Patents Assigned to Amazon Technologies
  • Patent number: 9578044
    Abstract: Systems, methods, and computer-readable media are disclosed for detecting anomalous advertising content and taking or directing one or more actions to be taken to mitigate risk associated with anomalous advertising content. The anomalous advertising content indicates a deviation from an expected state of the advertising content. Various measures may be taken to determine whether the anomalous advertising content is reflective of malware.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2017
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Keerat Singh Sharma, James Rupert William Phillips, Ankit Rajiv Kuwadekar
  • Patent number: 9574762
    Abstract: Devices that include light assemblies for providing visual feedback to users that operate the electronic devices. In some instances, the devices comprise voice-controlled devices and, therefore, include one or more microphones for receiving audible commands from the users. After receiving a command, for instance, one such voice-controlled device may cause a corresponding light assembly of the device to illuminate in some predefined manner. This illumination may indicate to the user that device has received the command. In other instances, the devices may illuminate the lighting assembly for an array of other purposes. For instance, one such device may illuminate the corresponding light assembly when powering on or off, playing music, outputting information to a user (e.g., via a speaker or display), or the like.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2017
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Jacobi Colton Grillo, Faiza Hassan, Isabella Talley Lewis, Tony David
  • Patent number: 9576542
    Abstract: This disclosure relates to, among other things, devices, systems, methods, computer-readable media, techniques, and methodologies that utilize and/or incorporate display components capable of being configured to detect light.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2017
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Joel Martin Pollack, Jerry Yee-Ming Chung
  • Patent number: 9575960
    Abstract: One or more words at a specified location in an electronic document can be identified. The identified one or more words can be analyzed to determine one or more semantic meanings associated with the words. An audio clip (i.e., audio file, audio element) associated with or corresponding to (the semantic meaning(s) of) the one or more words can be searched for in an audio database. The search for the audio clip associated with the one or more words can utilize an index that specifies the associations between words and audio clips. In some embodiments, the audio clip can be played when an estimated location of where the user is reading is at or near the specified location of the one or more words. In some embodiments, the audio clip can be played when it is calculated that the user is reading the one or more words at the specified location.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2017
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: David M. Lerner, Brandon J. Smith, Jon Robert Ducrou, Erik J. Miller, Marcus A. Barry, Kenneth O. Sanders, II
  • Patent number: 9575982
    Abstract: Solid-state storage devices may be employed to store data maintained by a database management system, but may have characteristics that reduce the efficiency of interactions between the database management system and the device. A storage subsystem may receive information indicative of internal boundaries within database data. A segment of the database data may be selected for compression, wherein the size of the segment is based at least on one or more the internal boundaries, the memory page size of the solid-state drive, and a predicted rate of compression. The compressed segment may be stored if it has a size less than the memory page size of the device. If it does not, compression may be retried with a smaller segment of data or a portion of the data may be stored in uncompressed form. Additional segments of the data may be stored on the solid-state drive in a similar manner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2017
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Subramanian Sankara Subramanian, Stefano Stefani
  • Patent number: 9576109
    Abstract: Revenue generated through electronic book sales (and other transactions, such as rental, sample, leasing, etc.) is allocated among rights holders and other parties based on a ranking of common work distributed in electronic book form or any other form (e.g., paperback, hardcover, audio). As the ranking changes, the revenue allocated to the rights holder changes. The changes may be made in real-time as revenue and metric data is collected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2017
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Russell C. Grandinetti, Gregory M. Hart, Jeffrey P. Bezos, Melissa C. Kirmayer
  • Patent number: 9578500
    Abstract: A technology to authenticate a user is described. A mobile telephone number associated with a user identification is identified. A message including a confirmation telephone number for authorization is sent to a mobile telephone, and a mobile telephone reply is initiated to the confirmation telephone number from the mobile telephone number to authenticate the user identification.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2017
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Kamesh Rao Yeduvakula
  • Patent number: 9576141
    Abstract: Approaches are described for security and access control for computing resources. Various embodiments utilize metadata, e.g., tags that can be applied to one or more computing resources (e.g., virtual machines, host computing devices, applications, databases, etc.) to control access to these and/or other computing resources. In various embodiments, the tags and access control policies described herein can be utilized in a multitenant shared resource environment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2017
