Intelligent item receptacle
AssigneeUnited States Postal Service
InventorsWilliam Albert Tartal, Gabriel Michael Yessin
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An intelligent item receptacle, system, and method for providing supplemental media content in response to depositing an item having media indicia disposed thereon. An intelligent item receptacle includes an item receptacle securely enclosing an interior volume, an item sensor configured to detect an inserted item, a camera within the interior volume configured to capture an image of the item, and an output configured to play audio or visual content to bystanders outside the item receptacle. Processing circuitry within the item receptacle analyzes the image to determine if the media indicia are present on the item and, if present, causes the output to play the audio or visual content associated with the media indicia.
Claims20
An intelligent item receptacle comprising:
- an interior volume;
- an item sensor disposed within the interior volume and configured to:
- detect an item in the interior volume, the item having media indicia disposed thereon, the media indicia associated with a portion of audio content or visual content stored in a memory of the intelligent item receptacle;
- and
- transmit a first signal in response to detecting the item;
- a camera disposed within the interior volume and configured to capture an image of the item;
- an output device;
- and
- one or more processors disposed within the interior volume in communication with the at least one sensor, the memory, the camera, and the output device, the one or more processors configured to:
- receive the first signal from the item sensor;
- cause the camera to capture the image of the item based on the first signal;
- analyze the image to detect the media indicia located on the item;
- and
- cause the output device to play the portion of audio content or visual content based on detecting the media indicia located on the item.
A method of presenting supplemental content comprising:
- detecting, at an intake sensor of a receptacle, the deposit of an item into the receptacle, the item having media indicia disposed thereon, the media indicia associated with a portion of audio content or visual content stored in a memory of the receptacle;
- detecting, at an item sensor of the receptacle, a first position of the item within the receptacle;
- determining, based at least in part on the first position of the item, a speed of the item;
- determining, based at least on the speed of the item, a time delay for an imaging system of the receptacle;
- capturing at least one image of the item after the time delay;
- analyzing the at least one image to detect the media indicia located on the item;
- and
- causing an output of the receptacle to play the portion of audio content or visual content based on detecting the media indicia located on the item.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.