Other

Amazon Technologies, Inc.

Mike Mosman

Robert M Riggs

Andrew James Pierce

Dan Beltzer

Jacob Drewniak

Paul Eugene Munger

Matthew Ray DesJardien

Julie T Yu

Greg K Justice

Stavan Dholakia

Alexander Eugene Choi

Sergio Alfredo Phan Lung Li

Kenneth Edward Doe

An impulse strip including a plurality of clips, hooks or other features for attaching items to the impulse strip also includes a plurality of switches associated with each of the clips, hooks or other features. The switches are in communication with illuminators or other indicators that are arranged in an array. When an item is loaded onto the strip, or removed from the strip, a switch may be opened or closed, causing one of the illuminators in the array to be activated or deactivated accordingly. An image captured of the illuminators is processed to determine which of the illuminators is activated and which is deactivated, and an inventory level of the strip may be determined based on the statuses of the respective illuminators corresponding to the clips, the hooks or the other features of the impulse strip.

Determining inventory levels using switch-equipped strips and patterns of activated or deactivated indicators

This disclosure describes, in part, systems for tracking the removal of shopping bags or other items from a dispenser. Folded shopping bags are stacked in a holder so that a front shopping bag can be removed by pulling it along an axis that is parallel to the length and/or width dimension of the shopping bag. A motion sensor is positioned to sense movement of the front shopping bag as it is removed. Control logic monitors and/or analyzes data or other signals from the motion sensor and determines whether movement of at least a threshold distance has occurred. If movement of at least the threshold distance has occurred, the control logic concludes that a shopping bag has been removed and generates a corresponding event notice. Other system components may respond to the event notice by applying a charge for the removed shopping bag or by performing other actions.

Item dispenser with motion-based removal detection

Growing community of inventors

Everett, WA, United States of America

Mike Mosman