Resolving item returns of an electronic marketplace

• US 9,697,548 B1
• Filed: 02/20/2014
• Issued: 07/04/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/20/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Jaff, Kosar Akram, Shankaran, Shivkumar, Bhat, Nitin, Daniels, Kimberly Lee, Hall, Samuel Pike, Morren, Nicholas John, Goli, Raja Shekhar, Agrawal, Prashant, Gunningham, Sebastian Jorge, Saltzman, Brian Jeffrey, Symmonds, Tiana Osbourne, Man, Debby Wing Yin
• Primary Examiner(s): Civan, Ethan D
• Assistant Examiner(s): Shui, Ming
• Application Number:
  US14/185,854
• Time in Patent Office: 1,230 Days
• Field of Search: 705 261- 272
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/016 After-sales
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]

Abstract

Techniques for managing a return request may be provided. For example, a user may want to return an item that the user received from an item provider via an electronic marketplace. The user can take a picture of the item and transmit the image to a computer that determines that the user would like to return the item. The computer may also determine that the item is returnable (e.g., was provided to the user within an allowable timeframe, satisfies a constraint for returning the item). The computer can initiate a return of the item. In some examples, the computer can also determine a convenient return location or the reason that the user is returning the item to the item provider.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

receiving, by a computer system that implements an electronic marketplace, an identification of a user associated with an item of the electronic marketplace, the item having been previously provided to the user by an item provider;

receiving, by the computer system and from a device of the user, a digital image that comprises an identifier of the item via a first communication channel of a communication network, the communication network enabling communications between the device of the user and the computer system, the digital image being generated using an encoding or compression standard implemented by the device of the user, and the first communication channel comprising a function call or a network document request;

identifying, by the computer system, the item by comparing the identifier in the digital image of the item with identifiers of stored images of the item;

determining, by the computer system, that the digital image was received from the user over the communication network within an allowable timeframe for returning the item to the item provider;

when the item is identified and the digital image is received, initiating a return request confirmation, comprising;

transmitting, via a second communication channel, a return query text message to the device of the user, the second communication channel comprising a short message service; and

receiving, via the second communication channel, a return confirmation text message; and

initiating a workflow for enabling the return of the item based on the-return confirmation text message.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein initiating the workflow includes:

identifying a shipping destination; and

providing shipping information, the shipping information including the identified shipping destination.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein initiating the workflow includes updating inventory information that identifies the item.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the digital image includes a characteristic of the item that is identifiable in the digital image.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the workflow comprises:

identifying one or more suggested return locations or shipping destinations; and

transmitting information that identifies the one or more suggested return locations or the shipping destination to the device of the user.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

before initiating the workflow for enabling the return of the item, determining a cost of the item;

determining that the cost of the item fails to satisfy a constraint associated with returning the item; and

transmitting a communication to the device of the user during the workflow, the communication including a denial of the return of the item, but initiating a refund for the item.

7. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

receiving, by a computer system and from a device of a user, a digital image that comprises an identifier of an item via a first communication channel of a network connection, the network connection enabling communications between the device of the user and the computer system, the digital image being generated using an encoding or compression standard implemented by the device of the user, and the first communication channel comprising a function call or a network document request;

identifying, by the computer system, the item by comparing the identifier in the digital image of the item with identifiers of stored images of the item;

determining, by the computer system, that the item satisfies a constraint for a return of the item based on receiving the digital image of the item via the network connection;

when the item is identified, initiating a return request confirmation, comprising;

transmitting, via a second communication channel, a return query text message to the device of the user, the second communication channel comprising a short message service; and

receiving, via the second communication channel, a return confirmation text message; and

initiating a return workflow for the item based on the return confirmation text message.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, wherein the constraint is an allowable timeframe for returning the item or identification of whether the item is returnable.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, further comprising determining that the digital image was received from the user within the allowable timeframe for returning the item.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, further comprising determining a shipping destination in response to initiating the return workflow.

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

before determining that the item should be returned to an item provider, comparing at least a portion of a stock image with the digital image;

determining a dimension of the item identified with the digital image from the comparison with the stock image; and

storing the dimension for the item.

12. A system, comprising:

a memory that stores computer-executable instructions; and

a processor configured to access the memory, wherein the processor is configured to execute the computer-executable instructions to collectively at least;

receive a digital image of an item from a user device via a first communication channel, the first communication channel comprising a function call or a network document request, the digital image comprising an identifier of the item;

identify the item by comparing the identifier in the digital image with identifiers of stored images of the item;

determine that the digital image was received from the user device within an allowable timeframe for returning the item to an item provider;

when the item is identified, initiate a return request confirmation, comprising;

transmitting, via a second communication channel, a return query text message to the user device, the second communication channel comprising a short message service; and

receiving, via the second communication channel, a return confirmation text message; and

initiate a return workflow for the item based at least in part on the return confirmation text message.

13. The system of claim 12, further comprising determining whether the digital image was received from the user device within an allowable timeframe for returning the item to the item provider.

14. The system of claim 12, further comprising:

identify a barcode in the digital image; and

store information associated with the barcode with the item.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the processor is further configured to execute the computer-executable instructions to collectively at least:

determine a year of manufacture or origin of manufacture associated with the stored images of the item; and

store, for the item in a data store, the year of manufacture or the origin of manufacture associated with the stored images of the item.