Abstract: This disclosure is directed to an item-identifying cart that may be utilized by a user in a materials handling facility to automatically identify items that the user places in their cart, and update a virtual shopping cart to include items taken by the user. The mobile cart may include four capture assemblies that are disposed proximate to each of the four corners of a basket of the cart, and oriented such that their respective optical axes are directed towards an interior of a perimeter of the top of the basket, and above the top of the basket. The capture assemblies may include proximity sensors that are used to detect movement above the top of the basket, LEDs that illuminate items, and cameras that generate image data representing the items as they are placed in, or removed from, the cart.

Abstract: Tags comprising marks arranged in a predetermined pattern are applied to an item. The marks are made with an ink that fluoresces under infrared (IR) light. A camera with a filter acquires an image of the light emitted by the fluorescence of the ink. This image is processed to determine a portion of the image in which the tag is located. Once located, that portion is processed to rectify and align the tag. This rectified image is then processed to read out tag data that is encoded by the arrangement of marks. The tag data may then be used to identify the item, designate shipping information, and so forth.

Abstract: An ink that is detectable using infrared (IR) light may be used to apply machine readable codes, such as a barcode. The indicia, once applied, may be either invisible or difficult to detect with visible light, such as with the human eye. The ink may include one or more materials such as titanium dioxide (TiO2), particles of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), metals, and so forth. These materials may be used to enhance one or more of the reflectivity to IR light or the fluorescence of the ink under IR light. The fluorescent ink may be deposited in a single pass, or as part of a two-pass process in which a reflective substrate, such as a resin with encapsulated TiO2, is applied and then the fluorescent ink is deposited atop the substrate. The markings are machine readable even when overprinting markings that are readable under visible light.