Search Patents
  • Trade-in photo documentation
    Patent number: 8799101
    Abstract: Disclosed are various embodiments for an inspection system and method that automatically photographs or captures video footage of received items for trade-in as they are being inspected or graded.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 5, 2014
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Silas M. Brazil, Sandeep Bodapati, Maurice Codik Moscoso, Ranjeet S. Sonone
  • Trade-in photo documentation
    Patent number: 8533055
    Abstract: Disclosed are various embodiments for an inspection system and method that automatically photographs or captures video footage of received items for trade-in as they are being inspected or graded.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2013
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Silas M. Brazil, Sandeep Bodapati, Maurice Codik Moscoso, Ranjeet S. Sonone
  • Virtual product placement
    Patent number: 11657850
    Abstract: Techniques are described for automating virtual placements in video content.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2023
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Ahmed Aly Saad Ahmed, Muhammad Raffay Hamid, Yongjun Wu, Yash Chaturvedi, Steven James Cox, Travis Silvers, Amit S. Jain, Amjad Y. A. Abu Jbara, Prasanth Saraswatula
  • Automatically purchasing a gift from a wish list
    Patent number: 8738460
    Abstract: A facility for providing a gift is described. In one embodiment, the facility receives information identifying a first person that will give a gift and a second person that will receive the gift given by the first person. The facility then automatically chooses a gift to be given to the second person by the first person.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 27, 2014
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Nicolas Pottier, Ryan Snodgrass
  • Detecting deviating resources in a virtual environment
    Patent number: 10616078
    Abstract: Systems and methods for detecting deviating resources in a virtual environment are disclosed. In one embodiment, a method comprises monitoring tenant usage of a resource of the virtual environment to determine a tenant usage pattern of the resource. The resource is determined to be deviating based on the tenant usage pattern of the resource.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2020
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Nathan Bartholomew Thomas
  • Applying restrictions to items
    Patent number: 8538826
    Abstract: Disclosed are various embodiments for applying restrictions to items. Multiple rejection rules are applied to each item in a catalog of items. Each of the rejection rules is associated with one or more conditions in a geographic area. The respective item is designated as restricted for the geographic area when the conditions are met.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2013
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Chin Man Lai, Somana P. Konganda, Marcella H. Nieswandt
  • Geographic content discovery
    Patent number: 9648056
    Abstract: Disclosed are various embodiments for a geographic content discovery application. The geographic location of a client device is determined. Opportunities to obtain content are communicated to the client responsive to the client device being located in a defined geographic boundary. The content may be determined as a function of relevance, incentives associated with the geographic boundary, or nearby clients.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2017
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Mitchell Kim, Dave Mohla, Devesh Khare
  • Automated gifting
    Patent number: 8234177
    Abstract: Systems and methods provide a facility for automated gifting. The facility receives from a gifter an identification of a gift recipient, an indication of an occasion, and selection criteria. The facility automatically selects a proposed gift for the indicated occasion based on at least the received selection criteria and, in the absence of further direction from the gifter, sends the gift to the recipient.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 31, 2012
    Assignee: Amazon.com, Inc.
