Amazon Patents

Amazon.com, Inc. sells electronics, books, media and other general merchandise through its websites. The company also manufactures and sells electronic devices, including its Kindle e-Readers, Fire tablets and Fire phones. The company also provides services to developers and enterprises through Amazon Web Services, which offers computing, storage, database, analytics and deployment services.

Amazon Patents by Type
  • Amazon Patents Granted: Amazon patents that have been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
  • Amazon Patent Applications: Amazon patent applications that are pending before the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
  • Patent number: 10650840
    Abstract: A device that determines an echo latency estimate by subsampling reference audio data. The device may determine the echo latency corresponding to an amount of time between sending reference audio data to loudspeaker(s) and microphone audio data corresponding to the reference audio data being received. The device may generate subsampled reference audio data by selecting only portions of the reference audio data that have a magnitude above a desired percentile. For example, the device may compare a magnitude of an individual reference audio sample to a percentile estimate value and sample only the reference audio samples that exceed the percentile estimate value. The device generate cross-correlation data between the subsampled reference audio data and the microphone audio data and may estimate the echo latency based on an earliest significant peak represented in the cross-correlation data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2020
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Ludger Solbach
  • Patent number: 10649962
    Abstract: The routing of commands within a database cluster is managed by a proxy server. The database cluster is comprised of a master database and at least one read-replica database. When the proxy server receives a database command, the proxy server determines whether the command is capable of being translated into an alternate command that can be executed on the read-replica database. If the command is not capable of being reliably translated, the database command is executed on the master database. If the command is capable of being executed on a read-replica database, the proxy server translates the database command into an alternate command that is compatible with the read-replica database, and executes the alternate command on the read-replica database. If results are returned from the read-replica database, the results may be converted into a format produced by the master database.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2020
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Jeremiah C. Wilton
  • Patent number: 10649801
    Abstract: A set of techniques is described for enabling a virtual machine based transcoding system. The system enables any transcoding provider to make their transcoding service available to other users over a network. The system can automate the deployment, execution and delivery of the transcoding service on behalf of the transcoding provider and enable other users to use the transcoding services to transcode content. The system receives a virtual machine image, transfers the image to a location where the media content is stored and creates a virtual private network of resources that will perform the transcoding of the media content. The virtual private network may be firewalled or otherwise restricted from opening connections with external clients when transcoding the content in order to prevent malicious use of the media content.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2020
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Jacob Gabrielson, Piragash Velummylum, Bradley E. Marshall, Jonathan B. Corley
  • Patent number: 10649790
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and computer-readable media for multithreaded rendering for virtualized graphics processing are disclosed. Commands for a GPU are generated by application threads executing in parallel on a computing device. A virtual GPU is implemented using a physical GPU in a GPU server and attached to the computing device over a network. The GPU server receives the commands from the computing device via the network. Individual commands are associated with identifiers of individual application threads. Based at least in part on the identifiers, the individual commands are assigned to individual execution threads on the GPU server. The individual execution threads correspond to individual application threads. GPU output is generated based at least in part on parallel execution of the commands using the execution threads.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2020
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Gianpaolo Ingegneri
  • Patent number: 10652186
    Abstract: Functionality is disclosed for informing users of feedback provided that is related to a shared file. In some configurations, a sharing service utilizes a message identifier to associate subsequent electronic messages related to the shared file with a first electronic message. Instead of electronic messages being displayed in different threads, the electronic messages related to the sharing of the file with a same group of users may be included within a same message thread. For example, a sharing service may include the message identifier within a message header of a subsequent sharing message such that a message client identifies the received sharing message as part of the same message thread as previous electronic messages relating to the sharing of the file. The sharing service may create a sharing message associated with an initial sharing message in response to receiving feedback for a file that is shared by the sharing service.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2020
