Patents Assigned to Amazon Technologies
  • Testing service with control testing
    Patent number: 9558106
    Abstract: The techniques described herein provide software testing of a candidate software system. In some examples, a testing service compares at least one candidate response to at least a first control response to obtain one or more candidate test differences. The testing service may compare at least a second control response of the plurality of control responses to at least one of the first control response of the plurality of control responses or a third control response of the plurality of control responses to obtain one or more control test differences. The testing service may then analyze the one or more candidate test differences based on the one or more control test differences to generate an evaluation of whether one or more of the candidate test differences are due to differences between the candidate software system and the control software system that generated the first control response.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2017
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Samuel Leonard Moniz, Keian Christopher, Andrew Ross Evenson
  • Keyboard customization according to finger positions
    Patent number: 9557823
    Abstract: Systems, devices, and techniques are provided for customization of a layout of keys based at least on position of a finger of an end-user of user equipment. The customization can be implemented dynamically in response to changes in actions associated with interaction between end-users and the user equipment. A customized layout of keys of a keyboard layout associated with the user equipment can be leveraged for implementation of a typing technique.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2017
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Mark Steven Tamura
  • Projection system with refractive beam steering
    Patent number: 9557630
    Abstract: A projection system projects images onto a surface as part of an augmented reality environment. Users may interact with the images and this interaction is captured as feedback to the system. The projection system includes a refractive beam steerer to direct the projected images onto specific surfaces within the environment, even if the surfaces are moved about the area. The beam steerer has multiple wedge-shaped prisms that are independently movable to steer the projected light beam as desired. Additionally, an infrared (IR) device may be used to illuminate the environment with IR light, and the IR light may be emitted along a common optical path through the refractive beam steerer as used by the projected light beam.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2017
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Eric Gifford Marason, Miguel Virgen, Christopher David Coley
  • Custom branded tape in a multi-seller environment
    Patent number: 9555906
    Abstract: The disclosure describes a system for applying custom branded tape to packages that are shipped from a multi-seller materials handling facility. In some implementations, a materials handling facility may store, process and ship items for multiple sellers. As items are packed for shipping, a tape dispensing device may dispense custom branded tape associated with the seller of the item(s) being packed such that the sellers brand, logo or other information is presented on the exterior of the container.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2017
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Timothy Craig Worsley, Karthik Kumar Srivatsa, Charles Edward Rice, William Alan Snitselaar, Jeffery Thomas Moore, Jonathan Eric Rosenberg, Dean Christopher Fullerton, David Henry Clark
  • Semi-automated inventory transfer station
    Patent number: 9555978
    Abstract: An inventory transfer station is provided in connection with a workspace of an inventory management system. At the inventory transfer station, items are transferred from container holders to empty containers thereby generating containers that may fulfill orders for items. The inventory transfer station may be semi-automatically configured to transfer items from the container holders to the empty containers utilizing a vertical reciprocating conveyor that feeds empty containers to the inventory transfer station via an inbound conveyor lane associated with the inventory management system. Containers that have received items from the container holder may be transferred to an outbound conveyor lane that may, via the vertical reciprocating conveyor, feed fulfilled containers to a shipping area of the workspace.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2017
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Erik Clement Hanssen, Jayson Michael Jochim, Brent Alan Hill, David Dickman Wong, Dawn Cecelia Ferraro, James Byron Hanson, Maria Rebecca St. Vincent
  • Cache population optimization for storage gateways
    Patent number: 9559889
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus for WAN-optimized cache population at a storage gateway appliance are disclosed. A read request is received at the appliance from a client. The request is directed to a particular data block of a data chunk of a storage object of a remote storage service. A method comprises, in response to the read request, initiating a first data transfer of the data chunk from the remote storage service to an intermediate device. The method includes determining, based on one or more criteria, contents of one or more other data transfers including a second data transfer from the intermediate device to the appliance, initiating the second data transfer to transmit the requested data block to the appliance, and providing the particular data block to the client from the appliance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2017
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Pradeep Vincent, Ankur Khetrapal, Yun Lin, David Carl Salyers
  • Architecture for incremental deployment
    Patent number: 9560120
    Abstract: A deploy service is provided to determine a set of software artifacts that needs to be transmitted to a target machine upon receiving an application deployment request from a user of a client device. For instance, the deploy service may compare versions of software artifacts on the target machine with the software artifacts of the application that the user desires to deploy to determine the set of software artifacts that needs to be transmitted. Instead of having to transmit the entire application, some embodiments transmit only a small portion that is reflective of what has been changed between the old version of the application and the new version of the application. This enables the transfer of large files across the Internet to be more efficient.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2017
