US Patent 10949795 Secure transfer of items

A method for securely transporting items in an autonomous vehicle (AV) between travel destinations includes implementing an electronic ledger on an electronic computing device. One or more electronic codes for are stored in the electronic ledger for controlling access to a physical container that can be secured in the AV. One or more destination addresses for the AV are stored in the electronic ledger. After receiving an access code that matches one of the one or more electronic codes, the physical container is secured in the AV. A destination address is obtained from the electronic ledger. The AV is directed to transport the physical container to the destination address.