Search Patents
  • Multimedia enhanced services
    Patent number: 8295863
    Abstract: Techniques for providing information to users implemented through personal mobile devices such as cell phones, PDAs, electronic book readers, and other such devices are described herein. The described techniques and systems allow users to request searches, perform information seeking, purchasing, or other types of transactions with a provider via a mobile or wireless network using the messaging service capabilities of the users' mobile devices. Messages may be compiled in a manner customized to a user request and may be provided without the user authenticating to the provider in some instances.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2012
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Diwakar Gupta, Chih-Jen Huang, Gerald Yuen, Philip Yuen
  • Method and system for providing multi-level text cloud navigation
    Patent number: 8280783
    Abstract: Methods and systems for providing multiple level text cloud navigation are described, where various categories are displayed in a first text cloud and, when a category is selected, a second text cloud is displayed having child nodes of the selected category and selected lower level nodes. The categories, child nodes, and selected other nodes are displayed using an importance identifier indicative of the number of results in that category or node, a relative importance thereof, a similarities metric, a recommendations metric, or the like.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2012
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Jeffrey T. Brownell, John D. Rodgers, Christel C. Berg
  • Game publisher and broadcaster integration platform
    Patent number: 10987595
    Abstract: A videogame services platform may include a streaming component that streams audio and video of gameplay performed on a first client device. The platform may identify content present in the stream and provide notification, to a broadcaster portal, that content present in the stream is available for purchase. An identifier of the content may be mapped to a stock keeping unit for a product containing the content. The product may be acquired using the stock keeping unit. The second client device may be updated to make the content available and authorized for use in gameplay on the second client device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 27, 2021
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Leonard Simon, Xiaolin Cui, Alfred Yong-Hock Tan, Emmett Shear
  • Techniques for item procurement
    Patent number: 10185985
    Abstract: A user registers with a reverse procurement service. The user then searches an electronic marketplace, which is external to a remote procurement service and, subsequently, selects various items to be placed in a shopping cart or project. Upon checkout, the items are submitted for approval to the remote procurement service which is external to the reverse procurement service. The remote procurement service obtains approval and sends payment information to the reverse procurement service. Upon receive of payment information, the reverse procurement service then initiates a process for providing the approved items to the user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 22, 2019
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: SaiPrasad Kapila, Musachy Barroso, Kristy Ann Caster, Ernesto Gonzalez, Max Lee Kanter
  • Determining user interest from non-explicit cues
    Patent number: 9619519
    Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for detecting non-explicit cues based on user interactions with a user interface. For example, user interest with respect to items may be determined based on indirect user interaction with a user interface. Furthermore, two or more non-explicit cues determined to be associated with a particular item may indicate a strong likelihood of user interest. One or more additional displays of information may be presented to the user in response to the detected one or more non-explicit cues, for example, by displaying additional information regarding an item and/or displaying an element to teach a user about the user interface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2017
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Charles Shearer Dorner
  • Inter service network communication optimization
    Patent number: 9800474
    Abstract: Technology for provision and use of inter service network communication optimization is provided. A method may include determining an available network bandwidth between a private service network and a public service network and determining processing availability at the private service network and at the public service network. Rules may be identified for transferring data between the private service network and the public service network. A determination of whether to transfer data between the private service network and public service network may be made based on the available network bandwidth, the processor availability and the bandwidth rules.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2017
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Anthony Clay Bush, Darryl Chalmers, Furqan Ali Khan, Tipu Saleem Qureshi, Troy James Ulmer
  • Modeling user intent
    Patent number: 10776847
    Abstract: The effect of intent bias on content performance can be determined in order to provide more relevant content in response to a query or other opportunity. Performance data can include the frequency with which an action, such as a purchase, occurs in response to an instance of the content being displayed. An intent bias model can be trained using the performance data for two or more intents, such as an action intent and an explore intent. Once the intent bias for an offer is determined, a normalized performance value can be obtained that does not include the effects of the bias. The normalized values can be used to select and place content based on actual performance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 15, 2020
