Abstract: A method and system for agent exchange-based materials handling. According to one embodiment, a method of agent exchange-based order fulfillment may include a number of agents moving along respective paths through an inventory storage area of a materials handling facility. While moving through the inventory storage area, a portion of the number of agents may respectively select one or more of a number of items stored within the inventory storage area, where each one of the selected items is specified in a corresponding customer order or materials request. The method may also include conveying the selected items to one or more corresponding processing areas of the materials handling facility in order to fulfill the corresponding customer orders. Further, at least some of the selected items may be exchanged one or more times among the agents in the course of being conveyed to corresponding processing areas.

Abstract: An electronic commerce system provides various features for assisting customers in locating items and generating orders from a merchant's electronic catalog, and for assisting customers and merchants in communicating about such orders. A user-definable categories feature allows customers and/or merchants to define search queries for searching the electronic catalog, and to store these search queries under user-defined category names for subsequent use. An “active quote” feature allows the customer to view and modify quantities of items selected for prospective purchase throughout various catalog browsing or viewing modes. A message audit trail feature allows a customer and a merchant to send messages to one another that are linked to a particular order, and to view an order-specific log of such messages.

Abstract: An automated method and system for providing an item comparison includes identifying a first item and a set of one or more other items for comparison with the first item, prioritizing attributes of the first item and the other items, and providing the item comparison with prioritized attributes to a user. Identifying comparable items may involve a multiple step process in which a candidate set of items is first selected for possible comparison with the first item, and thereafter selecting one or more items from the candidate set for comparison. Prioritizing the attributes of the items may include measuring like attributes of the items against each other and arranging the attributes to appear in an order according to the degree the like attributes distinguish the items from each other. A modified item comparison may be prepared and provided in accordance with user feedback.

Abstract: A handheld electronic book reader device is equipped with dual displays. The device includes a first display for presenting visible representations of textual or graphic content related to the electronic book. The device also includes a second display positioned alongside the first display. The second display includes a plurality of graphic elements that correspond to portions of the first display. Also, the second display is responsive to user input to one of the graphic elements to perform an action on the content that is shown in the portion of the first display that corresponds to the one element.

Abstract: This disclosure pertains to techniques for intelligent selection of a currency preference for a user and conversion of monetary values to the preferred currency for transactions entered into by the user. The conversion is performed using a firm exchange rate that is derived from a market exchange rate, but guaranteed for a period of time during which the transaction is anticipated to be completed.

Abstract: A technique for replicating information among host computing devices based on versions associated with variables of a state on each host computing device is provided. To replicate information among host computing devices, a host computing device determines a maximum variable version of a state among variables. After comparing maximum versions of a state with that of a corresponding state of a connected host, variable values of the state are updated on the host computing device from variable values of the corresponding state on the connected host if it is determined that the maximum variable version on the connected host computing device is greater. The updated variable values correspond to versions on the connected host computing device having a greater version than the maximum variable version on the host computing device.

Abstract: A method, system, and computer-readable medium for dynamically generating actual fulfillment plans for a current order or a potential order so as to enhance the future fulfillment process for expected future orders is described. In some situations, actual delivery information based on one or more such actual fulfillment plans will then be provided to a customer, such as by displaying actual delivery date and/or time before or during the ordering process based on one or more actual fulfillment plans that can be or will be used to fulfill the order. A variety of types of criteria can be used to evaluate the effects of using a fulfillment plan to fulfill a current order, including criteria that consider the modeled future cost of fulfilling expected future orders, such as an overall cost of fulfilling all orders during a specified time period that is at least partially in the future.

Abstract: A facility for determining article influence and author authority based upon cites of the author's articles by other authors is described. Authors post new articles to their blog covering one or more memes, which describe the content of the article. The facility determines other web pages that share the same memes as the articles to form a context set, and then identifies those authors, called stakeholders, that commonly cite posts from web pages within the context set. Stakeholders are those with some knowledge about a particular topic that also write articles on the topic. Articles cited by stakeholders are considered more influential than those that are not cited, and a frequently cited author will have more authority for a given meme than one who is largely ignored, as indicated by receiving few article citations.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to automating the sending of campaign messages in computing environments. Campaign scores are determined for messaging campaigns and eligible recipients are assigned to campaigns with a higher score. More specifically, eligible recipients are assigned to a particular messaging campaign if the campaign is the “best” campaign for each eligible recipient based on the campaign score. Additionally, a portion of the eligible recipients are reserved as a control group for each campaign. After campaign messages have been sent out to assigned recipients, the behavior of the recipients who received campaign messages and the behavior of the control group members are differentiated to update the campaign's score. Continually updating campaign scores makes it possible to continually update which campaign is best for a particular recipient.

Abstract: A method and system for dynamic pricing of web services utilization. According to one embodiment, a method may include dynamically predicting utilization of a web services computing resource that is expected to occur during a given interval of time, and dependent upon the dynamically predicted utilization, setting a price associated with utilization of the web services computing resource occurring during the given interval of time. The method may further include providing the price to a customer.

