Providing recommended items

• US 10,198,749 B1
• Filed: 06/15/2015
• Issued: 02/05/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Haskin, Menashe
• Primary Examiner(s): Zeender, Florian M
• Assistant Examiner(s): Racic, Milena
• Application Number:
  US14/739,552
• Time in Patent Office: 1,331 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/16 with five or more distinct rotor axes, e.g. octocopters
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/64 for parcel delivery or retrieval
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2201/00 UAVs characterised by their flight controls
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2201/20 Remote controls
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 30/20 Rotors; Rotor supports
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 50/19 using electrically powered motors
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 60/50 with landing legs
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0833 Tracking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0837 Return transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0255 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0265 Vehicular advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0635 Processing of requisition or of purchase orders

Abstract

Techniques for providing a number of items may be described. For example, a request for a delivery of an item within a time frame may be received. An additional item may be determined based at least in part on the item and the time frame. Both items may be scheduled for delivery based at least in part on the time frame. Information associated with the items and including an option to accept a delivery of the additional item may be provided. If the option may have been selected, a delivery of the additional item may be caused.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

receiving, by a computer system associated with an electronic marketplace from a user computing device, an order for a requested item offered from the electronic marketplace and a selection of a delivery method from available delivery methods to a requested location, the delivery method based at least in part on using an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to deliver the requested item to the requested location within a shorter predefined time frame relative to a predefined time frame of another one of the available delivery methods;

in response to the selection of the delivery method that has the shorter predefined time frame, determining, by the computer system, a recommended item based at least in part on a comparison of an attribute of the recommended item and an attribute of the requested item and on an available UAV delivery space;

causing, by the computer system, one or more UAVs to deploy to the requested location based at least in part on the order for the requested item and on the selection of the delivery method and absent of an order for the recommended item, the one or more UAVs retaining at least the requested item and the recommended item;

based at least in part on deploying the one or more UAVs, sending, by the computer system to the user computing device, a notification that the requested item and the recommended item have been shipped and an option to order the recommended item; and

causing, by the computer system, the one or more UAVs to deliver the requested item to the requested location based at least in part on the order and to deliver the recommended item to the requested location based at least in part on receiving a selection of the option to order the recommended item.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the requested item and the recommended item are separately retained by a single UAV, and wherein causing the one or more UAVs to deliver the recommended item comprises providing data to the single UAV based at least in part on the selection of the option to order the recommended item, wherein the data causes the single UAV to activate a retaining system to deliver the recommended item.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the one or more UAVs comprises a first UAV retaining the requested item and a second UAV retaining the recommended item, and wherein causing the one or more UAVs to deploy to the requested location comprises scheduling the first UAV and the second UAV to arrive at the requested location within the shorter predefined time frame.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein the first UAV is deployed from a first facility storing the requested item, wherein the second UAV is deployed from a second facility storing the recommended item, and wherein the second facility is configured to store a plurality of recommendable items based at least in part on the requested location.

20. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the requested item and the recommended item are separately retained by a retaining system of a single UAV, and wherein causing the one or more UAVs to deliver the recommended item comprises:

providing instructions to the single UAV to deliver the requested item based at least in part on the order for the requested item and to deliver the recommended item based at least in part on the selection of the option to order the recommended item, the instructions activating the retaining system to deliver the requested item and the recommended item separately from each other.

5. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media comprising instructions that, when executed with one or more processors, cause a computing system to perform operations comprising at least:

receiving, from a computing device, a request for a delivery of an item to a delivery location, the request identifying a delivery method from available delivery methods, the delivery method based at least in part on using an unmanned vehicle to deliver the item to the delivery location within a shorter time frame relative to a time frame of another one of the available delivery methods;

in response to the request identifying the delivery method that has the shorter time frame, determining an additional item based at least in part on a comparison of an attribute of the additional item and an attribute of the item and on an available unmanned vehicle delivery space;

scheduling the item and the additional item to be delivered based at least in part on the shorter time frame, wherein the scheduling comprises causing one or more unmanned vehicles to deploy to the delivery location based at least in part on the request for the delivery of the item and on the delivery method and absent of a request from the computing device for the additional item, the one or more unmanned vehicles retaining at least the item and the additional item;

providing, to the computing device, information associated with the item and the additional item, the information comprising an option to accept a delivery of the additional item based at least in part on the scheduling;

receiving, from the computing device, a selection of the option;

causing the one or more unmanned vehicles to deliver the item based at least in part on the request for the item; and

causing the one or more unmanned vehicles to deliver the additional item based at least on the selection of the option.

6. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 5, wherein the delivery of the item uses at least an unmanned aerial vehicle, and wherein the item and the additional item are available for ordering from an electronic marketplace.

7. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 5, wherein the instructions that, when executed with the one or more processors, cause the computing system to perform further operations comprising:

determining that the additional item is to be scheduled for delivery prior to receiving the request for the additional item based at least in part on one or more of;

a history of past orders in a user account or a history of deliveries of additional items to a region associated with the requested delivery location.

8. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 5, wherein the additional item is determined based at least in on an analysis of past orders of the item, and wherein the analysis indicates that the item and the additional item were ordered together at a frequency exceeding a threshold.

9. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 5, wherein the additional item is determined based at least in part on having at least one complementary attribute relative to the item and based at least in part on the shorter time frame indicating an urgency of delivering the item.

10. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 5, wherein determining the additional item comprises selecting the item from a plurality of additional items determined based at least in part on the item, and wherein the selecting is based at least in part on one or more of:

a weight of the additional item, a volume of the additional item, or a value of the additional item.

11. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 5, wherein the request is associated with a user account, wherein the additional item is further determined based at least in part on a past order of the user account for the additional item, and wherein the past order indicates a need for the additional item.

12. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 5, wherein providing the information comprises transmitting, prior to receiving the selection of the option, a notification about shipment of the item and the additional item and about an incentive to select the option.

13. A system comprising:

one or more processors; and

one or more non-transitory computer-readable media comprising instructions that, when executed with the one or more processors, cause the system to at least;

receive, from a computing device, a request to deliver an item to a delivery location, the item offered from a network-based resource, the request identifying a delivery method from available delivery methods, the delivery method based at least in part on using an unmanned vehicle to deliver the item to the delivery location within a shorter time frame relative to a time frame of another one of the available delivery methods;

in response to the request identifying the delivery method that has the shorter time frame, determine an additional item based at least in part on a comparison of an attribute of the additional item and an attribute of the item and on an available unmanned vehicle delivery space, the additional item available for ordering from the network-based resource;

cause a delivery of the item and of the additional item to be initiated based at least in part on the shorter time frame, the delivery initiated by at least deploying one or more unmanned vehicles to the delivery location based at least in part on the request to deliver the item and on the delivery method and absent of a request for the additional item, the one or more unmanned vehicles retaining at least the item and the additional item;

provide, to the computing device, information about the initiated delivery, the information comprising an option to order the additional item;

cause the one or more unmanned vehicles to deliver the item within the shorter time frame based at least in part on the request to deliver the item; and

cause the one or more unmanned vehicles to deliver the additional item based at least in on part on receiving a selection of the option.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein causing the delivery to be initiated comprises, prior to receiving the selection of the option, providing instructions to a deployment system to select the unmanned vehicle and retain the item and the additional item in the unmanned vehicle.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the request is associated with a delivery location, wherein the item is stored at a facility, wherein the additional item is stored at another facility closer to the delivery location than the facility, and wherein the additional item is further determined based at least in part on being stored at the another facility.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein causing the delivery to be initiated comprises:

providing instructions to a deployment system to retain the item in the unmanned vehicle and to deploy the unmanned vehicle to the delivery location based at least in part on the shorter time frame;

determining that another deployed unmanned vehicle retains the additional item and is available to arrive to the delivery location within the shorter time frame; and

providing instructions to the deployment system to direct the another deployed unmanned vehicle to the delivery location.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein causing the delivery to be initiated comprises:

providing instructions to a deployment system to retain the item in the unmanned vehicle and to deploy the unmanned vehicle based at least in part on the shorter time frame;

determining that another unmanned vehicle associated with another request to deliver another item comprises available space to retain the additional item and is available to arrive to the delivery location within the shorter time frame; and

providing instructions to the deployment system to retain the additional item in the another unmanned vehicle and to deploy the another unmanned vehicle based at least in part on the shorter time frame.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein causing the delivery to be initiated comprises:

causing the unmanned vehicle to retain the additional item, and wherein causing the delivery of the additional item comprises transmitting information about the selection of the option to the unmanned vehicle, the information causing the unmanned vehicle to deliver the additional item.

19. The system of claim 13, wherein the request to deliver the item is associated with a user account, and wherein causing the delivery to be initiated comprises:

causing the unmanned vehicle to retain the additional item, and wherein the selection of the option is received based at least in part on a point-to-point communication between a computing device of the user and the unmanned vehicle.