US 12,530,687 B2Granted

Item-identifying carts

AssigneeAmazon Technologies, Inc.

InventorsJeremy Samuel De Bonet, Nicholas McMahon, Oded Maron, Jonathan Cohn

Life of this patent

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Abstract

This disclosure is directed to an item-identifying cart that may be utilized by a user in a materials handling facility to automatically identify items that the user places in their cart, and update a virtual shopping cart to include items taken by the user. The mobile cart may include four capture assemblies that are disposed proximate to each of the four corners of a basket of the cart, and oriented such that their respective optical axes are directed towards an interior of a perimeter of the top of the basket, and above the top of the basket. The capture assemblies may include proximity sensors that are used to detect movement above the top of the basket, LEDs that illuminate items, and cameras that generate image data representing the items as they are placed in, or removed from, the cart.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A mobile apparatus comprising:

a frame comprising:
a bottom having a bottom perimeter;
one or more sides coupled to and extending up from at least a portion of the bottom perimeter, the bottom and the one or more sides defining an interior cavity;
and
a top having a top perimeter that defines an opening to the interior cavity;
a proximity sensor coupled to the frame and configured to detect objects in an area above the top of the frame;
an imaging device coupled to the frame and configured such that a field of view of the imaging device includes the area above the top of the frame;
a wheel frame having a top and a bottom, the wheel frame coupled to the frame and disposed below the bottom of the frame;
at least one wheel coupled to the bottom of the wheel frame;
a battery pack assembly disposed above the top of the wheel frame and below the bottom of the frame, the battery pack assembly comprising one or more batteries that provide power to the proximity sensor and the imaging device;
one or more processors;
and
one or more computer-readable media storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the one or more processors to:
cause the imaging device to generate image data representing an item in the area above the top of the frame prior to the item being placed into the interior cavity based at least in part on sensor data generated by the proximity sensor indicating presence of the item in the area above the top of the frame.

11 more elements

A mobile cart comprising:

a frame comprising:
a bottom having a bottom perimeter;
one or more sides coupled to and extending up from at least a portion of the bottom perimeter, the bottom and the one or more sides defining an interior cavity;
and
a top having a top perimeter that defines an opening to the interior cavity;
a proximity sensor coupled to the frame and configured to detect objects in an area above the top of the frame;
an imaging device coupled to the frame and configured such that a field of view of the imaging device includes the area above the top of the frame;
one or more processors;
and
one or more computer-readable media storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the one or more processors to:
cause the imaging device to generate image data representing an item in the area above the top of the frame prior to the item being placed into the interior cavity based at least in part on sensor data generated by the proximity sensor indicating presence of the item in the area above the top of the frame;
determine, using the image data, an item identifier associated with the item;
and
store an indication of the item identifier.

11 more elements

A mobile apparatus comprising:

a frame comprising:
a bottom having a bottom perimeter;
one or more sides coupled to and extending up from at least a portion of the bottom perimeter, the bottom and the one or more sides defining an interior cavity;
and
a top having a top perimeter that defines an opening to the interior cavity;
a location sensor configured to determine location data associated with a location of the mobile apparatus within a facility;
a proximity sensor coupled to the frame and configured to detect objects in an area above the top of the frame;
an imaging device coupled to the frame and configured such that a field of view of the imaging device includes the area above the top of the frame;
one or more processors;
and
one or more computer-readable media storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the one or more processors to:
cause the imaging device to generate image data representing an item in the area above the top of the frame prior to the item being placed into the interior cavity based at least in part on sensor data generated by the proximity sensor indicating presence of the item in the area above the top of the frame;
determine, using the image data, an item identifier associated with the item;
and
store an indication of the item identifier.

12 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 17/856,547Filed 1 Jul 2022 · continuation
Priority: 25 Feb 2019
Published: US 2022/0337786 A120 Oct 2022
Granted: 20 Jan 2026
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification23 codes

G06Q 20/4014
Transaction verification: identity check for transactions
G06Q 10/087
Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management: inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling,…
G06Q 10/0877
Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders: by inventory control or reporting using inventory…
G06Q 20/206
Point-of-sale [POS] network systems: comprising security or operator identification provisions, e.g. password entry

Family

Application16/284,130Parent of this continuation · filed 25 Feb 2019
US 2022/0337786 A1Pre-grant publication · published 20 Oct 2022
US 11,381,780 B2Parent of this continuation
US 2020/0275059 A1Published application
US 12,530,687 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.