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Floor Mesters, Ivo van Doorn
  • Patent number: 10652283
    Abstract: Techniques for deriving system architecture from security group relationships are described. One or more security group rules can be obtained for an application, the one or more security group rules controlling communication of one or more security groups. The one or more security group rules can be analyzed to determine placement data for the one or more security groups. The placement data can be provided to a placement service, and the placement service can be caused to deploy at least one virtual machine using the placement data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2020
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Elaine Harvey
  • Patent number: 10650003
    Abstract: A computing resource service receives a request. In response to the request, the computing resource service queries a probabilistic data structure for an entry corresponding to the request. The computing resource service obtains, from the probabilistic data structure, a value that corresponds to the entry. Based at least in part on this value, the computing resource service determines whether the entry has expired. If the entry is expired, the request is fulfilled. However, if the entry has not expired, the request is denied.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2020
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Gregory Alan Rubin, Petr Praus, Benjamin Tillman Farley
  • Patent number: 10647526
    Abstract: Embodiments herein describe a decline station for moving items between two structures at different heights. In one embodiment, the decline station includes a receiving ramp which receives an item from the first, upper structure. The receiving ramp is aligned with a pivot ramp so that items can be transferred from the receiving ramp onto the pivot ramp. The pivot ramp includes at least two positions: a receiving position where the pivot ramp is coplanar with the receiving ramp and a discharge position where the pivot ramp is aligned with another, lower ramp in the station—e.g., another pivot ramp or a discharge ramp. The item is transferred between ramps until it is eventually discharged onto a second, lower structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2020
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Raashid Mohammed, Majid Abdul, Eric C. Flagel
  • Patent number: 10650032
    Abstract: Unstructured data items are stored at an object storage service. A filtering criterion to be used to generate a result set for an access request is determined. A test that can be used to determine, without completing parsing of a record identified in an unstructured data item, whether the record satisfies the filtering criterion is identified. Parsing of a particular record is abandoned in response to determining, using the test, that the record satisfies the filtering criterion. A response to the access request is determined using a subset of records that satisfy the filtering criterion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2020
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Douglas Stewart Laurence, Karmveer Veer Singh, Ning Liao, Josef Schiefer, Michael Banfield, Kaiwen Qu, Karishma Chawla, Fusheng Yuan, John Pender, Sameer Choudhary, Milos Faro, Ruiwen Zhao
  • Patent number: 10652304
    Abstract: Quality parameters, such as encoding bitrate, can be determined for the providing of media content based at least in part upon aggregate consumption data. An unknown number of media players can obtain content at a bitrate that depends upon network conditions, and encoders can use variable bitrate encoding, such that egress bandwidth usage can vary widely over time. Aggregate consumption data can be obtained for the various client devices to project the egress costs for a particular period. If the projected resources deviate unacceptably from the target for the period, new quality setting values can be determined, such as new maximum, minimum, target bitrate, or target quality values for the various quality levels. These settings can be automatically applied or suggested to customers, who can then accept any or all of the suggestions, or choose to adjust at least some of the settings based on the suggestions or cost projections.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2020
    Assignee: AMAZON TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventors: Olaf Nielsen, James Ka Sin Au
  • Patent number: 10649837
    Abstract: The flow of events though an event-analysis system is controlled by a number of event throttles which filter events, prioritize events and control the rate at which events are provided to event-processing components of the event-analysis system. Incoming events to the event-analysis system are associated with a profile, and a metrics engine generates metrics based on the incoming events for each profile. The flow of events to the metrics engine is controlled on a per profile basis, so that excessive generation of new metrics and new profiles is limited. If the system from which the events originate is compromised, metrics associated with compromised profiles may be frozen to avoid corrupting existing metrics. Processing of events and anomalies by analysis engines within the event-analysis system may be delayed to allow the accumulation of metrics necessary for accurate analysis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2020
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Nima Sharifi Mehr
  • Patent number: 10649727