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Eric Jason Brandwine, Peter Nicholas DeSantis, Léon Thrane
  • Patent number: 9576019
    Abstract: Disclosed are various embodiments for increasing distributed database capacity by adding new nodes while minimizing downtime. A database is partitioned among multiple nodes in a cluster. Each node stores a respective portion of the database. The portions of the database are replicated to corresponding physical standbys. For each portion, a first portion is mapped to an existing node, while a remaining portion is mapped to a physical standby. The cluster is updated to include the physical standbys as additional nodes among which the database is partitioned.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2017
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Weinan Wang, Bruce K. Ferry, Aravanan Sivaloganathan, Zhiyu Zhang, Min Zhu, Jason Curtis Jenks, Aaron Drew Alexander Kujat, Maxym Kharchenko
  • Patent number: 9578117
    Abstract: Described are techniques and systems for service discovery on a network. A media device on the network generates a signature indicative of a particular set of one or more services available for execution on the media device. The signature may be distributed on the network using beacon transmissions from the media device. A receiving media device compares the signature with previously stored service data which associates signatures with service sets. The stored service data may include a local signature indicative of a local service set. Determinations of a match result in the receiving media device using the previously stored data. Unmatched signatures may result in the receiving media device sending a request for service set data. The received service set data may then be used to provide service availability information. The received service set data and associated signature may be added to the stored service data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2017
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Edward James Gayles, Ruoruo Zhang, Vlad Troyanker
  • Patent number: 9578034
    Abstract: A trusted peripheral device can be utilized with an electronic resource, such as a host machine, in order to enable the secured performance of security and remote management in the electronic environment, where various users might be provisioned on, or otherwise have access to, the electronic resource. The peripheral can have a secure channel for communicating with a centralized management system or service, whereby the management service can remotely connect to this trusted peripheral, using a secure and authenticated network connection, in order to run the above-described functionality on the host to which the peripheral is attached.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2017
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Nachiketh Rao Potlapally, Michael David Marr
  • Patent number: 9575979
    Abstract: Techniques are described for automatically determining application composition and application ownership of an application that may include a plurality of files deployed to a plurality of host devices. The determination of application composition may be based on analyzing various types of metadata that may provide evidence of associations between deployed files, such as metadata describing the deployment of files to host devices, metadata describing the files tracked within a source control system, or other types of metadata. The determination of application ownership may also be based on analyzing the various types of metadata that provide evidence of associations between files and individuals or groups of individuals within an organization.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2017
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Jon Arron McClintock, Shailendra Batra, Thibault Candebat, Scott Gerard Carmack, Sachin Purushottam Joglekar, Alun Mark Jones, William Frederick Kruse, Narasimha Rao Lakkakula, Sunu Aby Mathew
  • Patent number: 9578080
    Abstract: Resource management techniques for shared resources in a distributed system are described. Clients and servers may exchange messages according to an asynchronous messaging protocol that does not guarantee delivery or ordering of messages. A client may send a resource request message including a client timestamp and a measure of client resource demand. The server may allocate a grant of the resource to the client in a manner that prevents resource overload, and indicate the grant to the client via a message including a logical timestamp, the amount of resource granted, the client's original timestamp, and a grant expiration time. The server may acknowledge the grant and cooperatively use the resource in accordance with the grant's terms.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2017
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Allan H. Vermeulen, Timothy Andrew Rath
  • Patent number: 9576155
    Abstract: A trusted computing host is described that provides various security computations and other functions in a distributed multitenant and/or virtualized computing environment. The trusted host computing device can communicate with one or more host computing devices that host virtual machines to provide a number of security-related functions, including but not limited to boot firmware measurement, cryptographic key management, remote attestation, as well as security and forensics management. The trusted computing host maintains an isolated partition for each host computing device in the environment and communicates with peripheral cards on host computing devices in order to provide one or more security functions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2017
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Nachiketh Rao Potlapally, Michael David Marr, Eric Jason Brandwine, Donald Lee Bailey, Jr.
