New Amazon patent: sending video of orders being boxed

We’re all familiar with unboxing videos that people post to the web, capturing the moments when they get a first look at a new device. Well, it turns out Amazon.com is interested in the reverse process, taking videos of products as they’re being boxed and packaged in the warehouse.

The online retail giant received a U.S. patent today for a method of sending images and video clips to customers of their order being packaged for shipment — to reassure them that everything is correct. That kind of feature would put a new multi-media spin on the standard e-mail order notification.

The Amazon patent, No. 7,689,465, was granted today and refers to a “System and method for visual verification of order processing.” It was originally filed in March 2005 and lists as inventors Jonathan Shakes, Francois Rouaix, and Donald Kaufman.

Here’s a description:

One or more images of items for an order being processed at processing station of an order fulfillment center may be captured and associated with the order. Alternatively, a short video clip may be captured of the order being packaged. An electronic notification that the order has been processed may be sent to a customer associated with the order. The electronic notification may include a reference to one or more of the captured images or video clips. The customer may use a reference included in the notification to view the captured images. The customer may view captured images to verify that the order has been correctly processed. The captured images may include images of the items being packaged for shipment and may show the shipping address on the package allowing the customer to verify that indeed it is his package in the images.

Amazon warehouse workers: get ready for your closeup.

Some images from the patent of how the system may work: