WO2016171617A1

WO2016171617A1 - Multi-variable documentation of delivery of goods

Info

Publication number: WO2016171617A1
Application number: PCT/SG2016/000003
Authority: WO
Inventors: Berda NOAM
Original assignee: Smart Communities Pte. Ltd.
Priority date: 2015-04-22
Filing date: 2016-04-13
Publication date: 2016-10-27

Abstract

A method, system, server and client computing device for providing proof of delivery to an addressee is described. The method comprises the steps of a) receiving, via a communications network, biometric data indicative of an addressee of an article for delivery, b) verifying an identity of the addressee as a recipient of said delivered article by comparing the received biometric data with biometric data indicative of the recipient of the delivered article, and c) sending, via the communications network, verification data representative of the verified identity of the addressee as proof of delivery of the article to the addressee.

Description

MULTI-VARIABLE DOCUMENTATION OF DELIVERY OF GOODS

[1 ] FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[2] The present invention relates to the field of logistics concerning the shipping of goods, packages or any other article and it relates more particularly to a system providing proof of delivery.

[3] The invention has been developed primarily for use with verifying delivery of an article to an addressee and will be described hereinafter with reference to this application. However, it will be appreciated that the invention is not limited to this particular field of use.

[4] BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[5] The actual completion of the delivery of goods via delivery services is regularly confirmed by the recipient's signing on a delivery confirmation form. Presently many of the delivery services recalled the signature electronically and store the signature.

[6] However, the signature of the recipient is not sufficient to track shipments and provide accurate and reliable proof of delivery (POD). Sometimes the addressee denies the actual reception of the delivered article causing thus problem to the delivery service.

[7] In order to report an activity and confirm the occurrence of the activity in a specific location, different technologies may be used to incorporate an objective location verification in the report of the activity and the timestamp.

[8] A wireless terminal may use cell information associated with the servicing cell when the wireless terminal is a cellular phone. An alternative is the use of GPS hardware such as the module embedded in the terminal. Alternatively, location information may be associated with an IP address of a servicing wireless local area network (WLAN) servicing a wireless terminal.

[9] The present invention seeks to provide a method for providing proof of delivery of an article to an addressee, which will overcome or substantially ameliorate at least some, if not all, of the deficiencies of the prior art, or to at least provide an alternative. [10] It is to be understood that, if any prior art information is referred to herein, such reference does not constitute an admission that the information forms part of the common general knowledge in the art, in Australia or any other country.

[11] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[12] According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for providing proof of delivery of an article to an addressee, the method comprising the steps of:

[13] a) receiving, via a communications network, biometric data indicative of an addressee of an article for delivery;

[14] b) verifying an identity of the addressee as a recipient of said delivered article by comparing the received biometric data with biometric data indicative of the recipient of the delivered article; and

[15] c) sending, via the communications network, verification data representative of the verified identity of the addressee as proof of delivery of the article to the addressee.

[ 6] Preferably, in step b), the method further comprises the step of:

[17] selecting, via at least one database connection, the biometric data indicative of the recipient of the delivered article.

[18] Preferably, the biometric data comprises a biometric identifier selected from the group consisting of: a fingerprint scan, a retina scan, an iris scan, a palm print scan, a hand geometry scan, a voice print and a facial recognition scan.

[19] Preferably, the method further comprises, before step c), the steps of:

[20] receiving, via the communications network, delivery status data indicative of a status of the delivered article; and

[21] further verifying the identity of the addressee as a recipient of said delivered article by comparing the received delivery status data with delivery status data indicative of the status of the delivered article. [22] Preferably, the method further comprises the step of:

[23] selecting, via at least one database connection, the delivery status data indicative of the status of the delivered article.

[24] Preferably, the delivery status data is selected from the group consisting of article identification data, time stamp data and location data.

[25] Preferably, the article identification data is selected from the group consisting of a one-dimensional barcode, a two-dimensional barcode and a radiofrequency identification tag.

[26] Preferably, the method further comprises, before step c), the steps of:

[27] receiving, via the communications network, an identification code from the recipient of the delivered article; and

[28] further verifying the identity of the addressee as a recipient of said delivered article by comparing the received identification code with an identification code provided to the addressee on collection of the article for delivery.

[29] Preferably, the method further comprises the step of:

[30] selecting, via at least one database connection, the identification code provided to the addressee on collection of the article for delivery.

[31 ] According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a server for providing proof of delivery of an article to an addressee, the server comprising:

[32] a processor for processing digital data;

[33] a memory device for storing digital data including computer program code and being coupled to the processor; and

[34] a data network interface for sending and receiving digital data, including biometric data, the data network interface being communicable with the processor, in use, wherein the processor is controlled by the computer program code to:

[35] a) receive, via the data network interface, biometric data indicative of an addressee of an article for delivery;

[36] b) verify an identity of the addressee as a recipient of said delivered article by comparing the received biometric data with biometric data indicative of the recipient of the delivered article; and

[37] c) send, via the data network interface, verification data representative of the verified identity of the addressee as proof of delivery of the article to the addressee.

[38] Preferably, the server further comprises at least one database connection for retrieving digital data including biometric data, wherein the processor is further controlled by the computer program code to:

[39] select, via the at least one database connection, the biometric data indicative of the recipient of the delivered article.

[40] Preferably, the processor is further controlled by the computer program code to, before c):

[41] receive, via the data network interface, delivery status data indicative of a status of the delivered article; and

[42] further verify the identity of the addressee as a recipient of said delivered article by comparing the received identification code with an identification code provided to the addressee on collection of the article for deliver.

[43] Preferably, the server further comprises at least one database connection for retrieving digital data, wherein the processor is further controlled by the computer program code to:

[44] select, via the at least one database connection, the delivery status data indicative of the status of the delivered article [45] Preferably, the processor is further controlled by the computer program code to, before c):

[46] receive, via the data network interface, an identification code from the recipient of the delivered article; and

[47] further verify the identity of the addressee as a recipient of said delivered article by comparing the received identification code with an identification code provided to the addressee on collection of the article for delivery.

[48] Preferably, the server further comprises at least one database connection for retrieving digital data, wherein the processor is further controlled by the computer program code to:

[49] select, via the at least one database connection, the identification code provided to the addressee on collection of the article for delivery.

[50] According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a non-transitory computer readable storage medium for providing proof of delivery of an article to an addressee, the computer readable storage medium comprising computer program code instructions recorded thereon, the computer program code instructions being executable by a computer and comprising instructions for:

[51] a) receiving, via the data network interface, biometric data indicative of an addressee of an article for delivery;

[52] b) verifying an identity of the addressee as a recipient of said delivered article by comparing the received biometric data with biometric data indicative of the recipient of the delivered article; and

[53] c) sending, via the data network interface, verification data representative of the verified identity of the addressee as proof of delivery of the article to the addressee.

[54] Preferably, the computer program code further comprises instructions for: [55] selecting, via at least one database connection, the biometric data indicative of the recipient of the delivered article.

