Abstract: Techniques are described for automatically and dynamically determining how to handle items being returned from customers while the items are in transit. Various factors may be considered to determine appropriate item return handling, including by assessing current conditions at the time of the determination. In addition, the dynamic item return handling may include selecting one of various potential return destinations for each item being returned and one of various types of return routing for the return. In some situations, the item return handling is performed for an item being returned from a customer while the item is at an intermediate shipping location, such as a selected location to which the customer was directed to send the item. This abstract is provided to comply with rules requiring an abstract, and with the intention that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims.

Abstract: A personalization network service enables developers to develop recommenders that can be made available to content site operators for providing recommendations to end users. The personalization network service may also be capable of optimizing the use and selection of the recommenders for different end users, groups or segments of end users, content sites, and the like.

Abstract: A system, method and computer-readable medium for client-side cache management are provided. A client request for content is returned that includes executable code for generating a request for preload information. Based on processing the executable code, a client computing device requests preload information from a content delivery service provider. The content delivery service provider provides an identification of content based on resource requests previously served by the content delivery service provider. The client computing device processes the preload information and generates and obtains identified resources for maintenance in a client computing device memory, such as cache.

Abstract: Technologies are described herein for providing visualization of fit, flow, and texture of clothing to an online consumer. A merchant maintains detailed measurements and a number of 3-D models for a clothing item offered for sale. The 3-D models may represent a representative size of the clothing item as worn by similarly sized mannequins or body models of varying body shapes. Each of the 3-D models captures the fit, flow, and texture of the clothing item as worn by the corresponding mannequin. When a consumer selects the clothing item, a 3-D virtualization representing the clothing item worn by the consumer may be generated by scaling the appropriate 3-D model based on dimensional data regarding the consumer, and then combining the scaled 3-D model with a 3-D avatar for the consumer. The dimensional data and 3-D avatar for the consumer may be supplied from a user profile associated with the consumer.

Abstract: Various embodiments of a system and method for allocating labor to units processed in a materials handling facility are described. Embodiments may include a labor allocation system configured to receive information associated with a materials handling process that includes handling multiple units. For each unit, such information may indicate a respective pre-handling time period and a respective post-handling time period. The labor allocation system may determine a measure of variability of the pre-handling time periods associated with the units. The labor allocation system may also determine a measure of variability of the post-handling time periods. In response to determining that one of the measures of variability is less than the other, the labor allocation system may determine that each time period associated with the lesser measure of variability is representative of a quantity of labor expended to process a respective unit in accordance with the materials handling process.

Abstract: A computing data center that contains a set of physically isolatable units of computing resources for which a physical security exception action plan is to be provided. Upon determining that a security event has occurred for one or more physically isolatable units, the computing data center implements physical security settings on potentially affected computing resources so that a physical security exception action plan can be met. The computing data center may, for example, remove data from the physically isolatable units and make the removed data available elsewhere.

Abstract: Computing devices can utilize various low power wakeup transceivers in order to control functional states of various components of those devices. Each transceiver can broadcast a beacon including appropriate information, which can be received by any other device with a transceiver that is within a propagation range of the beacon. A transceiver receiving the beacon can cause the received beacon to be analyzed by appropriate decision logic, which can determine any appropriate functionality to be activated or otherwise contacted in response to the beacon. In at least some embodiments, the beacon can cause another type of communication channel to be activated to establish communications with a device from which the beacon was received. In this way, the communications channel can be established without having to leave the channel active or manually activate that channel.

Abstract: The re-usable cover for protecting freight while in transit includes an upper end for attachment to the rear end opening of a freight container, a pair of side edges adjacent to a respective side of the rear end opening of the freight container when the upper end is attached, and a front surface configured to face the exterior of the freight container when the upper end is attached.

Abstract: Disclosed are various embodiments for generating orders for inventory items that are fulfilled from a physical fulfillment network of a merchant. A fulfillment network model is maintained in at least one server, the fulfillment network model comprising an abstraction of a physical fulfillment network operated by a merchant, the physical fulfillment network being configured for multi-channel delivery. An e-commerce application is maintained for the merchant on the at least one server. An order for an inventory item is generated in the e-commerce application based upon interaction with a client. A fulfillment manifest is generated based upon the fulfillment network model, the fulfillment manifest identifying at least one action to be taken in the physical fulfillment network to implement fulfillment of the order.

Abstract: Embodiments of a system and method for identifying structured data items lacking requisite information for rule-based duplicate detection are described. Embodiments may include generating a deficiency score for each of multiple structured data items including applying a set of rules based on duplicate detection techniques to each given structured data item in order to perform a comparison of the given structured data item to itself. The deficiency score of the given structured data item may be based on a result of the comparison. Embodiments may also include, based on the deficiency scores of the structured data items, identifying one or more deficient structured data items having less than a requisite quantity of information for performing duplicate detection on structured data items. Embodiments may also include identifying one or more key attributes missing from some of the one or more deficient structured data items and requesting those key attributes.

Abstract: An application management system modifies developer-submitted applications, such as mobile applications, to add various types of functionality before such applications are made available for purchase. The added functionality may, for example, enable end users to make in-application purchases of content items from an application store. As another example, Digital Rights Management (DRM) functionality may be added for controlling user access to content items, such as content items available in an application store.

