Technical Field

An access controlled cabinet, an access controlled cabinet delivery system and method are disclosed. The cabinet, delivery system and method are particularly suited, but not limited, to the ordering, production and delivery of food.

Background Art

Locker systems are currently used throughout the world to enable a customer to order a product online and subsequently collect the product from a secure locker at a designated location. The general method of operation of such systems is as follows. A person will order a product or a range of products for example their weekly groceries. Upon receipt of the order one or more persons gather the items in the order and the same or another person transports the ordered product(s) to the secure locker at a designated location. The customer is generally provided with a code or other type of key to enable opening of the locker. When the product in question is food often the locker is also refrigerated. The locker generally contains a number of compartments each with secure doors. A single centralised common control panel which serves all lockers is provided where the customer can enter the code, make payment for the goods if not prepaid at the time of the order and then proceed to the relevant nominated locker to collect their goods.

The above references to the background art do not constitute an admission that the art forms a part of the common general knowledge of a person of ordinary skill in the art. Further, the above references are not intended to limit the application of the system, method and equipment as disclosed herein.

Summary of the Disclosure

The general idea of the access controlled cabinet, access controlled cabinet delivery system and method is to facilitate trade of products/goods between two or more parties. The products/goods can be "made to order" such as a meal; or off-the-shelf goods for example a pair of shoes. Embodiments of the access controlled cabinet enable a party who supplies the ordered product to place/load or arrange for the placement or loading of the ordered product in the access controlled cabinet via different doors or openings to those used by the party who made the order. This enables the supply or products and the purchaser of products to each access the cabinet simultaneously without interfering with each other. The system and method may enable the customer to select a specific location and time for collection of the manufactured product.

In one aspect there is disclosed an access controlled cabinet comprising:

a front face and a rear face;

a plurality of compartments, each compartment having a respective compartment door and a respective key entry device operatively associated with each compartment door wherein on entry of a correct key on the key entry device the associated compartment door is able to be opened, and wherein the compartments doors are accessible from the front face of the cabinets; and

one or more access controlled additional doors, the cabinet being arranged so that opening one or more of the additional doors enables access to the compartments independent of opening the compartment doors. . In one embodiment the one or more additional doors are in the form of rear doors arranged so that opening of the one or more rear doors provides simultaneous access to a number of the compartments.

In one embodiment the cabinet comprises one or more product transfer spaces within the cabinet accessible via one or more respective additional doors.

In one embodiment the cabinet comprises an automated storage and retrieval system (ASRS) operable to automatically transfer products between the compartments and the one or more respective product transfer spaces.

In one embodiment at least some of the spaces are formed as docking stations for respective unmanned autonomous vehicles (UAVs) to dock with or within the cabinet to facilitate transfer of products between the compartments and the UAV. In one embodiment the ASRS is arranged to transfer products between the compartments and an UAV docked in one of the docking stations.

In one embodiment the plurality of compartments comprise at least two compartments of different size.

In one embodiment the cabinet comprises a refrigeration system capable of refrigerating at least some of the compartments. ln one embodiment the cabinet comprises a heating system capable of heating at least some of the compartments. In a second aspect there is disclosed an access controlled cabinet delivery system comprising:

a software implemented management control and communication system (MCCS); one or more access controlled cabinets in accordance with the first aspect; and a product delivery system capable of delivering products, ordered by a first party from one or more other parties, to one or more of the access controlled cabinets wherein the

MCCS facilitates communication between the parties, the product delivery system and the one more access controlled cabinets;

wherein the MCCS is further arranged to send a message to the first party advising of a code for opening a compartment door of a designated compartment of a designated cabinet, within a designated time period in which the product ordered by the first party is held.

In one embodiment the MCCS is arranged to enable the first party to select one or more of a plurality of designated cabinet locations from which the first party can collect the ordered product.

In one embodiment the MCCS is arranged to communicate a time period to the first party for collection the product from a designated access controlled cabinet. In one embodiment the MCCS is arranged to communicate to the first party a plurality of time periods selectable by the first party for collection of the ordered product.

In one embodiment the MCCS is capable of providing one or more time out notifications when an ordered product has not been collected within the time period.

In one embodiment the one or more time out notifications comprises a time out notification provided to an operator of the access controlled cabinet delivery system.

In one embodiment one or more time out notifications comprise a time out notification provided to first party that made the order for the product.

In one embodiment wherein the access controlled cabinet delivery system is arranged to enable the first party to return a product to one of the one or more access controlled cabinets.

