Abstract: A system and method for managing reconciled textual descriptions based on merchant quality rating are provided. Merchants providing items to an electronic marketplace submit merchant values corresponding to textual descriptions of attributes of the item. A merchant value analyzer component processes multiple merchant descriptions to select a set of textual descriptions based on a comparison of the textual descriptions and merchant quality ratings. Additionally, a merchant quality analyzer component calculates updated merchant quality ratings based on the submitted merchant values.

Abstract: Systems and methods provide a facility for automated gifting. The facility receives from a gifter an identification of a gift recipient, an indication of an occasion, and selection criteria. The facility automatically selects a proposed gift for the indicated occasion based on at least the received selection criteria and, in the absence of further direction from the gifter, sends the gift to the recipient.

Abstract: A service is disclosed for enabling web sites and other entities to provide item recommendations and other behavior-based content to end users. The service can be implemented as a web service that is remotely accessible over the Internet. Web sites use the web service's interface to report events descriptive of item-related actions performed by end users (e.g., item views, item purchases, searches for items, etc.). The web service analyzes the reported event data on an aggregated basis to detect various types of associations between particular items, and stores resulting datasets that map items to associated items. The web service's interface also provides various API calls for enabling the web sites to request item recommendations and other behavior-based content, including but not limited to personalized recommendations that are based on the event history of the target user. Advantageously, the web sites need not host the infrastructure for providing such content.

Abstract: A method and system for event-driven inventory disposition are disclosed. According to one embodiment, a method may include detecting a disposition event associated with a given one of a number of inventory items. The method may further include evaluating each of a number of disposition channels with respect to the given item in response to detecting the disposition event, and dependent upon the evaluation, selecting a particular disposition channel through which to dispose of the given item. In one particular implementation of the method, detecting the disposition event may include detecting an indication that an expected profitability of the given item is less than a threshold value.

Abstract: Relatively ranking items based on subjective attributes of the items, and for discovering these relatively ranked items. A voting server as described may include a voting application that receives an indication of an item of interest to a customer. Based on preferences indicated by customers, the voting application may rank the item and one or more other items for the subjective attribute. The voting application may also send data representing a user interface to a client system, with the user interface including representations of the item and the other item. The user interface may arrange the representations of the items along an axis corresponding to the subjective attribute.

Abstract: A method and system for inventory placement according to expected item picking rates. In one embodiment, a method may include determining a respective expected picking rate for each of a number of inventory items, and dependent upon the expected picking rate, selecting a corresponding one of a number of zones of an inventory storage area for each of the items. The zones may be physically arranged within the inventory storage area such that a first, innermost zone is successively and at least partially surrounded by one or more other zones. The method may further include storing each of the items within the corresponding zones, such that the expected picking rates of members of a given group of items stored in a given zone are less than the expected picking rates of members of another group of items stored in a successive zone that at least partially surrounds the given zone.

Abstract: Access to selected content in different file formats can be managed by conducting, in a single purchase transaction, a user purchase of access rights that allow a user to acquire multiple copies of the same selected content in media files having different file formats. An authorization signal is communicated to a content provider or multiple content providers who did not conduct the purchase transaction. The authorization signal contains information that allows the content provider or the multiple content providers to authorize the user to acquire multiple copies of the same selected content in different file formats without requiring the user to conduct multiple transactions. Each copy of the selected content acquired from a content provider is in a media file having a different file format.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method for automatically correcting item dimension values may facilitate operations of a materials handling facility. Such a method may include recommending a container for handling one or more items dependent on currently stored item dimension values and determining if any of the item values are inaccurate dependent on an actual container used to handle the one or more items. In some embodiments, the method may include calculating a volumetric utilization of an actual and a recommended container and comparing the two utilizations to determine if the recommended container was too large or too small. If the recommended container was too large or too small, the method may include flagging one or more of the items for measurement and/or correcting item dimensions for one or more of the items. Items may be flagged for measurement in response to a single mismatch between recommended and actual containers or multiple mismatches.

Abstract: A facility for identifying users to whom to promote a selected auction is described. The facility maintains a representation of bidding histories of a plurality of users. At a point at which certain users have already bid in the selected auction, the facility identifies users that have not already bid in the selected auction that have bidding histories that are similar to those of users that have already bid in the selected auction. The facility then promotes the selected auction to the identified users.

