Providing item pick and place information to a user

• US 10,163,149 B1
• Filed: 03/28/2014
• Issued: 12/25/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Famularo, Jason Michael, Frank, Jared Joseph, Mathiesen, Thomas Meilandt, Puerini, Gianna Lise, Kumar, Dilip, Taylor, Amber Autrey
• Primary Examiner(s): Misiaszek, Michael
• Application Number:
  US14/229,342
• Time in Patent Office: 1,733 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0623 Item investigation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0631 Item recommendations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0635 Processing of requisition or of purchase orders

Abstract

Described is a system and method for presenting item information to a user based on the activities of the user. In one example, when a user picks an item from an inventory location, the item is identified, and a representation of the item, and optionally additional item information, is presented to the user as a confirmation that the item was properly identified. If the user adds the item to a tote associated with the user, an item identifier associated with the item is added to an item identifier list associated with the user. Likewise, an item identifier list representation, which provides information about all items identified on the item identifier list may be presented to the user as confirmation that the correct item has been added to the user item identifier list associated with the user.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

under control of one or more computing systems configured with executable instructions,

detecting, with a weight determining element positioned at an inventory location within a materials handling facility, a change in a weight at the inventory location resulting from a removal of an item from the inventory location;

determining, based at least in part on the change in the weight, that a user has picked an item from the inventory location within the materials handling facility;

in response to determining that the user has picked an item, sending for presentation to the user, first item information and second item information, wherein;

the first item information includes a representation of a first item determined to be associated with the picked item; and

the second item information includes a representation of a second item and is selectable by the user to replace the representation of the first item as more accurately representative of the picked item;

receiving a user input selecting the representation of the second item; and

determining that the user has placed the picked item into a tote;

adding a second item identifier associated with the representation of the second item to an item identifier list; and

sending for presentation to the user, an item identifier list representation, wherein the item identifier list representation includes the representation of the second item.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the item identifier list representation further includes at least one of:

a price of the second item, a total price of all items identified in the item identifier list, a user identifier, a representation of a third item included in the tote, or a representation of a fourth item that was removed from the tote.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the representation of the second item is determined based at least in part on the determination that the first item is associated with the picked item.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the first item is determined to be associated with the picked item based at least in part on one or more of:

the inventory location from where the picked item was picked, an image processing of an image of the picked item, an active identifier on the picked item, a visual identifier on the picked item, a weight of the picked item, a color of the picked item, or a shape of the picked item.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the one or more computing systems is a portable device associated with the user.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the portable device is coupled to a tote associated with the user.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the one or more computing systems include a server computing system in network communication with a device accessible to the user.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, wherein the device accessible to the user is at least one of:

a portable device associated with the user, a device coupled to a tote associated with the user, a user'"'"'s device, a display within the materials handling facility, or a projector within the materials handling facility.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the first item information is presented to the user as a visual confirmation that the picked item has been determined.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the representation of the second item is presented to the user to enable the user to correct an inaccurate determination of the picked item.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the item identifier list representation is presented to the user to provide an overview of items included in the tote.

12. A system, comprising:

a plurality of cameras within a materials handling facility; and

a computing system, including;

one or more processors; and

a memory coupled to the one or more processors and storing program instructions that when executed by the one or more processors cause the one or more processors to at least;

receive image data from at least one of the plurality of cameras, wherein the image data includes a representation of at least one of an item or an inventory location corresponding to the item;

process the image data to determine at least one of;

that the item has been picked from the inventory location within the materials handling facility;

or

a characteristic of the item;

determine a first item information and a second item information from a plurality of stored item information, based on at least one of;

a comparison of the image data representative of the item with the stored item information;

a comparison of the characteristic of the item with the stored item information;

or

stored item information associated with the inventory location from which the item was picked;

send for presentation, the first item information and the second item information, wherein;

the first item information includes a representation of a first item determined to be associated with the picked item; and

the second item information includes a representation of a second item and is selectable to replace the representation of the first item as more accurately representative of the picked item;

receive an input selecting the representation of the second item; and

determine that the item has been placed into a tote;

add a second item identifier associated with the representation of the second item to an item identifier list; and

send for presentation, an item identifier list representation, wherein the item identifier list representation includes the representation of the second item.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the item identifier list representation further includes at least one of:

a price of the second item, a total price of all items identified in the item identifier list, a user identifier, a representation of a third item included in the tote, or a representation of a fourth item that was removed from the tote.

14. The system computing system of claim 12, wherein the representation of the second item is determined based at least in part on the determination that the first item is associated with the picked item.

15. The system computing system of claim 12, wherein the first item is determined to be associated with the picked item based at least in part on one or more of:

the inventory location from where the picked item was picked, an image processing of an image of the picked item, an active identifier on the picked item, a visual identifier on the picked item, a weight of the picked item, a color of the picked item, or a shape of the picked item.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein the first item information is presented as a visual confirmation that the picked item has been determined.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein the representation of the second item is presented to enable correction of an inaccurate determination of the picked item.

18. The system of claim 12, wherein the program instructions that cause the one or more processors to process the image data further include instructions that cause the one or more processors to at least:

compare the image data with a first stored item image information corresponding to the first item information to determine a probability score that the first item information is representative of the item.

19. The system of claim 12, further comprising:

a weight determining element positioned at the inventory location; and

wherein the program instructions further cause the one or more processors to at least;

receive from the weight determining element an indication of a change in a weight at the inventory location resulting from the pick of the item from the inventory location; and

based at least in part on the indication of the change in weight, determine that the item has been picked from the inventory location.