    Abstract: Systems and methods for wake word detection configuration are disclosed. An electronic device may be configured to detect a wake word in a user utterance based on one or more wake word models. Upon detection, wake word APIs may be utilized to determine if a speech-processing application associated with a remote speech-processing system is installed on the device. If installed, secondary wake word detection may be performed on the audio data representing the user utterance, and if the wake word is detected, the audio data may be sent to the remote system for processing. If not installed, a display of the electronic device may present options for downloading the speech-processing application.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2020
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael Douglas, Deepak Suresh Yavagal
  • Patent number: 10650246
    Abstract: Described is a method for processing image data to determine if a portion of the image data is affected due to sunlight. In some implementations, image data is sent to an image data store and camera parameters are sent to a radiance detection service. The radiance detection service, upon receiving the camera parameters, retrieves the image data, converts the image data to gray-scale and processes the image data based on the camera parameters to determine a radiance value for the camera. The radiance value may be compared to a baseline radiance value to determine if sunlight is represented in the image data. In some implementations, a baseline model may be developed for the camera and used to cancel out any pixels of the image data that are overexposed under normal or baseline conditions. Likewise, a foreground model may be generated to detect any objects in the image data for which corresponding pixel values should not be considered for determining if sunlight is represented in the image data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2020
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Riccardo Gherardi, Saral Jain, Hasan Tuna Icingir, Griffin Alexander Jarmin, Bo Chen
  • Patent number: 10649826
    Abstract: A scripting service may provide a scripting platform to users of the scripting service. The users may cause execution of various scripts and/or modify or generate new scripts associated with the scripting service. Execution of the various scripts may cause the scripting service to transmit application programming interface (API) calls to other services. The API calls may cause the other service to return data to the scripting service. The scripting service may then serialize the returned data and provide the serialized data to a particular user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2020
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Mahendra Manshi Chheda, John Russell Lane, Morgan Zia Nichols, Oguz Mut, Bilal Quadri, Tyler Ricks Southwick
  • Patent number: 10652625
    Abstract: Systems and methods are described to enable synchronized encoding of streaming audio or video content between multiple encoders, in a manner that provides for seamlessly interchangeable encodings. Within a pool of encoders, each encoder can periodically generate state information regarding its state of encoding, and share that state information with other encoders. The other encoders can compare the state information to their current state, to determine whether a desynchronization has occurred. When a desynchronization does occur, such as due to intermittent network packet loss, the encoders within the pool can evaluate the shared state information to determine an authoritative state, and then resynchronize to the authoritative state, resulting in identical or interchangeable encoded content being output from each encoder of the pool.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2020
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: John Robert Saxton, Kevin Moore, Ryan Paul Hegar, Michael Reddick Coleman
  • Publication number: 20200142827
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus for supporting cached volumes at storage gateways are disclosed. A storage gateway appliance is configured to cache at least a portion of a storage object of a remote storage service at local storage devices. In response to a client's write request, directed to at least a portion of a data chunk of the storage object, the appliance stores a data modification indicated in the write request at a storage device, and asynchronously uploads the modification to the storage service. In response to a client's read request, directed to a different portion of the data chunk, the appliance downloads the requested data from the storage service to the storage device, and provides the requested data to the client.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 6, 2019
    Publication date: May 7, 2020
    Applicant: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: David Carl Salyers, Pradeep Vincent, Ankur Khetrapal, Kestutis Patiejunas
  • Publication number: 20200145298
    Abstract: Techniques are described for providing virtual networking functionality for managed computer networks. In some situations, a user may configure or otherwise specify one or more virtual local area networks (“VLANs”) for a managed computer network being provided for the user, such as with each VLAN including multiple computing nodes of the managed computer network. Networking functionality corresponding to the specified VLAN(s) may then be provided in various manners, such as if the managed computer network itself is a distinct virtual computer network overlaid on one or more other computer networks, and communications between computing nodes of the managed virtual computer network are handled in accordance with the specified VLAN(s) of the managed virtual computer network by emulating functionality that would be provided by networking devices of the managed virtual computer network if they were physically present and configured to support the specified VLAN(s).