Abstract: A computer-implemented system for providing feedback to a user tagging an item includes a database and tag logic. The database is configured to store information associated with tags assigned to items. The tag logic is configured to receive one or more inputs from the user. The tag logic provides feedback to the user based on the input(s). The tag logic is also configured to assign a tag received from the user to the item, and store the tag in the database.

Abstract: A method and a system are provided for encoding and processing digital information. The digital information is encoded according to binary encoding formats corresponding to primitive data types. The primitive data types comprise scalar data types including Boolean, integer, float, decimal, time stamp, string, symbol, binary large object, and character large object data types. The primitive data types also comprise composite data types including structure, list, and S-expression data types. The binary-encoded digital information is stored in a message with a predetermined format for transmission. No metadata is included in the message.

Abstract: A system and method for managing the storage of items in conjunction with a networked environment. A client computing device generates requests for the storage of items. A storage service processes the requests for the storage of items and associates a unique user ID corresponding to a user with a unique storage ID corresponding to an item to be stored. Upon receipt of the item, a user is presented with an identification of all items stored at a secured storage location and a list of selectable services corresponding to items stored at the secured storage location.

Abstract: Systems and methods for monitoring the performance associated with fulfilling resource requests and determining optimizations for improving such performance are provided. A processing device obtains and processes performance metric information associated with processing a request corresponding to two or more embedded resources. The processing device uses the processed performance metric information to determine a consolidation configuration to be associated with the two or more embedded resources. In some embodiments, in making such a determination, the processing device assesses performance metric information collected and associated with subsequent requests corresponding to the content associated with the two or more embedded resources and using each of a variety of alternative consolidation configurations. The processing device may also consider a number of factors, including performance selection criteria obtained from an original content provider.

Abstract: A method of presenting a digital work includes displaying a portion of the digital work on a display screen under a set of display conditions, and providing one or more invariant location reference identifiers corresponding to the portion of the digital work on the display screen. The invariant location reference identifiers are separate from the digital work, and each invariant location reference identifier is provided along with the corresponding portion of the digital work, regardless of the display conditions under which the portion of the digital work is displayed.

Abstract: Techniques are described for configuring communications between multiple computing nodes, such as computing nodes that are separated by one or more physical networks. In some situations, the techniques may be used to provide a virtual network between multiple computing nodes that are separated by one or more intermediate physical networks, such as from the edge of the one or more intermediate physical networks by modifying communications that enter and/or leave the intermediate physical networks so as to provide an overlay network without encapsulation of the communications. In some situations, the computing nodes may include virtual machine nodes hosted on one or more physical computing machines or systems, such as by or on behalf of one or more users (e.g., users of a program execution service).

Abstract: A method and system for determining interest spaces among online content sources. According to one embodiment, a method may include generating a representation of a network of online content sources, where the representation reflects navigation paths and respective navigation path weights among the online content sources, and where the navigation path weights are indicative of user activity among the online content sources. The method may further include generating one or more interest spaces of the network dependent upon the navigation paths and respective navigation path weights, where each interest space includes at least a subset of the online content sources.

Abstract: Systems and methods for collecting, selecting, and displaying an image or image set in a network based environment are described. The systems and methods can collect multiple images for any given item from multiple sources, select a desired image (or set of images) that best depicts that item, and then display that selected image (or image set) in the network based environment. The desired image (or image set) that best depicts the item can be selected using any number or combination of pre-selected criteria. By using the pre-selected criteria, the process needs no manual intervention, and can therefore be automated or semi-automated to save both time and cost.

Abstract: Animations enhance viewing and consumption of electronic items that are presented to a user on a screen of a computing device. These animations may occur in response to receiving an instruction to move a position of a cursor displayed on the screen of the computing device. A user may trigger this instruction, for instance, by selecting a portion of the electronic content with use of the cursor. In response to the selection, the cursor or some other entity may undergo some form of animation. This animation may notify the user that the selection is being processed, and may also indicate a future position of the cursor at a time after the selection is processed.

Abstract: A power distribution system for computer systems in a computer room of a data center includes a first transformer and a second transformer. The first transformer transforms three-phase source power to three-phase intermediate power in a set of intermediate power lines. The intermediate power is transmitted in the set of intermediate power lines to a second transformer in or under the computer room. The second transformer transforms the three-phase intermediate power to operating power in a set of operating power lines at an operating phase-to-neutral voltage between about 220 volts and about 260 volts. The output of the second transformer is coupled to power distribution units in server racks in the computer room.