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Nicholas A. Allen, Elena Dykhno
  • Sound source locator with distributed microphone array
    Patent number: 9560446
    Abstract: A sound source locator efficiently employs a distributed physical or logical microphone array to determine a location of a source of a sound. In some instances, the sound source locator is deployed in an augmented reality environment. The sound source locator detects sound at a plurality of microphones, generates a signal corresponding to the sound, and causes attributes of signal as generated at the plurality of microphones to be stored in association with the corresponding microphone. The sound source locator uses these stored attributes to identify multiple groups of the plurality of microphones from which delays between the times the signal is generated can be used to compute the location of the source of the sound.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2017
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Samuel Henry Chang, Wai C. Chu
  • Message bus for testing distributed load balancers
    Patent number: 9559961
    Abstract: A test system for a distributed load balancer in which a router receives packets from at least one client and routes packet flows to multiple load balancer (LB) nodes, which in turn distribute the packet flows among multiple server nodes. The test system includes message bus technology that enables the distributed load balancer to be run in a single process without requiring load balancing code to be deployed to multiple hosts in a production network. The message bus technology may be implemented in message bus layers of the test system to simulate network segments. The message bus functionality hooks into the IP tables at the kernel level, intercepts packets, and sends the packets up into the message bus process for routing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2017
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: James Christopher Sorenson, III, Douglas Stewart Laurence, Venkatraghavan Srinivasan, Fan Zhang
  • Unmanned aerial vehicle sensor synchronization
    Patent number: 9555883
    Abstract: Described are methods and apparatuses for synchronizing two or more sensors of an UAV. In the implementations described, a synchronization event is performed such that identifiable signals of the synchronization event can be collected by each sensor of the UAV. The synchronization event may be generated by a synchronization event component that generates multiple output signals (e.g., audio, visual, and physical) at approximately the same time so that different sensors can each collect and store at least one of the output signals. The collected signals are then compared and the sensors are adjusted to align the signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2017
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Amir Navot, Scott Raymond Harris, Daniel Buchmueller
  • EFFICIENT GARBAGE COLLECTION FOR A LOG-STRUCTURED DATA STORE
    Publication number: 20170024315
    Abstract: A log-structured data store may implement efficient garbage collection. Log records may be maintained in data blocks according to a log record sequence. Based, at least in part, on a log reclamation point, the log records may be evaluated to identify data blocks to reclaim that have log records in the log sequence prior to the log reclamation point. New versions of data pages updated by log records in the identified data blocks may be generated and stored in base page storage for the log structured data store. The identified data blocks may then be reclaimed for storing new data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 3, 2016
    Publication date: January 26, 2017
    Applicant: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: YAN VALERIE LESHINSKY, JAMES MCCLELLAN COREY, SAMUEL JAMES MCKELVIE, OSCAR RICARDO MOLL THOMAE, PRADEEP JNANA MADHAVARAPU
  • Automated data synchronization
    Patent number: 9552366
    Abstract: Systems and methods are presented for storing and updating data. The metadata associated with a user computing device may be used to determine whether the user computing device is configured to maintain a synchronized copy of the file. Moreover, a user computing device may be authorized to modify a file through a virtual desktop instance on a PES. If a user computing device is authorized to synchronize the file, the file may be accessible locally without a network connection.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2017
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Deepak Suryanarayanan, Eugene Michael Farrell, Vivek Lakshmanan, David Everard Brown
  • Visual task feedback for workstations in materials handling facilities
    Patent number: 9552635
    Abstract: Visual task feedback for workstations in a materials handling facility may be implemented. Image data of a workstation surface may be obtained from image sensors. The image data may be evaluated with regard to the performance of an item-handling task at the workstation. The evaluation of the image data may identify items located on the workstation surface, determine a current state of the item-handling task, or recognize an agent gesture at the workstation. Based, at least in part on the evaluation, one or more visual task cues may be selected to project onto the workstation surface. The projection of the selected visual task cues onto the workstation surface may then be directed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2017
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: James Christopher Curlander, Robert Alexander Colburn
  • Generating and updating recommendations for merchants
    Patent number: 9552600
    Abstract: Disclosed are various embodiments for generating and updating recommendations for merchants. A recommendation for a merchant in an electronic marketplace is evaluated to determine whether a corresponding action for the recommendation has been completed in response to a recommendation query for the merchant. A list of recommendations that correspond to actions that have not yet been completed for the merchant is generated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2017
