Patents Examined by Courtney Stopp
  • Patent number: 8463656
    Abstract: In an example embodiment, a method is provided. The method may comprise receiving an item identifier from a mobile computing apparatus, such as a mobile telephone or global positioning system (GPS) device. Data associated with the item identifier is accessed and transmitted to a initiate a purchase of the item. In some embodiments, a voice portal may be used to facilitate the purchase.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 3, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2013
    Assignee: eBay, Inc.
    Inventor: Senthil K. Pandurangan
  • Patent number: 8463655
    Abstract: In an example embodiment, a method is provided. The method may comprise receiving an item identifier from a global positioning system (GPS) apparatus. Data associated with the item identifier is accessed and transmitted to a initiate a purchase of the item. In some embodiments, a voice portal may be used to facilitate the purchase.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 3, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2013
    Assignee: eBay, Inc.
    Inventor: Senthil K. Pandurangan
  • Patent number: 8463660
    Abstract: A system, method and interface for managing lotting or catalog data pertaining to assets for sale, cataloging or acquisition at an auction event. Auctioneers provide auction and lot data, and a lotter is assigned to gather data pertaining to the assets. A system server has a template application running thereon for providing a template and form fields corresponding to the asset type as specified by a lotter. The system provides standardized forms for gathering asset data, and similar data fields are provided for similar asset types. An interactive portal provides users with auction data and the generated forms for gathering data during the lotting process. The interactive portal includes an options screen, overview screen, lotting screen and auction screen for performing the various lotting management.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2013
    Assignee: Lotting Solutions, LLC
    Inventor: Glenn M. White
  • Patent number: 8447663
    Abstract: A method and a system to automatically coordinate remote inspectors are provided. Initially, a listing is identified for remote inspection in an online publication system. The listing may describe an item for sale that is, in turn, associated with a geographical location and a category. One or more remote inspectors are identified based on the geographical location and the category associated with the item for sale. The listing and respective profiles of each of the one or more remote inspectors is published to a buyer. A selection of a selected remote inspector is received from the buyer. A template inspection report is provided to the selected remote inspector. Once the remote inspector has inspected the item for sale, the buyer is provided a completed inspection report received from the selected remote inspector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2013
    Assignee: eBay Inc.
    Inventors: Danny Chang, Balaji Thallam Parthasarathy
  • Patent number: 8442868
    Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed herein which that enable a first party, such as a child, to selected one or more items offered by an online retailer and to send a request to a second party, such as a parent or guardian, to request that the second party purchase the item or items for the first party. The systems and methods provide the second party with the ability to view requests received from the first party, to set limits on the number of requests and the amounts of the requests that the first party may make. The second party may also designate the parties to whom the first party may submit purchase requests. The child may also submit request to one or more non-parental contributors who may contribute money toward the purchase the one or more items for the child.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 3, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2013
    Assignee: The Spendsmart Payments Company
    Inventors: James Collas, Chris Nicolaidis, Jonathan Shultz, Jeffery Hall
  • Patent number: 8442874
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a flight selection method using a computerized device. The method includes the step of processing flight data relating to flights to produce display data. The display data is displayed by a remote computer in accordance with a flight search query. The display data includes flight representations displayed relative to a timeline. At least one flight representation is associated with more than one fare indicator to provide for a more compact display of flight information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2013
    Assignee: Standby Holdings Pty Ltd
    Inventor: Scott Moorhead
  • Patent number: 8433620
    Abstract: An application store tastemaker recommendation service is usable to determine experts within a user's social network(s), receive recommendations from the experts, and filter and/or rank mobile application query results based at least in part on the recommendations. Additionally, the service may be usable to determine experts based on data compiled about previous actions, reviews, comments, etc., of the experts. Further, the service may be usable to provide recommendations to the user to aid in selecting mobile applications for purchase, and may provide an avenue for completing such purchases.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2013
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Joseph Futty, Matthew Graham Dyor, Danny Lange, Miller T. Abel
  • Patent number: 8429027
    Abstract: Particular embodiments extract a plurality of users, a plurality of establishments, and a plurality of items from dining information provided by at least one of the plurality of users, each of the plurality of establishments sells food or beverage; construct a user-establishment matrix, a user-item matrix, and an establishment-item matrix using the plurality of users, the plurality of establishments, and the plurality of items; generate a user latent representation for the plurality of users, an establishment latent representation for the plurality of establishments, and an item latent representation for the plurality of items; and compute one or more correlations using the user latent representation, the establishment latent representation, or the item latent representation, wherein each of the one or more correlations is between two users, two establishments, two items, one user and one establishment, one of user and one item, or one establishment and one item.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2013
    Assignee: Yahoo! Inc.
