JP4864510B2 - Arrival notification system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an arrival notification system capable of notifying a portable communication device of information on a package received by a delivery box or the like.

In a housing complex such as a condominium, a delivery box system is being used in which a package delivery can be received at any time by temporarily storing the delivery of the package in a delivery box. Examples of such a system include those disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2. As a result, even if the user is absent, the package can be reliably received, the courier company does not need to re-deliver, and the recipient side does not need troublesome measures such as notifying the convenient time. It is a system that matches society.
JP 2001-175555 A JP 2002-017554 A

  In the above-described case, the arrival information can be received as an e-mail, but since it is information management on the home delivery box system side, a detailed service is not provided for the user. For example, it is not assumed that the user obtains arrival information by making various settings without being known to the delivery box or the delivery company side, and thereby obtains new information necessary for the user. .

  The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and the purpose thereof is various, based on this, even when the signal is only a signal indicating whether or not a package is accommodated as information from the delivery box side. It is an object of the present invention to provide a home delivery notification system that can provide information to a user who is a recipient.

The home delivery notification system of the present invention is capable of transmitting an operation control signal and receiving an operation state signal to equipment connected wirelessly or by wire to an in-house network, and via a server connected to a communication network outside the house. When a package is received by a centralized control device configured to be able to provide information to a portable communication device and a delivery box that can accommodate packages such as home delivery, the arrival is shown indicating that the packages are stored in the delivery box A delivery box management device that transmits a signal; and a signal conversion adapter that receives the arrival signal transmitted from the delivery box management device and outputs the signal as an operation state signal to the central control device, and Upon receiving the arrival signal, the control device sends an e-mail notifying that the package has arrived in the delivery box to the previously registered portable communication device. A residence notification that is transmitted to the designated e-mail address of the apparatus via the server, starts a timing operation simultaneously with the reception of the arrival signal, and the time during which the reception state of the arrival signal continues is set in advance When the time is exceeded, an email prompting to receive the package in the delivery box is configured to be transmitted to the designated email address via the server , and further, a mail notifying that the package has arrived in the delivery box A management URL for confirmation of receipt is appended and transmitted, and a confirmation of receipt is determined by receiving a response of confirmation of mail receipt from the portable communication device in the management URL. It has the characteristic (Claim 1).

In addition, the home delivery notification system of the present invention can transmit an operation control signal and receive an operation state signal to equipment connected wirelessly or by wire to an in-house network, and is connected to a communication network outside the house. When a package is received by a centralized control device configured to be able to provide information to a portable communication device via a server and a delivery box that can accommodate packages such as home delivery, the package is stored in the delivery box And a signal conversion adapter that receives the arrival signal transmitted from the delivery box management device and outputs it as an operation state signal to the centralized control device. The centralized control device, when receiving the arrival signal, is registered in advance with a mail notifying that the package has arrived in the delivery box A transmission is made to the designated mail address of the band-type communication device via the server, and the time keeping operation is started simultaneously with the reception of the arrival signal, and the time during which the reception state of the arrival signal is continued is preset. When the retention notification time exceeds the specified mail address, an email urging to receive the parcel in the parcel delivery box is sent to the designated email address, and a plurality of email addresses can be registered and set as the designated email address. The designated e-mail address is registered and set so that the arrival day of the week and the time zone can be registered and set as arrival conditions, and when the arrival signal is received, the reception time of the designated e-mail address corresponding to the arrival condition is The present invention is characterized in that it is configured to transmit mail (claim 2).

The home delivery notification system of the present invention is capable of transmitting an operation control signal and receiving an operation state signal to a facility device connected wirelessly or by wire to an in-house network, and is connected to a communication network outside the house. When a package is received by a centralized control device configured to be able to provide information to a portable communication device via a server and a delivery box that can accommodate packages such as home delivery, the package is stored in the delivery box A delivery box management device that transmits a arrival signal indicating the signal, a signal conversion adapter that receives the arrival signal transmitted from the delivery box management device and outputs it as an operation state signal to the central control device, and a house A device capable of outputting an absence signal indicating a state in which no person is present to the central control device, and the central control device receives the arrival signal, An e-mail notifying that the package has arrived in the delivery box is transmitted to the designated e-mail address of the portable communication device registered in advance via the server, and at the same time as receiving the arrival signal, And when the arrival time of the arrival signal exceeds a preset residence notification time, an email is sent to the designated email address to prompt the server to receive the package in the delivery box. It is characterized in that it is configured to transmit a mail corresponding to the arrival on condition that the absence signal is received .

The arrival notification system according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the central control device appends a management URL (Uniform Resource Locator) for confirmation of receipt to an email notifying that the package has arrived in the delivery box. It is preferable that the reception confirmation is determined when the management URL receives a mail reception confirmation response from the portable communication device .

5. The arrival notification system according to claim 1 or 4, wherein the central control device has a proxy notification e-mail address registered in addition to the pre-registered designated e-mail address, and sends an e-mail to the designated e-mail address. If the management URL does not receive an email receipt confirmation response from the portable communication device even after a predetermined time has elapsed from the time of transmission, an email receipt confirmation response is obtained for the proxy notification email address. It is also possible to configure such that a mail indicating that the request is not received is transmitted via the server .

In addition, in the arrival notification system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, when the arrival signal received from the delivery box management device is not received, the central control device takes out the package in the delivery box. It may be configured to send a mail notifying that it has been sent to the designated mail address via the server .

