Image-Based Fulfillment Attributes for Fast Shipping Quotes
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Solution Overview
Problem
Customers in brick-and-mortar stores often abandon purchases due to the inconvenience of waiting for shipping quotes, leading to potential lost sales for merchants, as existing methods require manual input and are prone to errors.
Innovation Solution
A system utilizing computer vision and machine learning to automatically generate fulfillment attributes, including shipping quotes, by analyzing item images, reducing the need for manual measurements and lookups, and providing accurate quotes through a computing device.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If manual measurement and lookup methods are used to generate shipping quotes, then accuracy can be maintained, but time consumption increases and customer satisfaction decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical measurement processes with an automated computer vision system using cameras and image processing algorithms. The system captures images of items, automatically measures dimensions through image analysis, and generates shipping quotes without human intervention, thereby eliminating the time loss while maintaining measurement accuracy through calibrated computational methods.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-configuring measurement parameters, calibration data, and shipping rate structures before the actual quoting process. Item dimensions are measured and stored in advance, and shipping quotes are pre-calculated based on stored dimensional data and current shipping rates, enabling rapid quote generation without repeated manual measurements.
2Productivity
If automated computer vision systems are used to generate shipping quotes, then speed and efficiency improve, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a universal computer vision system that can handle multiple item types, packaging configurations, and shipping scenarios through a single integrated platform. The system performs dimension measurement, volume calculation, weight estimation, and quote generation across diverse product categories, reducing the need for separate specialized systems and thereby managing complexity while maintaining high productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system introduces an intermediary layer of software algorithms and processing routines that bridge the physical item and the shipping quote output. This intermediary layer handles image processing, dimension extraction, data validation, and quote calculation, isolating the complexity from both the physical measurement process and the final quote delivery, thereby enabling high-speed automated operation.
3Reliability
If manual measurement processes are used, then system simplicity is maintained, but measurement errors increase and reliability decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates feedback mechanisms where the computer vision system continuously validates measurements against known standards, compares results with historical data, and adjusts calibration parameters automatically. This feedback loop ensures high measurement reliability and accuracy while managing system complexity through automated self-correction rather than requiring complex manual verification procedures.
Data Source
AI summary
Generating a fulfillment attribute(s) associated with an item(s) based on inputs associated with the item(s) is described. One or more inputs (e.g., images) of an item (packaged or unpackaged) can be analyzed, and characteristics associated with the item can be determined based on the analysis of the inputs. Upon receiving a user-specified delivery location, fulfillment attribute(s) can be determined based on the delivery location and the characteristics associated with the item, and the fulfillment attribute(s) can be displayed to a user. For example, a point-of-sale (POS) device can be used during a checkout process at a merchant location to capture an image(s) of an item, and to display a shipping quote for selection by a user based on the captured item imagery.