BUILDING SYSTEM FOR VEHICULAR ACCESS DELIVERY-ONLY RESTAURANT AND RETAIL SERVICES

Abstract

A vehicle-oriented building and lot site is provided to accommodate delivery-only services for caterers, restaurants, retailers, e-retailers and package systems. A building having multiple service access points in the form of service windows, service doors, and the like can be placed on a site such that vehicular traffic can be directed to one of multiple service access points within a dedicated service area while allowing for a continuous flow of ingress and egress traffic for other delivery vehicles. Each service window or door within the dedicated service area can be marked by signage in human and machine-readable forms using a combination of words and symbols such as QR codes. Each discrete unit can be built for a specific operator, such as a quick service restaurant or goods storehouse, and is placed adjacent to a dedicated service and loading area.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This Application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. .sctn. 119(e) to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/817,622, "BUILDING SYSTEM FOR VEHICULAR ACCESS DELIVERY-ONLY RESTAURANT AND RETAIL SERVICES" filed Mar. 13, 2019 which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety as if fully set forth below.

BACKGROUND

[0002] The present disclosure relates to building, parking, and driveway structures. More particularly, the disclosure relates to multi-unit commercial building structures and drive through access building structures.

[0003] There has been a recent interest in so-called "last mile" services for delivery of retail goods to homes and businesses both in online retail sales and in traditional restaurants for food delivery. Amazon, Target, Walmart, grocery chains and others have begun to offer direct delivery services to homes and businesses, sometimes centered on augmenting their retail locations for pickup and drop off of goods and sometimes utilizing industrial locations for order fulfillment. Food delivery services such as Grubhub, UberEats, Postmates, and others have utilized a shared driver pool model to enable existing retail restaurants to augment their in-store and drive-thru sales to further include last-mile delivery of their food.

[0004] Additionally, a new food industry trend known as a "ghost restaurant" (or alternatively, "dark kitchen") has begun to gain popularity. Although definitions vary in this early stage, generally a "ghost restaurant" is one that does not have a physical presence but serves online-only menu items for delivery direct to homes or businesses. These "ghost restaurants" are typically implemented in two different implementations: 1) a traditional restaurant, such as a hamburger place, that also serves an entirely online-only menu such as fresh organic salads under a totally separate brand name than the hamburger restaurant although prepared in the same retail location, or 2) a commissary-style kitchen that does not include a front of house, located in a sparsely trafficked retail location or spare office or industrial space as available.

[0005] Conventional drive-thru methods are designed for on-site ordering and pickup of goods, while traditional restaurant and retail outlets are optimized for in-person patronage. The recent prevalence and popularity of online ordering has caused retailers to adapt their customer areas to accommodate delivery pickup, at additional costs for tenant improvements. These improvements are often completed in a semi-experimental fashion as the technology and demand drivers continue to change. These changes are often made to the detriment of either the existing drive-thru operations or the in-person patronage in the front of house, since more space in the forms of check-out, pick-up areas and parking must be dedicated to delivery services and delivery staff members must enter/exit the premises disturbing in-house patrons. Shared commissary kitchens from startups such as Kitchen United, CloudKitchen, and others have focused on solving this need in the restaurant space by integrating the existing shared commissary kitchen model with a licensed-space business model similar to how WeWork has revolutionized the office leasing industry and have presented as their core offering technology service providers and other turnkey solutions for order taking and fulfillment. Ordering systems have become more complex especially for kitchens that serve both a retail menu and a totally separate menu for online-only ordering, leading to order mistakes, food line inefficiency, and service delays.

[0006] Additionally, while sales have increased for both retail sales and food with online ordering and delivery, the delivery service providers often take a sizable cut of the sales as their fee for bringing in new sales and to provide delivery services, with the potential to cause additional financial stress on already-thin margin food service and retail operations.

[0007] Also, many ghost restaurants are located in more traditional high-traffic retail areas where consumers are more likely to stumble upon their services. While this is desirable for traditional retail locations, delivery service providers often compete for space within already crowded retail parking areas and efficient ingress and egress is seldom found during peak meal times, further cannibalizing in-person sales.

[0008] Another key challenge to online food and soft goods delivery is ensuring maximum efficiency in connecting the patron's final delivery location, the order prep location, and an available delivery driver, who often may have multiple scheduled deliveries on a given route. This problem is further complicated by the fact that many delivery drivers are independent contractors working for one or more online ordering systems (such as Amazon, GrubHub, PostMates, UBEReats, etc), each with exclusive or semi-exclusive access to retail brands and food brands on their platforms. Because drivers are incentivized to perform a high-volume of deliveries, drivers generally try to be physically closest to the delivery's point of origin in order to maximize the number and frequency of bookings that are assigned to them, since they are awarded orders in part by location by the various automated systems used by the online ordering companies. Ride-sharing drivers often congregate in areas of peak demand, such as near airports during business travel hours, near bars and restaurants during evenings, and around concerts or sporting events in a given area. Such a hub mentality occurs in retail and food delivery as well, although not yet at sufficient density nor as driven by peak delivery times to yet be valuable.