Since the present invention adopts the above configuration, the following effects can be obtained.
According to the first aspect of the present invention, when the central control device receives the arrival signal from the delivery box management device, the central control device transmits an e-mail to that effect to the user's portable communication device. can do. In addition, when the state in which the package received in the delivery box is not taken out exceeds a preset stay notification time, the central control apparatus transmits an email prompting the user to take out the package from the delivery box. As a result, even if the user accidentally forgets to take out the package, the user can recognize it and take it out from the delivery box, and can prevent the user from forgetting to take it out. .
Then, since the management URL for confirmation of receipt is appended to the mail notifying that the package has arrived in the delivery box, the user who has received the mail accesses the management URL and responds accordingly. The administrator will be able to confirm receipt of emails. This is because, in condominiums with a large number of delivery boxes, etc., the administrator can confirm that an e-mail notifying that the package delivered to each house has arrived. As a result, the delivery box can be managed smoothly.

According to the invention of claim 2 , a plurality of e-mail addresses can be registered as designated e-mail addresses, and at the time of setting the registration of the designated e-mail address, the day and time of arrival can be registered and set as arrival conditions. When a package arrives in the box, a user having a designated e-mail address that meets the conditions set according to the conditions such as the arrival time and day of the week can receive the arrival notification mail. This makes it possible to accurately notify the corresponding user when the time condition for delivering the package is known in advance .

According to the invention of claim 3, in the state where there is no person in the house, for example, the crime prevention mode is set and the absence signal is given to the centralized control device, or the outing mode is manually set and the absence signal is given. When it is made to do so, it becomes possible to carry out the transmission of the mail according to the above arrival. As a result, it is possible to prevent unnecessary mail from being transmitted in a situation where notification by mail is not required, such as when the user is at home .
According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the management URL for confirming receipt is appended to the mail notifying that the parcel has arrived in the delivery box, and the user receiving the mail responds accordingly by using the management URL. The administrator can confirm the receipt of the mail by accessing and responding to. This is because, in condominiums with a large number of delivery boxes, etc., the administrator can confirm that an e-mail notifying that the package delivered to each house has arrived. As a result, the delivery box can be managed smoothly.

According to the invention of claim 5 , in the above case, when the elapsed time from arrival exceeds a predetermined time without obtaining a confirmation response from the user of the designated e-mail address, it is addressed to the proxy notification e-mail address. Since an e-mail is sent to that effect, for example, a user who frequently takes out the package is notified first as a user of the designated e-mail address, and if that user is unable to confirm the response, the next frequency of taking out the package By notifying a high-user as a user of the proxy notification e-mail address, it is possible to notify another person and promptly take out the package from the delivery box.

  In addition, if the user of the designated e-mail address receives the parcel that arrives in the confidential, not the frequency of taking out the parcel, and confirms receipt by responding to the URL, it will be recognized only by you. You can also take out your luggage without your family knowing.

  In addition, if the user of the designated email address lives alone, the designation that does not respond to the email notification by setting a family member who is living as a user of the proxy notification email address It becomes possible to consider the safety of the user of the e-mail address.

According to the invention of claim 6 , when the package is taken out from the delivery box, the arrival signal from the delivery box management device is stopped in the central control device, so that this is notified to the designated email address by email. Become so. Thereby, the user of the designated mail address can recognize that the package has been taken out from the delivery box. This can be confirmed when the user has taken out, for example, when someone asks someone from another family to take out the package. In addition, when there are a plurality of designated e-mail addresses, it can be confirmed that one of the notified e-mails has taken out the package from the delivery box, so that it is possible to recognize that it is no longer necessary for the e-mail to be taken out. Furthermore, in the case where the designated e-mail address is one person, it is possible to determine that the person has been stolen by such a case as being taken out by someone else .

(First embodiment)
Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 1 shows an outline of the entire configuration, and the configuration in the house 1 corresponding to one of the apartment houses such as an apartment, and the facilities provided in the outside part of the house 1 and the common entrance part of the apartment house related thereto. It is the composition. A home gateway 2 as a centralized control device is provided in the house 1, and various network home appliances 3 to 8 are connected to be communicable. The network home appliances 3 to 8 correspond to the equipment in the present invention, and include home equipment in addition to general home appliances used at home. Here, for example, an air conditioner 3, an illumination lamp 4, an IH cooking heater 5, a floor heater 6, a hot water heater 7, a telephone 8, and the like, but also a refrigerator, a washing machine, a microwave oven, a rice cooker, an audio device, a television, a video, etc. Various things such as a deck are applicable.

  These network home appliances 3 to 8 include interfaces 3a to 8a for performing Bluetooth (registered trademark) communication, respectively, and can communicate with each other by forming a piconet via the Bluetooth interface 2a connected to the home gateway 2. It has become a structure. In the state shown in the figure, for example, the air conditioner 3 and the illuminating lamp 4 are representatively one, but since it is generally provided in a plurality of rooms in the house 1, a plurality of them are actually provided. . And when these network household appliances 3-8 receive a control command from the home gateway 2, they are comprised so that the drive control according to the control command may be performed. The home gateway 2 can exchange the operation control signal and the operation state signal with each network home appliance 3 to 8 as described above.

  The home gateway 2 can be connected to a personal computer 9a and a digital television 9b via a LAN interface 2b. The personal computer 9a and the digital television 9b function as operation means. The home gateway 2 is provided so as to be connectable to the Internet 10 via the modem 2c. An ASP (Application Service Provider) server 11 connected to the Internet 10 can be accessed. The ASP server 11 is provided with a database 12 and is configured to store information to be described later corresponding to a large number of houses 1.

