Abstract: Method and apparatus for multi-destination pick using motes. In embodiments, each receptacle may be assigned to a destination and may have a mote that may include an indicator that may be activated by a control system to indicate to the agent that the receptacle is the destination receptacle for a picked item. The agent may then place the item in the indicated destination receptacle. A mote may include a communication interface for communicating with a control system and with other motes in an ad-hoc network. In one embodiment, the mote on the destination receptacle may be activated when the picked item is scanned by the agent. In some embodiments, each receptacle may also have a sensor that detects when an item is placed in the receptacle to deactivate the indicator and/or to verify that the item was placed in the correct receptacle.

Abstract: Systems and methods for authentication generate keys from secret credentials shared between authenticating parties and authenticators. Generation of the keys may involve utilizing specialized information in the form of parameters that are used to specialize keys. Keys and/or information derived from keys held by multiple authorities may be used to generate other keys such that signatures requiring such keys and/or information can be verified without access to the keys. Keys may also be derived to form a hierarchy of keys that are distributed such that a key holder's ability to decrypt data depends on the key's position in the hierarchy relative to the position of a key used to encrypt the data. Key hierarchies may also be used to distribute key sets to content processing devices to enable the devices to decrypt content such that sources or potential sources of unauthorized content are identifiable from the decrypted content.

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.

Abstract: A contact received by a service center from a customer may be assigned to one of a plurality of agents or representatives based on any prior experience with the customer or with the contact, any preferences of the customer or any skills required in order to address the contact. Preferably, an agent who previously handled an issue on behalf of the customer may be identified, and the contact may be assigned to that agent. Alternatively, the contact may be assigned to an agent preferred by the customer, or to a particularly skilled agent. If no preferred agents or particularly skilled agents are available to respond to the contact, the contact may be assigned at random to one or more particular agents. The contact may be initiated by way of a reply to a message containing a response to a previous contact, and the message may include metadata that associates the reply with the previous contact.

Abstract: Aspects of the present disclosure relate to the sharing of synchronization information corresponding to content among devices in a communication network. An originating device collects synchronization information related to the presentation of content to a user via the originating device. The synchronization information is defined according to reference points related to the presentation of the content to the user via the originating device, including a current state of the presentation of the content and/or additional information obtained during the presentation of the content. Based on detection of a synchronization event, the originating device transmits the collected synchronization information, resulting in the receipt of the synchronization information by one or more receiving devices. Thereafter, the presentation of the content to the user on one of the receiving devices can incorporate the synchronization information collected and transmitted by the originating device.

Abstract: As described herein, passages in a digital work (e.g., eBook, music, movie, picture, etc.) may be highlighted and questions pertaining to those highlights may be developed. The highlights are collected centrally and subsequently supplied to users along with the digital works. Users may further ask questions pertaining to the highlighted passages, and these questions are associated with the highlights. Answers to the questions may also be discovered and provided to the users.

Abstract: The use of graph-based semantic analysis with respect to items and tags may enable the discovery of the characteristics of items. A tag collection component may initially obtain a corresponding set of tags for each item of multiple items. A graph generation component may then generate a graph that includes a corresponding item node for each item and a corresponding tag node for each tag cluster of tags. Each item node in the graph may be connected to each of one or more tag nodes by a respective edge. Subsequently, following assignment of a label to each tag node, a graph evaluation component may execute a random walk algorithm on the graph. The execution of the random walk algorithm may provide a corresponding ranked list of tags for each item or a corresponding set of correlated tags for each tag.

Abstract: Instances of content, such as search results or browse items, can be displayed using a plurality of three-dimensional elements, with selected pieces of information for each instance placed upon faces, sides, or other portions of those elements. A user can view similar information for each of the instances of content by rotating the elements, such as by interacting with an input element or rotating a portable computing device rendering the elements. The user can apply various filtering criteria or value ranges, whereby the relative position of the elements in three-dimensional space can be adjusted based at least in part upon the applied values. By rotating the elements, applying criteria, and changing the camera view of the elements, a user can quickly compare a large number of instances of context according to a number of different criteria, and can quickly locate items of interest from a large selection of items.

Abstract: One or more buttons on an electronic device are mechanically coupled to actuators utilizing electroactive polymers. When active, the electroactive polymer deploys the button such that a height of the button above a substrate is increased. When inactive, the button returns to a stowed position having a lower height, and thus presents a lesser profile.

