Medium for facilitating initiation of customer returns

• US 9,292,824 B1
• Filed: 10/25/2011
• Issued: 03/22/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Freeman, Kyle A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Zimmerman, Matthew
• Application Number:
  US13/280,743
• Time in Patent Office: 1,610 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26.8
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06037 multi-dimensional coding
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0837 Return transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce

Abstract

In certain embodiments, a system includes a processing system and tangible computer-readable media accessible by the processing system. The media may store software and purchase order identifications. Each purchase order identification indicates a respective one of the purchase orders and is globally unique with respect to each other purchase order identification. The software when executed by the processing system is configured to perform operations, including accessing a request comprising a particular one of the purchase order identifications. The request had been generated at a client device that had decoded the particular purchase order identification from an optical scan of a code provided with packaging of one or more products of the respective purchase order indicated by the particular purchase order identification. The operations further include generating data for receipt by the client device. The data comprises information that facilitates returning at least one of the products.

Claims

1. Non-transitory computer-readable media comprising software that when executed using a client device is configured to perform operations comprising:

optically scanning, by the client device, a code of a package label, wherein the client device is a mobile device;

decoding, by the client device, data coded in the optical scan of the code of the package label, the data comprising;

an identification of a purchase order of one or more products; and

an address;

transmitting, by the client device, a request to a server, the server accessible via the address decoded from the optical scan of the code of the package label, for information regarding the one or more products associated with the identification of the purchase order, the request comprising the identification of the purchase order, the server determining, based at least in part on the request that comprises the identification of the purchase order, the one or more products associated with the purchase order;

accessing, by the client device, data received in response to the request, the data received in response to the request facilitating returning at least one of the one or more products and comprising an identification of the one or more products associated with the purchase order;

displaying, by the client device, a prompt, responsive to accessing the data, requesting a selection, from the one or more products associated with the purchase order, of the at least one of the one or more products to return;

transmitting, by the client device, a communication to the server indicating the selection to return the at least one of the one or more products, the server generating, based at least in part on the indicated selection to return the at least one of the one or more products, a data file comprising information for a label to return the at least one of the one or more products; and

receiving, by the client device, the data file from the server.

2. The non-transitory computer readable-media of claim 1, the operations further comprising displaying a prompt requesting input of one or more reasons for returning the at least one of the one or more products.

3. The non-transitory computer readable-media of claim 1, the operations further comprising facilitating, using the information for the label, the printing of the label to return the at least one of the at least one or more products.

4. The non-transitory computer readable-media of claim 1, the operations further comprising receiving, in response to at least the selection of the at least one of the one or more products, an acknowledgement that a procedure for returning the at least one product of the one or more products has been initiated.

5. The non-transitory computer readable-media of claim 1, wherein the identification of the purchase order comprises a product serial number of the one or more products.

6. The non-transitory computer readable-media of claim 1, wherein decoding data coded in the optical scan of the code of the package label comprises decoding one or more of a quick resource code (QR code) and a barcode.

7. The non-transitory computer readable-media of claim 1, wherein the address comprises a Uniform Resource Location.

8. The non-transitory computer readable-media of claim 1, wherein the data file comprises data indicating a mail drop location determined based at least in part on an estimated location of the computing system.

9. The non-transitory computer readable-media of claim 1, wherein the server comprises multiple computer systems configured to communicate with one another.