  The above-described ASP server 11 is installed by the seller or service provider for the network home appliances 3 to 8 and the like, and provides various services related to the network home appliances 3 to 8 to the user via the Internet 10. Is for. Further, the database 12 is provided with a user information database and a home appliance application database that holds control application software for the network home appliances 3 to 8 as a database.

  Specifically, in the user information database, for example, user information such as a login ID and password to the ASP server 11 and settings of the home gateway 2 such as a network address (MAC address) of the home gateway 2 as information received by user registration. Information and setting information such as network addresses, types, and model names of network home appliances 3 to 8 connected to the home gateway 2 are stored.

  Even if the home appliance application database cannot be operated using the home gateway 2 such as outside the house 1, the network home appliances 3 to 8 in the house 1 are remotely controlled or various information is obtained from the home gateway 2. Control application software that can be used is stored.

  As the portable communication device, for example, a cellular phone 13 is assumed. The control application software described above can be realized by accessing the ASP server 11 from the mobile phone 13 and downloading the control application software. In the above case, the mobile phone network 15 is connected to the Internet 10 via the relay server 14, and the ASP server 11 and the home gateway are connected from the mobile phone 13 via the base station 16, the mobile phone network 15, and the relay server 14. 2 etc. can be accessed.

  Next, the configuration of the home security system installed in the house 1 will be briefly described. An electric lock 18 is provided on the entrance door 17 provided on the outer portion 1 a of the house 1, and is connected to an interphone 19 provided inside the house 1. The intercom 19 is connected to the home gateway 2 through a connector 2d of a contact I / O standard (standard equivalent to JEM-A). The connector 2d has a function as a signal conversion adapter. In addition, a door phone 20 is provided on the outside portion of the entrance door, and is connected to an interphone 19 that functions as a control device of the home security system.

  The connector 2d is an interface for controlling / monitoring residential equipment, and includes two control terminals for inputting a control signal (operation control signal) and an external monitoring signal (operation state signal). Are provided with two monitoring terminals for outputting. Here, the JEM-A standard that the contact I / O standard complies with is a standard specified by the Japan Electrical Manufacturers' Association in 1987 that defines an interface for connecting a room air conditioner to a home automation system. It is a standard that is being applied to water heaters / shutters and electric locks other than air-conditioning equipment.

  In the house 1, the intercom 19 can make a call with the visitor at the entrance and the door phone 20. In addition, the interphone 19 is provided with various sensors 21a to 21c and the like in a window of the house 1 or a place where a person is expected to enter. When an intruder from the outside is detected, the interphone 19 is provided. This can be judged automatically by a control device and can be automatically notified to the security company. In this case, as the sensors 21a to 21c, for example, it corresponds to various security such as a magnet switch installed in a door or a window, a crime prevention sensor such as a human body detection sensor, and a disaster prevention sensor such as a fire sensor or a gas leak sensor. Sensors are provided.

  The interphone 19 is provided with a function for performing communication with the door phone 20 described above, a monitoring function with the sensors 21a to 21c and the like, and in addition, an outing mode for monitoring when going out, etc. The function to cancel is provided. The front portion of the intercom 19 is provided with an operation button 19a for setting and canceling the outing mode, and a display unit 19b for performing various settings and displays. When the intercom 19 is set to the outing mode, the interphone 19 outputs a high level signal to the home gateway 2 until the outing mode is canceled.

  The above-described electric lock 18 can be remotely operated by the interphone 19, and can be manually locked in two types, that is, normal locking and locking that enables setting of an outing mode described later. When 18 is normally locked, the outing mode is not set because there is a possibility that there is a person in the house 1. And when a resident goes out, when there is no one in the house 1, it can be set to enable the outing mode by the operation button 19a of the intercom 19.

  Next, a delivery box 22 provided outside the house 1 and provided in the integrated common entrance 1b of the apartment house will be described. The parcel delivery box 22 is a convenient system that can reliably deliver packages delivered by a parcel delivery company or the like without entering the building even when there is no customer at the delivery destination. Many corresponding boxes are provided.

  The home delivery box 22 corresponds to the equipment in the present invention, and is connected to the collective entrance machine 24 via the control device 23. The home delivery box 22 is configured to output a arrival signal to the control device 23 in a state in which the package is accommodated, and the control device 23 outputs the arrival signal from which box, Which house 1 corresponds is output to the collective entrance machine 24. The collective entrance machine 24 is for managing the entrance to the building, and is connected to the interphone 19 of each house 1. When an alien visits, it connects to the interphone 19 of the corresponding house 1 to connect with the residents. When the package arrives and the arrival signal is inputted, the arrival signal is transmitted to the interphone 19 of the corresponding house 1.

  Next, a basic screen for controlling the network home appliances 3 to 8 using the personal computer 9a and exchanging with the interphone 19 will be described with reference to FIG. The setting for effectively using the information on arrival in the delivery box 22 in the present embodiment can be shifted from this basic screen as a start.

  FIG. 2 shows a home screen 25 for home appliance control which is displayed when the ASP server 11 is accessed via the Internet 10 by the personal computer 9a. In FIG. 1, a “setting” button 26 a for performing various settings and a “help” button 26 b for displaying operation methods, guidance, and the like are arranged in the system area 25 a at the top of the home screen 25. Date information and time information are also displayed.