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Anton V. Goldberg, Trevor Alexander Popiel, Robert H. Mahfoud
  • Electrowetting element with photosensor
    Patent number: 9551865
    Abstract: An electrowetting element comprising a photosensor. The photosensor comprises a photosensitive material overlapped by an electrowetting element electrode; a first photosensor contact in contact with the photosensitive material; and a second photosensor contact in contact with the photosensitive material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2017
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Abhishek Kumar, Toru Sakai
  • Merging client-side and server-side logs
    Patent number: 9552356
    Abstract: Techniques described enable creation of a single log containing information from both server-side and client-side logs. A logging service receives page requests and other data from a user operating a computing device. These page requests are then stored in a server-side log. The logging service also receives interactions made by the user on a displayed page. These interactions are then stored in a client-side log separate from the server-side log. The logging service then converts a format of the data in the client-side log and merges the client-side and server-side logs to form a single log. A service provider may then analyze this single log to track how this and other users navigated the pages associated with the page requests.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2017
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: David J. Edwards, Peter V. Commons, Amanda M. Aten
  • Cryptographic material renewal
    Patent number: 9552485
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for renewing cryptographic material are disclosed. In the method and apparatus a cryptographic material renewal entity of a computing resource service provider detects that cryptographic material stored by a secure module is to be renewed. Renewing the cryptographic material may include rekeying a private key associated with a certificate. Further, a digital certificate may be renewed, and the renewed certificate may be provided for use by the computing resource. The cryptographic material is used to fulfill requests made by a computing resource provisioned by the computing resource service provider for a customer. The renewed cryptographic material is provided to the secure module, whereby the renewed cryptographic material is used by the secure module to fulfill further requests made by the computing resource.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2017
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Todd Lawrence Cignetti, Andrew Jeffrey Doane, Stefan Popoveniuc, Matthew Allen Estes, Alexander Edward Schoof, Robert Eric Fitzgerald, Peter Zachary Bowen
  • Substitution of requests or results in access control systems
    Patent number: 9553757
    Abstract: Approaches are described for allowing an access control policy to specify that a substitute operation be executed when a request for access matches certain conditions specified in the access control policy (e.g., when the identity of the requestor matches a specified identity in the policy). For example, the access control may specify that a substitute result should be provided to a requestor in response to a request for access or a substitute request should be executed instead of executing the received request and the results of the substitute request should be provided to the requestor in response to the request. The substitute result or the result of the substitute request may appear to the requestor as though their original request for access succeeded but the content of the result may be different than what would have been generated if the access control policy allowed the request to proceed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2017
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Gregory Branchek Roth
  • Story development and sharing architecture: predictive data
    Patent number: 9553902
    Abstract: A community of authors, readers and contributors interact with each other through a communication framework. The authors share creative works, such as fictional stories, for consumption by the readers and for commenting by the contributors. The readers may see successive drafts of the work as an author completes and revises the work. The contributors may provide comments or other contributions to assist the author. For example, the contributors may make suggestions about how to change the work or provide supplemental content, such as cover artwork, to the author. The author may recognize publicly contributors who provide helpful comments. The likelihood of an author completing a final draft of a work may be determined based on the author's activities regarding the work. The likelihood of a completed work being popular with readers may also be determined based on user interaction with a draft of the work.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2017
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Ram Cherukuri, Daniel Lee Phelps, Ram Gole, Anthony James Wilson, Karl Clifford Bell, Daniel James Hermanson, Atif Choudhry Rafiq, Chad Howard Young, John Alexander DiSanti
  • Asymmetric packet flow in a distributed load balancer
    Patent number: 9553809
    Abstract: A distributed load balancer in which a router receives packets from at least one client and routes packet flows to multiple ingress servers. For unknown packet flows, an ingress server cooperates with primary and secondary flow trackers to establish connections to server nodes. For known packet flows, the ingress server sends the packets to target server nodes. The server nodes randomly select egress servers for outgoing packets of the packet flows. The ingress servers, flow trackers, and egress servers are implemented by multiple load balancer nodes in a load balancer node layer. The ingress and egress servers for a given packet flow may be on different load balancer nodes. The load balancer nodes may use a consistent hash function to compute a consistent hash ring for the nodes according to packet flow client/public endpoint pairs so that nodes associated with given packet flows can be located.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2017
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: James Christopher Sorenson, III, Douglas Stewart Laurence, Venkatraghavan Srinivasan, Akshay Suhas Vaidya, Fan Zhang