Abstract: This disclosure describes a distributed automated mobile vehicle (“automated mobile vehicle”) system for autonomously delivering orders of items to various delivery locations and/or autonomously returning items to a return location. In some implementations, each user may own or be assigned their own automated mobile vehicle that is associated with the user and an automated mobile vehicle control system maintained by the user. When the user orders an item, the user owned or controlled automated mobile vehicle navigates to a materials handling facility, retrieves the ordered item and delivers it to the user.

Abstract: This disclosure is directed at least in part to dynamically determining triggering events and/or an amount of time to encumber inventory of an item. By encumbering inventory, the inventory of the item is made unavailable, at least temporarily, to other customers. Encumbrance may be based on one or more factors, which may include current on-hand inventory and/or a rate of sales for the item. However, many other factors may also be used in various combinations. Inventory of items may be encumbered for a dynamically determined amount of time. At the end of this time, the item may be released and made available to other customers assuming the item was not purchased in a completed transaction. The dynamic determination of the triggering event and the dynamic determination of an amount of time to encumber items may be deployed individually or in combination with each other.

Abstract: This disclosure describes a distributed automated mobile vehicle (“automated mobile vehicle”) system for autonomously delivering orders of items to various delivery locations and/or autonomously returning items to a return location. In some implementations, each user may own or be assigned their own automated mobile vehicle that is associated with the user and an automated mobile vehicle control system maintained by the user. When the user orders an item, the user owned or controlled automated mobile vehicle navigates to a materials handling facility, retrieves the ordered item and delivers it to the user.

Abstract: Techniques for providing information to a user of a mobile device based on an online or web-identity of the user and a geolocation of the mobile device are described herein. The user may be notified when a nearby merchant has a good or service for sale that matches a good or service in a list, such as a wish list, associated with the web-identity of the user. The users may also be provided access to a coupon within an electronic document when a mobile device storing the electronic document is located at a particular merchant. This convergence of geographical location of the user, as determined by the geolocation of his or her mobile device, with his or her web-identity can bring the online and off-line worlds closer together to provide relevant information for the user and improved marketing opportunities for merchants.

Abstract: Techniques are described for scheduling data access jobs based on a job dependency analysis. Preliminary data access jobs subsequently accessed by a primary data access job are identified. Execution durations of the primary data access job and the preliminary data access jobs are determined based on historical data. A total execution duration of subsets of serially dependent preliminary data access jobs and predicted execution duration of primary data access job are determined. A time-sensitive subset is identified and start times for the data access job are scheduled. The results of the preliminary data access jobs are provided to the primary data access job prior to the start time of the primary data access job so the primary data access job completes by a target completion duration.

Abstract: Disclosed are various embodiments for facilitating the return of lost items and maintaining an inventory registry of items which are all associated with a user who participates in an item protection program. A user may update an inventory registry to include items that are associated with the user. Therefore, the user may be able to manage his or her items in one place and determine the overall value associated with the items. Additionally, a unique identifier code may be assigned to each user participating in a user protection program. The unique identifier code may be embedded on an item or item label so that it may be scanned to identify the owner of the item. Therefore, if the item were lost, the finder may scan the unique identifier code using an item protection application to initiate the return of the lost item to the owner.

Abstract: One or more cooperative network servers establish connections with a plurality of access points to form a cooperative network. The plurality of access points may be operated by a plurality of different individuals. Incentives such as reciprocal usage, remuneration, and so forth may encourage participants to join the cooperative network. Data may be passed from an originating device through the access point to a datacenter, which may transfer the data to another datacenter which sends the data to another access point which ultimately provides the data to a destination device. The transfer between datacenters may use a high capacity backbone which may provide lower latency, reduced data transfer cost, and so forth.

Abstract: The execution of a distributed program including one or more program components may be optimized in an automated manner. A runtime optimization policy and/or a meta-description of the distributed program may be received. The runtime optimization policy may define metrics, constraints and/or preferences for use in optimizing the deployment and execution of the components of the distributed program. The meta-description may include data defining one or more consumable interfaces exposed by the program components and one or more dependency adapters utilized by the program components of the distributed program. The runtime optimization policy and/or the meta-description may be utilized to optimize the distributed program at build time, runtime and/or execution time of the components of the distributed program. Dynamic optimization might also be performed during runtime of the distributed program.

Abstract: A library registry service receives a library interface definition that defines an interface for a library stub and data indicating whether a corresponding package is to be executed locally or remotely. An application is then built using the library stub. When the application calls the library stub, the library stub determines whether the package is to be executed locally or remotely either dynamically or by consulting the library registry service. The library stub then causes the package to be executed in the determined location. An updated library may be periodically generated and deployed for execution by the library stub locally or remotely. The library stub might also batch calls and/or provide a control interface for configuring aspects of its operation.