[0009] Therefore, a need exists in the field for systems and methods to enable more efficient pickup by dedicated delivery providers in locations very near the final place of delivery.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

[0010] In some aspects, the present disclosure includes systems and methods for implementing a vehicle-oriented building and site plan that includes several embodiments optimized to accommodate delivery-only services for caterers, restaurants, retailers, e-retailers and package systems to meet the above-stated needs. The building and site plan can enable preparation, packaging, and hand-off of goods to direct vehicular access for delivery-only restaurants and retail services. The building can include multiple service access points. In some examples, the building can be a multi-unit building with a site plan site plan design that facilitates rapid re-tenanting of restaurant commissary kitchen and retail goods warehousing uses, an efficient vehicular ingress/egress/circulation pattern, and a series of individual building service access points accessible by delivery vehicles. Alternatively, the building can be a single-unit building with multiple service access points such that the service access points provide the sole means for exchanging food or other goods between the building and the public, i.e. the building lacks a pedestrian store front.

[0011] In some embodiments, the building is placed on a site such that vehicular traffic can be directed to one of multiple service access points (e.g. service windows, doors, loading bays, etc.) within a dedicated service area while allowing for a continuous flow of ingress and egress traffic for other delivery vehicles. In some embodiments, each service access point within the dedicated service area is clearly marked by human-readable and machine-readable signage using a combination of words and symbols and methods such as QR codes. In some embodiments, the dedicated service areas are each associated with a tenant unit in the multi-unit building. In some embodiments, each tenant unit is built for a specific tenant operator's needs, such as a quick service restaurant or goods storehouse, and is placed directly adjacent to the dedicated service area and/or one or more service windows or doors. In some embodiments, the site plan includes driver amenities such as break areas and restrooms.

[0012] In one embodiment, a vehicular drive-through distribution hub is provided that includes a vehicularly accessible lot and a multi-unit building positioned on the lot. The lot can include an entrance from a public right-of-way, an exit to the same or a different public right-of-way, multiple vehicularly accessible dedicated service areas, and a vehicularly accessible passing lane positioned to provide ingress and egress to each of the dedicated service areas and positioned to provide access to the entrance and the exit of the lot. The multi-unit building can include multiple units that are each separately securable from each other (e.g. configured to be rented by unrelated tenants) and multiple service access points each associated with a respective building unit and respective dedicated service area such that each service access point is an opening in the building sized and configured to allow physical objects to pass from the unit to the dedicated service area (and potentially vice versa). At least one of the units can lack a pedestrian store front such that the service access point of that unit provides the sole public access to the unit. Each service access point can provide the sole public access to each respective unit (e.g. the unit lacks a pedestrian store front). Each dedicated service area can provide the sole public access to each respective service access point (e.g. the unit lacks any service access point outside of the dedicated service area).

[0013] Each service access point can include one or more service windows, doors, and/or loading bays. Each service access point can be marked with signage readable from the passing lane. The signage can be human-readable and/or machine readable. The signage can include one or more of a symbol, a word, and/or a QR code.

[0014] At least one of the units of the building can be configured to provide restaurant food preparation. At least one of the units can include a consumer goods storehouse. The multi-unit building can include both a unit configured to provide restaurant food preparation and a unit that includes a consumer goods storehouse.

[0015] The lot can include parking spaces accessible to and from the passing lane. The building can include a public space accessible from some or all of the parking spaces. The public space can include a restroom (e.g. toilet and wash room).

[0016] The lot can include a loading area that can accommodate a box truck or other bulk goods transportation vehicle. The building can include storage area and a loading bay accessible from the loading area such that goods can be readily moved from the box truck to the storage area via the loading bay.

[0017] The passing lane can form a contiguous loop driveway providing a circuit around which vehicles can navigate in the lot.

[0018] The types of vehicles that the passing lane, parking spaces, and/or dedicated service areas can be positioned and sized to accommodate can include motorcycles, scooters, passenger cars, trucks, and/or vans. The passing lane can be sized, positioned, and otherwise configured to provide to a vehicle such as the types listed: ingress and egress to each of the dedicated services areas, ingress from the entrance, and egress to the exit.

[0019] At least one of the dedicated service areas can include a drone landing pad.

[0020] Some or all of the passing lane can be covered by and pass through the building. One or more of the dedicated service areas can be covered by the building and contained within the building's envelope.

[0021] The building can be a multi-story building.

[0022] The hub can also include a second building separate from the aforementioned (first) building and the lot can include additional dedicated service areas associated with the second building. The second building can include a combination or subset of the features of the first building as disclosed above and otherwise disclosed in relation to buildings of the present invention. The second building can include service access points each providing an opening through which physical objects can pass from the second building to the additional dedicated service areas associated with the second building. The passing lane can be positioned to provide ingress and egress to and from each of the dedicated service areas associated with the second area in addition to the each of the dedicated service areas associated with the first building. The second building can be a multi-unit building having separately securable units such that each service access point of the second building is associated with a respective unit of the second building.