Abstract: Page numbering of images of pages in a document includes extracting all numbers that are exactly one different than a number found on an adjacent page, and grouping the extracted numbers into a set of sequences that describe the candidate page numbers in the book. The sequences most likely to contain candidates that represent the actual page numbers are determined by merging the most reliable sequences together to bridge gaps between the sequences, and identifying those gaps where the page numbers have been intentionally omitted. Page images are labeled with numbers that are determined to be most likely to represent the actual page number. Page numbering is abandoned when insufficient numbers of pages numbers are able to be extracted or assigned relative to the total number of pages in the document.

Abstract: Systems and methods for automating the price adjustments for items in a network-based environment are described in this application. The price adjustment can consider both the price information and non-price information of an item. The price information can include the price of the item charged by a single seller or a group of sellers, as well as a customer's reaction to that price. The non-price information can contain any criteria other than the price of the item, including actual or anticipated inventory levels, initial cost, product life cycle, future demand, etc. The systems and methods can then adjust the price of the item for sale on an automated, or even semi-automated, basis without the need for manual intervention. The systems and methods could also contain a feedback mechanism that tracks the price adjustment and the conditions for making that adjustment, thereby aiding the formulation of pricing strategies for the item.

Abstract: Computer-implemented processes are disclosed for clustering items and improving the utility of item recommendations. One process involves applying a clustering algorithm to a user's collection of items. Information about the resulting clusters is then used to select items to use as recommendation sources. Another process involves displaying the clusters of items to the user via a collection management interface that enables the user to attach cluster-level metadata, such as by rating or tagging entire clusters of items. The resulting metadata may be used to improve the recommendations generated by a recommendation engine. Another process involves forming clusters of items in which a user has indicated a lack of interest, and using these clusters to filter the output of a recommendation engine. Yet another process involves applying a clustering algorithm to the output of a recommendation engine to arrange the recommended items into cluster-based categories for presentation to the user.

Abstract: Techniques are described for facilitating interactions between computing systems, such as by using an authorization system to automatically authorize financial payments between parties in accordance with previously specified private authorization instructions of at least one of the parties. In some situations, some or all of the payments are associated with commerce-related or other transactions, such as transactions initiated by a consumer via the Web to acquire items from a retailer. The authorization instructions may include predefined instruction sets that regulate conditions under which a potential payment can be authorized, with the instruction sets each associated in some situations with a reference. After one or more parties each supply one or more such references or otherwise indicate one or more such instruction sets for use with a potential payment, the authorization system can determine whether to authorize the payment based on whether the instruction sets are compatible or otherwise satisfied.

Abstract: A method and system for identifying information to be associated with content of a display page. The system provides a web service through which associates of a vendor can request and receive information such as product data to be displayed on the associate's display pages. The system may receive from an associate's computer a request for product data that may include content derived from a web page on which the product is to be displayed. Upon receiving the request, the system identifies a query based on popularity of the query among users, executes the query, and provides an associate with information relating to the results of the executed query.

Abstract: A distributed storage system including support for distinct storage classes. A system may implement a web services interface, a number of storage nodes and a coordinator. The web services interface may receive, according to a web services protocol, client requests to store data objects. A request for a given object may include an indication of a particular storage class to be associated with the given object, and where each storage class respectively specifies one or more service level agreement (SLA) characteristics. The storage nodes may store replicas of the data objects. The coordinator may receive the client requests to store the data objects from the web services interface, where in response to the given client request, the coordinator may store one or more replicas of the given data object among the storage nodes according to the SLA characteristics specified by the particular storage class.

Abstract: A networked computer system provides various services for assisting users in locating, and establishing contact relationships with, other users. For example, in one embodiment, users can identify other users based on their affiliations with particular schools or other organizations. The system also provides a mechanism for a user to selectively establish contact relationships or connections with other users, and to grant permissions for such other users to view personal information of the user. The system may also include features for enabling users to identify contacts of their respective contacts. In addition, the system may automatically notify users of personal information updates made by their respective contacts.

Abstract: Robust forecasting techniques are relatively immune from anomalies or outliers in observed data, such as a stream of data values reflective of the operation or use of a computer system. One robust technique provides a relatively accurate forecast of seasonal behavior even in the presence of an anomaly in corresponding historical data. Another robust forecasting technique provides a relatively accurate forecast even in the presence of an anomaly that spans multiple recent observations. In one embodiment, both techniques are used in combination to automatically detect anomalies in the operation and/or use of a multi-user computer system.

Abstract: A facility for determining whether to consistency-check a cache entry is described. The facility randomly or pseudorandomly selects a value in a range. If the selected value satisfies a predetermined consistency-checking threshold within the range, the facility consistency-checks the entry, and may decide to propagate this knowledge to other cache managers. If, on the other hand, the selected value does not satisfy the consistency-checking threshold, the facility determines not to consistency-check the entry.

Abstract: A method, system, and apparatus are provided for allowing users to readily obtain information associated with a selected item from a remote location. More specifically, a user at the location of the first entity operates a portable imaging device to capture an image of identifying data, such as a barcode, that identifies a selected item. The captured image is then communicated to a server operated by a second entity that is different than the first entity to obtain item information (e.g., price, availability, etc.) associated with the selected item. The item information is communicated back to the portable imaging device for display to the user while the user remains at the location of the first entity. In other embodiments, the information extracted from the captured image may also be used to forecast future purchasing activity for the selected item.