The present disclosure is related to an optical encoder which is configured to provide precise coding reference data by feature recognition technology. To apply the present disclosure, it is not necessary to provide particular dense patterns on a working surface. The precise coding reference data can be generated by detecting surface features of the working surface.

An interactive video game apparatus designed to be operated by an individual's left or right hand whereby the interactive video game apparatus may be placed or positioned in the user's hand whereby once positioned in the user's hand, the user may interact with a virtual reality controller in one receptacle on a handle of the interactive video game apparatus as well as a beverage such as wine, soda, beer, tea as well as a beverage container such as a soda bottle, beer bottle, wine glass positioned in the container of the interactive video game apparatus.

Systems and methods for determining shrinkage of a commodity sold by a store are provided which may include: identifying data indicative of a volume of the commodity, associating a label with a container that holds the commodity, collecting the label information with a reader and transmitting collected label information to at least one server, automatically determining data characterizing the material in the container, associating the label information and the data characterizing the material in the container, and determining performance data related to the commodity by comparing the data indicative of the volume of the commodity supplied to the store, the data indicative of the volume of the commodity sold by the store, and the data characterizing the material in the container.

In some arrangements, product packaging is digitally watermarked over most of its extent to facilitate high-throughput item identification at retail checkouts. Imagery captured by conventional or plenoptic cameras can be processed (e.g., by GPUs) to derive several different perspective-transformed views—further minimizing the need to manually reposition items for identification. Crinkles and other deformations in product packaging can be optically sensed, allowing such surfaces to be virtually flattened to aid identification. Piles of items can be 3D-modelled and virtually segmented into geometric primitives to aid identification, and to discover locations of obscured items. Other data (e.g., including data from sensors in aisles, shelves and carts, and gaze tracking for clues about visual saliency) can be used in assessing identification hypotheses about an item. Logos may be identified and used—or ignored—in product identification. A great variety of other features and arrangements are also detailed.

The present disclosure describes a device for transporting waste or recyclable material. An example device may include a base and a collapsible sleeve, wherein the collapsible sleeve is movable between an open state and a collapsed state. The collapsible sleeve is structured to interface, in the open state, with the base to form a bin for receiving and transporting waste or recyclable material. The example device may further include an RFID as part of the base or the collapsible sleeve.

A method for authenticating an online transaction on a first computing device using a second computing device including detecting a request to process sensitive payment information input on the first computing device to complete a transaction, determining that a condition is present associated with the transaction, disabling a payment processing function of the website to prevent a payment from being processed and completed, generating a unique identifier to be displayed on the first computing device, wherein the user scans the unique identifier with a second computing device to initiate an authentication function, authenticating the user operating the first computing device, and enabling, by the processor, the payment processing function of the website to allow the payment to process.

A furnishing unit includes at least one surface configured support weight of a user of the furnishing unit, an identifier conveyance unit configured to convey furnishing unit identifier data of the furnishing unit; and a furnishing processing system. The furnishing processing system is operable to receive experience selection data generated by a client device associated with the user based on user input by the user to an interactive user interface, where the client device generates the experience selection data based on determining the furnishing unit identifier data for the furnishing unit via an identifier input element when in proximity to the furnishing unit. The furnishing processing system is further operable to configure output of at least one experience facilitation element of a set of experience facilitation elements associated with the furnishing unit based on the experience selection data.

In one aspect, a retail store includes a multitude of cameras, including a plurality of 3D cameras, and a plurality of other cameras. Certain of the cameras provide imagery from which a shopper's track through the store is monitored, and certain of the cameras are positioned to detect removal of items from store shelves. The store also includes a computer system that provides a database of information about store layout, indicating stock locations of different items. The computer system receives imagery from the cameras (or information derived from such imagery) and uses this data, together with information from the database and information derived from other sensors in the store, to produce a probabilistic tally of items selected by a store shopper. This tally includes an item bearing a barcode, but is produced without reading the barcode. Each item on the tally is associated with a confidence score that meets a computer system-determined threshold. A great number of other features and arrangements are also detailed.

An interactive video game apparatus designed to be operated by an individual's left or right hand whereby the interactive video game apparatus may be placed or positioned in the user's hand whereby once positioned in the user's hand, the user may interact with a virtual reality controller in one receptacle on a handle of the interactive video game apparatus as well as a beverage such as wine, soda, beer, tea as well as a beverage container such as a soda bottle, beer bottle, wine glass positioned in the container of the interactive video game apparatus.

In one aspect, a retail store has multiple sensors, including item sensors in a shopping cart for gathering data from a shopper-selected first item. At least certain of the sensor data is provided to a classifier, which was previously-trained (using data including optical data from known items) to identify possible item matches corresponding to data sensed from the first item. An item identification hypothesis that the shopper-selected first item has a particular identity is evaluated based on (a) information from the classifier, and (b) store layout data indicating items associated with a store location visited by the cart or shopper. The item identification hypothesis has a confidence score. If the score meets a criterion, an item of the hypothesized identity is added to a shopping tally. A great number of other features and arrangements are also detailed.