[0023] In another embodiment, a vehicular drive-through distribution hub is provided that includes a vehicularly accessible lot and a building thereon having multiple vehicularly accessible service access points. The lot can include a combination or subset of the features of the previous embodiment and as otherwise described herein. Specifically, the lot can include an entrance from a public right-of-way, an exit to the same or a different public right-of-way, dedicated service areas, and a passing lane positioned to provide ingress and egress to each dedicated service area and positioned to provide access to/from the entrance and exit respectively. The service access points can each be associated with a respective dedicated service area. The building can include a single unit (e.g. the building itself can be a unit or the building can include additional units not necessarily configured for vehicular goods delivery) in communication to the service access points, and the service access points can provide the sole public access to the single unit (e.g. the unit lacks a pedestrian accessible store front). The building can otherwise include a combination or subset of features of the previous embodiment or otherwise disclosed herein.

[0024] In another embodiment, a method is disclosed for providing a vehicular drive-through distribution hub. The method can include providing a lot adjacent one or more public right-of-way's, providing a vehicularly accessible entrance from the public right-of-way into the lot, providing a vehicularly accessible exit to the same public right-of-way or different public right-of-way, positioning a multi-unit building on the lot such that the multi-unit building has separately securable units and service access points providing sole public access to each unit, demarking vehicularly accessible dedicated service areas on the lot such that each dedicated service area is associated with and provides vehicular access to a respective dedicated service area, and positioning a passing lane on the lot to provide ingress and egress for vehicles into and out of each dedicated service area and to provide access to the lot entrance and exit.

[0025] In some embodiments, when the dedicated service areas are demarked, the dedicated service areas can each be sized to accommodate a vehicle such as a scooter, a passenger car, a truck, and/or a van. In some embodiments, when the passing lane is positioned, the passing lane can be positioned to provide a contiguous loop vehicular driveway that is navigable by a vehicle such as a type previously listed to provide ingress and egress to and from the dedicated service areas by the vehicle.

[0026] In some embodiments, when the passing lane is positioned, some or all of the passing lane can be positioned to pass through a building such that the passing lane is covered by and contained within the building.

[0027] The method can also include one or more of the following steps including providing a service window, door, and/or loading bay for each service access point and demarking each service access point with human readable and/or machine-readable signage readable from the passing lane that includes a symbol, word, and/or QR code.

[0028] The method can also include one more of the following steps including configuring a unit of the building to provide restaurant food preparation and configuring a unit of the building to provide a consumer goods storehouse.

[0029] The method can also include one more of the following steps including demarking parking spaces on the lot that are accessible to and from the passing lane and configuring the building to include a public space that includes a toilet and is accessible from one or more of the parking spaces.

[0030] The method can also include one more of the following steps including configuring the building to include a loading bay and positioning a loading area on the lot sized to accommodate a box truck and positioned to provide access to the loading bay.

[0031] The method can also include one more of the following steps including providing a drone landing pad in a dedicated service area.

[0032] The method can also include one more of the following steps including positioning a second story on the building above the separately securable units and service access points.

[0033] In another embodiment a software module is disclosed for planning, designing, constructing, operating, and/or maintaining a transportation hub. In some examples the software module can include instructions thereon that when executed by a processor can cause the processor to perform one or more method steps such as described herein to create a digital representation of the transportation hub. In some examples, the software module can include instructions to cause the processor to automatically place features of transportation hub to automatically generate a transportation hub one or more of the transportation hubs described herein.

[0034] As will be appreciated and understood, when performing the method steps described herein by a processor, the lot, the vehicularly accessible entrance, the vehicularly accessible exit, the building, the separately securable units, the service access points, the dedicated service areas, the passing lane, and other features of the transportation hub are each digital representations of a corresponding physically constructible object, and the transportation hub itself when configured by a processor according to the method steps is a digital representation of a physically constructible site plan.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0035] The above and further aspects of this disclosure are further discussed with reference to the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like numerals indicate like structural elements and features in various figures. The drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating principles of the disclosure. The figures depict one or more implementations of the inventive devices, by way of example only, not by way of limitation.

[0036] FIG. 1 depicts a site plan including a multi-unit building with drive-through access according to aspects of the present disclosure.

[0037] FIG. 2 depicts a unit of a multi-unit building and a dedicated service area according to aspects of the present disclosure.

[0038] FIG. 3 depicts an alternative site plan including a multi-unit building with drive-through access according to aspects of the present disclosure.

[0039] FIG. 4 depicts an alternative site plan including two multi-unit buildings with access according to aspects of the present disclosure.

[0040] FIG. 5 illustrates a perspective view of a service access point from a delivery vehicle according to aspects of the present disclosure.