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Prakash Mandayam Comar, Srinivasan Sengamedu Hanumantha Rao
  • Relative ranking and discovery of items based on subjective attributes
    Patent number: 8393530
    Abstract: Relative ranking of items is performed based on a subjective attribute of the items. A user interface that displays the relative ranking of the items includes an axis that corresponds to the subject attribute. The user interface further includes a display section that displays representations of the items along the axis according to rankings relative to the subjective attribute. The display section is also to present one or more additional items in response to customer input.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2013
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Teresa E. Batten, Sean W. Blakey, Eric F. Gilmour, David M. Lifson, Ian A. McAllister, Scott Allen Mongrain, Clayton A. Williams
  • Identifying top rated products
    Patent number: 8666830
    Abstract: The top rated products in a product category are identified by computing a score for each product in the category. The score is computed by calculating a time decay factor for each product category. The time decay factor is utilized to decay the ratings of each product as a function of time. A relevance value is also computed for each product. The relevance value is utilized to modify the ratings for each product in view of the recency of the ratings. The score may be computed for each product using the ratings for the product, the computed time decay factor, and/or the relevance value. The computed scores are utilized to rank the products in the product category.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2014
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Logan L. Dillard, Samuel S. Sonne, Eric B. Fox, Russell A. Dicker, Scott A. Mongrain
  • Inclusion of items in a data feed
    Patent number: 8458039
    Abstract: This document relates to the re-inclusion of items in a data feed. For example, a feed of items is sent to a referral network site. The feed includes some of the items sold through an electronic commerce network site. The referral network site refers a plurality of customers to the electronic commerce network site. One of the items excluded from the feed is identified and a forecast of sales through the electronic commerce network site is generated therefor. The forecast of sales specifies a number of the one of the items projected to be sold that are subject to a referral from the referral network site. A determination is made as to whether to include the one of the items in the feed based at least in part upon the forecast of sales.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2013
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Brian Schuster, Mohit Gupta
  • Coordinating the delivery of two or more packages shipped from different source locations
    Patent number: 8046262
    Abstract: A release schedule for an order having a single addressee address is described. The schedule specifies, for each of two or more shipments making up the order, each of the shipments having a different origin location, a release time at which the shipment is to be released from its origin location. The indicated release times are selected on the basis of typical carrier delivery durations from each of the origin locations to the addressee address, in order to cause all of the shipments of the order to be delivered to the addressee address at the same time. The release schedule may be used to schedule the release of the shipments of the order.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 2005
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2011
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Felix Antony, Philipp K. Janert, Jonathan J. Shakes
  • Assigning slots to content in a pipeline
    Patent number: 8949712
    Abstract: Disclosed are various embodiments for assigning user interface widgets to page slots associated with a page pipeline. In response to a request to generate a content page, content placement requests are then received from user interface widgets. The page slots are associated with a placement value indicating a value of the page slot relative to other page slots in the page template and can be weighted based upon their location in a page pipeline. The highest ranked user interface widgets according to an effectiveness metric or placement score are scheduled for placement in the content page.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2015
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Adam Lloyd Days, Adam Brent Johnson, Yashar Dehkharghani Fakhari, Mehul Gordhanbhai Sutariya
  • Method, medium, and system for associating graphical icons with destination addresses using drag and drop
    Patent number: 7930220
    Abstract: Various embodiments of a network page are provided. In one embodiment, at least one server serves up a network page to a client to be rendered on the client in a networked environment. The network page is associated with a network site that facilitates a purchase of items. The network page includes a graphical representation of a selected one of the items, and a plurality of destination regions, each of the destination regions being associated with a corresponding one of a plurality of shipping addresses. The network page is configured to facilitate an association of the selected one of the items with a respective one of the destination regions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2011
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Derek Gaw
  • Client-to service compatibility framework
    Patent number: 8812374
    Abstract: A client-to-service compatibility framework is described that allows online entities to provide a single set of service offerings for client devices of multiple different brands and/or models, such as televisions, set-top-boxes, game consoles, and portable media players, for example. Generally, the client-to-service compatibility framework comprises a plurality of plug-ins or adapters that translate communications from client devices to a form compatible with the online entity's service offerings and vice versa. In this manner, online entities are able to insulate their service offerings from the changing communication needs of client devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 19, 2014