  Further, the upper half area of the home screen 25 excluding the system area 25a is a user area 25b, in which various functions available to the user are set. In the state shown in the drawing, an “outing” button 27a, a “night” button 27b, and a “back” button 27c are arranged as convenient buttons in the leftmost column. In the right column, a “cooking” button 27d for providing a cooking recipe, a “washing” button 27e for providing information on washing, and management of foods such as food stored in the refrigerator 5 are managed. “Food material management” button 27f is arranged. In the next column, an “air conditioner” button 27g, a “refrigerator” button 27h, and a “lighting” button 27i are displayed as buttons for controlling each network home appliance, and in the next column, information on security is provided. A “crime prevention” button 27j for performing control and a “bath” button 27k for controlling hot water supply for the bath are arranged.

  Furthermore, in the next column, a “arrival” button 27m for notifying arrival, which is a characteristic function in the present embodiment, is arranged. The “arrival” button 27m displays a message “A package has arrived” when a later-described arrival is received, and at the same time, a sign for calling attention so as to make it easier to notice.

  The lower half of the screen 25 is a group area 25c. On the left side is a display unit for displaying news and announcements provided from the ASP server 11 side, and on the right side is connected via the Internet 10. Link information to various possible information providing sites is displayed.

  Next, the operation of the above configuration will be described. Here, the description will focus on operations related to delivery of luggage in the delivery box 22, and general control operations of the network home appliances 3 to 8 in the house 1 will be outlined.

(1) Description of setting processing In this system, the setting for obtaining information on arrival from the delivery box 22 or for effectively delivering the various information related to arrival to the mobile phone 13 is the above-mentioned personal computer. The procedure is performed from the home screen 25 of 9a. Of course, operation control of the network home appliances 3 to 8 can be performed by setting the home screen 25 in the same manner.

  In order to perform this setting process, first, the personal computer 9a operates the “setting” button 26a on the above-described home screen 25 of FIG. 2 (operating with a mouse, a trackpad or a touch panel. This means such an operation.) As a result, the personal computer 9a transmits screen information for authentication processing from the ASP server 11. When the member's registration ID and password are input and an authentication operation is performed, the input information is transmitted to the ASP server 11.

  When the ASP server 11 executes the authentication process and confirms the registered user, the menu screen information is transmitted to the personal computer 9a. When “contact I / O setting” is selected and operated on the menu screen, FIG. A setting screen 28 is displayed. Here, a “device registration” button 28a for registering devices for the two ports 1 and 2 connected to the interphone 19, and “port 1 operation for performing operation settings corresponding to these two ports”. A “set” button 28b and a “port 2 operation setting” button 28c are shown.

  First, when the “device registration” button 28a is operated, a connection device setting / device registration screen 29 as shown in FIG. 4 is displayed. Here, the name, installation location, manufacturer name, model name, etc. of the device to be connected for each port are registered and set. Each setting item may be selected from a list or directly entered. Here, for example, the case where port 1 is set as a water heater is shown, and the designation of the delivery box 22 is registered and set in port 2. When necessary items are entered and the “set” button 29 a is operated, data is transmitted to the ASP server 11 and registered in the database 12. If there is a change in the setting items, it can be rewritten by operating the “change” button 29b of the port to be changed on the connection device setting / device registration screen 29 shown in FIG.

  When the device registration setting is completed, the user can return to the screen 28 shown in FIG. 3 again with the “return” button 29c. Next, when the “port 2 operation setting” button 28c is operated in order to set the operation of the delivery box 22 registered and set, the screen shifts to the “connection device setting / port 2 operation setting” screen 30 shown in FIG. To do. In the setting screen 30, for the delivery box 22 which is a registered connected device, whether or not to notify when a package arrives is set by a “notify when package arrives” button 30a, and a mail address to be notified is set. Can do. If the entered conditions are correct, setting can be performed by operating the “set” button 30b. In this case as well, the set mail address can be changed by operating the “change mail address” button 30c.

  The operation setting screen 30 is provided with an “option” button 30d related to a mail address for performing more detailed settings in addition to the normal settings. When the “option” button 30d is operated, an option setting screen 31 shown in FIG. 6 is displayed. Here, a plurality of mail addresses can be set as notification destinations, and notification conditions such as arrival can be set for each mail address. When notification is required for a plurality of family members, an email address is set for each family member.

  In addition, when there is an e-mail address to be notified even when not living together, the e-mail address can also be set. For example, it is possible to confirm that the package has been delivered by setting it as the e-mail address of the notification destination of the other party who regularly sends the package. It is possible to provide detailed information to a person who has a separate family or who has a relationship to regularly send luggage at work.

  In the notification condition, various modes are described at the bottom of the screen so that various settings can be made. By filling in the symbol of the applicable condition, it is possible to notify the mail that meets the condition to each mail address. As notification conditions, for example, in addition to A “Notification when package arrives”, although not shown, conditions such as B, C, D, etc. for sending an e-mail from the case of re-notification, day of the week or time zone It is also possible to set a user-specific notification condition as a condition for notifying the user only, or as an “original notification condition”. In the case of the “original notification condition”, by operating the “condition setting” button 31a, it is possible to shift to the setting screen and perform setting processing (not shown).

  When various settings are made as described above, the setting data is transmitted from the home gateway 2 to the ASP server 11 and registered in the database 12. Here, the data registered in the database 12 is as shown in FIGS. FIG. 7 is a list of user IDs and names, and FIG. 8 is a list of network home appliances registered in association with user IDs for each user. Here, it can be seen that the delivery box 22 is registered as being installed at the front door in the list of owned devices registered with the user ID “00001”. For convenience, the title “owned device” is used, but the delivery box 22 itself is not an owned device but is included as a target device for providing information.