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 3, 2020
    Publication date: May 7, 2020
    Applicant: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Eric Jason Brandwine, Peter J. Hill
  • Patent number: 10645188
    Abstract: Techniques for preparing a user device for use in a location having limited network access include replacing data in the device cache prior to the user device reaching the location. A length of time until cached data expires, a length of time used to replace the cached data, and a length of time for the user device to reach the location are determined. Portions of the cached data that will expire while the user device is within the location are replaced. The time at which the data is replaced is based on the length of time used to replace the data and the length of time for the user device to reach the location. While the user device is in the location, functions that transmit large quantities of data may instead be replaced with more efficient data types or queued for later execution after the user device exits the location.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2020
    Assignee: AMAZON TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventors: Abinash Mahapatra, Paul Andrew Mietz Egli, Joseph Gregory Muoio
  • Patent number: 10642738
    Abstract: Embodiments of a distributed caching system are disclosed that cache data across multiple computing devices on a network. In one embodiment, a first caching system serves as a caching front-end to a distributed cluster of additional caching systems. The caching systems may be spread over multiple partition groups. In one embodiment, cache writes at a cache system in one partition group are distributed to other partition groups. By propagating the cache writes across multiple partition groups, the caches at the different partition groups include more recently accessed data, thereby increasing the likelihood of cache hits.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2020
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Vishal Parakh, Antoun Joubran Kanawati
  • Patent number: 10645191
    Abstract: Techniques are described for providing a content composing service that utilizes user feedback regarding network connectivity information or desired detail level to enhance content viewing and/or interacting. For example, content may be provided to a computing device in response to a request for content from the computing device. Further, input that indicates a desired detail level for the content may be received. The content may be modified based at least in part on the input and provided to the computing device. In embodiments, the modified content may be in accordance with the desired detail level indicated by the input. A graphical representation of the desired detail level for the content may be provided to the computing device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2020
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Nikhil Mehta
  • Patent number: 10642284
    Abstract: An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) may navigate to place a ground structure, having a known location, into a field of view of a camera and capture imagery of the ground structure. Algorithms may be used to identify the ground structure to determine its known location. Ground structures may include identifiers that provide the known location and/or other information to enable determination of the known locations. Algorithms may determine an offset distance of the UAV from the ground structure to enable determination of a location of the UAV. For example, the images may be used to determine a distance and angle(s) from the ground structure when the ground structure is shown in a perspective view and has features that indicate orientation. In some embodiments, the UAV may transmit its location to other UAVs, and/or may create and/or transmit a corrected GPS location based on the location determined by the ground structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2020
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Gideon Barazovsky
  • Patent number: 10642805
    Abstract: Described are techniques for automatically generating queries based on user input selecting one or more data objects. The parameters of the data objects may be used to generate an initial query. One or more parameters may be removed from the initial query to form an intermediate query. The parameters that are removed may be determined based on pruning data, which may indicate the frequency of the parameters within a data store and the likelihood that the parameters may be changed. The resulting intermediate query may be tested, then stored if the intermediate query locates the selected data objects. This process may be repeated until no additional parameters may be removed without causing the query to fail to locate the selected data objects. An output indicating the final query and at least a portion of the intermediate queries may be provided responsive to the user input.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2020
    Assignee: AMAZON TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventor: James Edward Masse
  • Patent number: 10643038
    Abstract: Techniques for monitoring objects being placed onto a plurality of pallets. A controller is configured to analyze images captured by the plurality of camera devices to determine when a first object is placed onto a first one of the plurality of pallets. Upon determining that the first object has been placed onto the first pallet, the controller can determine a first identifier corresponding to the first object using the RFID reader corresponding to the first pallet and can determine an intended pallet corresponding to the first object. Upon determining that the first pallet onto which the first object was placed is not the intended pallet for the first object, the user is notified using the feedback mechanism.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2020
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: David Bruce McCalib, Jr., Oleg Kantor, Joshua David Landry, Sr., Tak Keung Joseph Lui
  • Patent number: 10645172