[56] Preferably, the computer program code further comprises instructions for, before c):

[57] receiving, via the data network interface, delivery status data indicative of a status of the delivered article; and

[58] further verifying the identity of the addressee as a recipient of said delivered article by comparing the received delivery status data with delivery status data indicative of the status of the delivered article. Preferably, the computer program code further comprises instructions for:

[59] selecting, via at least one database connection, the delivery status data indicative of the status of the delivered article.

[60] Preferably, the computer program code further comprises instructions for:

[61] receiving, via the data network interface, an identification code from the recipient of the delivered article; and

[62] further verifying the identity of the addressee as a recipient of said delivered article by comparing the received identification code with an identification code provided to the addressee on collection of the article for delivery.

[63] Preferably, the computer program code further comprises instructions for:

[64] selecting, via at least one database connection, the identification code provided to the addressee on collection of the article for delivery.

[65] According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a client computing device for providing proof of delivery of an article to an addressee, the client computing device comprising: [66] a processor for processing digital data;

[67] a memory device for storing digital data including computer program code and being coupled to the processor;

[68] at least one input device for generating biometric data indicative of an addressee of a delivered article;

[69] a display device, wherein the processor is controlled by the computer program code to:

[70] a) generate, using said at least one input device, biometric data indicative of an addressee of an article for delivery;

[71] b) verify an identity of the addressee as a recipient of said delivered article by comparing the generated biometric data with biometric data indicative of the recipient of the delivered article; and

[72] c) cause the display device to display verification data representative of the verified identity of the addressee as proof of delivery of the article to the addressee.

[73] Preferably, the processor is controlled by the computer code to, before a):

[74] generate, using said at least one input device, a digital signal indicative of a biometric identifier of an addressee of the delivered article; and

[75] transform said digital signal into biometric data indicative of the addressee of the delivered article.

[76] Preferably, the biometric identifier is selected from the group consisting of: a fingerprint scan, a retina scan, an iris scan, a palm print scan, a hand geometry scan, a voice print and a facial recognition scan.

[77] Preferably, the processor is further controlled by the computer code to:

[78] generate, using said at least one input device, delivery status data indicative of a status of the delivered article; and . [79] further verify the identity of the addressee as a recipient of said delivered article by comparing the received delivery status data with delivery status data indicative of the status of the delivered article.

[80] Preferably, the at least one input device comprises a location sensing module, wherein the processor is further controlled by the computer code to:

[81] generate, using said location sensing module, a digital signal indicative of a location identifier of the article at a given moment relative to one or more location beacons; and

[82] transform said digital signal into location data indicative of a location of the article upon delivery.

[83] Preferably, the at least one input device comprises a digital scanner, wherein the processor is controlled by the computer code to:

[84] generate, using said digital scanner, a digital signal indicative of an identifier of the delivered article; and

[85] transform said digital signal into article identification data indicative of an identity of the delivered article.

[86] Preferably, the article identification data is selected from the group consisting of a one-dimensional barcode, a two-dimensional barcode and a radiofrequency identification tag.

[87] Preferably, the processor is further controlled by the computer program code to, before c):

[88] generate, using said at least one input device, an identification code indicative of the recipient of the delivered article; and

[89] further verify the identity of the addressee as a recipient of said delivered article by comparing the received identification code with an identification code provided to the addressee on collection of the article for delivery. [90] According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a client computing device for providing proof of delivery of an article to an addressee, the client computing device comprising:

[91] a processor for processing digital data;

[92] a memory device for storing digital data including computer program code and being coupled to the processor;

[93] at least one input device for generating biometric data indicative of an addressee of a delivered article;

[94] a display device; and

[95] a data network interface for sending and receiving digital data, including biometric data, wherein the processor is controlled by the computer program code to:

[96] a) generate, using said at least one input device, biometric data indicative of an addressee of an article for delivery;

[97] b) send, via the data network interface, the biometric data indicative of an addressee of an article for delivery to a server for verifying the identity of the addressee as a recipient of said delivered article by comparing the generated biometric data with biometric data indicative of the recipient of the delivered article;

[98] c) receive from the server, via the data network interface, verification data representative of the verified identity of the addressee as proof of delivery of the article to the addressee; and

[99] d) cause the display device to display the verification data.

[100] Other aspects of the invention are also disclosed.

[101] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [102] The present invention will be understood and appreciated more fully from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with reference to the appended drawings in which:

[103] FIG. 1 shows a general computing device on which the various embodiments described herein may be implemented;

[104] FIG. 2 is a block diagram associated with the operations of a delivery system implementing multivariable documentation of the actual delivery of goods according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[105] FIG. 3 shows a network system of general computing devices on which the various embodiments described herein may be implemented;

[106] FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating the typical components of various wireless devices/terminals used according to preferred embodiments of the present invention; and

[107] FIGS. 5A-5D are flow diagrams illustrating use of the system of FIG. 2 according to another preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[108] The following detailed description of embodiments of the invention refers to the accompanying drawings referred to above. Dimensions of components and features shown in the figures are chosen for convenience or clarity of presentation and are not necessarily shown to scale.

[109] DETAILED DESCRIPTON OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

[110] Illustrative embodiments of the invention are described below. In the interest of clarity, not all features/components of an actual implementation are necessarily described.

[11 1] The present invention is predicated on the finding of a system 100 and method for providing actual proof of delivery (POD) of an article or goods to an intended addressee of said article or goods, independent of the service provider. It will become apparent to a person skilled in the relevant art that such an arrangement will be especially useful when the addressee of said article or goods denies the acceptance of the delivered article.

[112] According to preferred embodiments of the present invention, the proof of delivery is provided in the form of multivariable documentation associated with the actual delivery of said articles or goods. The types of documentation that fall within the definition "multivariate documentation" will become apparent from the discussion below.

[113] General Computing Device

[114] Fig. 1 shows a general computing device 10 on which the various embodiments described herein may be implemented. In particular, the steps of a computer-implemented method for providing proof of delivery of an article to an addressee may be implemented as computer program code instructions executable by the computing device 10. The computer program code instructions may be divided into one or more computer program code instruction libraries, such as dynamic link libraries (DLL), wherein each of the libraries performs a one or more steps of the method. Additionally, a subset of the one or more of the libraries may perform graphical user interface tasks relating to the steps of the computer-implemented method outlined below.

[115] The general computing device 10 comprises semiconductor memory 15 comprising volatile memory such as random access memory (RAM) or read only memory (ROM). The memory 15 may comprise either RAM or ROM or a combination of RAM and ROM.

[116] The general computing device 10 comprises a computer program code storage medium reader 20 for reading the computer program code instructions from computer program code storage media 25. The storage media 25 may be optical media such as CD-ROM disks, magnetic media such as floppy disks and tape cassettes or flash media such as USB memory sticks.