  FIG. 9 is a list in which UI numbers that are user management numbers for owned devices set for each user ID are associated with each other. When controlling network home appliances, this UI number can be designated to be set as a control target. FIG. 10 is a list of designated e-mail addresses of notification destinations set as described above. These are also associated with each other so that they can be managed by address numbers separately for each user ID. FIG. 11 is a list for setting the wording of the notification mail described later. This is a list in which the wording of the notification mail specified corresponding to the type of the target device can be specified by the notification number.

(2) Schematic explanation of control of network home appliances The network home appliances 3 to 8 can perform various operation settings by operating the setting of the home gateway 2 by the personal computer 9a or the like. The setting registration information is registered in the database 12 of the ASP server 11, whereby the network home appliances 3 to 8 can be driven and controlled by the mobile phone 13 from the outside.

  Also, when the security mode is set with the electric lock 18 when going out, the setting signal is output to the home gateway 2, which causes a monitoring state by the various sensors 21 a to 21 c and the abnormality of the detection state of the sensor occurs. Then, it is possible to take measures such as reporting to the security company or notifying the user's mobile phone 13.

(3) Explanation of operation at the time of arrival Next, the operation when the delivery box 22 arrives will be described.
FIG. 12 is a sequence diagram showing transmission / reception of information between the units constituting the system. When the delivery is delivered to the user who is a resident of the house 1 by a delivery person such as a courier, when the user is at home, he calls the intercom 19 of the house 1 at the entrance door 24 of the entrance. Tell the delivery. When the user permits entry into the building and delivery to the house 1, the entrance can be unlocked and the delivery person can carry the luggage.

  In addition, even if the user is at home, if the customer wants the parcel to be entrusted to the delivery box 22 or if the user is not present and the interphone 19 does not respond, the parcel is stored in the delivery box 22 and the room of the house 1 is stored. A number is entered. Thereby, a arrival signal is transmitted to the intercom 19 of the house 1 through the collective entrance machine 24 by the control apparatus 23 (A1).

  When the interphone 19 receives the arrival signal, it outputs it to the home gateway 2 as a signal of the contact I / O standard. That is, in the state where the parcel is stored in the delivery box 22, the arrival signal is given until the parcel is taken out, so that the arrival signal is held in the ON state for the home gateway 2 (A2). . In response to this, the home gateway 2 processes the access to the ASP server 11 and then notifies that the delivery box 22 has arrived (A3). At this time, the home gateway 2 starts a time measuring operation (A4).

  In response to this, the ASP server 11 creates an arrival mail and transmits it to the designated mail address (A5, A6). Here, the ASP server 11 searches the database 12 for the user ID of the home gateway 2 that has received the signal (see FIG. 7), and the signal obtained for the corresponding user ID corresponds to the delivery box as the UI number. (Refer to FIGS. 8 and 9), it is determined that the signal is an arrival signal, and from this, the designated mail address of the corresponding user is read (see FIG. 10) corresponding to the operation setting content set in the port 2 Since it is the arrival signal, the notification number “1” is designated as the mail message, and the data of the wording is read (see FIG. 11). The ASP server 11 creates a mail addressed to the designated mail address based on the read data and transmits it.

  When the user receives this mail by the mobile phone 13 (A7), a notice of arrival as shown in FIG. 13A is displayed on the display screen, for example. As a result, it is possible to recognize that the package has arrived at the delivery box 22, and when the user is out, the arrival can be recognized at the destination. In this case, even when the user is at home, it is easy to recognize that the package has arrived by receiving the arrival message by e-mail with the mobile phone 13. Further, since the home gateway 2 also transmits such arrival notice to the personal computer 9a, a message as shown in FIG. 14A, for example, can be confirmed on the display of the personal computer 9a.

  Here, as described above, there are a case where there is only one designated mail address and a case where a plurality of designated mail addresses are set. In addition, by setting notification conditions, it is possible to selectively use designated e-mail addresses to be notified in accordance with various conditions, so that it can be applied to the following usage, for example.

(A) The notification conditions for the designated mail address are set with priorities, and when notification of arrival is repeated, the number of notification destinations is increased in the order of priorities.
(B) The notification conditions for the designated e-mail address are set to be different depending on the day of the week or the time of day, and the most appropriate user can be notified according to the day of the week or the time of day when the package arrives.
(C) It can also be set to notify all of the family members all at once.

  As described above, when a plurality of designated e-mail addresses are set, an appropriate designated e-mail address is set by executing a program as shown in FIG. Can do. That is, the home gateway 2 executes this program at the timing of e-mail notification, compares the current time information with the notification conditions, selects a suitable e-mail address (steps P1, P2), and designates the selected e-mail address. This is an e-mail address (step P3).

  After processing the home gateway 2 to send an arrival mail to the mobile phone 13 to the user's designated email address, the arrival signal is sent from the delivery box 22 via the interphone 19 while continuing the timing operation. It waits in a state of waiting for whether to stop (A8, A9).

(4) Explanation of operation at the time of taking out the baggage When the user recognizes that the baggage has arrived while the home gateway 2 is waiting as described above, and the user takes out the baggage from the delivery box 22, The delivery box 22 stops the arrival signal (A10). Similarly, even when placed on the interphone 19, the output of the arrival signal is stopped (A11). The home gateway 2 receives this signal, determines that the arrival signal has been turned off (A8), stops the timing operation (A12), and notifies the ASP server 11 that the package has been taken out. (A13).

  Upon receipt of this notification, the ASP server 11 creates a mail notifying that the package has been removed (A15 through A14), and sends it to the designated mail address (A16). In this case, since the ASP server 11 has received the signal indicating that the arrival signal has been stopped, the notification number “2” shown in FIG. 11 is designated as a mail message, and the data of the wording is read from the database 12. Create an email.