    Abstract: Technology is described for communicating with a computer instance. A request may be received to create a session connection between a computing instance with a messaging service that operates in a computing service environment. The session connection may be created between the agent running on the computing instance and the messaging service. A socket tunneling connection may be generated to replace the session connection. The socket tunneling connection may be between the agent and the messaging service. Message data streams may be passed between the agent and the messaging service over the socket tunneling connection. An instruction received from a client device may be forwarded to the computing instance over a second socket tunneling connection created with the client device. Command output received from the computing instance over the second socket tunneling connection may be forwarded. The output may result from an execution of the instruction at the computing instance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2020
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Amjad Hussain, Sivaprasad Venkata Padisetty, Steven Merlin Twitchell
  • Patent number: 10645275
    Abstract: Systems and methods related to augmented reality guidance for a room measurement process may include presenting various text, cues, and indications to guide the room measurement process. A user device including an imaging sensor and position and orientation sensors may present, via a display, the various text, cues, and indications during portions of the room measurement process, including identification of the floor, walls, and ceiling.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2020
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Joonhao Chuah, Dillon Baker, Kristian Kane, Hai Quang Kim, Brian Mount, Michael Thomas
  • Patent number: 10642271
    Abstract: A guidance camera deployed on a vehicle may be equipped with a zoom lens configured to change a zoom level of the guidance camera. The zoom level may be changed in response to a scenario performed by a vehicle equipped with the guidance camera, vehicle controls issued by a vehicle controller, and/or based on identification of objects in imagery captured by the guidance camera. The zoom lens may be implemented as a lens array that includes different lenses, as a wheel lens array that includes different lenses, or by a light direction device that guides light from a specific lens of different lenses into the guidance camera. Stereo cameras may be configured with the zoom lenses, and may be repositioned to ensure suitable overlap in a field of view to enable calculation of a distance of objects captured in the imagery of the stereo camera.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2020
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Sarah Graber, Joshua John Watson
  • Patent number: 10639800
    Abstract: In one embodiment, an end effector for a robotic manipulator has a base that is configured to attach to the end of a robotic arm, a first fork, and a second fork. The end first fork includes a first pair of prongs that extend from the base along a first direction and that are spaced from one another so as to receive a first storage container therebetween. The second fork includes a second pair of prongs that extend from the base along a second direction that is angularly offset from the first direction and that are spaced from one another so as to receive a second storage container therebetween. The first and second forks can be used to stack or unstack the first and second containers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2020
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Vahideh Kamranzadeh, Todd McIntosh, Seshachalamgupta Motamarri, Tyson Wittrock
  • Patent number: 10645120
    Abstract: A customer of a resource provider environment can apply policies at the data object level that will live with a data object during its lifecycle, even as the object moves across trusted boundaries. A customer can classify data, causing tags and/or predicates to be applied to the corresponding data object. Each tag corresponds to a policy, with predicates relating to various actions that can be performed on the data. A chain of custody is maintained for each data object, such that any changes to the object, tags, or policies for the data can be determined, as may be required for various audit processes. The support of such policies also enables the resource provider environment to function as an intermediary, whereby a third party can receive the data along with the tags, policies, and chain of custody as long as the environment trusts the third party to receive the data object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2020
    Assignee: AMAZON TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventors: Carl Wesley Summers, Jonathan Jorge Nadal, Praveen Kumar Gattu, Syed Omair Zafar Gillani
  • Patent number: 10643237
    Abstract: A tiered approach to selecting landing pages to be associated with specific keywords allows optimal landing pages to be determined dynamically and updated continually. Suggestions for landing pages can come from a number of sources based upon any of a number of factors. A scalable set of algorithms can be used to analyze these suggestions based upon factors including those used for determining the suggestions. Each algorithm can generate a decision as to an optimal landing page to be associated with each keyword. A subsequent algorithm can analyze each decision as these decisions relate to at least one goal, and can select an optimal landing page based thereon. A sponsored link or other element can be associated with the keyword such that a user submitting a request containing the keyword can be presented with the sponsored link to the optimal landing page.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 11, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2020
    Assignee: AMAZON TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventors: Luke A Snyder, Lucas P Hansen
  • Patent number: 10645118
    Abstract: Disclosed are various embodiments for virtualized network honeypots. Network traffic is received from a connecting device. It is determined whether the network traffic is authorized or unauthorized. The network traffic is selectively routed to a requested network service or to a honeypot server based at least in part on whether the network traffic is authorized or unauthorized.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2020