[ 17] The general computing device 10 further comprises an I/O interface 30 for communicating with one or more peripheral devices. The I/O interface 30 may offer both serial and parallel interface connectivity. For example, the I/O interface 30 may comprise a Small Computer System Interface (SCSI), Universal Serial Bus (USB) or similar I/O interface for interfacing with the storage medium reader 20. The I/O interface 30 may also communicate with one or more human input devices (HID) 35 such as keyboards, key pads, pointing devices, joysticks and the like. The I/O interface 30 may also comprise a computer to computer interface, such as a Recommended Standard 232 (RS- 232) interface, for interfacing the general computing device 10 with one or more personal computer (PC) devices 40. The I/O interface 30 may also comprise an audio interface 45 for communicate audio signals to one or more audio devices, such as a speaker or a buzzer, a microphone and the like.

[118] The general computing device 10 also comprises a data network interface 50 for communicating with one or more computer networks 108. The network 108 may be a wired network, such as a wired Ethernet™ network or a wireless network, such as a Bluetooth™ network or IEEE 802. 1 network. The network 108 may be a local area network (LAN), such as a home or office computer network, or a wide area network (WAN), such as the Internet or private WAN.

[119] The general computing device 10 comprises an arithmetic logic unit or processor 55 for performing the computer program code instructions. The processor 55 may be a reduced instruction set computer (RISC) or complex instruction set computer (CISC) processor or the like. The computing device 10 further comprises a storage device 60, such as a magnetic disk hard drive or a solid state disk drive.

[120] Computer program code instructions may be loaded into the storage device 60 from the storage media 25 via the storage medium reader 20 or from the network 108 via the data network interface 50. During the bootstrap phase, an operating system and one or more software applications are loaded from the storage device 60 into the memory 15. During the fetch-decode-execute cycle, the processor 55 fetches computer program code instructions from memory 15, decodes the instructions into machine code, executes the instructions and stores one or more intermediate results in the memory 15.

[121] In this manner, the instructions stored-in the memory 15, when retrieved and executed by the processor 55, may configure the general computing device 10 as a special-purpose machine that may perform the functions described herein.

[122] The general computing device 10 also comprises an audio/video interface 65 for conveying video signals to a display device 70, such as a liquid crystal display (LCD), cathode-ray tube (CRT) or similar display device. [123] The general computing device 10 also comprises a communication bus subsystem 75 for interconnecting the various devices described above. The bus subsystem 150 may offer parallel connectivity such as Industry Standard Architecture (ISA), conventional Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) and the like or serial connectivity such as PCI Express (PCIe), Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (Serial ATA) and the like.

[124] System

[125] Fig. 2 shows a system 100 on which the various embodiments described herein may be implemented.

[0001] The system 100 comprises a remote application server 112 for serving one or more client computing devices 106 and one or more general computing devices 10 running a browser application 280 over a data network 108 or a web server 112 configured for serving one or more client computing devices 106 and one or more general computing devices 10 running a browser application 280 over the Internet.

[126] Server

[127] The server 112 comprises the basic components described above for the general computing device 10 (see Fig. 1).

[128] Referring to Fig. 3, In the case where the server 1 12 acts as a web server 112, the web server 112 is provided with a web server application 240 for receiving requests, such as Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) and File Transfer Protocol (FTP) requests, and serving hypertext web pages or files in response. The web server application 240 may be, for example the Apache™ or the Microsoft™ IIS HTTP server. The web server 112 is also provided with a hypertext pre-processor 250 for processing one or more web page templates 260 and data from one or more databases 270 to generate hypertext web pages. The hypertext pre-processor may, for example, be a PHP: Hypertext Pre-processor (PHP) or Microsoft Asp™ hypertext pre-processor. The web server 112 is also provided with web page templates 260, such as one or more PHP or ASP files. [129] Upon receiving a request from the web server application 240, the hypertext pre-processor 250 is operable to retrieve a web page template, from the web page templates 260, execute any dynamic content therein, including updating or loading information from the one or more databases 116, to compose a hypertext web page. The composed hypertext web page may comprise client side code, such as Javascript™ for Document Object Model (DOM) manipulating, asynchronous HTTP requests and the like.

[130] The client computing devices 106 and the general computing devices 100 are provided with a browser application 280, such as the Mozilla Firefox™, Microsoft internet Explorer™ Google Chrome™, Opera™ or Safari™ browser applications. The browser application 280 requests hypertext web pages from the web server 1 12 and renders the hypertext web pages on a display device 70.

[131] The server 1 12 further comprises a database connection with a database 116 for storing digital data. According to preferred embodiments, the database 1 16 includes digital data in the form of biometric data relating to a recipient of a delivered article or goods 114, identification code data which is unique to the recipient, and digital data in the form of article identification data relating to the identity of the article or goods 114. The database 116 is also configured to store biometric data relating to an intended addressee 104 of said article or goods 114 for subsequent comparison with the biometric data of the actual recipient if so required.

[132] In preferred embodiments, the server 112 is a Microsoft SQL server.

[133] As will become apparent from the disclosure herein, the server 112 may be adapted for several tasks. For instance, the server 1 12 is adapted to receive, across the data network 108 via the data network interface 50, biometric data indicative of a recipient of a delivered article or goods 114 at the designated delivery point for said article or goods 114. The manner in which the biometric data is, obtained and then communicated to the server 112, via a delivery person 102 delivering said article or goods 1 14 to the recipient, will become apparent from the various embodiments that follow. In addition to receiving the recipient's biometric data, the server 112 is also adapted to receive, across the data network 108 via the data network interface 50, an identification code which is unique to the recipient of the article or goods 1 14 intended to be delivered thereto. The identification code will have previously been assigned to the intended addressee 104 of said article or goods 114 either at the time the article or goods 114 are registered for collection from a designated pick-up point through a dedicated portal such as a website (not shown), or at the time of their actual collection from the pick-up point by the or another delivery person 102. The server 1 12 is also adapted to receive from the delivery person 102 delivering said article or goods 1 14 to the recipient, delivery status data indicative of the delivered article or goods 114 for use as evidence confirming delivery thereof.

[134] In the event that an addressee 104 of an article or goods 1 14 intended for delivery thereto denies actually receiving said article or goods 114, there is provided a verification process by which biometric data indicative of the addressee 104 can be compared with the biometric data of the recipient of the actual delivered article or goods 114, having been collected at the time of the delivery thereof and stored on eth database 116 for future reference. In this respect, the server 112 is adapted to receive, via the or another delivery person 102, biometric data indicative of the intended addressee 104 of the shipped article or goods 1 14. Once such biometric data has been received, the server 112 is then able to verify the identity of the addressee 104 as the actual recipient of said delivered article or goods 114 by comparing the biometric data of the addressee 104 with the stored biometric data of the recipient. Once verified, the server 112 is then adapted to send across the data network 108, via the data network interface 50, verification data to the delivery person 102 requesting such information to confirm the identity of the addressee 104 as the actual recipient of the delivered article or goods 114.

[135] In addition to the biometric data, if the identification code provided by the recipient of the delivered article or goods 114 matches the identification code assigned to the intended addressee 104 of the article or goods 114 at the time the article or goods 1 14 was registered for collection, then this will add a further layer of evidence to confirm that the recipient of the article or goods 114 and the intended addressee 104 of said article or goods 1 14 are one and the same, thereby disproving the addressee's 104 claim that he or she did not receive the article or goods 1 14.

