US 11,893,847 B1Granted

Delivering items to evaluation rooms while maintaining customer privacy

AssigneeAmazon Technologies, Inc.

InventorsMichael Joseph Ausich, Zoe Corneli, Leon Hsu, Erin Meyer, Olga Mironov, Vanessa Nommensen, Philip Pinette, Ilene Mina Rafii, Joelle Marie Torneros, Christian Angelo

Life of this patent

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Abstract

Evaluation rooms (or fitting rooms) at a clothing store include replenishment closets that are accessible to customers and associates of the clothing store, albeit not at the same time. Doors of evaluation rooms include access control systems with interlocks that govern operation of the respective doors. Before an associate opens a first door between an exterior of an evaluation room and a closet to place an item therein, a second door between an interior of the evaluation room and the closet is locked. After the associate places the item in the closet, the first door is closed and locked, and the second door is unlocked, enabling the customer to open the second door and retrieve the item. Feedback indicating that items are being staged in a closet, or that items are staged therein and the closet is accessible to a customer, is provided to the customer within the evaluation room.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A system comprising:

a materials handling facility comprising:
an inventory area;
and
a fitting room comprising:
a first computer system within the fitting room, wherein the first computer system comprises at least a first computer processor and an interactive display;
a closet having a first door between an interior of the closet and an exterior of the fitting room and a second door between the interior of the closet and an interior of the fitting room;
a first access control system associated with the first door;
and
a second access control system associated with the second door;
a second computer system having at least a second computer processor and at least one data store, wherein the second computer system is associated with the materials handling facility, and wherein the second computer system is programmed with one or more sets of instructions that, when executed by the at least one computer processor, cause the second computer system to perform a method comprising:
determining that at least a first item has been selected by or on behalf of a customer;
instructing at least one associate of the materials handling facility to retrieve at least the first item from the inventory area and to stage at least the first item within the fitting room;
receiving information regarding a selection of at least a second item, wherein the information regarding the selection of at least the second item is received from the customer via the first computer system;
in response to receiving the information regarding the selection of at least the second item,
instructing the at least one associate of the materials handling facility to retrieve at least the second item from the inventory area;
receiving, from the at least one associate of the materials handling facility, a request to access the closet via the first door;
in response to receiving the request,
causing, by the second access control system, the second door to lock;
and
causing, by the first access control system, the first door to unlock;
determining that the at least one associate has staged at least the second item within the closet;
and
in response to determining that the at least one associate has staged at least the second item within the closet,
causing, by the first access control system, the first door to lock;
and
causing, by the second access control system, the second door to unlock.

23 more elements

A method comprising:

receiving a request to place a first door of a first closet of a first evaluation room of a materials handling facility in an open position, wherein the first door is provided between an inventory area and an interior enclosure of the first closet;
determining that a second door of the first closet is in a closed position, wherein the second door is provided between the interior enclosure of the first closet and an interior enclosure of the first evaluation room;
in response to determining that the second door is in the closed position,
causing the second door to be placed in a locked state;
with the second door in the locked state,
causing the first door to be placed in an unlocked state;
determining that at least a first item has been staged in the first closet via the first door;
determining that the first door is in a closed position;
and
in response to determining that the first door is in the closed position,
causing the first door to be placed in a locked state;
and
causing the second door to be placed in an unlocked state.

10 more elements

A room comprising:

a computer system, wherein the computer system comprises at least a computer processor and an interactive display;
a closet, wherein the closet comprises a first door between an interior of the closet and an inventory area of a materials handling facility and a second door between the interior of the closet and an interior of the room;
a third door provided between the interior of the room and a shopping area of the materials handling facility;
a first access control system associated with the first door;
and
a second access control system associated with the second door;
a third access control system associated with the third door,
wherein operation of the first access control system is interlocked with at least the second access control system,
wherein the interior of the room is defined by at least a first plurality of walls, the second door and the third door,
wherein the computer system is mounted to one of the first plurality of walls,
wherein the interior of the closet is defined by at least a second plurality of walls, the first door and the second door, and
wherein each of the first plurality of walls, the second plurality of walls, the first door, the second door and the third door is formed at least in part from one of a birch or a plywood.

9 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 17/951,617Filed 23 Sep 2022
Granted: 6 Feb 2024
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification11 codes

G07C 9/00896
Electronically operated locks; Circuits therefor; Nonmechanical keys therefor, e.g. passive or active electrical keys or other data carriers…:…
G06Q 10/063112
Scheduling, planning or task assignment for a person or group: skill-based matching of a person or a group to a task
G06Q 10/08726
Using inventory planning: for replenishment processing, procedures, or recommendations using forecasting or optimisation
G06Q 10/0874
Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders: inventory fulfillment