    Assignee: AMAZON TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventors: Dennis Naylor Brown, Jr., Volker Helmut Mosthaf
  • Patent number: 10642727
    Abstract: A microcontroller may be implanted to manage migration events performed by a separate memory controller to non-volatile memory. Migration events, such as failed writes at the memory controller or wear leveling migrations to move data from one storage location to another may be detected by the microcontroller. The destination location and the data to be migrated may be identified by the microcontroller. The microcontroller may then instruct the memory controller to copy the data to the destination location.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2020
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Thomas A. Volpe, Mark Anthony Banse, Steven Scott Larson
  • Patent number: 10645020
    Abstract: A computing resource service provider may provide customers with access to software functions executing within compute instances. In addition, customer may desire that the software functions executing within the compute instances have access to virtual network operated by the customer. To accomplish this, a network interface belonging to the customer may be created and attached to a particular compute instance. In addition, this network interface may be moved from global network namespace of the compute instance into a new network namespace within the compute instance. In this manner, software functions executed by the compute instance may communicate to other computing device attached to the virtual network through the network interface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2020
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Naveen Dasa Subramanyam, Shashanka Krishnaswamy
  • Patent number: 10643221
    Abstract: An amateur advertisement service is described which distributes and generates revenue from personalized advertisements produced by creators featuring an item for purchase. The personalized advertisements may be created in response to requests supplied by manufacturers of the items to be featured in the personalized advertisements. Each of the personalized advertisements can be assigned unique identifiers to index and organize the ads for viewing by others. Associate websites may provide links to the amateur advertisement service to allow certain personalized ads to be viewed from the associate websites. Revenue can be generated based on the viewing of ads and/or the purchase of the items featured in the ads and distributed to the creators, associate websites and the amateur advertisement service.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2020
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Roy F. Price
  • Patent number: 10643344
    Abstract: Systems and methods related to a room measurement process may include determining a floor plane associated with a room, determining a plurality of wall planes associated with the room, and determining a ceiling plane associated with the room. The room measurements may be based on data received from an imaging sensor and position and orientation sensors associated with a user device. In addition, a three-dimensional geometric shell of the room may be generated based on the room measurements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2020
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Joonhao Chuah, Dillon Baker, Kristian Kane, Hai Quang Kim, Brian Mount, Michael Thomas
  • Patent number: 10643174
    Abstract: Described are systems and techniques configured to control force applied by a force mechanism in a self-facing inventory location in a facility. An amount of force to be applied to the items stored at the inventory location may be determined by a user context. The user context may include one or more of presence of a user within a threshold distance of the inventory location, particular gesture by the user such as reaching for an item stowed at the inventory location, and so forth. The user context may be based on processing of images acquired in the facility. In one example, as the user reaches for the item stowed at the inventory location, the force mechanism reduces the amount of force applied, easing removal of the item. With picking complete, the force mechanism increases the amount of force applied causing the remaining items in the inventory location to be faced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2020
    Assignee: AMAZON TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventor: Marcus Hum
  • Patent number: 10643606
    Abstract: A system for capturing and processing portions of a spoken utterance command that may occur before a wakeword. The system buffers incoming audio and indicates locations in the audio where the utterance changes, for example when a long pause is detected. When the system detects a wakeword within a particular utterance, the system determines the most recent utterance change location prior to the wakeword and sends the audio from that location to the end of the command utterance to a server for further speech processing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2020
    Assignee: AMAZON TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventors: Kurt Wesley Piersol, Gabriel Beddingfield
  • Patent number: 10642654
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus for a pipelined architecture for storage lifecycles are disclosed. A method includes identifying, during a transition candidate discovery iteration, storage objects of a multi-tenant service for which respective lifecycle transitions are to be scheduled, including a particular storage object identified as being a candidate for a particular lifecycle transition. The method includes generating transition job objects, each job comprising respective indications of one or more of the storage objects identified during the discovery iteration. The method includes assigning, during a transition execution iteration, resources to initiate storage operations for the particular lifecycle transition, and initiating, using the assigned resources, storage operations for the particular lifecycle transition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2020
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, inc.