[136] In one embodiment, and as shown in FIG. 3, the data network 108 takes the form of a telecommunication network implemented over a cellular infrastructure 108 via one or more cell stations 110.

[137] In other embodiments, it will be appreciated that the data network 108 is not limited to a cellular infrastructure 108 as shown, and may be implemented across other networks, including, but not limited to a wireless local area network (WLAN), a cloud-based network, or a satellite-based network.

[138] Client Computing Device

[139] As shown in Fig. 4, the client computing device 106 carried by the delivery person 102, hereinafter referred to as a wireless device or terminal 106, comprises the same basic structural components described above for the general computing device 10 (see Fig. 1). Some of these components in the wireless device/terminal 106 will be referred to hereinafter with the following reference numerals.

[140] For instance, the wireless device/terminal 106 includes a digital processor 202 programmed to execute instructions stored in a digital memory 204. The program is capable of operating the wireless device/terminal 106 according to this disclosure and is described below. Wireless device/terminal 106 includes a network interface in the form of a radiofrequency (RF) modem 206 supporting available wireless communications protocols such as Bluetooth™, cellular, and Wi-Fi™ to enable the wireless device/terminal 106 to connect to a wireless local area network (WLAN) resource such as the Internet 108 via a wireless network access point 4.0 or hotspot. The wireless device/terminal 106 also includes a location sensing module for determining the location coordinates of the wireless device/terminal 106, and thus of the article or goods 114 at the point of delivery of said article or shipped goods 114. The obtained location data can then be used by the, or another, delivery person 102 as proof of delivery of the article or goods 114 to the designated location.

[141] In a preferred embodiment, the location sensing module takes the form of a GPS module 208 located within the wireless device/terminal 106 or operably coupled thereto. The delivery status data associated with said delivered article or goods 114 that is obtained with the aid of the GPS module 208 takes the form of timestamp data and location data corresponding to the time of delivery and the geographical coordinates of the point of delivery₍in which the article or shipped goods 114 has been delivered. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the relevant art that the geographical coordinates of the wireless device/terminal 106, and thus of the delivered article or goods 1 14, are determined by reference to one or more location beacons such as geostationary satellites (not shown), cell towers 1 10, wireless network access points 4.0, hotspots, and the like.

[142] According to a particular use, the GPS module 208 is caused by the processor 202 to generate a digital signal indicative of a location identifier of the delivered article or goods 114 at the point of delivery relative to one or more location beacons within the vicinity. The. processor 202 then transforms said digital signal into location data indicative of the actual location of the delivered article or goods 1 14.

[143] The wireless device/terminal 106 also includes a number of input devices for capturing data indicative of the recipient, the addressee 104, and the delivered article or goods 1 4. For instance, the input devices or data capture modules within or operably coupled to the wireless device/terminal 106 include a barcode reader 210 to read one or both of a one-dimensional barcode and a two-dimensional barcode carried by the delivered article or goods 1 14, thereby forming part of the delivery status data associated with the delivered article or goods 1 14, a display 212, a keyboard or key pad 214, a speaker/microphone (SPKR/MIC) 216, a camera 218 for taking digital image(s) and/or digital video(s) of each of the recipient and the addressee 104, a voice recorder 220 for capturing a voice print of each of the recipient and the addressee 104, and a digital scanner 222 such as an optical or charge-coupled device (CCD) scanner, an image scanner or a laser scanner to capture digital image(s) of certain biometric identifiers or features of each of the recipient and the addressee 104. Such biometric identifiers or features may include, but are not limited to a fingerprint scan, a retina scan, an iris scan, a palm print scan, a hand geometry scan, and a facial recognition scan. [144] Facial recognition (or face recognition) is a type of biometric software application that can identify a specific individual by analyzing patterns in images. Voice recognition or speech recognition refers to an automated method for extracting features identifying an individual based on his/her digitized voice. Fingerprint recognition or fingerprint authentication refers to an automated biometric method of verifying a match between two human fingerprints. Because of their uniqueness and consistency over time, fingerprints have been used for identification for over a century, more recently becoming automated due to advancements in computing capabilities. The most widely used recognition technique is minutiae-based matching.

[145] The barcode reader 210, the keyboard or keypad 214, the SPKR/MIC 216, the camera 218, the voice recorder 220 and the scanner 222 are all operably coupled to the I/O interface 30 to enable biometric data indicative of the actual recipient of the delivered article or goods 1 14, biometric data indicative of the intended addressee 104 of the delivered article or goods 1 4, as well as delivery status data associated with the delivered article or goods 1 14, to be communicated to the processor 202 and/or memory 204 as required.

[146] In other embodiments, it will be appreciated that the identifier of the delivered article or goods 114 is not simply limited to being a barcode, but may take another form. For example, the input device may take the form of an RFID reader configured to read RFID tag identifiers.

[147] In addition to the biometric data described above, additional data associated with the recipient and the addressee 104 to be used for comparative purposes may also include a digital or electronic signature. Such signatures are ideally provided by the recipient and addressee 104 by signing a corresponding portion of the display device 212 using a pen wand or the like.

[148] It will be understood from the description above that the various forms of biometric data and delivery status data, and the like constitutes multivariable documentation to be used in providing the necessary proof of delivery (POD) of the article or goods 1 14 to the intended addressee 104.

[149] According to a particular use, in the case of obtaining biometric data, the corresponding input device, be it the digital scanner 222, the camera 218 or the voice recorder 220, is caused by the processor 202 to generate a digital signal indicative of a biometric identifier of the recipient of the delivered article or goods 114 at the point of delivery. The processor 202 then transforms said digital signal into biometric data indicative of the recipient of the delivered article or goods 114.

[150] In the case where an intended addressee 104 of the delivered article or goods 114 denies actually receiving said article or goods 114, the or another delivery person 102 may employ the corresponding input device(s) of the wireless device/terminal 106 in a similar manner to the above to generate a digital signal indicative of a biometric identifier of the addressee 104, which the processor 202 can then transform into biometric data indicative of the addressee 104 of the delivered article or goods 114.

[151] By virtue of the wireless device/terminal 106 shown in Fig. 4 being a portable device, it will be appreciated that this wireless device/terminal 106 is configured to be powered using at least an internal power supply within the wireless device/terminal 106 such as one or more batteries (not shown). In addition, or alternatively to, the wireless device/terminal 106 may also be configured to connect to an external power supply such as an external battery charger or a mains power supply (not shown), or configured to connect to a docking station (not shown) which may itself comprise an internal battery or is capable of being connected to a mains power supply or external battery charger for charging the wireless device/terminal 106 once docked.

