Walmart seeks patent for package delivery tracking

Published on 5th July, this is the latest in a long line of applications by the US retail giant. More on that here, here, and here.

The new one involves a system of delivery lockers, which could be located at the recipient’s address, a transportation hub or other locations, where delivered items can be safeguarded while the customer can sign for purchases received. Through blockchain, Walmart can track and control the lockers and know which ones are occupied and which are not.

“Each space on the docking station has a corresponding capacity unit for each location on the docking station. The transactions for the capacity units are tracked in a ledger, with available capacity units indicating an open location on the docking station or contracted out capacity units indicating that either the location has a locker secured thereto or that the location is reserved for a future delivery,” Walmart says in the patent application.