . 
   The components of the card  20  may be located anywhere on the card  20 . The photograph  22 , the fingerprint  24 , and the information  26  appearing on the card  20  are supplied by the recipient  6  and may be independently verified by the delivery service  4  prior to the issuance of the card  20 . The barcode  28  allows the delivery service  4  to communicate with the card  20  and to extract the corresponding information. 
     FIG. 3  shows the scanning device  30  which may include a display screen  32 , a pointer pad  34 , an input device (e.g., a keyboard  36 ), a barcode scanner  37  and a biometric scanner (e.g., a fingerprint reader  38 ). The scanning device  30  is used by the delivery service  4  during the delivery of the package to verify the identity of the authorized representatives and to record the delivery transaction. The device  30  may have a direct access (e.g., a wireless access) to the database  5  which allows it to extract necessary information from the database  5 . In an alternative exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the necessary information may be downloaded to the scanning device  30  before the delivery attempt of the package to the recipient is made. 
   To verify the receipt of the package, the device  30  captures the authorized representative&#39;s signature using the pad  34 . The device  30  scans the barcode  28  located on the card  20  using the scanner  37  to obtain the biometric identifier. Then, the device  30  reads the fingerprint  24  of the authorized representative using the reader  38 . Subsequently, the device  30  compares the data obtained from the card  20  and the reader  38  to the biometric identifier stored in the database  5 . 
     FIG. 4  shows an exemplary method for registering the authorized representative with the delivery service  4 . In step  42 , the recipient  6  provides the delivery service  4  with the authorized representative&#39;s photograph  22 , the fingerprint  24 , and the information  26 . The delivery service  4  may independently verify that this data is correct by performing a background check. The delivery service  4  may also verify the photograph  22  and the fingerprint  24  when the authorized representative receives the card  20 . 
   In step  44 , the data (e.g., the fingerprint  24 , the information  26 , etc.) collected by the delivery service  4  is stored in the database  5 . By storing the data in the database  5 , the delivery service  4  may prevent unauthorized individuals from abusing the system (e.g., attempting to register as a recipient&#39;s representative  6 ). The delivery service  4  may be able to prevent fraud by, e.g., removing entries of those individuals who lost their card  20  or who are no longer employed by the recipient  6 . 
   In step  46 , the delivery service  4  generates the card  20  and issues the card  20  to the recipient  6 . The card  20  may be delivered to the recipient  6 . The authorized representatives may have to personally pick up the card  20 . After the step  46 , the recipient  6  is ready to receive secured packages. 
     FIG. 5  shows an exemplary method for verifying the identity of the recipient  6  or its authorized representative. In step  52 , the authorized representative presents the card  20  to an employee of the delivery service  4  (“EDS”). After verifying that the card  20  belongs to the authorized representative (e.g., by verifying the photograph  22 ), the EDS scans the barcode  28  using the scanner  37 . The device  30  obtains data about the authorized representative from the card  20  and uses that data to communicate with the database  5 . The device  30  contacts the database  5  to determine first, if the cardholder is in fact the authorized representative of the eligible recipients  6 . If the cardholder is authorized to receive the package, then the device  30  communicates with the database  5  to obtain the corresponding biometric identifier. 
   In step  54 , the delivery service  4  scans the fingerprint of the cardholder using the reader  38 . In step  56 , the device  30  compares the fingerprint  24  obtained using the reader  38  in step  54  to the fingerprint  24  obtained from the database  5  in step  52 . If the two fingerprints match, then the cardholder is an authorized representative who may receive the package. 
     FIG. 6  shows an exemplary method for verifying the identity of the recipient  6  without using the card  20 . In step  62 , the delivery service  4  reads the fingerprint  24  of an intended representative using the reader  38  in a substantially similar manner as described in step  54 . In step  64 , the device  30  contacts the database  5  to determine if the intended representative is one of the authorized representatives of the recipients  6 . If the intended representative is the authorized representative who may receive the package, then the device  30  searches the database  5  for a corresponding biometric identifier. To expedite the search, an additional information about the intended representation may be utilized (e.g., a name, a social security number, etc.). In step  66 , the device  30  compares the fingerprint obtained in step  64  to the fingerprint  24  obtained from the database  5  in step  62 . If the fingerprints match, then the intended representative is authorized to receive the package. 
   One of the advantages of this exemplary method is that the authorized representative does not have to carry the card  20 , and thus, the registration process with the delivery service  4  may be significantly shorter. In addition, there is no risk of the card  20  being used by an unauthorized person. One of the advantages of the method which utilized the card  20  is that while it requires a longer registration period it provides an additional layer of security. In particular, the authorized representative has to show the card  20  prior to any subsequent steps of the verification procedure. 
   Another advantage of the present invention is that it provides additional security to the delivery services  4 . Presently, the package delivery system is incapable of verifying that a person who received the package was in fact the authorized representative of the recipient  6 . 
     FIG. 1   b  shows an alternative system for providing a verified delivery of a package according to the present invention. In particular, this exemplary system has no database  5 . Instead, the biometric data of the recipient  2  is stored only on the card  20 . The card  20  may have a plurality of security features to prevent any alterations. For example, the data stored on the card  20  may be encrypted using a public-private encryption system (e.g., PGP). In addition, the access to the data stored on the card  20  may be password-protected. Once the card  20  is generated, it is transferred into the possession of the recipient  2 . 
   When the package is delivered by the delivery service  4  to the recipient  2 , the biometric data is obtained from the recipient  2  using the device  30 . Then, the biometric data is obtained from the card  20 , e.g., by scanning the barcode. In addition, the device  30  checks if the data stored on the card  20  was alerted in any way using predetermined security features. Furthermore, in the alternative exemplary embodiment, the agent of the delivery server  4  and/or the recipient  2  must enter corresponding passwords/keys in order for the device  30  to access and/or decrypt the biometric data stored on the card  20 . 
   The biometric data obtained directly from the recipient  2  and the card  20  are compared. If the data are substantially similar, the package is released to the recipient  2 . Once this transaction is completed, the device  30  may retain only a record of the completed transaction and the biometric data is erased from the device  30 . The record of the completed transaction may be utilized for an electronic delivery confirmation. 
   One of the advantages of this alternatively exemplary embodiment is absence of the database  5 . This allows to simplify the verification process since there is no need of additional efforts/resources for collection, storage and access to the data. In addition, there are no privacy concerns with regard to this data. 
   It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the structure and the methodology of the present invention, without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Thus, it is intended that the present invention cover the modifications and variations of this invention provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.