  When the user receives this mail by the mobile phone 13 (A17), a message indicating that the package has been taken out is displayed on the display screen as notification about arrival, for example, as shown in FIG. This makes it possible to recognize that the package has been removed from the delivery box 22. Thereby, it can be confirmed that the package has been taken out by the person or someone in the family. Note that such notification is also displayed on the personal computer 9a in the same manner as described above, and for example, a screen display as shown in FIG. 14B is performed.

  In addition, if the arrival notification is sent to only one user, and the person does not take out the package, this will know that the package has been taken out by someone else. It is possible to know the time information taken out and the like, so that information for knowing the situation can be obtained even in the case of theft.

(5) Explanation of re-notification operation On the other hand, when the home gateway 2 remains in the above-described standby state and does not receive a signal indicating that the arrival signal has been stopped from the delivery box 22, a predetermined notification time such as 24 hours elapses. If this happens (when A9 becomes “YES” during execution of the standby loop of A8 and A9), a re-notification instruction is transmitted to the ASP server 11 to perform the re-notification process of arrival (A18). .

  As a result, the ASP server 11 determines that it is a re-notification (“YES” in A14), designates the notification number “3” shown in FIG. 11 as a mail message, and stores the data of the wording in the database. 12, a re-notification mail is created (A19), and this is sent to the designated mail address (A20).

  When the user receives this e-mail from the mobile phone 13 (A21), the display screen displays, for example, a re-notification of arrival notification as shown in FIG. The As a result, even if the user forgets to take out the package that has arrived at the delivery box 22, the user can recognize it again. Note that such notification is also displayed on the personal computer 9a in the same manner as described above, and for example, a screen display as shown in FIG. 14C is performed.

(6) Explanation of operation when switching to the operation in the crime prevention mode When the user of the designated e-mail address is at home to send an e-mail to the mobile phone 13 for arrival, baggage removal or re-notification as described above However, in the case of being at home, if it is sufficient that it can be recognized by the personal computer 9a, it can be selectively carried out by adding the following processing. .

  FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing the switching operation by the home gateway 2. As described above, when the user goes out, the home gateway 2 sets the crime prevention mode by the lock setting of the electric lock 18, and the signal is transmitted to the home gateway 2 through the intercom 19. Yes. Therefore, when the home gateway 2 receives the signal of the crime prevention mode from the interphone 19 using this signal (step S1), the home gateway 2 executes a process of mail notification to the mobile phone 13 upon arrival (step S2). When the crime prevention mode signal is not received, the above-described mail notification process is not executed.

  As a result, notification by e-mail can be omitted when the user is at home, that is, the owner of the mobile phone 13 having the designated e-mail address. This switching setting may not be adopted when the user thinks that it is not necessary.

According to this embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
First, the arrival information about the package delivered to the delivery box 22 can be received by e-mail so that it can be recognized even when the user is out, and a notification e-mail is also received when the package is taken out. So you can receive your luggage without fail.

  Second, when multiple designated e-mail addresses are set, everyone can be notified by e-mail, so anyone who has received a notice of arrival can take out the package from the delivery box 22 and someone has taken it out Since it can be recognized sometimes, it is possible to provide kind information to the user.

  Thirdly, if the package has not been taken out from the delivery box 22, a re-notification can be received by e-mail after a certain waiting time, so even if the user forgets to remove the package, As a result, the user can be prompted, so that the user can be surely removed.

  Fourthly, since a plurality of designated e-mail addresses can be set and notification conditions can be set for each, it is possible to preferentially send an arrival e-mail to users who need to meet the notification conditions, Alternatively, by setting various notification conditions according to the user's idea, it is possible to effectively transmit information, and it is possible to respond in a detailed manner.

  Fifth, various functions as described above, the home gateway 2 provides various information to the user based on only the presence / absence of the arrival signal received from the delivery box 22 through the interphone 19. It is possible to make detailed settings when taking out the package, and the user can use the personal computer 9a freely to make these settings and use them easily, improving convenience and usability. Improvements can be made.

  Sixth, as an overall effect, the home gateway 2 communicates directly with the outside only by the ASP server 11, and if the security function is reliably implemented in the ASP server 11, it is inadvertent. The above functions can be achieved on the assumption that the home gateway 2 is not accessed from the outside and that a highly reliable operation can be performed. This makes it possible to ensure high reliability in terms of security, unlike a configuration in which an e-mail address is registered in the delivery box itself.

  Seventh, since various information of the house 1 is registered in the database 12 of the ASP server 11, the network home appliance 3 in the house 1 can be accessed by accessing the ASP server 11 from the outside via the mobile phone 13 or the like. It becomes possible to easily perform remote control and status grasping of ~ 8 or acquisition of information related to the delivery box 22 in a high security state.

(Second Embodiment)
17 to FIG. Show a second embodiment of the present invention, and the following description will be focused on differences from the first embodiment. In this embodiment, in addition to the functions of the first embodiment, care for users such as living alone can be improved, and convenience for management associations managing apartment houses can also be improved. It is.

  As shown in FIG. 17, in terms of configuration, a management association terminal device 32 that can be connected to the ASP server 11 via the Internet 10 is provided, and two mobile phones 13a, 13b is used. The management association terminal device 32 is for grasping the usage status of the delivery box 22 managed by the manager of the apartment house. Further, it is assumed that the mobile phone 13a is owned by a user as a resident living alone in the house 1, and the mobile phone 13b is assumed to be owned by a family living separately from the resident.