    Inventors: Luan K. Nguyen, Aaron Allen Fischer
  • Automatic selection of product categories for merchandising
    Patent number: 8548876
    Abstract: Disclosed are various embodiments for selecting a subset of categories of product items to be used in merchandising. The subset of categories may be selected on a basis of a measured level of interest in the product items. Based on the subset of subcategories that have been selected, merchandising presentations may be automatically formulated and presented to a customer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2013
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Eric B. Fox, Logan Luyet Dillard
  • Ranking of items as a function of virtual shopping cart activity
    Patent number: 8645221
    Abstract: Disclosed are various embodiments for ranking items in an electronic commerce system. A subset of a plurality of items is identified in at least one computing device, where the items are sold through an electronic commerce system. The items in the subset are ranked relative to each other based, at least in part, on the virtual shopping cart activity of a plurality of users with respect to the items.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2014
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Subramonia P. Sarma
  • Scheduled device communication
    Patent number: 8867401
    Abstract: A server creates a schedule for each of multiple user devices based on a set of items associated with a corresponding user device, and allows each user device to obtain associated items in accordance with the schedule.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 21, 2014
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Beryl Tomay, Valient I. Gough, Christopher S. A. MacGregor, Kenneth P. Kiraly, Sailesh Rachabathuni, David Berbessou
  • Identifying objects in video
    Patent number: 8682739
    Abstract: Systems and methods for identifying products in video are disclosed. A video containing at least one object is received, and video frames are extracted from the video for analysis. At least one object is extracted from one or more of the video frames to determine whether it corresponds to a product. Hyperlinks can be generated and embedded in a user interface to allow a user to purchase the product and/or retrieve additional information about the product.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2014
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Brian J. Feinstein
  • Customizing component configurations for utility computing
    Patent number: 8417578
    Abstract: Disclosed are various embodiments for customizing component configurations used in utility computing. A listing of multiple computing components that may be selected to define a component configuration is generated. A selection by a customer of a subset of the computing components is stored as a component configuration. A deployment is initiated for one or more customized computing devices that conform to the component configuration in a networked plurality of computing devices in response to a request by the customer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2013
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Aaron T. Evans
  • SCALING A VIRTUAL MACHINE INSTANCE
    Publication number: 20140058871
    Abstract: Techniques are described for scaling of computing resources. A scaling service is utilized that allocates additional computing resources (e.g., processors, memory, etc.) to a virtual machine instance (or other compute instance) and/or de-allocates computing resources from a virtual machine instance according requests and/or thresholds. In addition to the foregoing, other aspects are described in the description, figures, and claims.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 23, 2012
    Publication date: February 27, 2014
    Applicant: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael David Marr, Marcin P. Kowalski
  • Automatic product groupings for merchandising
    Patent number: 8762227
    Abstract: Disclosed are various embodiments for defining subcategories of product items to be used in merchandising. The subcategories may be defined on the basis of product data and/or sales data for the product items. Based on a distribution of the product items in accordance with one or more of the product and/or sales data, implicit groups or subcategories can be identified and selected for merchandising purposes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 24, 2014
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Eric B. Fox, Logan Luyet Dillard, Scott Allen Mongrain
  • Reducing purchase hesitance
    Patent number: 8566170
    Abstract: Disclosed are various embodiments of systems, methods, and computer programs that facilitate reducing purchase hesitance. At least one product offered by a seller at an initial price is displayed to a buyer. Activity of the buyer throughout an electronic commerce system is tracked. Purchase hesitance in the activity is identified. A concession is offered to the buyer by the seller to provide incentive to the buyer to purchase the product within the electronic commerce system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 29, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2013
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: B. Anthony Joseph, Matthew K. Green
  • Generate a video of an item
    Patent number: 10121187
    Abstract: Techniques for generating and updating a video may be provided. For example, a video may be used in association with providing information about an item. Based on user interactions related to how users may view the video and decisions of users to order the item, the video may be updated. Updating the video may include rearranging segments of the video, modifying a length of a particular segment, or editing content of the particular segment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2018
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Krishna Kiran Gangadharan Nair
  • Provide a recommendation for garden items
    Patent number: 9779442
    Abstract: Techniques for identifying and recommending garden items may be provided. For example, image and non-image data about a garden may be received and analyzed. Identifications of garden items from the garden and related constraints may be determined accordingly. The identifications and the constraints may be used to recommend uses of the garden items and/or to recommend additional garden items that may be ordered and used in conjunction with the garden items.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2017
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Senad Cimic, Sairam Chinta
  • Crowdsourced personalized comparison tool
    Patent number: 9152990
    Abstract: Disclosed are various embodiments for providing a product comparison application utilizing crowdsourcing. A network page is rendered providing a grid comprising a plurality of products, product attributes, and/or attribute data. Additions and/or modifications of attributes, products, and/or attribute data are assigned a score to determine which addition or modification to display and/or associate with a product catalog. The grid provides a view for comparison of products.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2015
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Max L. Kanter, Adam C. Sanders, Laxmikant A. Agrawal, David Erdmann
  • Ontology based customer support techniques
    Patent number: 10453073
    Abstract: Methods and systems for providing customer support in response to support communication are disclosed. Such communications may be structured or unstructured, and unstructured communications may be subject to further processing. A determination is made at least as to one or more relevant support classes, as well as to whether further support action(s) should be initiated. When determined that at least a further support action should be initiated, aspects of the support action may be determined and initiated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2019
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Mahendra M. Chheda