    Inventor: Zhaohui Zheng
  • Patent number: 8423419
    Abstract: A method of identifying related parts is disclosed. The method includes receiving a selection of a product, receiving a selection of at least one part of a product, and identifying at least one related part structurally associated with the selected at least one part. The method further includes generating a parts list containing the selected at least one part and the identified at least one related part, and presenting the parts list.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2013
    Assignee: Caterpillar Inc.
    Inventors: Gary A. Robinson, David W. Wiggers, Rollin G. Reeb, Kent A. Gashaw, Brian J. Wirth, Bobby L. England, Kelly R. Bumgarner, Elango G. Joseph
  • Patent number: 8417577
    Abstract: A system for viewing shopping information on a social networking platform is disclosed. At the social networking platform, the system receives a request from a user device corresponding to a first user of the social networking platform to view a list of a second user of the social networking platform. The list may include items offered for transaction on a network-based commerce server. In response to receiving the request from the user device, the system forwards the request to the network-based commerce server, and then receives updated information for at least one item on the list from the network-based corner server. Then, the system communicates the updated information received from the network-based commerce server to the user device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2013
    Assignee: eBay, Inc.
    Inventors: Philip Law, Yuan Der Ho, Choon Chong, Rolf Skyberg, Massimiliano Mancini, Adam Trachtenberg, Trisha Lee Okubo
  • Patent number: 8412594
    Abstract: Selecting a first silhouette image of an item at a client machine displays a plurality of silhouette images representing aspects of the item such as style, length type and sleeve type. Selecting any of those aspects allows a server to search a database for listings of similar items that have those aspects. Concurrently selecting one or more of the images representing those aspects and one or more sizes, allows a server to search a database for listings of similar items that have those aspects and those sizes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 21, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2013
    Assignee: eBay Inc.
    Inventor: Rini Kundu
  • Patent number: 8396761
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus, including systems and computer program products, for a services architecture design that provides enterprise services having product catalog functionality at the level of an enterprise application. The design includes a set of service operations, process components, and optionally deployment units. Suitable business objects are also described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2013
    Assignee: SAP AG
    Inventor: Markus Peter
  • Patent number: 8392289
    Abstract: In general, the subject matter described in this disclosure can be embodied in methods, systems, and program products. A server system receives, as sent by a computing device, a request to purchase a product. The request is initiated by user selection of an element provided for display by a third-party application program. The server system sends, for receipt by a transaction processing system, a charge request to charge an account of a user of the computing device for purchase of the product. The server system determines, after the charge request has been sent for receipt by the transaction processing system, to cancel the charge request. The server system sends, for receipt by the transaction processing system, a request to cancel the charge request. The server system sends, for receipt by the computing device, an indication that purchase of the product has been cancelled.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2013
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventor: Linda K. Nguyen
  • Patent number: 8392263
    Abstract: A method and system selects and conveys relevant and personalized gifts using an online personal gift profile having personal preference data. The method includes providing, by a conveying user, the identity of a receiving user. The method includes selecting, by the conveying user, a gift-class. The method includes identifying the personal gift profile of the receiving user from the identity of the receiving user and retrieving the personal preference data of the receiving user from the personal gift profile. The method includes sending the selected gift item to the receiving user's physical address.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2013
    Assignee: What Now, Inc.