In one embodiment the MCCS is arranged upon receipt of a notification from the first party of collection of a wrong product from the designated compartment to provide instructions to the first party to facilitate return or collection of the wrong product.

In one embodiment the delivery system is arranged to retrieve a product from an access controlled cabinet in the event that the MCCS provides an operator of the access controlled cabinet delivery system with a time out notification or a return notification.

In one embodiment the product delivery system comprises any one or a combination of two or more of: (a) one or more unmanned autonomous vehicles (UAVs); (b) one or more manned vehicles; and (c) one or more people, capable of delivering a product: from either one party to an access controlled cabinet; or, from one access controlled cabinet to another access controlled cabinet.

In one embodiment the one or more UAVs includes at least one airborne UAV.

In one embodiment the product delivery system comprises a plurality of different service providers capable of providing a product delivery service.

In one embodiment the system is further arranged to facilitate competition or bidding between the different service providers to operate as or in the product delivery system for the purposes of delivering or collecting an ordered product.

In one embodiment the product is a made to order meal. In a third aspect there is disclosed method of ordering, production and delivering a product comprising:

enabling a customer to place an order for a to be manufactured product;

manufacturing the product and delivering the manufactured product to secure access cabinet having a plurality of compartments, each compartment provided with a door and a secure entry device enabling opening of the door on entry of a code;

placing the manufactured product into the cabinet from one or more additional secured doors of the cabinet; and providing the customer with authentication information enabling the customer to open a door of a compartment to collect the product.

In one embodiment the method comprises enabling the customer to select a time period for the collection of the product.

In one embodiment the method comprises providing the customer with a notification of imminent expiry of the time period. In one embodiment the method comprises, in the event that the product is not collected by the customer within the time period, retrieving the product from the cabinet and informing the customer of the retrieval of the product and an alternate location and/or time period for collection of the product. In one embodiment the method comprises installing the cabinet in a wall of a facility wherein the front face of the cabinet is accessible to a customer from an outside of the facility and the rear face of the cabinet is accessible from an inside of the facility.

In one embodiment the method comprises generating a notification when a product placed into the cabinet indicative whether or not the product is in accordance with the order.

In a fourth aspect there is disclosed a method of facilitating trade of products between at least a first party and a second party the method comprising:

enabling the parties to register information pertaining thereto in an electronically accessible database, the information including identification information and, for a party desiring to trade a product, information relating to the nature and cost of the product; allowing a registered first party to order a product from a registered second party; enabling two or more delivery service providers to bid for providing a delivery service to deliver a product ordered by the registered second party to a designated access controlled cabinet; and

communicating to the registered second party information enabling the second party to open a compartment in the designated access controlled cabinet to retrieve the ordered product.

In one embodiment the method comprises providing a plurality of access controlled cabinets in accordance with the first aspect at respective spaced apart geographical locations.

In one embodiment the method comprises enabling the first party to select a time period for the collection of the product.

In one embodiment the method comprises providing the first party with a notification of imminent expiry of the time period.

In one embodiment the method comprises, in the event that the product is not collected by the first within the time period, retrieving the product from the cabinet and informing the first party of the retrieval of the product and an alternate location and/or time period for collection of the product.

Brief Description of the Drawings

Notwithstanding any other forms which may fall within the scope of the system method and apparatus as set forth in the Summary, specific embodiments will not be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a schematic representation from the front of a first embodiment of the disclosed access controlled cabinet;

Figure 2 is a schematic representation from the rear of the controlled access cabinet shown in Figure 1 ;

Figure 3 is a schematic representation of a second embodiment of the disclosed access controlled cabinet;

Figure 4 is a schematic plan view of the inside of the access controlled cabinet shown in Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a schematic representation of the inside of the access controlled cabinet shown in Figure 3; Figure 6 is a schematic representation of an access controlled cabinet delivery system which incorporates embodiments of the access controlled cabinet shown in Figures 1 -5; Figure 7 is a schematic representation of an embodiment of an access controlled cabinet installed in a wall of a business which uses or is otherwise engaged with the access controlled cabinet delivery system shown in Figure 6; and Figure 8 is a schematic representation of a management, control and communications system incorporated in the access controlled cabinet delivery system shown in Figure 6.

Detailed Description of Specific Embodiments

Figures 1 and 2 provide representations from the front and rear respectively of a first embodiment of the disclosed access controlled cabinet 10a. The cabinet 10a has a front face 12 and a rear face 14. A plurality of individual compartments 16 is provided in the cabinet 10a. Each compartment 16 has a respective compartment door 18.

