Ordinary objects as network-enabled interfaces

• US 9,959,437 B1
• Filed: 12/08/2014
• Issued: 05/01/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Ramos, Gonzalo Alberto, Dorner, Charles Shearer, Hazlewood, William R., Lauka, Wesley Scott
• Primary Examiner(s): RUSHING, MARK S
• Application Number:
  US14/563,002
• Time in Patent Office: 1,240 Days
• Field of Search: 340 101
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/01 Customer relationship services
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0623 Item investigation

Abstract

Disclosed are various embodiments for making ordinary objects network-enabled interfaces. A radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag may be fixed or detachably attached to an item capable of being manipulated by a person to obtain information about the item or to cause a performance of a task associated with the item. The RFID tag may include a capacitive touch interface that, when manipulated by a person, causes the RFID tag to emit an identifier associated with a corresponding item. A receiver, having the identifier and an instruction from a person, may communicate with a remote computing device to process the instruction and to generate a response to the instruction.

Claims

1. A radio-frequency (RF) receiver, comprising:

an antenna configured to receive a radio-frequency signal from a radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag associated with an item, the radio-frequency signal comprising at least an identifier associated with the item, the RFID tag being passive and having a touch-sensitive interface configured to emit the radio-frequency signal comprising the identifier in response to a manipulation of the RFID tag by a user;

an input device configured to receive an audible input from the user in association with the item;

a communication interface configured to communicate the identifier and the input to at least one computing device over a network, and receive a task from the at least one computing device based at least in part on the identifier and the input over the network; and

processing circuitry configured to perform the task received from the at least one computing device, the task being an audible response to the input from the user determined by the at least one computing device based at least in part on the identifier and the input.

2. The RF receiver of claim 1, wherein the touch-sensitive interface further comprises a capacitive touch interface configured to emit the radio-frequency signal comprising the identifier in response to the manipulation of the RFID tag.

3. The RF receiver of claim 1, wherein the input device comprises a microphone and the input comprises a voice command.

4. The RF receiver of claim 1, wherein the input device comprises an imaging device and the input obtained by the input device comprises at least one image captured by the imaging device.

5. A system, comprising:

a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag preconfigured with an identifier associated with an item, the RFID tag being passive and having a touch-sensitive interface configured to emit the identifier in response to a manipulation of the RFID tag; and

a receiver comprising processing circuitry that causes the receiver to at least;

identify a radio-frequency signal emitted from the RFID tag, the radio-frequency signal embodying the identifier associated with the item;

receive audible or visual input in association with the item;

communicate the identifier and the input to at least one computing device over a network to cause a performance of a first task based at least in part on the identifier and the input;

receive a second task generated by the at least one computing device and communicated to the receiver over the network, the second task being generated by the at least one computing device based at least in part on the identifier and the input; and

perform the second task, the second task being an audible or visual response to the input received.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the RFID tag comprises a capacitive touch interface configured to emit the radio-frequency signal comprising the identifier in response to a manipulation of the RFID tag.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the receiver further comprises an input device comprising a microphone and the input comprises an audio signal embodying a voice command.

8. The system of claim 5, wherein the receiver further comprises a speaker and the second task further comprises an audio signal being emitted from the speaker.

9. The system of claim 5, wherein the first task further comprises adding the item associated with the identifier to a virtual shopping cart or confirming receipt of a shipment of the item.

10. The system of claim 5, wherein the first task further comprises communicating an audio signal comprising information associated with the item to the receiver.

20. The system of claim 5, wherein the first task or the second task is selected from a group consisting of:

adding an item associated with the item identifier to a virtual shopping cart, confirming receipt of a shipment of the item, determining whether the item has expired, communicating an audio signal comprising information associated with the item to the receiver, obtaining information associated with the item from a data store, generating a customer review for the item, creating a personal note that is stored in association with a user account, initiate a call to customer service associated with the item, causing audio and/or visual instructions describing how to use the item to be presented, and starting a return process to return the item to a seller.

11. A method, comprising:

accessing, by at least one computing device, receiver data received from a radio-frequency (RF) receiver over a network, wherein the receiver data comprises at least radio frequency identification (RFID) data obtained from an RFID tag being passive and having a touch-sensitive interface configured to emit the data in response to a manipulation of the RFID tag, wherein the receiver data further comprises;

an item identifier communicated to the RF receiver by the RFID tag;

audible or visual input obtained through an input device communicatively coupled to the RF receiver; and

a task identifier communicated to the RF receiver by the RFID tag;

processing, by the at least one computing device, the task identifier to identify a task to be performed in association with the item identifier and the input; and

performing, by the at least one computing device, the task in association with the item identifier and the input in the at least one computing device.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

generating, by the at least one computing device, a receiver task to be performed by the RF receiver; and

sending, by the at least one computing device, the receiver task to the RF receiver over the network.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the input device communicatively coupled to the RF receiver further comprises an imaging device and the audible or visual input obtained by the input device further comprises at least one image captured by the imaging device.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the input device communicatively coupled to the RF receiver further comprises a microphone and the audible or visual input obtained by the input device further comprises an audio signal captured by the microphone.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the RFID tag is a passive RFID tag comprising a capacitive touch interface configured to emit the item identifier in a radio-frequency signal in response to a manipulation of the passive RFID tag.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the task is selected from a group consisting of:

adding an item associated with the item identifier to a virtual shopping cart, confirming receipt of a shipment of the item, determining whether the item has expired, communicating an audio signal comprising information associated with the item to the RF receiver, obtaining information associated with the item from a data store, generating a customer review for the item, creating a personal note that is stored in association with a user account, initiate a call to customer service associated with the item, causing audio and/or visual instructions describing how to use the item to be presented, and starting a return process to return the item to a seller.

17. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

generating, by the at least one computing device, an audio signal comprising speech generated by an output generation application, the speech comprising information verifying that the task has been performed; and

communicating, by the at least one computing device, the audio signal to the RF receiver over the network.

18. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

generating, by the at least one computing device, an audio signal comprising speech generated by an output generation application, the speech comprising information associated with an item associated with the item identifier; and

communicating, by the at least one computing device, the audio signal to the RF receiver over the network.

19. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

generating, by the at least one computing device, a client task to be performed by a client device; and

sending, by the at least one computing device, the client task to the client device over the network.