Lawrence Cate

Title: Innovations by Lawrence Cate in Shipping Cost Estimation

Introduction

Lawrence Cate is an innovative inventor based in Palo Alto, California. He has made significant contributions to the field of online marketplaces through his unique approach to estimating shipping costs. His work leverages machine learning to enhance the efficiency of shipping processes for e-commerce transactions.

Latest Patents

Lawrence Cate holds a patent for a method titled "Estimating shipping costs with machine learning." This patent discloses various embodiments for estimating shipping costs of items purchased on an online market. The method operates by detecting a sales transaction between a seller and a buyer for an item via an online marketplace. An item vector representing the item is created by a deep learning model based on a plurality of characteristics associated with the item. The process identifies a set of proximate vectors corresponding to past listings where past shipping costs are known. A weighted average is calculated from these past shipping costs, and a dimensional weight of the item is estimated based on this average. Ultimately, a shipping cost for the item is estimated prior to providing it to a carrier.

Career Highlights

Lawrence Cate is currently employed at Mercari, Inc., where he continues to develop innovative solutions for the e-commerce industry. His work focuses on improving the accuracy and efficiency of shipping cost estimations, which is crucial for enhancing customer satisfaction and operational efficiency in online marketplaces.

Collaborations

Lawrence has collaborated with notable colleagues, including Mohammad-Mahdi Mozzami and Masonori Uehara. Their combined expertise contributes to the advancement of technologies that streamline online transactions and shipping processes.

Conclusion

Lawrence Cate's innovative approach to estimating shipping costs through machine learning represents a significant advancement in the e-commerce sector. His contributions not only improve operational efficiency but also enhance the overall customer experience in online marketplaces.