[0041] FIG. 6 illustrates a perspective view of a multi-unit building with service access points with an alternative use on above-ground floor(s) according to aspects of the present disclosure.

[0042] FIG. 7 illustrates a perspective view of a multi-story building with service access points according to aspects of the present disclosure.

[0043] FIG. 8 illustrates an alternative site plan for just one unit/operator with multiple service access points according to aspects of the present disclosure.

[0044] FIG. 9 illustrates a computational system configured to generate a site plan according to aspects of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DISCLOSURE

[0045] The novel features of the present disclosure will be apparent to those of skill in the art upon examination of the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment or can be learned by practice of the present disclosure. However, the detailed description of the preferred embodiment and the specific examples presented, while indicating certain embodiments of the present disclosure, are provided for illustration purposes only and do not limit the scope of the present disclosure as various modifications within the spirit and scope of the disclosure will become apparent to those of skill in the art from the detailed description, drawings and claims that follow. As used herein, the term "and/or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. As used herein, the singular forms of "a," "an," and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well as the singular forms, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms "comprises" and/or "comprising," when used in this specification of the present disclosure, specify the presence of stated features, steps, operations, elements, components and/or groups thereof, but do not preclude the presence of or addition of one or more other features, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.

[0046] It is an object of the present disclosure to meet the above-stated needs related to last-mile delivery services. Further, current trends including the increase in ride-sharing service providers, appearance of drone delivery via both air and land, development of driverless vehicles, and decline in vehicle sales indicate that demand for last-mile delivery services by independent delivery providers will evolve and escalate. It is further an object of the present disclosure to provide solutions that can scale and evolve with future demand for last-mile delivery services.

[0047] Embodiments presented herein generally include a purpose-built hub having discrete tenant units such that each unit is configured to allow tenants to privately prepare and package products and each unit is configured to provide access to independent delivery drivers to receive the products for delivery. In some applications, the hub can provide a centralized pickup location for disparate delivery product providers including unrelated restaurant brands and retailers. In some applications, the hub can provide a centralized congregation point for independent delivery drivers. By congregating at the hub, delivery service providers may increase the likelihood and/or frequency of being "booked" for delivery jobs. In some applications, units can be sufficiently secured and isolated as to provide privacy for the brand occupied by the tenant unit to maintain secrecy regarding interior setup of the unit, training methods, and/or trade secrets from other tenants in the hub and the public in general.

[0048] The preferred embodiment comprises a multiple unit building having units each with direct access to a dedicated service area and/or one or more service access points situated along the perimeter of the building envelope such that delivery vehicles can enter into the unit's dedicated service area and park nearby one of the available service access points for that unit's operator. The service access points can include one or more of a service window, a door, a loading bay, etc. The service access points are arranged so at least one vehicle can occupy that unit's dedicated service area without impeding a continuous flow of circulation around the site and without impeding service to a neighboring unit or vehicle. The site includes a passing lane providing main ingress and egress to the units' dedicated service areas and providing general vehicular circulation. Outside the passing lane is one or more permanent parking spots that can be utilized for unit staff parking and temporary queuing of delivery vehicles. The site can optionally include a driver break area including access to restrooms and other amenities. The driver break area can be located in a publicly accessible area of the multi-unit building.

[0049] An alternate embodiment comprises multiple units each with direct access to a dedicated service area and a service access point including one or more service windows or doors as in the preferred embodiment, but such dedicated service areas, service windows or doors, and passing lanes are situated within the building envelope itself in this alternate embodiment.

[0050] Another alternate embodiment comprises multiple units as in the preferred embodiment but situates some of the units on a multi-story building envelope with human and/or vehicular access to the upper stories using one or more stairs, ramps, elevators or other conveyance method.

[0051] Another alternate embodiment comprises just one unit/operator with multiple service windows or doors, together with a dedicated service area, one or more passing lanes and a staging area.

[0052] Another alternate embodiment comprises multiple units as in the preferred embodiment but allows for other uses on above-ground stories, such as multifamily, office, mini-storage or other common uses.

[0053] Another alternate embodiment comprises multiple units as in the preferred embodiment but situates the multiple service windows or doors along the existing but underutilized retail or industrial buildings, such as vacant big-box stores.

[0054] The present disclosure will now be described by referencing the appended figures representing preferred embodiments. FIG. 1 depicts a site plan for the preferred embodiment of the present disclosure, showing a multi-unit building 101 with dedicated service areas 102 and multiple service access points 103 together with a passing lane 104 and a parking/staging/queuing area 105. Each of the dedicated service areas 102 can be associated with a respective service access point 103 and accessible by vehicle via the passing lane 104. The dedicated service areas 102 are illustrated as a lane adjacent to the building 101. The dedicated service lane 102 can be marked (e.g. painting on the lane 102 and/or the building 101) to indicate the respective dedicated service area associated with each service access point 103. When the dedicated service areas 102 are joined to form a lane, a driver can proceed directly from one dedicated service area 102 to the next, receiving deliverable meals or goods from multiple vendors.

