TRANSITIONING ITEMS FROM A MATERIALS HANDLING FACILITY

• US 20150012396A1
• Filed: 09/24/2014
• Published: 01/08/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Puerini, Gianna Lise, Kumar, Dilip, Kessel, Steven
• Granted Patent: US 10,176,456 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/28
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0875 Itemisation or classification of parts, supplies or services, e.g. bill of materials
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/52 Surveillance or monitoring of activities, e.g. for recognising suspicious objects recognising microscopic objects G06V20/69

Abstract

This disclosure describes a system for automatically transitioning items from a materials handling facility without delaying a user as they exit the materials handling facility. For example, while a user is located in a materials handling facility, the user may pick one or more items. The items are identified and automatically associated with the user at or near the time of the item pick. When the users enters and/or passes through a transition area, the picked items are automatically transitioned to the user without affirmative input from or delay to the user.

Claims

1. A computing system, comprising:

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;

detect a presence of a user within a materials handling facility using first data collected by at least one of a plurality of input devices in the materials handling facility;

detect a pick of an item, performed by the user, from an inventory location within the materials handling facility using second data collected by at least one of the plurality of input devices in the materials handling facility;

identify, using the second data collected by at least one of the plurality of input devices in the materials handling facility, the picked item;

associate an item identifier representative of the picked item with the user;

determine, using third data collected by at least one of the plurality of input devices, that the user has passed through a transition area located near an exit of the materials handling facility;

update an inventory data store to decrease an inventory count of the item; and

update a user profile data store to identify that the item has been transitioned to the user.

2. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the program instructions that when executed by the one or more processors further cause the one or more processors to at least:

charge the user for a rental of the item, charge the user for a lease of the item, charge the user for a consumption of the item, charge the user for a purchase of the item, charge the user for a use of the item, transfer an ownership of the item to the user, transfer a control of the item to the user, or add the item identifier to a purchase history associated with the user.

3. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the update of the inventory data store and the update of the user profile are completed without affirmative input by the user.

4. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the instructions when executed by the processor further cause the processor to at least:

identify, using fourth data collected by at least one of the plurality of input devices in the materials handling facility, the user when the user arrives at the materials handling facility.

5. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the third data collected by at least one of the input devices is at least one of an image of the user captured by an input device located near the transition area, position data of the user, or a RFID tag associated with the user detected by a RFID reader located near the transition area.

6. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

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

updating a user profile data store to associate an item identifier representative of an item located in a materials handling facility with a user profile stored in the user profile data store and associated with a user located in the materials handling facility;

determining, using first data collected by at least one of a plurality of input devices located in the materials handling facility, that the user has passed through a transition area; and

in response to determining that the user has passed through the transition area, charging a fee to the user for the item.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, further comprising:

determining, using second data collected by at least one of the plurality of input devices located in the materials handling facility, that the user has picked the item from an inventory location within the materials handling facility; and

determining, using the second data collected by at least one of the plurality of input devices located in the materials handling facility, an identity of the picked item.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, wherein the second data includes at least one of:

an image of the item captured by a camera when the item is picked by the user, a RFID tag detected by a RFID reader when the item is picked by the user, or a change in a weight measured at the inventory location when the item is picked by the user.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein the transition area is at an exit from the materials handling facility.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, further comprising:

determining, using second data collected by at least one input device of the plurality of input devices located in the materials handling facility, that a second user has provided the item to the user.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, further comprising:

determining, using second data collected by at least one of a plurality of input devices located in the materials handling facility, that the user has the item when the user passes through the transition area.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, further comprising:

waiting a defined period of time prior to charging the fee to the user for the item.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, further comprising:

updating the user profile data store to associate a plurality of item identifiers each representative of an item of a plurality of items located in the materials handling facility with the user profile; and

in response to determining that the user has passed through the transition area, charging a fee to the user for each of the plurality of items.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, further comprising:

determining, using second data collected by at least one of the plurality of input devices located in the materials handling facility, that the user has picked the item from an inventory location within the materials handling facility;

determining, using the second data and contemporaneously with the picking, an identity of the item; and

wherein updating the user profile data is performed in response to determining the identity of the item.

15. A method comprising:

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

determining, using first data collected from at least one of a plurality of input devices located in a materials handling facility, an item picked from an inventory location within the materials handling facility;

updating a user profile data store to associate an item identifier representative of the item with a user profile associated with a user;

determining, using second data collected by at least one of the plurality of input devices located in the materials handling facility, that the user is exiting the materials handling facility; and

in response to determining that the user is exiting the materials handling facility, and without delaying the user from exiting the materials handling facility, charging a fee to the user for the item.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the item is picked by a second user and provided to the user.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

determining, using third data collected by at least one of the plurality of input devices located in the materials handling facility, an identity of the user; and

monitoring, using at least one of the plurality of input devices located in the materials handling facility, a position of the user while the user is located in the materials handling facility.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the first data includes at least one of an image of the user captured by a camera located near an exit of the materials handling facility, an RFID tag identifier detected by a RFID reader located near the exit of the materials handling facility.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the first data is at least one of an image of the item captured by a camera when the item is picked by the user, a RFID tag detected by a RFID reader when the item is picked by the user, or a change in a weight measured at the inventory location when the item is picked by the user.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the fee is at least one of a fee to rent the item, a fee to lease the item, a fee to consume the item, a fee to purchase the item, or a fee to use the item.