[152] In one embodiment, the wireless device/terminal 106 is configured to run a browser application 280 to enable a user such as the delivery person 102, to send and receive digital data to and from the server 112 over the Internet 108. For instance, when a sender is looking to ship an article or goods 114 to an intended addressee 104, the delivery person 02 can register relevant details about the sender, the addressee 104, the drop-off point location, and the nature of the article or goods 114 to be shipped, onto a dedicated website or webpage 260 hosted by the server 1 2. Such data may be input using a suitable input device on the wireless device/terminal 106 such as the keyboard/keypad 214 or SPKR/MIC 216, where the wireless device/terminal 106 comprises speech recognition software. Once entered, the data can be submitted to the server 112 across the data network 108, 206 via the data network interface 50, for processing by the processor 55 before storing the processed data on the database 116. ,

[153] Once the data has been processed, the server 112 generates a unique identification code to be assigned to the intended addressee 104 of the article or goods 114 to be delivered. In the case where the details about the addressee 104 include contact details, such as a telephone number, SMS or email address, it will be appreciated that the unique identification code can be sent from the server 112 across the data network 108 via the data network interface 50, to the addressee 104.

[154] In other embodiments, it will be appreciated that the sender may simply input the above data onto the webpage 260 via a general computing device 10 running a browser application 280. Thus, in the case where the general computing device 0 is located at the sender's home, office, or other location, then the details entered onto the webpage 260 must also include the location of the pick-up point. Once all the data has been processed via the processor 55, the server 112 not only sends the unique identification code to the intended addressee 104, but the server 112 also instructs a delivery person 102 to collect the article or goods 1 14 to be shipped from the pick-up point.

[155] Method

[156] A computer-implemented method for providing proof of delivery of an article or goods 114 to an intended addressee 104 is described below.

[157] According to one embodiment, that is, in the case where the wireless device/terminal 106 is configured to store the obtained biometric data within the memory 204, the processor 202 is then controlled by the computer code to verify the identity of the addressee 104 as being the actual recipient of said delivered article or goods 114 by comparing the biometric data of the addressee 104 with the biometric data of the recipient to identify a match. Once a match has been found, the processor 202 is then controlled by the computer code to cause the display device 212 to display verification data confirming the match, thereby providing proof of delivery of the delivered article or goods 1 14 to the addressee 104.

[158] In addition to comparing the biometric data of the addressee 104 and the recipient, there is also a requirement to confirm the identity of the delivered article or goods 114 as the actual article or goods 114 that was intended to be delivered to the addressee 104. In this respect, the wireless device/terminal 106 is configured to generate, using one or more input devices, delivery status data indicative of a status of the delivered article or goods 1 14.

[159] In one form, the delivery status data comprises article identification data in the form of a barcode. In this respect, the processor 202 of the wireless device/terminal 106 is controlled by the computer code to cause the barcode reader 210 to generate a digital signal indicative of a barcode of the delivered article or goods 114. Once generated, the processor 202 is controlled by the computer code to transform said digital signal into article identification data indicative of an identity of the delivered article or goods 114. Such identification data can be stored in the memory 204 for future reference in the event an addressee 104 denies ever having received said article or goods 14.

[160] The delivery status data may also comprise timestamp data and location data obtained using the GPS module 208 and processed by the processor 55 in a similar manner to that described above.

[161] According to another embodiment, that is, in the case where the verification step is to be conducted remotely by the server 112, the processor 202 of the wireless device/terminal 106 is controlled by the computer code to send, with the aid of the respective data network interfaces 50, 206, the biometric data of the addressee 104 over the network 108 to the server 112. Once received, the processor 55 of the server 112 is then controlled by the computer program code to select, from the database 116, biometric data indicative of the recipient of the delivered article or goods 114 that has previously been recorded and stored on the database 116 by the original delivery person 102, and to then verify the identity of the addressee 104 as the recipient of the delivered article or goods 114 by comparing the received biometric data of the addressee 104 with the selected biometric data of the actual recipient. Once a match has been found, and thus the identity of the addressee 104 verified, the processor 55 of the server 112 is then controlled by the computer program code to send, with the aid of the respective data network interfaces 50 206, verification data confirming the match to the wireless device/terminal 106 via the network 108. Once received, the processor 202 of the wireless device/terminal 106 is then controlled by the computer code to cause the display device 212 to display the verification data confirming the match, thereby providing proof of delivery of the delivered article or goods 114 to the addressee 104.

[162] Again, in addition to comparing the biometric data of the addressee 104 and the recipient, there is also a requirement to confirm the identity of the delivered article or goods 114 as the actual article or goods 114 that was intended to be delivered to the addressee 104. In this respect, the wireless device/terminal 106 is configured to generate, using one or more input devices, delivery status data indicative of a status of the delivered article or goods 114, and the processor 202 is then controlled by the computer code to send the delivery status data with the aid of the respective data network interfaces 50, 206 to the server 112 via the network 108. Once received, the processor 55 of the server 112 is then controlled by the computer program code to verify the identity of the delivered article or goods 1 14 as the article or goods 1 14 intended to be delivered to the addressee 104 by comparing the received delivery status data with article identification data indicative of the identity of the article or goods 114 that has been obtained previously by the original delivery person 102 using the wireless device/terminal 106 and transmitted to the server 112 for storing on the database 116 for future reference in the event an addressee 104 denies ever having received said article or goods 114.

[163] In one embodiment, the wireless device/terminal 106 is running a browser application 280 and the biometric data associated with the addressee 104 may be uploaded to the webpage 260 for processing by the processor 55 of the server 112. For instance, digital photographs or video of the addressee 104 and recipient may be recorded (compressed or non-compressed) in one or more of the following formats: JPEG, MPEG, PNG, GIF, TIFF, or PDF file, while the voice recordings may be recorded as a WAV file.

[164] Exemplary Protocol

[165] Referring specifically to FIGS. 5A-5D, there is described below an exemplary protocol for providing proof of delivery of an article or goods 114 to an intended addressee 104.

[166] The exemplary protocol shown is implemented by a delivery person 102 operating a wireless device/terminal 106 at the point of delivery of said article or goods 1 4. The information relating to the delivery of the article or shipped goods 114 is inputted via the wireless device/terminal 106 carried by the delivery person 102. In this shown embodiment, the inputted information is transmitted immediately in real time across a telecommunication network of the cellular infrastructure 108 via a cell station 110 to the server 112 for later use in case the addressee 104 complains that he/she did not receive actual delivery of the article or goods 114 intended for the addressee 104.

[167] By obtaining the necessary biometric data indicative of the recipient and article information data indicative of the delivered article or goods 114, the delivery person 102 is able to analyze the received data using either the wireless device/terminal 106 directly or send the received data from the wireless device/terminal 106 (via the network 108) to the server 1 12 for analyzing remotely.

[168] A barcode (not shown) of the delivered article or goods 1 14 is read (step 302) using the barcode reader 210, stored in the wireless device/terminal 106 and used as a primary key for the additional information of the delivery as described below. The geographical coordinates of the place where the article or goods 114 is delivered and time information is added (step 304); using different technologies as described above. The delivery person 102 takes a digital photograph of the delivered order (D/O) using the camera 218 (step 306). Biometric data is then collected from the recipient. The order in which data is collected has no significance. The delivery person 102 takes a digital photograph of the recipient using the camera 218 (step 308). The recipient acknowledges the receiving of the delivered article or goods 114 by signing electronically on his/her digital photograph displayed on the display 212 of the wireless device/terminal 106 (step 310) and the digital photograph including the digital signature is stored in the wireless device/terminal 106. The delivery person 102 scans the fingerprint of the recipient (step 312) using the scanner 222, and then records the voice of the recipient using the voice recorder 220 (step 314) and all the gathered biometric information data indicative of the recipient is transmitted to the server 112 (step 316) via the respective network interfaces 50, 206.

