System and method of delivering groceries purchased over the internet

摘要

Delivery items ordered over the Internet by a particular time in the early evening may be delivered by the next morning to a location within a 5-6 hour delivery radius of a warehouse, according to one specific aspect of the present invention. The order for the delivery items is filled at the warehouse, where the items are placed in a tote for delivery. The filled tote is placed on a movable rack, with shelves that are pitched such that when a tote is removed, another tote falls into the space previously occupied by the first tote. Racks holding the totes are transferred to a first vehicle, typically a large trailer, that transports the racks to a transfer point where one or more racks are transferred to a second smaller vehicle, such as a van. The van delivers the totes to customers along a pre-established route. Upon reaching a delivery destination, the driver removes the appropriate tote and secures it in a locked expandable bag, such as a mesh net or insulated bag, that may be locked in two places and that is itself secured to a delivery box, which is secured outside the delivery destination. Later, the customer can remove the tote from the bag, and removes the delivery items from the tote.