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| Volume 3 Issue 4 August 1998 |
Features
Interviews
Columns |
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| HTINews Article - Aug98 - [HTI Home Page] |
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SmartBox
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What convenience! In earlier times -- when many folks didn’t even lock their doors -- home delivery of groceries, laundry and other goods was a common and routine part of life. Today, with time so increasingly important, might routine delivery be relished again? Indeed, might a device allowing secure & climate-controlled delivery spell convenience like never before?
Glad to say the prototype of our home delivery device is finished, and you can find it displayed on the web at www.smartbox.com . Smart Box can be mounted on, by or through the wall of a home and has three primary features: It’s secure - access is controlled only by the owner. It’s climate-controlled - groceries will stay cool, ice cream won’t melt, and pizza will stay warm. It’s networked - an access code can be granted (and notification of delivery received) when the owner is remote from the box.
Not only have we found
widespread interest in this patented idea, but -- especially when combined with online
shopping -- the likelihood that it will significantly increase consumer-direct purchases
of groceries, meals, apparel, laundry/drycleaning, flowers & more. Nevertheless, an
idea is one thing, implementation of an idea is everything!
The prototype has a telephone/home alarm type interface; but would Smart Box be more user-friendly if it’s Internet-enabled? Because research indicates that a unique access code for each delivery is best, might consumers prefer to obtain that code by browsing to a web-site where it’s randomly generated? If so, the delivery person could use that same site to confirm access authorization, and everyone involved in the transaction (consumer, merchant & delivering vendor) could verify that delivery was made.
How many design variations of the box will be needed? What business model will assure greatest success? ...Our goal is to implement Smart Box and we welcome the involvement of any organization wishing to help.
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