[169] In an additional step, the recipient acknowledges the receiving of the delivered article or goods 114 and an identification code is inputted by the recipient (step 315) using the wireless device/terminal 106. The identification code indicative of the recipient is also transmitted to the server 1 12 (step 316) via the respective network interfaces 50, 206. The identification code was provided to the addressee on collection of the article for delivery and is used to verify the identity of the addressee as the intended recipient of the delivered article or goods 1 14.

[170] When the server 112 receives the data relating to a delivery, the data is stored in its database 1 6 (step 318) for later use in case the addressee 104 denies the event of delivery.

[171] In case a request (step 320) to perform a proof of delivery (POD) for a delivered article or goods 114, the relevant data is downloaded from the database 116 (step 324).

[172] In the case of denial of reception of an article or goods 1 14 by an addressee 104, a dispute takes place. In order to resolve the dispute, biometric data is collected from the addressee 104 and compared to the biometric data of the actual recipient of the delivered article or goods 114 stored on the database 116. The order in which data is collected and analyzed has no importance.

[173] In more detail, an exemplary protocol for the contestation of the denier with respect of the original recipient is described as follows. The delivery person 102 takes a digital photograph of the addressee 104 (step 326), the signature of the addressee 104 on his/her digital photograph is captured (step 328) on the display 212 and compared to stored same data type of the recipient of the actual delivered article or goods 114 (step 330). The comparison may be done automatically using technology such as face recognition or manually. If no match (step 332) is established, an issue is, raised for this delivery (step 334) and the denial may be justified. A fingerprint of the addressee 104 is scanned (step 338) using the digital scanner 222 and fingerprint recognition is performed (step 340). If the result is negative (meaning no match is found), an issue is raised for this delivery, otherwise the voice of the addressee 104 is recorded (step 344) and voice recognition (step 346) is performed. If the result is negative, an issue is raised for this delivery, otherwise there is a match between the recipient and the addressee 104 and a proof of the delivery and end of the process (step 348).

[174] In the embodiment where the identification code is received from the recipient (step 315), as shown in FIG. 5D, the identification code is received from the recipient (step 350), and the received identification code is compared with an identification code provided to the addressee (step 352). If the result is negative, an issue is raised for this delivery (B), otherwise there is a match between the recipient and the addressee 104 and a proof of the delivery and end of the process (step 348).

[175] In another embodiment in which no communications to infrastructure or no infrastructure is involved, all the action performed remotely by the server 1 2 (steps 316-348) may be implemented by the wireless device/terminal 106 and the relevant biometric data and delivery status data stored in the memory 204.

[176] In addition, the recipient of the delivered article or goods 114 may be asked by the delivery person 102 at the drop-off point location to input the unique identification code that was previously assigned and sent by the server 112 to the intended addressee 104 via SMS, email or the like. Thus, if the identification code provided by the recipient of the delivered article or goods 114 matches the identification code assigned to the intended addressee 104 of the article or goods 114, which is stored in either the memory 204 of the wireless device/terminal 106 or on the database 116 accessible by the server 112, then this will add a further layer of evidence to confirm that the recipient of the article or goods 114 and the intended addressee 104 of said article or goods 114 are one and the same, thereby disproving the addressee's 104 claim that he or she did not receive the article or goods 114.

[177] Advantages

[178] From the foregoing discussion, it should be apparent to a person of ordinary skill in the art that the method and system for providing proof of delivery of an article or goods 114 to an addressee 104, as defined in the various embodiments of the present invention described above, provides certainty to both the addressee 104 and the delivery person 02 or his/her employer, that the article or goods 1 14 intended to be delivered to the addressee 104 has in fact been delivered and formally acknowledged as being received.

[179] INTERPRETATION

[180] Wireless:

[181] The invention may be embodied using devices conforming to other network standards and for other applications, including, for example other WLAN standards and other wireless standards. Applications that can be accommodated include IEEE 802.1 1 wireless LANs and links, and wireless Ethernet.

[182] In the context of this document, the term "wireless" and its derivatives may be used to describe circuits, devices, systems, methods, techniques, communications channels, etc., that may communicate data through the use of modulated electromagnetic radiation through a non-solid medium. The term does not imply that the associated devices do not contain any wires, although in some embodiments they might not. In the context of this document, the term "wired" and its derivatives may be used to describe circuits, devices, systems, methods, techniques, communications channels, etc., that may communicate data through the use of modulated electromagnetic radiation through a solid medium. The term does not imply that the associated devices are coupled by electrically conductive wires.

[183] Processes: [184] Unless specifically stated otherwise, as apparent from the following discussions, it is appreciated that throughout the specification discussions utilizing terms such as "processing", "computing", "calculating", "determining", "analysing" or the like, refer to the action and/or processes of a computer or computing system, or similar electronic computing device, that manipulate and/or transform data represented as physical, such as electronic, quantities into other data similarly represented as physical quantities.

[185] Processor:

[186] In a similar manner, the term "processor" may refer to any device or portion of a device that processes electronic data, e.g., from registers and/or memory to transform that electronic data into other electronic data that, e.g., may be stored in registers and/or memory. A "computer" or a "computing device" or a "computing machine" or a "computing platform" may include one or more processors.

[187] The methodologies described herein are, in one embodiment, performable by one or more processors that accept computer-readable (also called machine-readable) code containing a set of instructions that when executed by one or more of the processors carry out at least one of the methods described herein. Any processor capable of executing a set of instructions (sequential or otherwise) that specify actions to be taken are included. Thus, one example is a typical processing system that includes one or more processors. The processing system further may include a memory subsystem including main RAM and/or a static RAM, and/or ROM.

[188] Computer-Readable Medium:

[189] Furthermore, a computer-readable carrier medium may form, or be included in a computer program product. A computer program product can be stored on a computer usable carrier medium, the computer program product comprising a computer readable program means for causing a processor to perform a method as described herein.

[190] Networked or Multiple Processors:

[191] In alternative embodiments, the one or more processors operate as a standalone device or may be connected, e.g., networked to other processor(s), in a networked deployment, the one or more processors may operate in the capacity of a server or a client machine in server-client network environment, or as a peer machine in a peer-to-peer or distributed network environment. The one or more processors may form a web appliance, a network router, switch or bridge, or any machine capable of executing a set of instructions (sequential or otherwise) that specify actions to be taken by that machine.