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Siddharth Sriram, Ameesh Paleja, Samuel S. Gigliotti, Ethan Z. Evans, Kamlesh T. Talreja
  • Recommendation system using improved neural network
    Patent number: 10896459
    Abstract: Some aspects of the present disclosure relate to generating and training a neural network by separating historical item interaction data into both inputs and outputs. This may be done, for example, based on date. For example, a neural network machine learning technique may be used to generate a prediction model using a set of inputs that includes both a number of items purchased by a number of users before a certain date as well as some or all attributes of those items, and a set of outputs that includes the items purchased after that date. The items purchased before that date and the associated attributes can be subjected to a time-decay function.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 19, 2021
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Rejith George Joseph, Oleg Rybakov
  • Providing limited versions of applications
    Patent number: 8806655
    Abstract: Disclosed are various embodiments for providing limited versions of applications. A limited version of an application is automatically generated from a full version of the application based at least in part on an expected use of the application by a client computing device during a testing period. The limited version has a smaller data size than the full version. The limited version of the application is sent to the client computing device. The limited version of the application is configured to be executed in a secured environment of the client computing device. The secured environment denies the limited version of the application access to secured resources of the client computing device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2014
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: David M. Brownell, Gerard J. Heinz, II, Patrick G. McCuller
  • Placing a purchase order using one of multiple procurement options
    Patent number: 8543462
    Abstract: A method and system for placing an order to purchase an item via the Internet. The order is placed by a user at a client system and received by a server system. The client system can display information identifying the item and, for each of multiple procurement options having information related to ordering the identified item, can display an indication of the procurement option such that selection of the displayed indication represents an ordering of the identified item using the information of the procurement option. In response to selection of a displayed indication, the client system can send to a server computer a request to order the identified item using the information of the procurement option for the selected indication.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2006
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2013
    Assignee: Amazon.com, Inc.
    Inventors: William Allocca, Jonathan A. Leblang, Colleen M. McQueen, James Paul Prudente, Jordan Hay
  • Selecting users to whom to promote an online offering
    Patent number: 8364555
    Abstract: Disclosed are various embodiments for selecting users to whom to promote an online offering, such as an auction or a fixed-price item offering, based at least in part on bidding history or purchase history. A data representation of multiple items offered online by a web merchant and a purchase history associated with the items and the web merchant for multiple users are maintained. A first item is identified in response to determining that the number of users who have purchased a second item and who have also purchased the first item meets a minimum threshold. A set of users who have both purchased the second item and also purchased the first item is identified. The first item is promoted to one or more of the identified users.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 6, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2013
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Paul Kotas
  • Localized visual similarity
    Patent number: 11809520
    Abstract: Devices and techniques are generally described for determining localized visual similarity. In some examples, a selection of a first location of interest on a first image data depicting at least one article of clothing may be received. In some examples, a first machine learning model may generate a feature map representing the first image data. In some examples, a reduced feature map may be generated based at least in part on a mapping of the first location of interest to the feature map. In some examples, a second image depicting at least a second article of clothing may be determined based at least in part on the reduced feature map.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2023
    Assignee: AMAZON TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventors: Antonio D'Innocente, Nikhil Garg, Loris Bazzani
  • System for detecting probabilistic associations between items
    Patent number: 8239287
    Abstract: A computer system for detecting associations between items may include a probabilistic analysis component that accesses user data having information about item selections by a plurality of users. The probabilistic analysis component may programmatically generate associations between certain items by determining a first number of users who selected the items and by estimating a probability that a second number of users would have selected the items due to random chance. The probabilistic analysis component may estimate this probability based at least partly on a number of item selections made by one or more of the users.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2012
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Brent R. Smith, Ronald Whitman, Gaurav Chanda