    Inventors: Jeffrey Michael Barber, Derek Ernest Denny-Brown, II, Carl Yates Perry, Christopher Henning Elving, Praveen Kumar Gattu
  • Patent number: 10643074
    Abstract: Techniques are described for a content rating system that allows for automatic assignment of maturity ratings for media content.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2020
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Emily Evon McAninly, Bojan Pepik, Benjamin Chung Yen Cheung, Vernon Germano, Kripa Kanchana Sivakumar, Eric Orme, Loris Bazzani, Prateek Ramesh Chandra Shah, Matthew J. Norman, Michael Donoser
  • Patent number: 10642272
    Abstract: An image-aided GPS navigation deployed on a vehicle may include a GPS receiver configured to estimate the position of the vehicle based on signals received from one or more GPS satellites. The navigation system may also include an imager configured to capture image frames associated with an environment through which the vehicle travels and estimate the relative motion of the vehicle through the environment based at least in part on the image frames. The navigation system may also include a navigation processor configured to receive the position estimation from the GPS and the relative motion estimation, and determine an updated position estimation based at least in part on the relative motion estimation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2020
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Carlos Guillermo Parodi
  • Patent number: 10642492
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus are disclosed for securely erasing partitions of reconfigurable logic devices such as FPGAs in a multi-tenant server environment. In one example, a method of securely erasing an FPGA includes identifying one partition of previously-programmed resources in the FPGA, erasing the identified partition by storing new values in memory or storage elements of the identified partition, and storing new values in memory or storage elements of additional external resources electrically connected to the integrated circuit and associated with the identified partition. Thus, other partitions and subsequent users of the identified partition are prevented from accessing the securely erased data. A configuration circuit, accessible by a host computer via DMA, can be programmed into the FPGA reconfigurable logic for performing the disclosed erasing operations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2020
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Mark Bradley Davis, Erez Izenberg, Robert Michael Johnson, Asif Khan, Islam Mohamed Hatem Abdulfattah Mohamed Atta, Nafea Bshara, Christopher Joseph Pettey
  • Patent number: 10643002
    Abstract: Systems for performing a security assessment of a target computing resource, such as a virtual machine or an instance of a virtual machine, include a security assessment service that enables the use of third-party-authored rules packages in the security assessment. The third-party rules package includes rules that can operate on telemetry and configuration data of the target computing resource, produced by sensors that are native to the computing environment, but the sensor protocols, message format, and sensitive data are not exposed to the rules. An interface, such as an ingest function, may be used to convert telemetry data in the form of sensor messages into assessment data objects. The assessment data objects contain the data elements the rules evaluate, and may also have corresponding retrieval methods that are exposed to the rules; the rules call the retrieval methods to extract parameter-value pairs from the data object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2020
    Assignee: AMAZON TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventors: Vladimir Veselov, Adrian-Radu Grajdeanu, Hassan Sultan
  • Patent number: 10642491
    Abstract: An operating system is configured to receive a request to store an object that does not specify the location at which the object should be stored. The request might also include an optimization factor and one or more object location factors. The operating system might also generate object location factors or retrieve object location factors from one or more external locations. Object location factors might also be utilized that are based upon properties of the object to be stored. Utilizing the object location factors, and the optimization factor if provided, the operating system dynamically selects an appropriate storage tier for storing the object. The tiers might include a local storage tier, a local network storage tier, a remote network storage tier, and other types of storage tiers. The object is then stored on the selected storage tier. The object may be retrieved from the storage tier at a later time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2020
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Nathan Bartholomew Thomas
  • Patent number: 10644880
    Abstract: This disclosure describes methods, apparatus, and systems related to controlled access data allocation. A device may receive a first request from a first device to establish a first connection with a wireless network. The device may receive a second request from a second device to establish a second connection with the wireless network. The device may determine a first access data for the first device, wherein the first access data is associated with a first access configuration. The device may determine a second access data for the second device, wherein the second access data is associated with a second access configuration, wherein the second access configuration is different from the first access configuration. The device may send the first access data to the first device. The device may send the second access data to the second device. The device may establish the first connection with the first device, wherein the first connection is at the first access configuration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2020
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Andrew Jay Roths, Marc Solsona-Palomar
  • Patent number: 10640204