[192] Note that while some diagram(s) only show(s) a single processor and a single memory that carries the computer-readable code, those in the art will understand that many of the components described above are included, but not explicitly shown or described in order not to obscure the inventive aspect. For example, while only a single machine is illustrated, the term "machine" shall also be taken to include any collection of machines that individually or jointly execute a set (or multiple sets) of instructions to perform any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein.

[193] Additional Embodiments:

[194] Thus, one embodiment of each of the methods described herein is in the form of a computer-readable carrier medium carrying a set of instructions, e.g., a computer program that are for execution on one or more processors. Thus, as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, embodiments of the present invention may be embodied as a method, an apparatus such as a special purpose apparatus, an apparatus such as a data processing system, or a computer-readable carrier medium. The computer-readable carrier medium carries computer readable code including a set of instructions that when executed on one or more processors cause a processor or processors to implement a method. Accordingly, aspects of the present invention may take the form of a method, an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects. Furthermore, the present invention may take the form of carrier medium (e.g., a computer program product on a computer-readable storage medium) carrying computer-readable program code embodied in the medium.

[195] Carrier Medium: [196] The software may further be transmitted or received over a network via a network interface device. While the carrier medium is shown in an example embodiment to be a single medium, the term "carrier medium" should be taken to include a single medium or multiple media (e.g., a centralized or distributed database, and/or associated caches and servers) that store the one or more sets of instructions. The term "carrier medium" shall also be taken to include any medium that is capable of storing, encoding or carrying a set of instructions for execution by one or more of the processors and that cause the one or more processors to perform any one or more of the methodologies of the present invention. A carrier medium may take many forms, including but not limited to, non-volatile media, volatile media, and transmission media.

[197] Implementation:

[198] It will be understood that the steps of methods discussed are performed in one embodiment by an appropriate processor (or processors) of a processing (i.e., computer) system executing instructions (computer-readable code) stored in storage. It will also be understood that the invention is not limited to any particular implementation or programming technique and that the invention may be implemented using any appropriate techniques for implementing the functionality described herein. The invention is not limited to any particular programming language or operating system.

[199] Means For Carrying out a Method or Function:

[200] Furthermore, some of the embodiments are described herein as a method or combination of elements of a method that can be implemented by a processor of a processor device, computer system, or by other means of carrying out the function. Thus, a processor with the necessary instructions for carrying out such a method or element of a method forms a means for carrying out the method or element of a method. Furthermore, an element described herein of an apparatus embodiment is an example of a means for carrying out the function performed by the . element for the purpose of carrying out the invention.

[201] Connected: [202] Similarly, it is to be noticed that the term connected, when used in the claims, should not be interpreted as being limitative to direct connections only. Thus, the scope of the expression a device A connected to a device B should not be limited to devices or systems wherein an output of device A is directly connected to an input of device B. It means that there exists a path between an output of A and an input of B which may be a path including other devices or means. "Connected" may mean that two or more elements are either in direct physical or electrical contact or that two or more elements are not in direct contact with each other but yet still co-operate or interact with each other.

[203] Embodiments:

[204] Reference throughout this specification to "one embodiment" or "an embodiment" means that a particular feature, structure or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus, appearances of the phrases "in one embodiment" or "in an embodiment" in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment, but may. Furthermore, the particular features, structures or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner, as would be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art from this disclosure, in one or more embodiments.

[205] Similarly it should be appreciated that in the above description of example embodiments of the invention, various features of the invention are sometimes grouped together in a single embodiment, figure, or description thereof for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure and aiding in the understanding of one or more of the various inventive aspects. This method of disclosure, however, is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that the claimed invention requires more features than are expressly recited in each claim. Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventive aspects lie in less than all features of a single foregoing disclosed embodiment. Thus, the claims following the Detailed Description of Specific Embodiments are hereby expressly incorporated into this Detailed Description of Specific Embodiments, with each claim standing on its own as a separate embodiment of this invention. [206] Furthermore, while some embodiments described herein include some but not other features included in other embodiments, combinations of features of different embodiments are meant to be within the scope of the invention, and form different embodiments, as would be understood by those in the art. For example, in the following claims, any of the claimed embodiments can be used in any combination.

[207] Different Instances of Objects

[208] As used herein, unless otherwise specified the use of the ordinal adjectives "first", "second", "third", etc., to describe a common object, merely indicate that different instances of like objects are being referred to, and are not intended to imply that the objects so described must be in a given sequence, either temporally, spatially, in ranking, or in any other manner.

[209] Specific Details

[210] In the description provided herein, numerous specific details are set forth. However, it is understood that embodiments of the invention may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known methods, structures and techniques have not been shown in detail in order not to obscure an understanding of this description.

[211] Terminology

[212] In describing the preferred embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawings, specific terminology will be resorted to for the sake of clarity. However, the invention is not intended to be limited to the specific terms so selected, and it is to be understood that each specific term includes all technical equivalents which operate in a similar manner to accomplish a similar technical purpose. Terms such as "forward", "rearward", "radially", "peripherally", "upwardly", "downwardly", and the like are used as words of convenience to provide reference points and are not to be construed as limiting terms.

[213] Comprising and Including

[214] In the claims which follow and in the preceding description of the invention, except where the context requires otherwise due to express language or necessary implication, the word "comprise" or 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 of the invention.

[215] Any one of the terms: including or which includes or that includes as used herein is also an open term that also means including at least the elements/features that follow the term, but not excluding others. Thus, including is synonymous with and means comprising.

[216] Scope of Invention

[217] Thus, while there has been described what are believed to be the preferred embodiments of the invention, those skilled in the art will recognize that other and further modifications may be made thereto without departing from the spirit of the invention, and it is intended to claim all such changes and modifications as fall within the scope of the invention. For example, any formulas given above are merely representative of procedures that may be used. Functionality may be added or deleted from the block diagrams and operations may be interchanged among functional blocks. Steps may be added or deleted to methods described within the scope of the present invention.

[218] Although the invention has been described with reference to specific examples, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the invention may be embodied in many other forms.

[219] Industrial Applicability

[220] It is apparent from the above, that the arrangements described are applicable to at least the logistics industry.

Claims

1. A method for providing proof of delivery of an article to an addressee, the method comprising the steps of:

a) receiving, via a communications network, biometric data indicative of an addressee of an article for delivery;

b) verifying an identity of the addressee as a recipient of sard delivered article by comparing the received biometric data with biometric data indicative of the recipient of the delivered article; and

c) sending, via the communications network, verification data representative of the verified identity of the addressee as proof of delivery of the article to the addressee.

2. A method according to claim 1 , wherein, in step b), the method further comprising the step of:

- selecting, via at least one database connection, the biometric data indicative of the recipient of the delivered article.

3. A method according to claim 2, wherein the biometric data comprises a biometric identifier selected from the group consisting of: a fingerprint scan, a retina scan, an iris scan, a palm print scan, a hand geometry scan, a voice print and a facial recognition scan.

4. A method according to claim 1 , further comprising, before step c), the steps of:

- receiving, via the communications network, delivery status data indicative of a status of the delivered article; and

- further verifying the identity of the addressee as a recipient of said delivered article by comparing the received delivery status data with delivery status data indicative of the status of the delivered article.