  Then, by setting in advance, the personal computer 9a proceeds from the operation setting screen 30 of the port 2 to the option setting screen 31 and registers the mail address of the mobile phone 13a as the designated mail address as the notification address. Then, the mail address of the mobile phone 13b is registered as a proxy notification mail address. Although not shown, it is assumed that a designated e-mail address and a proxy notification e-mail address can be set as notification conditions.

  FIG. 18 is obtained by adding a new step in the middle of the sequence of FIG. 12 used in the first embodiment. That is, as in the first embodiment, when the delivery box 22 is received, the home gateway 2 receives the notification (A1, A2), notifies the ASP server 11 of the arrival, and starts the timing operation. (A3, A4). At this time, the ASP server 11 reads out the word corresponding to the notification number from the table describing the message as shown in FIG. 19 as the arrival mail from the database 12 as described above, and uses its own server as the management URL. An arrival mail attached with a URL for designating is created (A5).

  When receiving the arrival mail, the mobile phone 13a displays the arrival mail as shown in FIG. On this screen, the lower part is requested to access the management URL and confirm receipt. On the other hand, on the ASP server 11 side, after the arrival mail is transmitted, the time counting operation is started (A22), and it is in a state of waiting for a mail reception confirmation response (A23, A24). .

  Therefore, if the user who has received this arrival mail accesses this management URL and makes a receipt confirmation response (A25), the ASP server 11 moves to the routine described above when there is a confirmation response ( (Move to A14). In this way, if there is a confirmation response from the user who received the arrival mail, it can be confirmed that the arrival has been received, but if the confirmation response is not obtained after a predetermined time, the next In this way, treatment is performed.

  First, as a period during which the ASP server 11 waits to obtain a confirmation response, for example, a time when about 2 days (48 hours) have elapsed since the start of the time measuring operation (A22) is set as a time limit. When the expiration date is reached, the ASP server 11 notifies the proxy notification mail address that confirmation has not been obtained (A24, S26, A27). In this case, for example, the message of the notification number “4” is read from the database 12 in the table of FIG. The notification destination of the created mail is the proxy notification mail address, that is, the owner of the mobile phone 13b.

  When the mobile phone 13b owned by a separate family receives the arrival mail of this proxy notification (A28), a message as shown in FIG. 20B, for example, is displayed on the display unit. Therefore, if there is a confirmation response from the owner of the mobile phone 13b, the owner of the mobile phone 13b can be prompted to receive the package from the delivery box 22 instead.

  For the manager of an apartment house, the result of such a confirmation response is accessed from the management association terminal device 32 operated by the administrator side to the ASP server 11 and used as the delivery status of the delivery box 22, for example, in the form shown in FIG. It can be grasped, management confirmation can be taken, and the resident's response status can also be checked.

  According to the second embodiment, even when there is no confirmation response to the arrival mail from the user of the designated mail address, the package is notified to a separate family member set as the proxy notification mail address instead. Can be taken out. Thus, the family who has received the proxy notification can quickly take measures such as actually confirming the situation of the family who is the resident of the house 1. Further, the manager of the apartment house can check the correspondence status of the resident by accessing the ASP server 11.

  In this embodiment, when the ASP server 11 does not receive a confirmation response from the designated e-mail address until it expires after the first arrival e-mail is sent, the arrival notice e-mail is sent to the proxy notification e-mail address. As an example of doing so, a re-notification e-mail is sent to the specified e-mail address every a little shorter period before it expires, and if a confirmation response is never obtained, a notification e-mail address is notified You may make it do. As a result, the user of the designated e-mail address can be made aware of the case where the user has forgotten the confirmation response.

(Other embodiments)
The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, but can be modified or expanded as follows.
The number of e-mail addresses to be specified has been described in the case of four, but the number is not limited to four, and an appropriate number can be set.

  Regarding the setting of notification conditions to the specified e-mail address that is the destination of the arrival e-mail etc., in addition to the day of the week and the time zone, according to the size of the box containing the package (from the box number information) It is also possible to change the setting, or to set the priority order so that the priority level is lowered every time the re-notification is repeated.

  Notification messages such as arrival emails, removal completion emails, and re-notification emails are premised on the use or designation of preset messages, but this is not a limitation, and the user may decide the wording as an option. You may make it possible.

  In addition, using such a system, when receiving a package from a specific partner, set the partner as the designated email address and automatically send an email indicating that the package has been received, or By arranging and setting, you can also use it for the purpose of building a smooth relationship with the other party.

Although the mail is created on the ASP server 11 side, the mail may be created on the home gateway 2 side which is a centralized control device.
Various setting items are stored in the database 12 of the ASP server 11, but in addition to this, a memory may be provided inside the home gateway 2 or may be stored as a configuration in which a memory is connected from the outside. .

The network home appliances 3 to 8 can be configured to perform communication by various communication methods such as a wireless LAN, a wired LAN, and an Echonet other than the Bluetooth communication method.
Although the operation control of the network home appliance is performed with the ASP server 11 as the operation subject, the present invention is not limited to this, and the personal computer 9a or the home gateway 2 may be configured as the operation subject.