Further each door 18 is fitted with its own secure entry device 20. The secure entry device 20 is associated with its compartment door 18 so that upon entry of correct or expected authentication information the secure entry device 20 enables the associated compartment door 18 to be opened thereby providing access to the contents of the corresponding compartment 16. In this embodiment all of the compartment doors 18 are provided on the front face 12 of the cabinet 10a. The cabinet 10a is also provided with one or more, in this instance two, access controlled additional doors 22. Opening of one or more of the additional doors 22 enables access to the compartments 16 independent of opening the compartment doors 18. In the present embodiment the additional doors 22 are rear doors. Each of the additional doors 22 when opened allows access to a plurality of compartments 16. The additional doors 22 are secured and arranged to be only opened by designated personnel. For example the rear doors 22 may be provided with mechanical or electronic locking devices and systems requiring a mechanical key or the entry of an electronic code to enable opening. The additional doors 22 are located to facilitate a vendor or product provider to supply or retrieve stock without interfering with or otherwise impeding the ability of a purchaser or other party to open a compartment door 18. In this particular embodiment the additional doors 22, being at the rear of the cabinet 10a, allow designated personnel to for example fill the cabinet 10a with specific customer ordered products P from the rear face 14 while customers are able to access their ordered product P from the front face 12 of the cabinet 10a.

In this embodiment the cabinet 10a comprises a refrigeration system 24. The refrigeration system 24 refrigerates all of the compartments 16 within the cabinet 10a. The temperature may be set by an operator of the cabinet 10a either remotely or on- site. The refrigeration system 24 has a chiller unit 26 contained within a bottom region of the cabinet 10a and an evaporator 28 contained within a top region of the cabinet 10a.

Referring back to Figure 1 , this embodiment of the cabinet 10a is provided with compartments 16 of two different sizes. A group of first compartments 16a is provided in a 7x4 matrix. As a non-limiting example the compartment 16a may have dimensions of 200mm width x 300mm height x 600mm depth. Below the compartments 16a are two larger compartments 16b. The compartments 16b are side by side and provided with respective compartment doors 18b. Each of the doors 18b is also provided with a secure entry device 20b. As a non-limiting example each of the compartments 16b may have dimensions of 750mm width x 300mm height x 600mm depth. The doors 18b are provided with bottom hinges so as to swing down when opened.

Throughout this specification for ease of reference:

• the compartments 16a and 16b will be referred to in general as "compartment

16" in the singular, and "compartments 16" in the plural;

• the doors 18a and 18b will be referred to in general as "door 18" in the singular and "doors 18" in the plural; and

• the secure entry devices 20a and 20b will be referred to in general as "secure entry device 20" in the singular and "secure entry devices 20" in the plural.

The secure entry devices 20 are structured to enable input of various types of authentication information. This information may include, but is not limited to, biometric information, a thumb print, or a code entered either by way of key pad, wireless communications such as Bluetooth, SMS or QR code or magnetic stripe access card.

As each of the compartment doors 18 has its own secure entry device 20 multiple customers can access different compartments 16 at the same time without requiring queueing to use a common single data entry device. Further, designated personnel can fill empty compartments 16 from the rear face 14 simultaneously with other customers accessing the compartments 16 from the front face 14. As explained later in this specification this is particularly advantageous when the cabinet 10a is installed in a wall of a fixed facility such as a building or in a mobile facility such as a vehicle/caravan, sea container or demountable. The cabinet 10a may also be provided with sensors and monitoring devices to enable the provision of information to a management control and communication system 102 (described later). The sensors and monitoring devices may for example provide, but not be limited to, the following functionality: indicate whether a particular compartment 16 is empty or occupied with a product;

generate a warning to an operator when filling a compartment 16 if the product provided to the compartment 16 is not in accordance with an expected product; provide indication that a compartment 16 has been filled with a correct product; provide information that a customer has retrieved a product from the compartment;

provide a warning or alarm if a compartment door 18 or an additional door 22 is left open or ajar or otherwise not securely closed;

monitor conditions of the cabinet such as but not limited to: internal temperature, external temperature, power supply, overall system and component integrity, maintenance service events;

provide security monitoring for example by way of CCTV cameras.

