Patents Examined by Alex Wolcott
  • Patent number: 9378522
    Abstract: A noninstrusive system and method of scanning an object having component parts includes a vendor based data repository of component parts and a matching processor to receive a scanned image representative of the assembled object and to provide suggested and/or matched component parts for purchase from the vendor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2016
    Assignee: W.W. GRAINGER, INC.
    Inventor: Erwin Munoz Cruz
  • Patent number: 9330414
    Abstract: A method of modifying a requisition within approval and budgetary constraints by a procurement organization may include receiving the requisition from a requesting organization, where the requisition may comprise one or more lines, each having been approved by the requesting organization. The method may also include receiving a change to be applied to a first line associated with a first budget allocation, where the change may be received from a buyer in the procurement organization, and the change may be associated with a second budget allocation. The method may additionally include determining that the change violates a threshold, sending the change to the requesting organization for a second approval, receiving, from the requesting organization, an indication as to whether the second approval is granted, and creating a purchase order based on the indication as to whether the second approval is granted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2016
    Assignee: ORACLE INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Mayukh Bhaowal, Suman Guha, Shibhu Nambiar, Lee-Hian Quek, Angela Xian
  • Patent number: 9235858
    Abstract: Disclosed are various embodiments for locally searching a search string in network content. A user accesses network content through a client device and enters a search string through the client device. Once the local search is performed on the network content by a client application or a search application through a network, the result would be encoded and displayed for the user to view. Furthermore, a content modifying application modifies the content of one or more network contents or pages based on the stored local search data. The content modifying application may also make recommendations as to what information should be included in the network content.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 12, 2016
    Assignee: AMAZON TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventors: Sachin B. Singh, Martin C. Eitreim
  • Patent number: 9196000
    Abstract: A system and method collects fees for usage of a dynamically constructed digital product including a plurality of diverse digital components, each diverse digital component having different restrictions and usage fees. The system and method enable a user to select parameters for a dynamic digital product; identify diverse individual digital components needed to construct a dynamic digital product; dynamically construct the dynamic digital product based upon the identified diverse digital components; collect information directed to restrictions and usage fees for each identified diverse digital component; generate an integrated license for the dynamically constructed digital product based upon the collected information; monitor individual usage of the diverse individual digital components; and generate payments, in response to monitored individual usage of the diverse individual digital components, to entities associated with the diverse individual digital components.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2015
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Donald M. Pangrazio, III, Jonathan D. Levine, Michael J. Evan
  • Patent number: 9171326
    Abstract: Disclosed are methods for evaluating a user's interests and making gift recommendations using social media data. Interests and attributes of a user may be detected from social media content and products corresponding to the interests and attributes may be selected and presented as gift recommendations for the user. Methods are disclosed for resolving ambiguity as to interests reflected by textual data in social media content. Also disclosed are methods for inferring a user's interests from the interests of friends of the user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 27, 2015
    Assignee: Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
    Inventors: Ioannis Pavlidis, Anand Rajaraman, Zoheb Vacheri
  • Patent number: 9070094
    Abstract: Techniques for optimizing a shopping agenda are disclosed. The techniques include receiving an electronic shopping list containing one or more items, each item indicating a product sold by a retailer. The techniques also include determining, at the processing device, a store location of the retailer, the store location indicating a store where the one or more products indicated by the one or more items are to be purchased. The techniques further include determining one or more product waypoints based on the one or more items in the electronic shopping list and the store map, each product waypoint of the one or more product waypoints respectively corresponding to one of the one or more items and being indicative of a product location of the product indicated by the item in the store. The techniques further include providing the one or more product waypoints for display.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 30, 2015
    Assignee: WAL-MART STORES, INC.
    Inventor: Valerie Goulart
  • Patent number: 8812376
    Abstract: Techniques are disclosed for generating an electronic shopping list based on a digital photograph of a handwritten shopping list. The techniques include obtaining a digital photograph of a handwritten shopping list and identifying a handwritten text portion in the digital photograph. The techniques further include determining a set of candidate items corresponding to the handwritten text portion, each candidate item of the set of candidate items representing a different item that may have written in the handwritten text portion of the handwritten shopping list and being indicative of a product sold by a retailer. The techniques further include selecting one of the set of candidate items for inclusion in the electronic shopping list. The techniques can be performed by a mobile computing device or by a shopping list server.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 19, 2014
    Assignee: Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
    Inventor: Valerie Goulart