The block block diagram of the system which shows the 1st Embodiment of this invention Figure showing the display screen of a personal computer The figure which shows the display screen of the setting of connected equipment Figure showing the device registration display screen for the connected device settings The figure which shows the display screen for making the port operation setting of the setting of the connected device Figure showing the display screen for the email address setting options User ID and name data stored in the database User ID stored in the database, owned equipment and installation location data Data indicating the owned device and UI number for each user ID stored in the database Figure showing user ID and registered mail address data The figure which shows the message data of the notification corresponding to the state of the delivery box Sequence diagram showing the operation of each part corresponding to the state of the delivery box Figure showing the arrival notice screen displayed on the mobile phone Figure showing the arrival notice screen displayed on the computer Flowchart of arrival mail notification destination determination routine Email notification setting process flowchart FIG. 1 equivalent diagram showing a second embodiment of the present invention Figure equivalent to FIG. 11 equivalent figure Figure 13 equivalent List showing the status of confirmation response to arrival mail stored in ASP server database

Explanation of symbols

  In the drawing, 2 is a home gateway (centralized control device), 2a is a Bluetooth interface, 2b is a LAN interface, 2c is a modem, 2d is a connector (signal conversion adapter), 3 to 8 are network home appliances (3 is an air conditioner, 4 is Illumination lamps, 5 is an IH cooking heater, 6 is a floor heater, 7 is a hot water heater, 8 is a telephone), 9a is a personal computer, 9b is a digital TV, 10 is the Internet, 11 is an ASP server (server), 12 is a database, 13 Is a mobile phone (portable communication device), 18 is an electric lock, 19 is an interphone, 21a to 21c are sensors, 22 is a delivery box, 23 is a control device (delivery box management device), 24 is a collective entrance, 32 is a management It is a union terminal device.

Claims (6)

It is possible to send operation control signals and receive operation status signals to equipment connected to the in-house network wirelessly or by wire, and send information to the portable communication device via a server connected to a communication network outside the house. A centralized control device configured to provide
A delivery box management device that, when receiving a package in a delivery box capable of accommodating a package such as delivery, sends a arrival signal indicating that the package is contained in the delivery box;
A signal conversion adapter that receives the arrival signal transmitted from the delivery box management device and outputs it as an operation state signal to the central control device;
The central control device is:
When the arrival signal is received, an email notifying that the package has arrived in the delivery box is sent to the designated email address of the portable communication device registered in advance via the server,
At the same time when the arrival signal is received, a time counting operation is started. When the time during which the arrival state of the arrival signal continues exceeds a preset residence notification time, an e-mail prompting to receive the package in the delivery box is received. Send to the designated email address via the server ,
A management URL (Uniform Resource Locator) for confirming receipt is added to an e-mail notifying that the package has arrived in the delivery box, and transmitted.
The arrival notification system is configured to determine the receipt confirmation when the management URL receives a response of the mail receipt confirmation from the portable communication device . It is possible to send operation control signals and receive operation status signals to equipment connected to the in-house network wirelessly or by wire, and send information to the portable communication device via a server connected to a communication network outside the house. A centralized control device configured to provide
A delivery box management device that, when receiving a package in a delivery box capable of accommodating a package such as delivery, sends a arrival signal indicating that the package is contained in the delivery box;
A signal conversion adapter that receives the arrival signal transmitted from the delivery box management device and outputs it as an operation state signal to the central control device;
The central control device is:
When the arrival signal is received, an email notifying that the package has arrived in the delivery box is sent to the designated email address of the portable communication device registered in advance via the server,
At the same time when the arrival signal is received, a time counting operation is started. When the time during which the arrival state of the arrival signal continues exceeds a preset residence notification time, an e-mail prompting to receive the package in the delivery box is received. Send to the designated email address via the server,
A plurality of e-mail addresses can be registered and set as the designated e-mail address, and at the time of registration setting of the designated e-mail address, it is configured to be able to register and set the arrival day of the week and the time zone as arrival conditions.
When receiving the arrival signal, the arrival notification system is configured to transmit the email for a designated email address whose reception time applies to the arrival conditions . It is possible to send operation control signals and receive operation status signals to equipment connected to the in-house network wirelessly or by wire, and send information to the portable communication device via a server connected to a communication network outside the house. A centralized control device configured to provide
A delivery box management device that, when receiving a package in a delivery box capable of accommodating a package such as delivery, sends a arrival signal indicating that the package is contained in the delivery box;
A signal conversion adapter that receives the arrival signal transmitted from the delivery box management device and outputs it as an operation state signal to the centralized control device; and
A device capable of outputting an absence signal indicating a state in which there is no person in the house to the centralized control device,
The central control device is:
When the arrival signal is received, an email notifying that the package has arrived in the delivery box is sent to the designated email address of the portable communication device registered in advance via the server,
At the same time when the arrival signal is received, a time counting operation is started. When the time during which the arrival state of the arrival signal continues exceeds a preset residence notification time, an e-mail prompting to receive the package in the delivery box is received. Send to the designated email address via the server,
An arrival notification system configured to transmit an email corresponding to the arrival on condition that the absence signal is received . In the arrival notification system according to claim 2 or 3,
The central control device is:
A management URL (Uniform Resource Locator) for confirming receipt is added to an e-mail notifying that the package has arrived in the delivery box, and transmitted.
The arrival notification system is configured to determine the receipt confirmation when the management URL receives a response of the mail receipt confirmation from the portable communication device . In the arrival notification system according to claim 1 or 4,
The central control device is:
In addition to the designated email address registered in advance, a proxy notification email address is registered,
If the management URL does not receive a confirmation message for receiving the mail from the portable communication device even after a predetermined time has elapsed since the e-mail was sent to the designated e-mail address, the proxy notification e-mail address is set. An arrival notification system , wherein an email indicating that a response to confirmation of receipt of email cannot be obtained is transmitted via the server . The arrival notification system according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The central control device is:
When the arrival signal received from the delivery box management device is not received, an email notifying that the package in the delivery box has been taken out is sent to the designated email address via the server. The arrival notification system characterized by being made.

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