    Abstract: This disclosure describes a configuration of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that includes a substantially polygonal perimeter frame and a central frame. The perimeter frame includes a front wing, a lower rear wing, and an upper rear wing. The wings provide lift to the UAV when the UAV is moving in a direction that includes a horizontal component. The UAV may have any number of lifting motors. For example, the UAV may include four lifting motors (also known as a quad-copter), eight lifting motors (octo-copter), etc. Likewise, to improve the efficiency of horizontal flight, the UAV may also include one or more thrusting motors and corresponding thrusting propellers. When the UAV is moving horizontally, the thrusting motor(s) may be engaged and the thrusting propeller(s) will aid in the horizontal propulsion of the UAV.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2020
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Ricky Dean Welsh, Louis LeRoi LeGrand, III
  • Patent number: 10642599
    Abstract: Techniques are disclosed for reducing the time needed to deploy updated versions of an application using a deployment pipeline. To do so, a deployment manager may collect statistics reflecting how often any given stage of the deployment pipeline is completed successfully in deploying updates to the application. In cases where a current stage has a sufficient approval percentage, the deployment pipeline may begin deploying an updated version of the application into an environment specified for a subsequent stage of the deployment pipeline, before the current stage of the pipeline is complete. Provided the current stage completes successfully, the subsequent stage can be initiated by activating the pre-deployed versions of the application.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2020
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: David Killmon, Felix Jodoin, Nathaniel Gaertner
  • Patent number: 10642813
    Abstract: A system stores data, such as sensor data or other operational data, on a plurality of storage volumes in a sequence so as to allow for interpolations or other approximations of the data using a subset of the storage volumes in response to a request for information regarding that data. For example, a plurality of devices connect to the system to provide operational data, which is then stored in a specified sequence on a specified set of volumes. In response to a request for operational information regarding some or all of the devices, the system reads at least one of the volumes, and approximates the values of the data over a specified period of time. In some embodiments, the data may be buffered prior to storage, and a jitter analyzer determines whether the incoming data is anomalous relative to a baseline, which may be determined using related data sets.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2020
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Colin Laird Lazier, Marco Argenti
  • Patent number: 10644994
    Abstract: Technologies are provided for ensuring that separate network paths within a network are used for network traffic between multiple source devices and a destination device or between pairs of source and destination devices. In some solutions, network path information is determined and sent to source devices that use the network path information to encapsulate network packets that then use separate network paths for at least a portion of their paths through the network. In some solutions, separate network paths are ensured using network path separation lists that are sent to network devices to make network traffic routing decisions. In some solutions, flow description information is calculated and sent to network devices to make network traffic routing decisions to keep network flows separate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2020
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Alan Michael Judge, Jamie Plenderleith
  • Patent number: 10645069
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for location authentication of the user are disclosed. In the method and apparatus, the location of the user is authenticated if one or more conditions for geographic proximity associated with two or more devices of the user are satisfied. Upon the location of the user being authenticated, the user may be granted access to a service.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2020
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Ahmed Fuad Siddiqui
  • Patent number: 10642577
    Abstract: A voice-controlled question answering system that is capable of answering questions using both a knowledge base and a search engine. The knowledge base is used to answer questions when answers to those questions are contained in the knowledge base. If an answer using the knowledge base is unavailable, and if the question is suitable for answering using an unstructured search approach, the system may obtain an answer using a search engine. The search engine results may be processed to obtain an answer to the question suitable for output using a voice user interface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2020
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Daniel Lewis Spector, Fergus O'Donoghue, Chase Wesley Brown, Jr., Shayne Leon Snow, Brandon Gerald Li Horst, William Folwell Barton
  • Patent number: 10642580
    Abstract: Techniques for simplifying and reusing visual programming graphs are described herein. In some examples, visual programming graphs may be simplified by decoupling execution signals from data resolution. Execution of a particular node may be triggered through a representation of a signal sent from a signal output slot of another node to a signal input slot on the node being triggered. Additionally, evaluation of data values may be represented by a connection between a data output slot on the node providing the data value to a data input slot on the node receiving the data value. Another technique for simplifying visual programming graphs may include combining and/or collapsing of multiple selected visual programming nodes into a single reusable visual programming node. In some examples, reusable combined visual programming nodes may be exposed using unlocked versions and/or locked versions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2020
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Luis René Sempé Sosa, Justin Boswell, Michael Eric Deem