US Patent 11907887 Methods and apparatus for unattended deliveries

According to one aspect, a method includes propelling a vehicle to a location. The vehicle includes at least one compartment configured to contain at least one delivery item and at least one transfer mechanism, the transfer mechanism arranged to be activated to cause the delivery item to be purged from the at least one compartment. The method also includes determining when the vehicle is authorized to deliver the delivery item at the location, aligning the vehicle with respect to a target at the location, opening a door to the at least one compartment, and activating the transfer mechanism after opening the door. Activating the transfer mechanism includes causing the transfer mechanism to purge the delivery item such that the delivery item is obtained by the target. The target is arranged to receive the delivery item when the delivery item is purged from the at least one compartment.