Patents by Inventor Jules Cook Graybill

Jules Cook Graybill has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 9547986
    Abstract: Disclosed are various embodiments for coordination of autonomous vehicles in a roadway. A roadway management system can generate lane configurations for a roadway or a portion of the roadway. The roadway management system can determine the direction of travel for lanes in a roadway and direct autonomous automobiles to enter the roadway in a particular lane.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2017
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: James Christopher Curlander, Ryan Scott Russell, Allan Scott Bathurst, Udit Madan, Jules Cook Graybill, Jonathan Blair Norwood, Wesley Scott Lauka, Pragyana K. Mishra, Darren Ernest Canavor
  • Patent number: 9460524
    Abstract: Imaging data regarding an interior portion of a storage vessel may be obtained from an imaging device (e.g., a digital camera or depth sensor) and interpreted in order to identify an available volume within the storage vessel. Where the imaging data includes an image of an interior of the storage vessel, an area of one or more contiguous spaces of a rear face of the storage vessel may be identified from the image and multiplied by a depth of the storage vessel in order to estimate the available volume. Where the imaging data includes a depth profile of the interior, the depth profile may be processed in order to estimate the available volume. Once an available volume has been estimated, the capacity of the available volume to accommodate one or more additional items may be determined, and information regarding the capacity may be provided to a user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2016
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: James Christopher Curlander, Jules Cook Graybill, Udit Madan, Marshall Friend Tappen, Michael Ellsworth Bundy, David Daniel Glick
  • Patent number: 9235740
    Abstract: An inventory system can include radio frequency identification (RFID) tags and RFID tuners that can be brought into interacting proximity with one another to provide input or other information about the location or other condition of movable elements within the inventory system. For example, a closed or at least partially open state of a drawer can be determined based on signals from an RFID tag when the RFID tag and a corresponding RFID tuner are mounted on opposing faces of the drawer and a compartment that receives the drawer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 12, 2016
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Jules Cook Graybill, Jonathan David Phillips, Wesley Scott Lauka, Ryan Scott Russell
  • Publication number: 20150379347
    Abstract: Visual cues may be provided for the purpose of triggering the performance of one or more actions associated with a given task. A visual cue may include one or more characters or other markings on any relevant surfaces, as well as naturally appearing edges, contours or outlines within an environment in which the visual cue is provided. When one or more visual cues appear within a field of view of an imaging device, and the visual cues are recognized as such, a task relating to the visual cues may be identified, and instructions for performing the task may be provided. The task may be dependent upon a context in which the visual cues are provided, such that a single visual cue may be associated with multiple tasks in different contexts, and the performance of the task may be confirmed based on imaging data or other relevant information.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 26, 2014
    Publication date: December 31, 2015
    Inventors: Pragyana K. Mishra, Jules Cook Graybill, Danny Guan
  • Patent number: 9174800
    Abstract: This disclosure describes a device and system for verifying the content of items in a bin within a materials handling facility. In some implementations, a bin content verification apparatus may pass by one or more bins and capture images of those bins. The images may be processed to determine whether the content included in the bins has changed since the last time images of the bins were captured. A determination may also be made as to whether a change to the bin content was expected and, if so, if the determined change corresponds with the expected change.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 3, 2015
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: James Christopher Curlander, Jules Cook Graybill, Marshall Friend Tappen, Barry James O'Brien
  • Patent number: 9129250
    Abstract: Some examples include using an inventory tracking device to track the addition of inventory items to an inventory holder of an inventory system or removal of inventory items from the inventory holder. The inventory holder may include one or more trays to store one or more inventory items, with each tray including one or more bins that may be defined by dividers on the tray. The inventory tracking device may use inventory holder configuration data that identifies locations of the bins to determine that the inventory item was added to or removed from a particular bin of the inventory holder.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2015
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Jill Kathleen Sestini, Peter K. Mansfield, Peter R. Wurman, Jules Cook Graybill, Ned Lecky, James Christopher Curlander
  • Patent number: 9120621
    Abstract: This disclosure describes a device and system for verifying the content of items in a bin of an inventory holder within a materials handling facility. In some implementations, a bin content verification apparatus may be positioned within the materials handling facility and configured to capture images of inventory holders that include bins as the inventory holders are moved past the apparatus by mobile drive units. The images may be processed to determine whether the content included in the bins has changed since the last time images of the bins were captured. A determination may also be made as to whether a change to the bin content was expected and, if so, if the determined change corresponds with the expected change.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 1, 2015
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: James Christopher Curlander, Jules Cook Graybill, Marshall Friend Tappen, Barry James O'Brien
  • Patent number: 9106815
    Abstract: A system for acquiring images includes a photographing machine. The photographing machine includes a base, a carrier coupled to the base, a camera coupled to the carrier, a camera positioning system, and a background panel coupled to the carrier. The camera can take photographs of an object when the object is in a target zone. The camera positioning system moves the carrier to position the camera and to point the camera at the target zone. When the carrier is moved to position the camera, at least a portion of the background panel moves such that at least a portion of the background panel maintains a position opposite the camera relative to the target zone.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 11, 2015
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Jonathan G. McGuire, Jeremy David Sawatzky, Jules Cook Graybill
  • Patent number: 8842130
    Abstract: Disclosed are various embodiments for performing automated color authoring for images of items having multiple color variations. A photographically captured source image of an item is obtained. The source image corresponds to one color variation of the item. A selection mask defining the item in the source image is obtained. A target image of the item corresponding to another color variation is generated by automatically transforming the item defined by the selection mask in the source image to the other color variation based at least in part on data obtained from multiple previous manual color variation transformations for multiple other items.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 23, 2014
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Gil Blank, Gregory James Nyssen, Jules Cook Graybill
  • Patent number: 8462206
    Abstract: A system for acquiring images includes a photographing machine. The photographing machine includes a base, a carrier coupled to the base, a camera coupled to the carrier, a camera positioning system, and a background panel coupled to the carrier. The camera can take photographs of an object when the object is in a target zone. The camera positioning system moves the carrier to position the camera and to point the camera at the target zone. When the carrier is moved to position the camera, at least a portion of the background panel moves such that at least a portion of the background panel maintains a position opposite the camera relative to the target zone.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2013
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Jonathan G. McGuire, Jeremy David Sawatzky, Jules Cook Graybill