A substantially more sophisticated embodiment of the disclosed access control cabinet, designated as 10b, is depicted in Figures 3-5. The access controlled cabinet 10b includes a plurality of compartments 16 each provided with its own access controlled door 18. Each door 18 has its own secure entry device 20 such as a key pad for entering a code. Rather than having only a refrigeration system the cabinet 10b is provided with a temperature control system 24b which can provide heating or cooling to specific compartments 16. For example, some of the compartments 16 may be cooled/refrigerated, for example for storing a sandwich and a carton of fruit juice; while others may be heated for example to hold a pizza or a cup of coffee.

The cabinet 10b is also provided with additional doors 22bxf, 22bxr, 22by, and 22bz (hereinafter referred to in general as "additional doors 22b"). In this embodiment the doors 22bxf and 22bxr are in the form of roller doors; the door 22by is a small parcel hatch door; and the door 22bz is a sliding door. The doors 22bxf and 22by are on the front face 12 of the cabinet 10b. The door 22bxr is on the rear wall 14 and opposite the door 22bxf. The sliding door 22bz is on an upper wall 30 of the cabinet 10b. As will be explained in greater detail later the doors 22bxf and 22bxr can be used to allow entry into and exit from the cabinet 10b by a ground traversing unmanned autonomous vehicle (UAV) 38x. The door 22by provides a manually openable door allowing a person to drop parcels or small packages into the cabinet 10b. The door 22bz allows entry into the cabinet 10b of an airborne UAV 38z.

One or more product transfer spaces 32x, 32y and 32z (hereinafter referred to in general as "product transfer spaces 32") are provided within the cabinet. The product transfer spaces 32 are accessible via one or more of the additional doors 22. The space 32x is accessible via doors 22bxf or 22bxr. Space 32y is accessible through hatch door 22by; and space 32z is accessible through door 22bz.

The access controlled cabinet 10b is also provided with an automated storage and retrieval system (ASRS) 34. The ASRS 34 is operable to automatically transfer products between the compartments and the one or more respective product transfer spaces 32. At least some of the spaces 32 are formed as docking stations 36x and 36z for respective unmanned autonomous vehicles (UAVs) 38x, 38z to dock within the cabinet 22b to facilitate transfer of products between the compartments and the UAV. In particular the ASRS 34 is arranged to transfer products between the compartments 16 and respective UAVs 38 docked at their docking stations.

The ASRS 34 comprises a transport table 40 supported on vertical columns 42. The table 40 is able to move vertically along the columns 42. Additionally the table 40 is provided with a traversing system to enable a product P to be traversed horizontally along the table 40. Finally the table 40, or the ASRS 34 is otherwise provided with a feed mechanism enabling the product to be transferred from the table 40 into a compartment 16; or transferred from a compartment 16 onto the table 40. The ASRS 34 is thus able to automatically transfer a product P into or out of any one of the compartments 16.

In order to enable the product P to be transferred between any compartment 16 and any of the transfer spaces or zones 32 the ASRS 34 is further provided with conveyors 44xy, and 44z and a robotic arm 46 with a gripping mechanism 48.The conveyor 44xy enables transfer of products P deposited through the door 22by to the table 40 and subsequently into a compartment 16. The conveyor 44xy also enables transfer of products P between the compartments 16 and the product transfer space 32x. Thus for example a product brought into the cabinet 10b on the UAVs 38x can be picked up and moved by the arm 46 and gripping mechanism48 onto the conveyor 44xy and subsequently onto the table 40 be placed in a specific compartments 16. Conversely a product P in one of the compartments 16 can be initially transferred onto the table 40 and then by operation of the table 40 onto the conveyor 44xy where it can be picked up by the gripping mechanism 48 and robotic arm 46 and placed into the UAV 38x.

In a similar manner a product P can be transferred between an airborne UAV 38z and one of the compartments 16 by the table 40 and the conveyor 44z. For example an airborne UAV 38z carrying a product P approaching the cabinet 10b is sensed by a sensor causing the door 22bz to automatically open. The UAV 38z docks on the docking station 36z and releases its product P onto the underlying conveyor 44z. The table 40 is vertically traversed to lie adjacent one end of the conveyor 44z. The conveyor 44z is now operated to deliver the product P onto the table 40. The table 40 is then operated to place the product P into a particular compartment 16.