[0055] A truck ramp and/or dock-height loading area 106 can be sized, marked, and otherwise configured to allow large semitrucks and similar restocking vehicles to replenish raw and completed classified goods to the storage area 107 within the multi-unit building 101. The storage area 107 can be sub-divided into separately securable areas that can be rented and separately secured by building tenants.

[0056] The site can be configured to allow a delivery vehicle D1 to enter the site and stop within the parking/staging/queuing area 105 until a delivery order is received via a separate process. The passing lane 104 can be configured such that once an order is received, the delivery vehicle D1 can circulate the site via the passing lane 104, locate a specified service access point 103, and enter a dedicated service area 102 adjacent the access point 103. The dedicated service area 102 can be configured to allow the delivery vehicle D1 to stop within the dedicated service area 102 adjacent to the specified service access point 103 and allow staff member(s) for the operator (or via an automated process outside of the scope of this disclosure) of the unit 108 associated with the access point 103 to transfer a delivery package to the delivery vehicle D1. The site can be configured to allow the delivery vehicle D1 to exit the dedicated service area 102 via the passing lane 104 and exit the site. Arrows indicate the general flow of traffic throughout the embodiment. D1 as a vehicle could be a motorcycle, scooter, passenger car, truck, van, quadcopter drone, other drone design, and any other apparent means of short to mid-distance conveyance, one or more of which could be manually-operated, semi-autonomous or fully-autonomous, all the iterations and possibilities of which are intended to be referred to therein and the depiction in the figures of a passenger car is not meant to limit the scope of the disclosures usefulness for each of these possible conveyances. Common amenities 110 such as a break room or restrooms are arranged adjacent to an exterior door and along an interior corridor 109 to enable access by delivery vehicle drivers and unit staff Interior corridor 109 also enables interior access from each unit 108 to the storage area 107.

[0057] FIG. 2 depicts a closer top-down view of a single unit 201 within a multi-unit building such as a multi-unit building illustrated and described herein, variations thereof, and alternatives thereof as would be appreciated and understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art. A delivery vehicle D1 is illustrated stopped in a temporary loading zone of a dedicated service area 203 with a dedicated service access point 204. A passing lane 202 is illustrated adjacent the dedicated service area 203.

[0058] FIG. 3 depicts an alternative site plan including a multi-unit building 301, service lane 302 starting outside the building 301 then entering, continuing through, and exiting the multi-unit building 301, dedicated service areas 303 within the multi-unit building 301, truck docks 304, and a parking/staging area 305. Each side of the multi-unit building 301 can include service access points 305 each associated with a unit 308 and accessible by a delivery vehicle via one of the dedicated service areas 303. Truck docks 304 can be sized, marked, positioned, and otherwise configured to allow access to storage 307 within the multi-unit building 301. The parking/staging area 306 can be sized, marked, positioned, and otherwise configured to be accessible by delivery vehicles D1 waiting for order assignments and/or fulfillment. The parking/staging area 306 can additionally, or alternatively, be sized, marked, positioned, and otherwise configured to provide parking for tenants of the multi-unit building 301. Interior corridor 309 enables interior access to each unit 308 and storage 307.

[0059] FIG. 4 depicts an alternative site plan including two multi-unit buildings 401, service lane 402 continuing between the multi-unit buildings 401, dedicated service areas 403 between the multi-unit buildings 401, truck docks 404, and a parking/staging area 405. Each of the multi-unit buildings 401 can include service access points 405 each associated with a unit 408 and accessible by a delivery vehicle via one of the dedicated service areas 403. Truck docks 404 can be sized, marked, positioned, and otherwise configured to allow access to storage 407 within the multi-unit buildings 401. The parking/staging area 406 can be sized, marked, positioned, and otherwise configured to be accessible by delivery vehicles D1 waiting for order assignments and/or fulfillment. The parking/staging area 406 can additionally, or alternatively, be sized, marked, positioned, and otherwise configured to provide parking for tenants of the building 401. Interior corridor 409 enables interior access to each unit 408 and storage 407.

[0060] FIG. 5. is a depiction of the driver's view of a building 501 including a service access point 505 (illustrated as a door) with an attached portico 504 and signage 502 in both human and machine-readable format 503 and the adjacent dedicated service area 506. For aerial drones or other similar vehicle types, additional ground-based signage in human and machine-readable formats may be placed within the dedicated service area 506 adjacent to a service access point 505, with or without an attached portico 504.

[0061] FIG. 6. is a depiction of a perspective view of a multi-unit building 601 that includes, on the ground-floor service access points 605 (illustrated as a door) with attached porticos 604 and signage 602 in both human and machine-readable format 603 and the adjacent dedicated service area 606, and an alternative use such as mini-storage on the above floor of the multi-unit building 601. Mini storage is depicted, but other such alternative uses could include multifamily, office, restaurant, or other use. Access to the upper floor(s) could include ramps, stairs, elevators, American Disabilities Act (ADA) access, or other such conveyance (not depicted). For aerial drones or other similar vehicle types, additional ground-based signage in human and machine-readable formats may be placed within the dedicated service area 606 adjacent to a service access point 605, with or without an attached portico 604.

[0062] FIG. 7 is a depiction of a perspective view of a multi-unit building 701 that includes on the ground-floor service access points 705 (illustrated as a door) with attached porticos 704 and signage 702 in both human and machine-readable format 703 and the adjacent dedicated service area 706, and an additional floor above grade in the multi-unit building 701. Access to the upper floor(s) could include ramps, stairs, elevators, ADA access or other such conveyance (not depicted) wherein access from the upper floor(s) is enabled to one or more access points 705 for conveyance of goods to a delivery vehicle.

[0063] FIG. 8 illustrates an alternative site plan showing a single-unit/operator building 801 with a dedicated service area 802 and multiple service access points 803 together with a passing lane 804 and a parking/staging/queuing area 805. A truck ramp and/or dock-height loading area 806 can be sized, marked, and otherwise configured to allow large semitrucks and similar restocking vehicles to replenish raw and completed classified goods to the storage area 807 within the multi-unit building 801.

[0064] Embodiments described herein can be constructed by materials and means as appreciated and understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art. A site can be level to accommodate ground-based vehicular traffic. A multi-unit building can be constructed from a wood-frame, light-gauge steel, concrete block, pour-in-place, tilt-up, or other construction material or method with sufficient fire rating, energy efficiency, and otherwise compliant with safety and regulatory and design requirements for the intended and/or anticipated uses.

[0065] Separately securable units can each be configured to accommodate a tenant business such as a restaurant kitchen, commissary kitchen, preparation kitchen, small refrigerated goods warehouse (dairy, flowers, grocery, etc.), small dry goods warehouse (apparel, soft goods, electronics, home goods, general merchandise, etc.), other last mile-distribution use, and the like. A multi-unit building can include units having differing configurations to accommodate a diversity of tenant uses within the same building.

[0066] A multi-unit building can include accommodations at each unit facilitating transfer of product from each respective unit to a vehicle parked in the dedicated service area adjacent to the respective unit such as one or more service windows or doors providing access to the unit or an interior corridor, protective covering (e.g. portico, canopy, etc.) from rain, sun, and other environmental elements, human-readable and/or machine-readable signage, and striping or other ground markings indicating temporary loading areas.

[0067] A site can include a marked service lane allowing ingress and egress to the site, the dedicated service area, the staging area (as necessary) and general vehicle circulation through the site. The site can include a staging area (as necessary) for temporary parking or queuing of one or more delivery vehicles. The site can include vehicular ingress and egress allowing multiple vehicles direct access to the dedicated service lanes and service area, a staging area (if required), and the public right of way. The site can include an optional indoor or outdoor driver break area with sufficient lighting, coverage from the elements, and one or more restrooms or other driver-focused amenities.

[0068] A multi-unit building can be adapted from, annexed to, or otherwise structurally coupled to one or more of an existing structure specializing in providing warehouse or manufacturing goods or services, an existing strip center, an existing box store, an existing outdoor mall, an existing indoor mall, an existing quick service restaurant, an existing apartment building, an existing parking garage, an existing mini-storage development, or an existing office building.

[0069] In some embodiments a vehicular drive-through transportation hub designed according to the principles described herein can be designed and/or modeled using computational devices and methods. It is an object of the present invention to provide a software module including instructions that when executed by a processor can cause the processor to perform automated placement of features of the vehicular drive-through transportation hub. In some applications the software module can facilitate scaling and efficiency of planning, designing, constructing, operating, and/or maintaining the transportation hub.

[0070] Referring to FIG. 9, in some embodiments, the software module can be stored in memory 901 or on such computer readable medium including non-transitory computer-readable medium that can include volatile and non-volatile, removable and non-removable tangible, physical media implemented in technology for storage of information, such as computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules, or other data. Non-transitory computer-readable media include, but are not limited to, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), electronically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), flash memory or other memory technology, compact disc ROM (CD-ROM), digital versatile disks (DVD) or other optical storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other tangible, physical medium which can be used to store the software module. Any such non-transitory computer-readable media 901 can be in communication with a processor 902 to cause the processor to perform one more method steps described herein. The processor 902 and non-transitory computer readable medium 901 can be included in a singular computational device and/or the software module can be stored on a separate database, datalink, remote server, or cloud-based server remote from the processor 902.

[0071] In some embodiments the software module can be compatible with building information modeling (BIM), where BIM includes software to plan, design, construct, operate, and/or maintain diverse physical infrastructures, such as water, refuse, electricity, gas, communication utilities, roads, railways, bridges, ports and tunnels. The software module can be in the form of a stand-alone BIM program, a plug-in to a larger BIM program, a script programmable within a BIM programming environment, and the like. For instance, the software module can be created using Autodesk Dynamo as a plug-in process to the Revit design process.

