Patent ID: 6967575

Claim:
A secure pickup and delivery container comprising: a door to allow access to an interior part of the container and comprising a lock; an access element to receive a request to access the interior part of the container; and a control unit comprising a storage element to store access privilege information, the control unit further comprising a processing element, coupled to the access element and to the lock, to unlock the lock if the request is authorized, and otherwise to keep the container locked; wherein the access privilege information comprises information regarding a first token and information regarding a specified frequency of delivery within a given time period; wherein the processing element is to compare the request with the access privilege information to determine whether the request to access the container is authorized; wherein the control unit further comprises an interface over which an integral hand-held recipient user device can communicate access privilege information to the control unit and receive transaction information from the control unit, the interface being selected from the group consisting of a wireline connection to which the recipient user device can be coupled and a wireless transceiver with which the recipient user device can communicate wirelessly; and wherein the transaction information comprises information regarding the identity of a token, including the first token, used to attempt access to the container.