One or more of the cabinets 10a, 10b (hereinafter referred to in general as "cabinets 10") may be part of an access controlled cabinet delivery system 100 (hereinafter referred to in general as "system 100") shown in Figure 6. For the sake of simplicity only four parties C1 , C2, B1 and B2 are depicted as interacting with and are using the system 100. The parties C1 and C2 may be considered as customers, while the parties B1 and B2 may be considered as respective businesses or vendors. In broad terms embodiments of the system 100 enables a first party (i.e. a business or a customer) to order a product from another party (i.e. another business or customer - this including for example business to business or customer to customer transactions) and have that ordered product delivered to a designated cabinet 10 at a specified location for collection at a specified time. The product may be a made to order product such as for example a meal provided by a business B1 in the form of a delicatessen to or restaurant; or an off-the-shelf ready-made product for example a pair of shoes or a mobile phone provided by business B2 may be a department store. As is readily apparent the business B2 could order the meal from the business B1 thus providing an example of a business to business transaction (commonly known as "B2B") referred to above. Equally readily apparent would be a Customer (C1) being a private party, ordering goods from another private party Customer (C2). For example (C2) may have a set of used knives and forks they are offering for sale, which would be ordered by (C1), thus providing an example of a customer to customer transaction (commonly known as consumer to consumer or "C2C"). So in a most general sense the system 100 facilitates party to party ("P2P") transaction where any party can conduct a transaction for goods with any other party.

In this particular embodiment the system 100 is shown as having four cabinets 10, one in the form of cabinet 10a, and three cabinets 10b1 , 10b2 and 10b3, each in the form of cabinet 10b. An embodiment of the system 100 also includes a software implemented management control and communication system (MCCS) 102 and a product delivery system 104 capable of delivering products, ordered by a first party from one or more other parties, to one or more of the access controlled cabinets 10.

The MCCS 102 facilitates communication between: the parties C1 , C2, B1 , B2; the product delivery system 104; and the access controlled cabinets 10. As part of its functionality the MCCS 102 is arranged to send a message to the first party advising of a code for opening a compartment door 18 of a designated compartment 16 of a designated cabinet 10 in which the product ordered by the first party is held.

The respective parts and working relationship between the parts of the system 100 will now be discussed.

The product delivery system 104 can be constituted by a number of different product delivery mechanisms including but not limited to:

• people who deliver products P by foot;

• pushbikes, motorbikes, automotive vehicles including but not limited to cars and trucks, marine vessels and aircraft, operated by individuals or by commercial couriers;

• ground traversing UAVs 38x; and

• airborne UAVs 38z.

The product delivery system 104 is or at least can be a distributed system rather than a single station having a number of staff and vehicles on call. It is envisaged that the product delivery system 104 may include, but not be limited to a combination of:

• a number of "stations" owned and/or operated by operators of the system 100 having delivery staff capable of delivering products either by foot, pushbike, motorbike, or automobile;

• a number of UAVs at same stations or at different dedicated stations; and

• one or more independent commercial couriers including from one person couriers to multinational couriers operating all forms of transport modes including marine vessels and aircraft.

The specific delivery mechanism used by the system 100 is dependent primarily on the distance required to transport a product from first party (e.g. a business or vendor) to a designated cabinet 10 and the time available to transport the product to the designated cabinet 10 to enable collection by a second party (e.g. another business or consumer) from a designated cabinet 10 within a designated time period.

In Figure 6 the business B2 is shown as having an integrated cabinet 10a. This is shown in more detail in Figure 7. Here the business B2 is for example a restaurant or delicatessen in a building 106 having a kitchen and a wall 108 in which the cabinet 10a is installed. The front face 12 of the cabinet 10a is accessible from outside of the building 106. Thus a customer/first party C1 is able to collect an ordered product which has been manufactured without need to enter the building 106.

The rear face (not visible in Fig. 7) of the cabinet 10a is accessible from inside of the building 106. This enables staff or other people working in the business B2 to make the ordered meal and simply walk to the rear face of the cabinet 10a, open the rear door(s) (not shown) and place manufactured ordered products into a designated compartment 16 within the building 106. In this example the delivery system is a person on foot. In broad terms the MCCS 102 comprises the following functional blocks: a communication system 1 10

a customer information system 1 12;

a production/supply management platform 1 14;

point of sale system 1 16;

payment system 1 18; and

a delivery and cabinet management system 120.

Each of the cabinets 10 is provided with a communications device which is part of the overall communication system 1 10.