[0072] As will be appreciated and understood, the illustrations presented herein include representations of corresponding physically constructible objects. In some embodiments, the software module can include instructions that when executed by a processor can cause the processor to generate digital representations of physically constructible objects such as the objects illustrated in the figures herein. In some embodiments, each digital representation can be an object that can be represented and/or manipulated in a BIM model.

[0073] Further, the software module can include instructions that when executed by the processor can cause the processor to provide to a display 903 a graphical representation 904 of the physically constructible objects. Such graphical representations can be similar to illustrations in the figures presented herein, variations thereof, or other illustrations as would be appreciated and understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art. In some examples, the graphical representation can be computer automated drafting (CAD) image. In some embodiments, a graphical representation of a physically constructible object can be automatically generated in a BIM model based a corresponding BIM object.

[0074] Features that can be automatically placed can include features of a lot and/or features of a building on the lot.

[0075] Features of the lot that can be automatically placed can include an entrance from a public right-of-way, an exit to a public right-of-way, vehicularly accessible dedicated service areas, a vehicularly accessible passing lane, signage, drone landing pad, box truck loading area, and/or parking spaces such as described herein or variations thereof as would be appreciated and understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art. Additional features of the lot can be automatically placed according to the instructions of the software module such as pedestrian crossings, sidewalks, and known features of a lot as would be appreciated and understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art.

[0076] Features of the building that can be automatically placed can include service access points, separately securable units, signage, public space, a restroom, storage, loading bay, porticos, hallways, vehicularly accessible partially or fully covered building envelopes, drone landing pad, and/or multi-story mixed use configurations, such as described herein or variations thereof as would be appreciated and understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art. Additional features of the building can be automatically placed according to the instructions of the software module such as windows, doors, staircases, elevators, and known building features as would be appreciated and understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art.

[0077] Mechanical, electrical, and/or plumbing (MEP) can be automatically placed to accommodate needs of the hub such as described herein. MEP can be placed automatically on a unit-by-unit basis such that each unit is configured to accommodate specific tenant needs. For instance, MEP can be placed automatically such that one unit is configured for restaurant food preparation and another unit is configured to store consumer goods. Additionally, or alternatively, MEP can be placed to allow a unit to be dynamically configured by a tenant such that the same unit can be dynamically configured for either food preparation, consumer goods storage, or both depending on the needs of the tenant.

[0078] As will be appreciated and understood, embodiments disclosed herein disclose buildings, site plans, lots, and features thereof that when constructed, in order to be usable to meet the needs described herein, are compliant with building codes, fire codes, jurisdictional regulations, safety standards, and other relevant standards. To the extent that features of the present invention are digital, graphical, or other such representation of constructible objects, each feature and overall site construction can be configured in real life (e.g. following the laws of physics) based on the representation. To that end, method steps disclosed herein for providing, positioning, demarking, and otherwise configuring features of buildings, site plans, lots, etc. can be executed in compliance with building codes, fire codes, jurisdictional regulations, safety standards, and other relevant standards. Further, buildings, site plans, lots, etc. constructed or otherwise provided according to method steps presented herein can be compliant with building codes, fire codes, jurisdictional regulations, safety standards, and other relevant standards.

Claims

1. A vehicular drive-through distribution hub comprising: a lot comprising: an entrance from a public right-of-way, an exit to a public right-of-way, a plurality of vehicularly accessible dedicated service areas, and a vehicularly accessible passing lane positioned to provide ingress to and egress from each of the dedicated service areas, positioned to be accessible from the entrance, and positioned to provide access to the exit; and a multi-unit building comprising: a plurality of separately securable units each associated with a respective dedicated service area of the plurality of dedicated service areas, and a plurality of service access points each associated with a respective unit of the plurality of separately securable units and associated with the respective dedicated service area associated with the respective unit, each service access point providing a means for physical objects to exit the respective unit and enter the respective dedicated service area, wherein each service access point is the sole public access to the respective unit, and wherein each dedicated service area provides the sole public access to the service access point to which it is associated.

2. The hub of claim 1, wherein each service access point includes one or more of a service window, a door, and a loading bay, wherein in each service access point is marked with signage readable from the passing lane, and wherein the signage is human-readable and/or machine readable and includes one or more of a symbol, a word, and a QR code.

3. The hub of claim 1, wherein at least one of the units of the plurality of separately securable units is configured to provide restaurant food preparation, and wherein at least one of the units of the plurality of separately securable units includes a consumer goods storehouse.

4. The hub of claim 1, wherein the lot further comprises parking spaces accessible to and from the passing lane, wherein the building further comprises a public space accessible from at least a portion of the parking spaces, and wherein the public space includes a restroom.

5. The hub of claim 1, wherein the lot further comprises a loading area sized to accommodate a box truck, wherein the building further comprises a storage area and a loading bay, the loading bay providing access from the loading area to the storage area.

