Vendor interface for item delivery via 3D manufacturing on demand

• US 9,858,604 B2
• Filed: 11/08/2013
• Issued: 01/02/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Apsley, Linda Knowlton, Bodell, Colin Ian, Danton, Jacob Conrad, Reyes-Guerrero, Eduardo, Hayden, Scott Randall, Kapila, SaiPrasad, Lessard, Eric, Uhl, Robert Benjamin
• Primary Examiner(s): Allen, William J
• Application Number:
  US14/076,128
• Publication Number:
  US 20150051999A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,516 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/00 Additive manufacturing, i.e. manufacturing of three-dimensional [3D] objects by additive deposition, additive agglomeration or additive layering, e.g. by 3D printing, stereolithography or selective laser sintering
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/20 Apparatus for additive manufacturing; Details thereof or accessories therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2113/10 Additive manufacturing, e.g. 3D printing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/00 Computer-aided design [CAD]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/10 Geometric CAD
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/20 Design optimisation, verification or simulation optimisation, verification or simulation of circuit designs G06F30/30
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0836 Recipient pick-ups
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0619 Neutral agent
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0621 Item configuration or customization
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0635 Processing of requisition or of purchase orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0643 Graphical representation of items or shoppers

Abstract

Methods and systems can be provided for providing items manufactured on demand to users. A user request for an item can be received. The item can have 3D manufacturing instructions associated therewith. A delivery method for the item can be determined. A manufacturing apparatus can be selected to manufacture the item based on the 3D manufacturing instructions. Instructions can be sent to the manufacturing apparatus to manufacture the item based on the 3D manufacturing instructions. Delivery instructions can be provided for delivering the item according to the delivery method.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for manufacturing an item utilizing protected 3D manufacturing instructions, the method comprising:

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

receiving, by at least one computer system of a service provider, an order for an item offered by a supplier within an electronic marketplace of the service provider, the item associated with 3D manufacturing instructions associated with the supplier and stored in a third-party system accessible to the at least one computer system of the service provider;

determining that a premanufactured item corresponding to the item exists;

determining that the item is associated with 3D manufacturing instructions accessible to the at least one computer system of the service provider;

in response to determining existence of the premanufactured item and determining that the item is associated with the 3D manufacturing instructions accessible to the at least one computer system of the service provider;

evaluating at least one parameter associated with fulfilling the order, the at least one parameter comprising at least one of a time of delivery, a cost of manufacture, a shipping cost, or at a location associated with a 3D manufacturing device;

based at least in part on the evaluation, determining that the order is to be fulfilled utilizing a newly-manufactured item produced utilizing the 3D manufacturing instructions associated with the item rather than the premanufactured item;

executing instructions, by an authorization module of the supplier, to authorize access to the 3D manufacturing instructions based on permissions restricting utilization of the 3D manufacturing instructions;

responsive to access to the 3D manufacturing instructions being authorized;

granting access to the 3D manufacturing instructions to the at least one computer system of the service provider, wherein the at least one computer system of the service provider retrieves, through a retrieval module, the 3D manufacturing instructions from the third-party system;

providing, by the at least one computer system of the service provider, the retrieved 3D manufacturing instructions to the 3D manufacturing device according to the permissions, wherein providing the retrieved 3D manufacturing instructions causes the 3D manufacturing device to manufacture the newly-manufactured item utilizing the 3D manufacturing instructions associated with the item, wherein the 3D manufacturing device is associated with the service provider or a home location of a user who issued the order for the item; and

fulfilling the order with the newly-manufactured item.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the at least one parameter further includes at least one of:

a location of the premanufactured item;

or

an expected useful life of the item.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the at least one parameter further includes at least one of:

a location of the 3D manufacturing device;

or

an availability of the 3D manufacturing device.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the at least one parameter includes parameters determined by at least one of the supplier, the service provider, the user who issued the order, and a fourth party that is different from the supplier, the service provider and the user.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

maintaining information related to the fulfillment; and

providing information for an environmental offset program, wherein the information for an environmental offset program includes the information about the fulfillment.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein providing the information for an environmental offset program includes providing the information for the environmental offset program to the vendor.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein providing the information for an environmental offset program includes providing the information for the environmental offset program to an entity administering the environmental offset program.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, further comprising:

based at least in part on the evaluation, determining that the order is to be fulfilled utilizing the premanufactured item rather than a manufactured item produced utilizing the 3D manufacturing instructions associated with the item; and

in response to determining that the order is to be fulfilled utilizing the premanufactured item, fulfilling the order with the premanufactured item, wherein providing the information for an environmental offset program includes providing the information associated with an evaluation of resources consumed in fulfilling the order with the premanufactured item.

9. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

offering, by at least one computing device of a service provider, an item from a supplier on a network page of an electronic marketplace of the service provider, the item being associated with on-demand manufacturing instructions associated with the supplier and stored in a third-party system accessible to the at least one computer system of the service provider, the item being further associated with a premanufactured item;

receiving, by the computing device, an order request for the item;

in response to receiving the order request, evaluating, by the computing device, at least one parameter associated with fulfilling the order request, the at least one parameter comprising at least one of a time of delivery, a cost of manufacture, a shipping cost, or at a location associated with an on-demand manufacturing apparatus;

based at least in part on the evaluation, determining that the order is to be fulfilled with a newly-manufactured item produced utilizing the on-demand manufacturing instructions associated with the item rather than the premanufactured item;

executing instructions, by an authorization module of the supplier, to authorize access to the on-demand manufacturing instructions based on permissions restricting utilization of the on-demand manufacturing instructions;

responsive to access to the on-demand manufacturing instructions being authorized;

granting access to the on-demand manufacturing instructions to the at least one computer system of the service provider, wherein the at least one computer system of the service provider retrieves, through a retrieval module, the 3D manufacturing instructions from the third-party system;

providing, by the at least one computing device of the service provider, the retrieved on-demand manufacturing instructions to the on-demand manufacturing apparatus, the receipt of the on-demand manufacturing instructions causing the on-demand manufacturing apparatus to manufacture the newly-manufactured item utilizing the on-demand manufacturing instructions associated with the item, wherein the on-demand manufacturing apparatus is associated with the service provider or a location of a user who issued the order for the item; and

fulfilling the order with the newly-manufactured item.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein the manufacturing on-demand instructions for the item are based on information provided by the supplier.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein the manufacturing on-demand instructions for the item are based on information provided by a third party, wherein the third party is different from the supplier.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein the item is manufactured by a manufacturing on-demand manufacturing apparatus of the user who issued the order for the item.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein the item upon purchase is to be manufactured by a manufacturing on-demand manufacturing apparatus associated with the service provider.

14. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving, by at least one computing device of a service provider, permissions data on behalf of a supplier of an item offered for consumption within an electronic marketplace of the service provider, the permissions data related to restricting utilization of 3D manufacturing instructions for producing the item via a 3D manufacturing apparatus, the 3D manufacturing instructions being associated with the supplier and stored in a third-party system accessible to the at least one computing device of the service provider;

determining, by the at least one computing device, that a premanufactured item corresponding to the item exists;

receiving, by the at least one computing device, an order request for the item;

receiving, by the at least one computing device, payment for the item;

in response to receiving the order request, evaluating, by the at least one computing device, at least one parameter associated with the order request, the at least one parameter comprising at least one of a time of delivery, a cost of manufacture, a shipping cost, or at a location associated with the 3D manufacturing apparatus;

based at least in part on the evaluation, determining that the order request is to be fulfilled by providing the 3D manufacturing instructions rather than providing the premanufactured item;

executing, by an authorization module of the supplier, instructions to authorize access to the 3D manufacturing instructions based on the permissions data restricting utilization of the 3D manufacturing instructions; and

responsive to access to the 3D manufacturing instructions being authorized;

granting access to the 3D manufacturing instructions to the at least one computer system of the service provider, wherein the at least one computer system of the service provider retrieves, through a retrieval module, the 3D manufacturing instructions from the third-party system;

providing, by the at least one computing device, the 3D manufacturing instructions to a 3D manufacturing device according to the permissions data, wherein providing the retrieved 3D manufacturing instructions causes the 3D manufacturing device to manufacture the item utilizing the 3D manufacturing instructions associated with the item, wherein the 3D manufacturing device is associated with the service provider or a home location of a user who issued the order request for the item.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 14, wherein a portion of the payment received is provided to the at least one computer system of the service provider.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 14, wherein a portion of the payment received is provided to a computing device of the supplier.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 14, wherein a portion of the payment received is provided to a fourth party that is different from the user, the supplier, and the service provider.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 14, wherein a first portion of the payment received is provided to the at least one computing device of the service provider, a second portion of the payment received is provided to a computing device of the supplier, and a third portion of the payment received is provided to a fourth party that is different from the user, the supplier, and the service provider.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 14, wherein the 3D manufacturing device is operated by the user that issued the order request.

20. The computer-implemented method of claim 14, further comprising selecting the 3D manufacturing device from a plurality of 3D manufacturing devices based at least in part on the 3D manufacturing instructions and individual capabilities of the plurality of 3D manufacturing devices.