The communication system 1 10, represented by the double ended arrows in Figure 8, is a distributed system incorporating a combination of publicly accessible

communications networks and systems such as the world wide web and telephone systems and proprietary communications devices which may be carried by or installed in for example the cabinets 10 or carried or worn by staff operating within the system 100 or businesses registered with the system 100. Thus for example customers Cn or businesses Bn are able to place an order for a product supplied by the system 100 via the communication system 120. An order may be placed using for example a mobile app, online using a homepage of the respective businesses B1 -Bn; telephone ordering; or in-store ordering via for example a customer pod or interface.

The party information system 1 12 enables the collection and storage of information from and between parties to the system 100. This includes both the customers Cn and the businesses Bn. In broad terms the party information includes identification information for each party registered with the system 100, and for a party desiring to trade a product, information relating to the nature and cost of the product.

The functionality of the party information system 1 12 includes, but is not limited to:

• enabling customers to register their details and set up an account;

• enabling businesses to register their details and set up an account;

• details of products and their pricing supplied by the businesses Bn;

• details of products and their pricing supplied by the customers Cn;

• in the event that a business Bn provides made to order meals:

o provide a menu of meals/snacks to be made

o provide details to the customer regarding nutritional values and allergens

• provide an interface to a mapping service to show location of cabinets 10 to parties;

• provide an interface to the payment system 1 18. The party information system 1 12 communicates via the communication system 1 10 directly or indirectly with at least the production/supply management system 1 14, the store POS 1 16 and the payment system 1 18. The information collected or otherwise acquired by the party information system 1 12 can be conveniently stored in one or more electronically accessible databases.

The production/supply management system 1 14 provides the system 100 with the following functionality:

• in the event the ordered product is a meal or some product that requires

manufacture or production as distinct from being merely an off-the-shelf product

- scheduling of orders to a product manufacturing area (e.g. a kitchen or workshop or assembly area); schedules the delivery system 104 for delivery of the ordered product to a designated cabinet 10 either within or attached to a business's building 106 or at a remote location;

provides estimated time of arrival updates to the party information system 1 12 which in turn notifies the customers Cn or delivery system 104 via the communication system 1 10 of the expected delivery time of their ordered product to a designated cabinet 10;

generates authentication information to be provided to the customer Cn and/or delivery system 104 via the system 1 12 and communication system 1 10 to enable opening of a compartment door 18 or additional door 22 as the case may be on a designated cabinet 10;

provides a warning to a customer Cn and/or delivery system 104 if a designated collection time is getting close to being exceeded (i.e. warning the customer Cn and/or delivery system 104 that they will soon be out of time in which to collect their order);

provides a time out notification to a customer Cn and/or delivery system 104 in the event of failure to collect an ordered product within a designated time period;

provides a notification to an operator or other staff within the system 100 of a customer's failure to collect a product and schedules the delivery system 104 to collect the product;

provides a customer and/or delivery system 104 with a notification advising of a location at which a non-collected product can be collected;

arrange for transfer of an ordered product from one cabinet 10 to another cabinet 10 using the product delivery system 104.

The Store POS 1 12 may be incorporated within a physical facility owned or operated by a party to the system 100 such as a building 106 owned by a business Bn. The store POS 1 12 and provides the following functionality:

• enables receipt of orders from either customers who walk into the building or customers who place orders remotely for example via various customer interfaces accessed either through the party information system 1 12 or otherwise;

· display information to operators or workers within the system 100 in a product manufacturing area or product warehouse of specific orders made by customers and the scheduling for the ordered products and/or their manufacture, production or assembly as the case may be;

• provide an order list and pricing information for customers.

The payment system 1 18 processes payments made by customers and may provide an interface with bank or other financial institution systems.

The product delivery system 104 communicates with the production/supply management system 1 14 by the communication system 1 10. One function of the system 104 is to optimise a delivery route for an ordered product from a

production/supply location to an in-house or remotely located cabinet 10. The system 104 also monitors & displays delivery person/vehicle location, cycle time and other Key Performance Indicators and enables delivery persons/vehicles to advise of any expected delays in delivery of the product, the cause of such delay and the new estimated time of delivery.

One possible operation of the system 100 and MCCS 102 may be as follows:

• A customer Cn communicates with the system 100 via an interface and the communication system 1 10 to place an order for a product to be manufactured such as a ham salad roll and bottle of water from business B2.

• The system 100 communicates with the customer Cn advising of available delivery times and locations for the customer Cn to collect the ordered products. The customer Cn selects a designated time period and location for collection of the products.

• Information relating to the order is sent to a product manufacturing area within a facility or other building 106 of the business B2 together with scheduling information ensuring that the ordered products are made at a time which will enable delivery to a specific designated cabinet 10 for collection within the customers nominated time period.