Abstract: Disclosed are various embodiments that provide immersive multimedia views for items. Code for generating an immersive view for an item is obtained from a server, and the immersive view is rendered in the client. The immersive view features an image of the item surrounded by a user interface layer that provides information about the item. The user interface layer is hidden when a cursor moves onto a portion of the immersive view that corresponds to the image of the item. The image of the item may be replaced with a video of the item.

Abstract: A metadata-driven merchant feed processing system is described herein. A merchant providing an online marketplace for the sale of items by a variety of sellers implements a feed processing mechanism driven by feed metadata. The feed metadata consists of declarative metadata statements that model the semantics for transforming seller-facing feed data describing the seller's items to customer-facing listings data to be loaded to an item catalog. The feed metadata captures differences between different versions of the item catalog by maintaining the semantics of the product categories and attributes of the item catalog as of a certain version. Similarly, semantics in the feed metadata modeling new product categories and/or attributes are utilized to support supplemental feeds from sellers to support new features and improvements in the item catalog. The metadata driven feed processing system also provides support for multiple types of seller-facing data entities and feed formats through metadata mapping.

Abstract: Multi-dimensional gesture input to a computing device can be improved by providing a mechanism to lock or reduce the effects of motion in unintended directions. In one example, a user can navigate in two dimensions, then provide a selection action through motion in a third dimension. If a computing device analyzing the gesture is able to detect the selection action, the device can limit motion outside the corresponding third dimension in order to ensure that the proper selection action is performed. Various thresholds, values, or motions can be used to limit motion in one or more axes for any appropriate purpose as discussed herein.

Abstract: A system, method and computer-readable medium for request routing based on content popularity information are provided. A client computer transmits a request for content from a content provider. The content provider utilizes executable code, such as translation request code, for facilitating request routing utilizing popularity information. The translation request code, may direct a client computing device to request further translation request code and/or translation information. Thereafter, the client issues a DNS query with the translated information including popularity information. The content delivery network service provider can then either resolve the DNS query with an IP address of a cache component or transmit another alternative resource identifier that will resolve to the content delivery network service provider. The process can repeat until a DNS nameserver resolves a DNS query from the client computing device.

Abstract: Systems and methods for managing mapping information for objects maintained in a distributed storage system are provided. The distributed storage system can include a keymap subsystem that manages the mapping information according to object keys. Requests for specific object mapping information are directed to specific keymap coordinators within the keymap subsystem. Each keymap coordinator can maintain a cache for caching mapping information maintained at various information sources. To manage the cache, the keymap system can utilize generation identifiers that identify the component within the distributed storage system that last updated information sources. Additionally, the keymap subsystem can utilize multiple generation identifiers to manage different classes of data. Each keymap coordinator can determine whether cached version of a class of keymap information is valid based on an analysis of generation identifiers.

Abstract: Techniques for providing friction-free transactions using geolocation and user identifiers are described herein. These techniques may ascertain a user's location based on a location of a mobile device. A transaction between the user and a merchant may be completed with zero or minimal input from the user based on the geolocation of the mobile device and the user identifiers. In some implementations, a transaction initiated earlier is completed when the mobile device arrives at the merchant. Additionally, a parent-child or similar relationship may be established between multiple devices. Security on the mobile device based may be provided by biometric identification and calculation of variance from regular movement patterns. Advertisements may be sent to the mobile device based on bids from merchants near to the mobile device. Promotions may be sent to the mobile device when more than a threshold number of mobile devices are located at the same merchant.

Abstract: A metadata-driven merchant feed processing system is described herein. A merchant providing an online marketplace for the sale of items by a variety of sellers implements a feed processing mechanism driven by feed metadata. The feed metadata consists of declarative metadata statements that model the semantics for transforming seller-facing feed data describing the seller's items to customer-facing listings data to be loaded to an item catalog. The feed metadata captures differences between different versions of the item catalog by maintaining the semantics of the product categories and attributes of the item catalog as of a certain version. Similarly, semantics in the feed metadata modeling new product categories and/or attributes are utilized to support supplemental feeds from sellers to support new features and improvements in the item catalog. The metadata driven feed processing system also provides support for multiple types of seller-facing data entities and feed formats through metadata mapping.

Abstract: Techniques for reflowing content around obscuring objects are described herein. For instance, in one example the techniques may render content on a display of a handheld electronic device before detecting that a user's grasp of the device obscures at least a portion of the content. Thereafter, and in response, the device may reflow the content around the grasp of the user, thus allowing the user to consume the content without the need to alter her grasp when she reaches the obscured portion of the content. In some instances, the device includes a touch-sensitive display that recognizes the grasp that obscures the content. In other instances, the device may recognize that the grasp obscures the content via a camera, a strain gauge, a light sensor, or in any other suitable manner.

Abstract: A system, method, and computer readable medium for managing CDN service providers are provided. A network storage provider storing one or more resources on behalf of a content provider obtains client computing device requests for content. The network storage provider updates request processing information based on the process requests for content. The network storage provider then makes a recommendation regarding initialization of a CDN service provider as a function of the updated request processing information. Subsequent client computing device requests for resources can be provided to the recommended CDN service provider utilizing alternative resource identifiers.