US 9,959,562 B1Granted

Method, medium, and system for local item fulfillment in a market hierarchy

AssigneeAmazon Technologies, Inc.

InventorsNeil Scott Ackerman, Asanka Boyd Jayasuriya, Nicole Andrea Petrich

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Loading patent…

Abstract

Techniques are provided for managing local item fulfillment. For example, a fulfillment management computer can provide a local item to a user when the local item is stored in a local fulfillment center, when the local fulfillment center can fulfill the order requested by the user quickly, when the price of a local item is within a certain threshold of the best item in a top level market, or when the local item is provided by a preferred item provider. The local item may be a perishable item (e.g., apples) and could benefit from being stored close to a user that orders the local item or be non-perishable (e.g., electronics). It may be preferable to provide an item that is stored locally to the user instead of an item that would need to be shipped to the user from afar.

Claims23

Dependent claims

A computer-implemented method for providing a local item to a user, comprising:

determining a qualified item corresponding with a top level market, the qualified item corresponding with a top level market price and a top level market location, the qualified item being perishable, the qualified item being able to be provided to users within a limited geography range of the top level market, and the top level market being larger than local geography;
receiving a location of the user;
determining, by one or more computer systems configured with computer-executable instructions, a local fulfillment center using the location of the user, the location of the user being accessible by a vehicle that originates from the local fulfillment center on a same day that the user initiates an order for a first local item or a second local item stored with the local fulfillment center, the local fulfillment center serving the local geography, the first local item corresponding with a first item price and the second local item corresponding with a second item price, and the first local item and the second local item being perishable;
receiving a search query from the user for the qualified item;
comparing the location of the user with the top level market location;
preventing a display of the qualified item for the user when the location of the user is outside the limited geography range;
comparing the first item price and the second item price with the top level market price to determine a price difference;
determining that the price difference is within a threshold amount for the first local item, but not the second local item;
preventing the display of the second local item for the user when the second item price is outside the threshold amount;
and
providing only the first local item to the user based at least in part the user being outside the limited geography range of the qualified item and the second item price being outside the threshold amount of the top level market price.

8 more elements

A computer-implemented method for providing a local item to a user, comprising:

determining a qualified item in a top level market in a hierarchy of predetermined markets, the qualified item in the top level market corresponding with a top level market price and a top level market location, the qualified item being perishable, the qualified item being able to be provided to users within a limited geography range of the top level market, and the limited geography range of the top level market being larger than a local geography;
receiving a location of the user;
determining, by one or more computer systems configured with computer-executable instructions, a local service provider using the location of the user, the location of the user being accessible by a vehicle that originates from the local service provider on a same day that the user initiates an order for a first locally qualified item or a second locally qualified item stored with the local service provider, the local service provider serving the local geography, the first locally qualified item corresponding with a first item price and the second locally qualified item corresponding with a second item price, and the first locally qualified item and the second locally qualified item being perishable;
receiving a search query from the user for the qualified item in the top level market;
comparing the location of the user with the top level market location;
preventing a display of the qualified item in the top level market for the user when the location of the user is outside the limited geography range;
comparing the first item price and the second item price with the top level market price to determine a price difference;
determining that the price difference is within a threshold amount for the first locally qualified item, but not the second locally qualified item;
preventing the display of the second locally qualified item for the user when the second item price is outside the threshold amount;
and
providing the first locally qualified item to the user, and not the qualified item or the second locally qualified item, based at least in part the user being outside the limited geography range of the qualified item in the top level market and the second locally qualified item being outside the threshold amount of the qualified item in the top level market.

8 more elements

One or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media collectively storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by one or more computer systems, configure the one or more computer systems to collectively perform operations comprising:

determining a qualified item, the qualified item corresponding with a top level market price and a top level market location, the qualified item being perishable, the qualified item being able to be provided to users within a limited geography range of the top level market, and the limited geography of the top level market being larger than local geography;
receiving a location of a user;
identifying a local fulfillment center with respect to a user from a set of qualified fulfillment centers, the user being accessible by a vehicle that originates from the local fulfillment center on a same day that the user initiates an order for a first local item or a second local item stored with the local fulfillment center, the local fulfillment center serving the local geography, the first locally qualified item corresponding with a first item price and the second locally qualified item corresponding with a second item price, and the first locally qualified item and the second locally qualified item being perishable;
receiving a search query from the user for the qualified item;
comparing the location of the user with the top level market location;
preventing a display of the qualified item for the user when the location of the user is outside the limited geography range;
comparing the first item price and the second item price with the top level market price to determine a price difference;
determining that the price difference is within a threshold amount for the first locally qualified item, but not the second locally qualified item;
preventing the display of the second locally qualified item for the user when the second item price is outside the threshold amount;
and
providing the first locally qualified item to the user, and not the qualified item or the second locally qualified item, based at least in part the user being outside the limited geography range of the qualified item and the second item price being outside the threshold amount of the top level market price.

8 more elements

A system for identifying a locally qualified item, comprising:

a memory that stores computer-executable instructions;
and
a processor configured to access the memory and to execute the computer-executable instructions to collectively at least:
determine a winning item, the winning item corresponding with a winning price and a top level market location, the winning item being perishable, the winning item being able to be provided to users within a limited geography range, and the limited geography range being larger than a local geography;
receive a request for the winning item, a first local item, or a second local item from a user associated with a location of the user, the first local item corresponding with a first item price and the second local item corresponding with a second item price, and the first local item and the second local item being perishable;
compare the location of the user with the top level market location;
prevent a display of the winning item for the user when the location of the user is outside the limited geography range;
prevent the display of the second local item for the user when the second item price is outside the threshold amount;
provide the first local item to the user, and not the winning item or the second local item, based at least in part the user being outside the limited geography range of the winning item and the second item price being outside the threshold amount of the winning price;
compare the first item price and the second item price with the winning price to determine a price difference;
and
determine that the price difference is within a threshold amount for the first local item, but not the second local item.

9 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.