• The MCCS 102 via its the payment system 1 18 facilitates a payment for the order with the customer Cn and upon verification of the payment forwards a receipt together with information pertaining to the specific compartment(s) 16 within which their order will be placed within the nominated time period together with authentication information enabling the customer to enter information into the secure entry device 20 on the corresponding compartment door 18.

The ordered products are made/collated by the appropriate business Bn. The ordered products may be tagged or labelled with reusable identifiers (such as RFID tags) or one-off identifiers (e.g. a bar code). These identifiers are coded with relevant information such as the product, customer, cabinet location and compartment information.

The delivery and cabinet management system 120 coordinates: the delivery of an ordered product to a designated cabinet 10; transfer of products between cabinets 10; and return or other handling of non-collected products from cabinets 10. The delivery and cabinet management system 120 for example will determine the most appropriate delivery mechanism of the system 104 (e.g. a person on foot, a person driving/riding a vehicle or a UAV 38) to the nominated cabinet 10 and the most appropriate delivery route.

When delivery is not to a cabinet within a wall 108 of a building 106

owned/operated by the business providing the ordered product P the MCCS 102 via the delivery and cabinet management system 120 provide access codes to delivery system 104 to open the additional doors 22 to place the ordered product within the cabinet;

The ordered product when it is ready is delivered by the appropriate delivery mechanism or courier of the delivery system 104 to the designated cabinet 10. When a product is being placed into a compartment 16 either by delivery personnel for say cabinets 10a or the ASRS for cabinets 10b, information on the identifier (e.g. RFID tag/bar code) is read by a sensor within or adjacent to the compartment 16. The sensor is preprogramed via the production/supply management system 1 14, with information pertaining to the expected product. If there is a mismatch in this information the system 100 generates an alarm. Otherwise, the system 100 generates a confirmation notification to the delivery staff confirming that the product placed in a compartment is in accordance with the expected product.

In the case that product is being delivered to a cabinet 10b an additional product verification step can be provided when an ordered product is being transferred from a UAV and/or transfer table or conveyor. This verification step occurs before the verification process described in the previous paragraph and may be designated as "unloading verification". This involves the provision of sensors located at or adjacent the docking station/s 32 or additional doors 22 of cabinet 10b, confirming that the product on the UAV or being unloaded from the UAV, or manually delivered, is in accordance with the expected product. If there is a mismatch in this information the system 100 generates an alarm.

Otherwise, the system 100 generates a confirmation notification to the delivery staff confirming that the product at the docking station is in accordance with the expected product. · The MCCS102 monitors the cabinets 10 and upon a customer Cn retrieving their order within the designated time period generates a notification of the collection of the order. Conversely, in the event the customer does not collect the product within the designated time period the system 100 can raise a notification resulting in the product being collected and returned to an alternate location for subsequent pick up by the customer or a nominated courier or other party of the delivery system 104 within a specified time period. The customer and/or collecting party is notified in this event of the location of the product and the collection time period. The customer may interact further with the system 100/ MCCS102 advising of an intention to not collect the product. In the event the customer advises of an intention to not collect the product and the product is a meal, the product may be provided for feeding homeless, destitute or otherwise needy people; feeding to animals; or destroyed. To this end the system 100 may be arranged to conduct an audit at one or more prescribed times per day of products that have not been collected or are not intended to be collected and notify a third party or organization of the availability of these products for their distribution or use. The delivery system 104 may also optionally be used to deliver the non-collected products to the third party or organization.

The system 100 further enables the delivery of products between parties registered with the system 100/MCCS 102 in a manner akin to a postal service. For example a first party may deliver a parcel to a second party as follows. The first party logs into the MCCS and may provide a list of goods or products available for sale or indeed for free. A second party may log into the MCCS 102 and request purchase or collection of a product from the first party. The MCCS102 may then inform the first party of a request for a product from a second party and provide user selectable options for the deposit of the first party's product into a cabinet 10 and the collection of the product by a second party from the same or another cabinet 10.