6. The hub of claim 1, wherein the passing lane comprises a contiguous loop vehicular driveway, wherein each of the dedicated service areas is sized to accommodate one or more of a motorcycle, a scooter, a passenger car, a truck, and a van, and wherein the passing lane is sized to provide ingress to and egress from each of the dedicated service areas, ingress from the entrance, and egress to the exit by one or more of a motorcycle, a scooter, a passenger car, a truck, and a van.

7. The hub of claim 1, wherein a dedicated service area of the plurality of dedicated service areas comprises a drone landing pad.

8. The hub of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the passing lane is covered by, and passes through the building, and wherein one or more of the plurality of dedicated service areas are covered by and contained within the multi-unit building.

9. The hub of claim 1, wherein the multi-unit building is a multi-story building.

10. The hub of claim 1, further comprising: a second building separate from the multi-unit building, the second building comprising: a second plurality of separately securable units, and a second plurality of service access points each associated with a respective unit of the second plurality of separately securable units, wherein the lot further comprises: a second plurality of vehicularly accessible dedicated service areas, each associated with a respective securable unit of the second plurality of separately securable units, wherein each service access point of the second plurality of access points provides a means for physical objects to exit the respective unit and enter the respective dedicated service area, and wherein the vehicularly accessible passing lane is positioned to provide ingress to and egress from each of the dedicated service areas of the second plurality of dedicated service areas.

11. A vehicular drive-through distribution hub comprising: a lot comprising: an entrance from a public right-of-way, an exit to a public right-of-way, a plurality of vehicularly accessible dedicated service areas, and a vehicularly accessible passing lane positioned to provide ingress to and egress from each of the dedicated service areas, positioned to be accessible from the entrance, and positioned to provide access to the exit; and a building comprising: a plurality of service access points each associated with a respective dedicated service area of the plurality of dedicated service areas, each service access point providing a means for physical objects to exit the building and enter the respective dedicated service area, wherein the plurality of service access points provide the sole public access to the building, and wherein each dedicated service area provides the sole public access to the service access point to which it is associated.

12. A method for providing a vehicular drive-through distribution hub, the method comprising: providing a lot adjacent a public right-of-way; providing a vehicularly accessible entrance from the public right-of-way into the lot; providing a vehicularly accessible exit to the public right-of-way from the lot; positioning, on the lot, a multi-unit building comprising a plurality of separately securable units and a plurality of service access points each associated with a respective unit of the separately securable units, each service access point providing the sole public access to the respective unit; demarking, on the lot, a plurality of vehicularly accessible dedicated service areas such that each is associated with a respective service access point of the plurality of service access points; and positioning, on the lot, a vehicularly accessible passing lane positioned to provide ingress to and egress from each of the dedicated service areas, positioned to be accessible from the entrance, and positioned to provide access to the exit.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising: providing, for each service access point of the plurality of service access points, one or more of a service window, a door, and a loading bay; and demarking each service access point of the plurality of service access points with signage readable from the passing lane such that the signage is human-readable and/or machine readable and includes one or more of a symbol, a word, and a QR code.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising: configuring at least one of the units of the plurality of separately securable units to provide restaurant food preparation; and configuring at least one of the units of the plurality of separately securable units to include a consumer goods storehouse.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising: demarking, on the lot, vehicularly accessible parking spaces accessible to and from the passing lane, configuring the multi-unit building to include a public space accessible from at least a portion of the parking spaces such that the public space includes a toilet.

16. The method of claim 12, further comprising: configuring the multi-unit building to include a loading bay; and positioning, on the lot, a loading area sized to accommodate a box truck and positioned to provide access to the loading bay.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein demarking, on the lot, a plurality of vehicularly accessible dedicated service areas further comprises sizing each of the dedicated service areas to accommodate one or more of a motorcycle, a scooter, a passenger car, a truck, and a van, and wherein positioning, on the lot, a vehicularly accessible passing lane further comprises positioning the passing lane to provide a contiguous loop vehicular driveway such that the passing lane is sized to provide ingress to and egress from each of the dedicated service areas, ingress from the entrance, and egress to the exit by one or more of a motorcycle, a scooter, a passenger car, a truck, and a van.

18. The method of claim 12, further comprising: providing, within a dedicated service area of the plurality of dedicated service areas, a drone landing pad.

19. The method of claim 12, wherein positioning, on the lot, a vehicularly accessible passing lane further comprises positioning at least a portion of the passing lane to pass through the building such that the portion of the passing lane is covered by and contained within the building.

20. A device comprising: non-transitory computer readable medium with instructions thereon that when executed by a processor cause a processor to perform the method of claim 12, wherein the lot, the vehicularly accessible entrance, the vehicularly accessible exit, the multi-unit building, the plurality of separately securable units, the plurality of service access points, the plurality of vehicularly accessible dedicated service areas, and the vehicularly accessible passing lane are each a digital representation of a corresponding physically constructible object.