Automatically identifying incongruous item packages

US7085677B1 · kind B1 · utility

Assignee

• AMAZON TECHNOLOGIES, INC. · US

Inventors

• Cary R. Champlin · Issaquah, US
• Felix F. Anthony · Issaquah, US
• Mackenzie Smith · Issaquah, US
• Anthony B. Williams · Shoreline, US
• Alexander Clark Prater · Seattle, US
• James E. Bacus · Seattle, US
• Suzanne C. Reynolds · Lexington, US
• Dean W. Webster · Seattle, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Apr 19, 2004
• Grant date: Aug 1, 2006
• Expiry date: May 25, 2024

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G06Q10/087
• WIPO field: IT methods for management
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

A method, system, and computer-readable medium is described for automatically identifying incongruous item packages, such as to detect incongruities in the items that are included as contents of the item packages and/or to identify incongruities in the packaging used for the item packages. In some situations, the automatic identification of incongruous packages includes initially automatically learning appropriate values for parameters of items (e.g., item weights and/or dimensions) based on automatically measured parameters of packages including those items. Those item values can then be used to estimate corresponding parameter values of sealed packages that contain those items, and to further identify incongruous item packages whose measured parameter values do not correspond to the estimated values for those parameters.