  • Patent number: 9575745
    Abstract: Disclosed are various embodiments for a deployment management system. A second version of a deployable application is executed concurrently with a first version. Network traffic sent to the first version of the application is redirected to the second version. In the event of an error, network traffic is directed back to the first version of the application. After a period of concurrent execution, the first version of the application is terminated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2017
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: James Andrew Trenton Lipscomb, Christopher L. McGilliard
  • Patent number: 9578074
    Abstract: Techniques for adaptive content transmission are described herein. During transmission of a content item, a network connection may be monitored to collect data corresponding to one or more network conditions associated with the transmission of the content item. Such network conditions may include, for example, network throughput, available network bandwidth, network latency and others. The collected data may be used to dynamically adjust one or more transmission attributes in connection with the transmitted content item. The one or more transmission attributes may be determined for adjustment at any desired transmission interval.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 11, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2017
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Mark Kalman, Scott Wright Heath, Gerard Joseph Heinz, II, Keith Emery Belovay, Vinod Murli Mamtani, Bin Wang
  • Patent number: 9575942
    Abstract: Aspects of expanded icon navigation are described. In one embodiment, one or more marked locations are registered, for example, as bookmarks, during navigation of network pages or files. A hierarchical structure of at least one location associated with the one or more marked locations is indexed to generate a marked zone hierarchy. Further, a collection of accessed locations is assembled according to traced access across the indexed hierarchical structure, network pages, or files. The access across the indexed hierarchical structure, network pages, or files may be traced over a period of time. In other aspects, the one or more marked locations are categorized among the collection of accessed locations to provide an assimilated set of locations, and one or more anchors are established. Further, at least one branch of the one or more anchors is populated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2017
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Peter Frank Hill
  • Patent number: 9577889
    Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed which facilitate management and monitoring of page-level usage data. Specifically, a client computing device may retrieve content from a remote system for local display. A local interaction monitoring component may monitor local interaction with the content, and transmit local interaction information to the remote system. In one embodiment, interaction may be monitored with regard to predefined portions of the content. In another embodiment, interaction may be transmitted to the remote server for processing, in order to generate page-level usage data. In still more embodiments, page level-usage data may be processed or formatted in order to facilitate ease of retrieval and display. In yet more embodiments, the remote system may enable clients, such as administrators, to view aggregate page-level usage data why viewing a corresponding content.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2017
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Aurel Dumitrascu, Alexandru Burciu, Sebastian Kohlmeier, Alexandru Tronciu
  • Patent number: 9576288
    Abstract: Techniques for automatically approving transactions are described herein. These techniques may include determining whether a user who requested to conduct a transaction is the same user as a user that approves the transaction. If so, then the transaction may be approved. If not, then the approving user may be asked to provide authentication information in order to finish the approval process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 21, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2017
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: James Jesensky, Isaac Oates, Amit D. Agarwal, Vinay P. Vaidya
  • Patent number: 9575820
    Abstract: Methods and systems for implementing client control in a distributed strict queue are disclosed. A plurality of messages are distributed to a plurality of queue servers based on strict order parameters for the messages. Messages that share a value for the strict order parameter are distributed to the same queue server. The messages are enqueued at the queue servers. Messages that share a value for the strict order parameter are enqueued in a strict order based on the time of receipt at the queue server. A control message is sent from the queue servers to one or more queue clients. The control message causes modification of a configuration at the queue clients. The queue clients are configured to process the messages based on the configurations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2017
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Jonathan Brian Word