Abstract: This disclosure is generally directed to, at least in part, creating and maintaining an aggregated social network that provides access to data in other social networks. The aggregated social network may allow a user to view information from the other social networks while interacting in the aggregated social network. The aggregated social network may facilitate messaging with other social networks and across social networks, which may allow users that are not members of a same social network to exchange messages or other communications through direct or indirect use of the aggregated social network. The aggregated social network may build a directory of contacts based on data from the various social networks. The aggregated social network may create a routing infrastructure to enable the aggregated social network to be updated when aspects of the linked other social networks are updated with added content.

Abstract: Communication between program components executing in different virtual machines on the same physical computer may be optimized utilizing various mechanisms. A virtual machine manager may be configured to route network communications between virtual machines on the same physical host through a memory buffer. The virtual machine manager might also be configured to provide a shared memory and/or a shared data structure for enabling data communication between program components executing in different virtual machines on the same physical computing device. Mechanisms might also be implemented in order to prevent inconsistent read and/or write operations from being performed on the shared memory and/or the shared data structure. Mechanisms might also be implemented to minimize copying of a memory buffer, shared memory, and/or shared data structure.

Abstract: Techniques are described for scheduling data access jobs based on a job dependency analysis. A requested primary data access job is analyzed to determine one or more preliminary data access jobs on which it depends, and an execution duration of each data access job is predicted based on historical data or other factors. A time-sensitive subset of the preliminary data access jobs is determined as the subset of those serially dependent preliminary data access jobs for which there is a minimum time difference between the total predicted execution duration and a requested target completion time. Data access jobs are scheduled with priority given to those preliminary data access jobs in the time-sensitive subset, to enable the primary data access jobs to be completed by the requested target completion times.

Abstract: Techniques for utilizing a pool of human workers along with an automated classification feedback loop for identifying documents that meet certain criteria. As described herein, a requestor that desires to locate documents that meet certain specified criteria may first program a classifier with the specified criteria. The requestor may also determine the desired classes into which the classifier will categorize documents that are run against the classifier. The requestor may then locate one or more documents that represent each of the determined classes and then train the classifier using the documents. Thereafter, the requestor may publish a request to a pool of human workers soliciting documents meeting the criteria. Each of the documents may be run against the trained classifier and passed onto the requestor for further analysis if the classifier categorizes the respective document as acceptable.

Abstract: Techniques for providing information to a user of a mobile device based on an online or web-identity of the user and a geolocation of the mobile device are described herein. The user may be notified when a nearby merchant has a good or service for sale that matches a good or service in a list, such as a wish list, associated with the web-identity of the user. The users may also be provided access to a coupon within an electronic document when a mobile device storing the electronic document is located at a particular merchant. This convergence of geographical location of the user, as determined by the geolocation of his or her mobile device, with his or her web-identity can bring the online and off-line worlds closer together to provide relevant information for the user and improved marketing opportunities for merchants.

Abstract: This disclosure is directed to, in part, providing information about a user to a requesting party where the information is provided by an identity provider that has a preexisting relationship with the user. The user may request the identity provider to provide the information to the relying party using an interactive voice response (IVR) system. After the relying party requests the user's account information, the user may be redirected, at least momentarily, to an IVR system provided by the identity provider. The IVR system may authenticate the user. Once authenticated, the identity provider may provide the user information to the relying party. By authenticating the user, the identity provider may provide the user information to the relying party without compromising user credentials or other private or sensitive information of the user.

Abstract: This disclosure is directed, at least partly, to automating infrastructure operations performed for a computing service. The infrastructure operations may include many tasks that are infrequently preformed by a service owner. In some embodiments, the infrastructure operations may include procuring hardware, configuring network settings, configuring security, determining and implementing monitors/alarms, deploying the computing service, and/or scaling or otherwise maintaining the computing service. Since the service owners infrequently perform these tasks, deployment of each computing service may require the service owner to reinvent or relearn each of the infrastructure operations, which may result in large inefficiencies, errors, delays, unnecessary costs, and other undesirable outcomes.

Abstract: Techniques for providing electronic coupons to users of mobile devices are described herein. The coupons may be redeemable at certain merchant locations and at certain times. Users may actively select coupons they wish to access from a mobile device. Alternatively, the users may opt in to a system that automatically presents potentially relevant coupons. The relevance of the coupons may be determined based on the distance of the mobile device from a merchant location and/or a time period during which the coupon is valid. The users may activate coupons by logging into a remote computing system from their respective mobile devices. Activated coupons may be transmitted as an electronic signal from a mobile device to a merchant computing device. Alternatively, a display screen of a mobile device may show a barcode or image of the coupon that is read by a machine or employee of the merchant.

Abstract: Techniques for providing information to a user of a mobile device based on an online or web-identity of the user and a geolocation of the mobile device are described herein. The user may be notified when a nearby merchant has a good or service for sale that matches a good or service in a list, such as a wish list, associated with the web-identity of the user. The users may also be provided access to a coupon within an electronic document when a mobile device storing the electronic document is located at a particular merchant. This convergence of geographical location of the user, as determined by the geolocation of his or her mobile device, with his or her web-identity can bring the online and off-line worlds closer together to provide relevant information for the user and improved marketing opportunities for merchants.