Dynamic determination of item returns during transit

• US 9,984,351 B1
• Filed: 08/09/2013
• Issued: 05/29/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Antony, Felix F., Kaufman, Donald, Yang, Weiling, Evarts, Jeffrey D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pond, Robert M
• Application Number:
  US13/963,856
• Time in Patent Office: 1,754 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0837 Return transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0631 Item recommendations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/26 Government or public services business processes related to the transportation industry G06Q50/40
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/60 Business processes related to postal services shipping G06Q10/083; franking apparatus G07B17/00

Abstract

Techniques are described for automatically and dynamically determining how to handle items being returned from customers while the items are in transit. Various factors may be considered to determine appropriate item return handling, including by assessing current conditions at the time of the determination. In addition, the dynamic item return handling may include selecting one of various potential return destinations for each item being returned and one of various types of return routing for the return. In some situations, the item return handling is performed for an item being returned from a customer while the item is at an intermediate shipping location, such as a selected location to which the customer was directed to send the item. This abstract is provided to comply with rules requiring an abstract, and with the intention that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving information from a customer regarding a return of an item from the customer, the item having previously been supplied to the customer from a merchant;

retrieving, by one or more configured computing systems, information that is specific to the customer and that is based at least in part on previous interactions between the customer and the merchant that do not involve the item;

determining, by the one or more configured computing systems and based at least in part on the retrieved information specific to the customer, to provide a refund to the customer before the customer sends the item to a determined return location;

initiating, by the one or more configured computing systems, providing the refund to the customer before the customer sends the item to the determined return location;

providing, by the one or more configured computing systems and to the customer, a shipping label for an external surface of a package to be used in returning the item, wherein the shipping label includes encoded information to enable a later determination of a final return destination for the package based at least in part on the encoded information on the shipping label; and

after the providing of the shipping label, receiving an indication that the item has been sent to the determined return location.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising determining a status of the customer with the merchant based on prior activities of the customer, and wherein the determining to provide the refund to the customer before the customer sends the item is based in part on the determined status of the customer.

3. A system comprising:

one or more processors of one or more computing systems; and

a memory including stored software instructions that, when executed by at least one of the one or more processors, configure the one or more computing systems to;

receive information from a customer regarding a return of an item from the customer, the item having previously been supplied to the customer from a merchant;

determine, based at least in part on retrieving information that is specific to the customer and is based on previous transactions between the customer and the merchant involving other items separate from the item, to provide a refund to the customer before the customer sends the item to a determined return location;

initiate providing the refund to the customer before the customer sends the item to the determined return location;

provide at least a representation of a shipping label for use on an external surface of a package to be used for the return of the item, wherein the shipping label includes encoded information to enable a later determination of a final return destination for the package based at least in part on the encoded information on the shipping label; and

after providing the at least a representation of the shipping label, receive an indication that the item has been sent to the determined return location.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein the stored software instructions further configure the one or more computing systems to obtain information about a status of the customer with the merchant that is based on prior activities of the customer, and wherein to determine to provide the refund to the customer is further based on the status of the customer with the merchant.

5. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored contents that cause one or more computing systems to perform actions, the actions comprising:

receiving, by the one or more computing systems, information from a customer regarding a return of an item from the customer, the item having previously been supplied to the customer from a merchant;

retrieving, by the one or more computing systems, information that is specific to the customer and that is based on one or more transactions of the customer with the merchant involving items other than the item;

determining, by the one or more configured computing systems and based at least in part on the retrieved information specific to the customer, to provide a refund to the customer before the customer sends the item to a determined return location;

initiating, by the one or more configured computing systems, providing the refund to the customer before the customer sends the item to the determined return location;

providing, by the one or more configured computing systems, information to the customer to enable use by the customer of a shipping label on a package for the return of the item, wherein the shipping label includes encoded information to enable a later determination of a final return destination for the package based at least in part on the encoded information on the shipping label of the package; and

after the providing of the information to the customer, receiving an indication that the item has been sent to the determined return location.

6. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 5 wherein the stored contents include instructions that, when executed, determine to provide the refund to the customer before the customer sends the item based at least in part on a status of the customer with the merchant that is determined based on prior activities of the customer.