Abstract: A computer is configured to impose an access restriction based upon user-provided information, such as a user's birthdate. In order to enforce such a restriction, the computer requests from a user an image of a valid identity document associated with the user, such as a valid driver's license. In response to receiving such an image from the user, the computer performs an image analysis on the image to extract user information. The computer might extract the user's name, address, birthdate, driver's license number, and/or other information from the image for instance. The computer may utilize the extracted information to determine whether the user should be granted access. The computer may determine based upon the extracted information, for instance, whether the age of the user is greater than a minimum age required to access the computer. The computer may be configured to restrict access to a Web site in this manner.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to, among other things, providing notifications of distributed system infrastructure issues that may affect customers. In some examples, a web service may utilize or otherwise control a client instance to control, access, or otherwise manage resources of a distributed system. Based at least in part on determining a health level of the distributed system and receiving operating information from multiple sources, notifications may be provided. Additionally, in some examples, one or more remediation operations may be performed automatically or provided as recommendations.

Abstract: Synchronous interfaces on a first device are configured such that a first synchronous interface is set to a slave mode while a second synchronous interface is set to a master mode. A second device with two synchronous interfaces may then be coupled to the first device with the corresponding synchronous interfaces in master mode and slave mode, respectively. A pair of unidirectional synchronous data channels is established, allowing data transfer between the devices. These channels allow for asynchronous-like transmission of data, in that transmission and corresponding receipt of data may take place at irregular intervals.

Abstract: Disclosed are various embodiments for facilitating load balancing between central processing units (CPUs) and graphics processing units (GPUs). A request is obtained to execute a first application in one or more computing devices. In one embodiment, a second application associated with the first application is assigned to be executed in GPUs of the one or more computing devices instead of CPUs of the one or more computing devices when a resource usage profile associated with the first application indicates that the first application is relatively more CPU intensive than GPU intensive. Conversely, the second application is assigned to be executed in the CPUs instead of the GPUs when the resource usage profile indicates that the first application is relatively more GPU intensive than CPU intensive.

Abstract: An advertiser submitting a sponsored ad to a provider can determine aspects of the ad, such as creative elements and bid price, based on a dynamic categorization of an item and/or landing page associated with the ad. An algorithm can be used that utilizes a browse tree for each item to be displayed to a user following a sponsored link, for example, and attempts to find a node in the browse tree that appears at the lowest level in the tree and with a sufficient appearance frequency. When consensus is reached for a node in the browse tree that meets these criteria, a corresponding categorization is determined, which can be used to determine appropriate aspects to be used for the sponsored ad, at least until enough information is obtained such that aspects can be determined independent of the categorization.

Abstract: Disclosed are various embodiments relating to data aggregation in network page generation, where the data aggregation employs multipart encoding. A request for a network page is obtained from a client. The network page is associated with a network site hosted by a hosting provider on behalf of a customer. Customer data is obtained from one or more data sources in response to the request. Each data source provides multiple data items using a multipart encoding. Page generation code supplied by the customer is executed to generate at least a portion of the network page in response to obtaining all of a subset of the customer data which is used by the page generation code. The page generation code is able to access the subset of the customer data as predefined variables.

Abstract: Methods, apparatus, and computer-accessible storage media for restoring data from a snapshot to a data volume. The blocks in the volume may be treated as an implicit tree structure, for example a binary tree; each local block corresponds to a block on the snapshot. A local block on the volume may be marked, for example fingerprinted with metadata, to indicate that the local block has not been restored. Initially, the local block at the root node is marked. To restore a local block, the restore process may generate a list indicating all local blocks on a path from the root node of the tree to the target node that have not been restored. The marks in the local blocks are used in generating the list. For each block indicated in the list, children of the block are fingerprinted, and the block is restored from the snapshot.

Abstract: Disclosed are various embodiments relating to verifying a printed work comprises a correct number of pages. Associated with a stack comprising one or more pages is an identifier that may be used to obtain an expected thickness of the pages in the stack. A sensor may then measure an actual thickness of the pages in the stack. Before binding the pages in the stack, the expected thickness of the stack may be compared to the actual thickness of the stack in order to verify the stack comprises the correct number of pages.

Abstract: A system and method for search list pagination include sorting a set of records in an order based on a dynamic element of each of the records, and displaying the set of records in two or more pages on an interface. If the dynamic elements of any of the records changes between the display of the first page of records and the receipt of a request to display a second page of records on the interface, the method updates the ordering of the records to account for the change in the dynamic element of each of the records, and displays the second page sorted in the order. In such a manner, a user of the system or method may view each of the records sorted in the order, based on the instantaneous contents of the records.

Abstract: Disclosed are various embodiments for automated service interface optimization. A service client sends a request for a data object to a service provider. The service client receives an optimized version of the data object from the service provider in response to the request. The optimized version of the data object has been optimized to exclude one or more data items based at least in part on data object usage metrics associated with the service client.

Abstract: A storage controller is implemented for controlling a storage system. The storage controller may be implemented using a distributed computer system and may include components for servicing client data requests based on the characteristics of the distributed computer system, the client, or the data requests. The storage controller is scalable independently of the storage system it controls. All components of the storage controller, as well as the client, may be virtual or hardware-based instances of a distributed computer system.