5. A method according to claim 4, further comprising the step of:

- selecting, via at least one database connection, the delivery status data indicative.of the status of the delivered article.

6. A method according to claim 4 or 5, wherein the delivery status data is selected from the group consisting of article identification data, time stamp data and location data.,

7. A method according to claim 6, wherein the article identification data is selected from the group consisting of a one-dimensional barcode, a two- dimensional barcode and a radiofrequency identification tag.

8. A method according to claim 1 , further comprising, before step c), the steps of:

- receiving, via the communications network, an identification code from the recipient of the delivered article; and

- further verifying the identity of the addressee as a recipient of said delivered article by comparing the received identification code with an identification code provided to the addressee on collection of the article for delivery.

9. A method according to claim 8, further comprising the step of:

- selecting, via at least one database connection, the identification code provided to the addressee on collection of the article for delivery.

10. A server for providing proof of delivery of an article to an addressee, the server comprising:

a processor for processing digital data;

a memory device for storing digital data including computer program code and being coupled to the processor; and

a data network interface for sending and receiving digital data, including biometric data, the data network interface being communicable with the processor, in use, wherein the processor is controlled by the computer program code to:

a) receive, via the data network interface, biometric data indicative of an addressee of an article for delivery; b) verify an identity of the addressee as a recipient of said delivered article by comparing the received biometric data with biometric data indicative of the recipient of the delivered article; and c) send, via the data network interface, verification data representative of the verified identity of the addressee as proof of delivery of the article to the addressee.

11. A server according to claim 10, further comprising at least one database connection for retrieving digital data including biometric data, wherein the processor is further controlled by the computer program code to:

- select, via the at least one database connection, the biometric data indicative of the recipient of the delivered article.

12. A server according to claim 10 or 11 , wherein the processor is further controlled by the computer program code to, before c):

- receive, via the data network interface, delivery status data indicative of a status of the delivered article; and

- further verify the identity of the addressee as a recipient of said delivered article by comparing the received delivery status data with delivery status data indicative of the status of the delivered article.

13. A server according to claim 12, further comprising at least one database connection for retrieving digital data, wherein the processor is further controlled by the computer program code to:

- select, via the at least one database connection, the delivery status data indicative of the status of the delivered article.

14. A server according to claim 10 or 11 , wherein the processor is further controlled by the computer program code to, before c):

- receive, via the data network interface, an identification code from the recipient of the delivered article; and

- further verify the identity of the addressee as a recipient of said delivered article by comparing the received identification code with an identification code provided to the addressee on collection of the article for delivery.

15. A server according to claim 14, further comprising at least one database connection for retrieving digital data, wherein the processor is further controlled by the computer program code to:

- select, via the at least one database connection, the identification code provided to the addressee on collection of the article for delivery.

16. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium for providing proof of delivery of an article to an addressee, the computer readable storage medium comprising computer program code instructions recorded thereon, the computer program code instructions being executable by a computer and comprising instructions for:

a) receiving, via a data network interface, biometric data indicative of an addressee of an article for delivery;

b) verifying an identity of the addressee as a recipient of said delivered article by comparing the received biometric data with biometric data indicative of the recipient of the delivered article; and

c) sending, via the data network interface, verification data representative of the verified identity of the addressee as proof of delivery of the article to the addressee.

17. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 16, wherein the computer program code further comprises instructions for:

18. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 16 or 17, wherein the computer program code further comprises instructions for, before c):

- receiving, via the data network interface, delivery status data indicative of a status of the delivered article; and - further verifying the identity of the addressee as a recipient of said delivered article by comparing the received delivery status data with delivery status data indicative of the status of the delivered article. ,

19. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 18, wherein the computer program code further comprises instructions for:

- selecting, via at least one database connection, the delivery status data indicative of the status of the delivered article.

20. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 16 or 17, wherein the computer program code further comprises instructions for:

- receiving, via the data network interface, an identification code from the recipient of the delivered article; and

21. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 20, wherein the computer program code further comprises instructions for:

22. A client computing device for providing proof of delivery of an article to an addressee, the client computing device comprising:

a processor for processing digital data;

a memory device for storing digital data including computer program code and being coupled to the processor;

at least one input device for generating biometric data indicative of an addressee of a delivered article; .

a display device, wherein the processor is controlled by the computer program code to: a) generate, using said at least one input device, biorrietric data indicative of an addressee of an article for delivery;

b) verify an identity of the addressee as a recipient of said ' delivered article by comparing the generated biometric data with biometric data indicative of the recipient of the delivered article; and c) cause the display device to display verification data representative of the verified identity of the addressee as proof of delivery of the article to the addressee.

23. A client computing device according to claim 22, wherein the processor is controlled by the computer code to, before a):

- generate, using said at least one input device, a digital signal indicative of a biometric identifier of an addressee of the delivered article; and

- transform said digital signal into biometric data indicative of the addressee of the delivered article.

24. A client computing device according to claim 23, wherein the biometric identifier is selected from the group consisting of: a fingerprint scan, a retina scan, an iris scan, a palm print scan, a hand geometry scan, a voice print and a facial recognition scan.

25. A client computing device according to any one of claims 22 to 24, wherein the processor is further controlled by the computer code to:

- generate, using said at least one input device, delivery status data indicative of a status of the delivered article; and

26. A client computing device according to any one of claims 22 to 25, wherein the at least one input device comprises a location sensing module, wherein the processor is further controlled. by the computer code to: - generate, using said location sensing module, a digital signal indicative of a location identifier of the article at a given moment relative to one or more location beacons; and

- transform said digital signal into location data indicative of a location of the article upon delivery.

27. A client computing device according to any one of claims 22 to 26, wherein the at least one input device comprises a digital scanner, wherein the processor is controlled by the computer code to:

- generate, using said digital scanner, a digital signal indicative of an identifier of the delivered article; and

- transform said digital signal into article identification data indicative of an identity of the delivered article.

28. A client computing device according to claim 27, wherein the article identification data is selected from the group consisting of a one-dimensional barcode, a two-dimensional barcode and a radiofrequency identification tag.

29. A client computing device according to claim 22, wherein the processor is further controlled by the computer program code to, before c):

- generate, using said at least one input device, an identification code indicative of the recipient of the delivered article; and

30. A client computing device for providing proof of delivery of an article to an addressee, the client computing device comprising:

a processor for processing digital data;

at least one input device for generating biometric data indicative of an addressee of a delivered article; a display device; and

a data network interface for sending and receiving digital data, including biometric data, wherein the processor is controlled by the computer program code to:

a) generate, using said at least one input device, biometric data indicative of an addressee of an article for delivery;

b) send, via the data network interface, the biometric data indicative of an addressee of an article for delivery to a server for verifying the identity of the addressee as a recipient of said delivered article by comparing the generated biometric data with biometric data indicative of the recipient of the delivered article;

c) receive from the server, via the data network interface, verification data representative of the verified identity of the addressee as proof of delivery of the article to the addressee; and

d) cause the display device to display the verification data.