Upon confirming the transaction and making any payment required via the payment system 1 18 the MCCS may provide a code to the first party to be associated with the product. The code may be in the form of a code that is printable on for example a label such as a bar code, or could be electronic code that may be embedded in an RFID tag owned by the first party. The first party may then deliver the labelled product to a cabinet 10b and deposit it via the hatch door 22by. The ASRS 34 scans the label and place it in a designated compartment 16 (or in a "holding" area if compartment 16 is not yet available) if it is to be collected by the second person from the same cabinets 10b. If the product is to be collected from another cabinet 10b the ASRS 34 a place the product in a designated "holding" area compartment 16 or another holding area within one of the product transfer spaces 32. The MCCS 102 may then schedule the collection of the product from the cabinet 10b for example by a ground traversing or airborne UAV for transfer to another cabinet 10b for collection by the second party or a delivery service provided.

The system 100/MCCS 102 provides a second party with a code to enable opening of the compartments 16 within which the product is held together with details of the location of the corresponding cabinet and the time period for collection. The second party or Nominated Carrier then attends the location of the appropriate cabinet 10b enters the code on the secure entry device 20, opens the door 18 and collects the product. Upon closing of the door 18 the transaction is completed and the system 100/MCCS 102 provides the first party and the second party (and/or delivery service provider) notification of transaction completion.

Whilst a specific embodiment of the cabinet, ordering, production and delivery and method have been described, it should be appreciated that these may be embodied in many other forms. For example in alternate embodiments of the cabinet 10 the chiller unit 26 may be separate from and/or remote to the cabinet 10a. This may be done in environments where noise from the chiller unit 26 may be problematic or to provide easier access to the chiller unit for maintenance is desired. When the chiller unit 26 is separate a further potential benefit is that more space is made available within the cabinet 10 for compartments 16. Also the cabinet 10 when not fitted into a wall of a facility may be fitted with wheels or castors to assist in mobility for example for maintenance. However at least some of the cabinets 10 can be at fixed locations and dedicated routes may be arranged for UAVs 38 which minimise or avoid interaction with obstacles such as curbs and steps, or traffic. In addition the system 100 may be programmed or otherwise arranged to limit delivery of products to, or transfer of products between, cabinets 10 to certain times of the day or indeed days of the week.

The system 100 enables all registered businesses and vendors to trade among themselves and with customers, or otherwise provide their goods by the same or proprietary cabinets 10. For example a pizza manufacturer and a pastry manufacturer who are otherwise unconnected with each other in a business sense may each use the same cabinet 10 to trade in their products. However equally a business may license or buy one or more cabinets 10 solely for the purpose of trading in its goods or products.

In a further variation the system 100 may be arranged to automatically extend the time period for collection of an ordered product by the corresponding customer. This may occur for example when the compartment 16 in which the ordered product is held is not required to hold another product ordered by another customer in the immediate future.

One scenario may be for example that the time period for collection of a product by a first customer is within say 10 minutes of expiry, and the compartment 16 in which the product is held is not scheduled for delivery of a product ordered by a second customer for say another hour or more. In this instance the MCCS 102 via the communications system 1 10 sends a message to the first customer advising that the collection time has been extended for another 30 minutes. In the event that the product is still not collected by the first customer within the extended time period the system 100/MCCS 102 can raise a notification resulting in the product being collected and returned to an alternate location for subsequent pick up by the customer or other use as described above.

The system 100 further facilitates the competition or bidding for delivery services used by the delivery system 104 by private couriers. For example a range of independent and privately owned courier services ranging from sole trader operations to multinational courier services may provide delivery services under the auspices of the delivery system 104. Thus when a first party makes an order for a product to be delivered to a particular cabinet 10 the system 100 may contact a plurality of courier services or other delivery service providers registered with the system 100 to bid for the particular delivery at hand. It should also be recognised that there is no limitation on the geographical location of the cabinets 10 within the system 100. Cabinets 10 may be located all over the world to facilitate international trade of goods.

It should be further understood that the ASRS 34 described above in the illustrated in Figure 5 is merely one type or form of a multitude of possible automated storage and retrieval systems that may be incorporated in other embodiments of the disclosed cabinets, system and method. For example in an alternate embodiment the ASRS 34 may be in the form of an elevating tower or crane that moves laterally along a floor of a cabinet 10 on rails or wheels. Similarly the specific nature of the mechanisms and devices used to transfer products between a UAV to a portion of the ASRS which places a product in or retrieves a product from a compartment 16 is open to variation. The above described robotic arm 46 and gripping mechanism 48 are merely one example.

In the claims which follow, and in the preceding description, except where the context requires otherwise due to express language or necessary implication, the word

"comprise" and variations such as "comprises" or "comprising" are used in an inclusive sense, i.e. to specify the presence of the stated features but not to preclude the presence or addition of further features in various embodiments.