Amazon patents packaging surveillance

May 19, 2010

Amazon wants to film the packaging and preparation of your goods as they get ready to ship out in order to make sure your order is properly fulfilled and addressed.

Stills or the whole video are then forwarded along to you, so you can review them. Granted a couple of weeks ago, the patent for this oh-so-complex monitoring system was actually quite specific as it only operates if your order includes "at least one book, food item, bottle of wine, flowers, or jewelry," so it's not like Amazon can keep anyone from doing the same thing with other products.

A considerable number of companies already capture video of all their merchandise from manufacturing to shipment, which begs to question the Patentability of this process.

The camera, IP network and VMS combine to become the basis for this patent? Probably not, however we should ask if this is the start of patenting the "things or processes" that surveillance cameras routinely monitor.   Chris Hills, CPP, CRMP  [email protected]

Patent image below: