US 9,870,549 B2Granted

Virtual postage based on image recognition

AssigneeA9.com, Inc.

InventorMatthew Warren Amacker

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Abstract

A number of approaches for using a camera or other device to capture an image of an arbitrary signature, drawing and/or other scribble rendered on a package and utilizing the captured image as electronic postage for shipping the package to the recipient destination. A sender wishing to send a package handwrites a signature or other scribble directly onto the package that is to be shipped. A mobile device (e.g., smartphone) can be used to capture an image of the scribble and perform image recognition to determine whether the captured image contains sufficient features to be distinct from other images stored in a database. If the image is sufficiently distinct, the image can be accepted as electronic postage for the package. When the package is picked up, the delivery person scans the scribble and matches it to the image on file to determine the recipient address and other shipping information.

Claims19

Dependent claims

A computer implemented method for providing delivery information, the method comprising:

receiving, via a computing device, a first image of a signature located on a package, the first image captured using a portable computing device of a user;
performing, via the computing device, image recognition to determine that the first image of the signature is distinct with respect to a plurality of images stored in a database, wherein performing image recognition comprises extracting one or more interest points from the first image of the signature to determine a feature description of the signature for comparison with the plurality of images stored in the database;
associating, via the computing device, the first image of the signature with the delivery information of the package, the delivery information including at least shipping information and payment information;
accepting, via the computing device, the first image of the signature as an electronic postage for the package, the first image of the signature and the delivery information stored in the database;
receiving, via the computing device, a second image of the signature located on the package, the second image captured using a delivery carrier device;
determining, by an image recognition engine of the computing device, that the second image of the signature matches the first image of the signature based at least in part on the feature description of the signature;
retrieving, via the computing device, the delivery information associated with the first image of the signature;
and
providing, via the computing device, the delivery information to the delivery carrier.

6 more elements

A computing device, comprising:

at least one processor;
memory including instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the computing device to:
receive a first image of a scribble located on a package, the first image captured using a portable computing device of a user;
perform image recognition to determine that the first image of the scribble is distinct with respect to a plurality of images stored in a database, wherein performing image recognition comprises extracting one or more interest points from the first image of the scribble to determine a feature description of the scribble for comparison with the plurality of images stored in the database;
associate the first image of the scribble with a delivery information of the package, the delivery information including at least shipping information and payment information;
accept the first mage of the scribble as a postage for he package, the first image of the scribble and the delivery information stored in the database;
obtain a second image of the scribble located on the package, the second image captured using a delivery person device;
perform image recognition to determine that the second image of the scribble matches with the first image of the scribble based at least in part on the feature description of the scribble;
retrieve the delivery information associated with the first image of the scribble;
and
provide the delivery information to the delivery person.

8 more elements

A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing one or more sequences of instructions executable by one or more processors to perform a set of operations comprising:

receiving a first image of an user-drawn pattern located on a package, the first image captured using a portable computing device of a user;
performing image recognition to determine that the first image of the user-drawn pattern is distinct with respect to a plurality of images stored in a database, wherein performing image recognition comprises extracting one or more interest points from the first image of the user-drawn pattern to determine a feature description of the user-drawn pattern for comparison with the plurality of images stored in the database;
associating the first image of the user-drawn pattern with a delivery information of the package, the delivery information including at least shipping information and payment information;
accepting the first image of the user-drawn pattern as an electronic postage for the package, the first image of the user-drawn pattern and the delivery information stored in the database;
obtaining a second image of the user-drawn pattern located on the package, the second image captured using a delivery messenger device;
performing image recognition to determine that the second image of the user-drawn pattern matches with the first image of the user-drawn pattern based at least in part on the feature description of the user-drawn pattern;
retrieving the delivery information associated with the first image of the user-drawn pattern;
and
providing the delivery information to the delivery messenger.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 14/531,886Filed 3 Nov 2014 · continuation
Priority: 18 Jun 2012
Published: US 2015/0127573 A17 May 2015
Granted: 16 Jan 2018
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification4 codes

G06Q 10/0838
Shipping: historical data
G06V 20/00
Scenes
G06Q
Information and communication technology [ict] specially adapted for administrative, commercial, financial, managerial
G06V
Image and video recognition

Family

Application13/526,188Parent of this continuation · filed 18 Jun 2012
US 2015/0127573 A1Pre-grant publication · published 7 May 2015
US 8,879,785 B1Parent of this continuation
US 9,870,549 B2This patent

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

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