    Inventors: Thomas V. Sanguinetti, Dave T. Sanguinetti, Jeffrey S. Ploetner, Christine M. Dye
  • Patent number: 8392288
    Abstract: Identifying electronic receipt data with a plug-in to a software application. Consumer purchases from merchants may be confirmed with an electronic receipt or message, which may be displayed by or transmitted to a consumer computer on which a software application such as a web browser and/or e-mail client application executes. A plug-in to the software application receives data of the software application that displays or stores transaction confirmation data generated by a merchant. The plug-in analyzes the software application data to identify potential electronic receipt data and notifies the consumer of the identified electronic receipt data. The plug-in provides for a choice whether identified electronic receipt data should be transmitted to a host computer that collects, stores and organizes electronic receipt data using a receipt program and receipt database.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2013
    Assignee: Intuit Inc.
    Inventor: Terry Miller
  • Patent number: 8392290
    Abstract: Various embodiments include a method and system for a seller conversion factor to ranking score for presented item listings. In an online marketplace with sellers and item listings, a first sum may be calculated by identifying a first set of item listings associated with the seller. A second sum may also be calculated by identifying a second set of item listings, where the second set is a subset of the first set and are successful item listings. Further, a conversion factor may be calculated from the first and second sums by dividing the second sum by the first sum. The conversion factor may then be used as a component in an item listing quality score for a third set of item listings associated with the seller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2013
    Assignee: eBay Inc.
    Inventors: Muhammad Faisal Rehman, Joseph Anthony Beynon, Qian Zhong, Ryan McDonald, Jingzhou Hua
  • Patent number: 8392270
    Abstract: A system and method for sharing information on a network-based social platform is provided. A search request, from a first user, for an item from a network-based marketplace is received via an interface provided by a social networking website of a network-based social platform. The network-based social platform is a platform that allows the first user to communicative couple with at least a second user with whom the first user has a pre-established relationship that is stored in a user profile of the first user at the network-based social platform. A search result including at least one item available from the network-based marketplace is provided to the interface associated with the first user. A selection is received from the first user to share information concerning an item from the search result to at least the second user, and the information is shared with at least the second user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2013
    Assignee: eBay, Inc.
    Inventors: Yuan Der Ho, Choon Chong, Rolf Skyberg, Massimiliano Mancini, Adam Trachtenberg, Trisha Lee Okubo, Philip Law
  • Patent number: 8392271
    Abstract: A system and method for sharing information on a network-based social platform is provided. An indication is received from a first user to share information on a network-based social platform. The network-based social platform is a platform that allows the first user to communicative couple with at least a second user with whom the first user has a pre-established relationship that is stored in a user profile of the first user at the network-based social platform. The information is information regarding an item offered for sale on a marketplace of the network-based social platform. Profile information of the at least second user is reviewed. A determination of whether to forward the information regarding the item to the at least second user based on the profile information is performed. The information regarding the item based on the determining is then shared based on the determination.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2013
    Assignee: eBay, Inc.
    Inventors: Yuan Der Ho, Choon Chong, Rolf Skyberg, Massimiliano Mancini, Adam Trachtenberg, Trisha Lee Okubo, Philip Law
  • Patent number: 8392281
    Abstract: A complementary item promoter user interface (UI) is provided that promotes, to a user, items that are complementary to an item of interest to the user. Upon the user's selection of an item of interest, the complementary item promoter UI presents a combination of complementary items selected in accordance with business rules data. The business rules data may be submitted by an administrative user to a content management service that deploys the complementary item promoter UI in a deployment environment. The business rules data may include rules that govern how complementary items are chosen or how they are to be displayed in the complementary item promoter UI.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 12, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2013
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Umair Bashir, Gregor A. Moulton, Sean M. Scott
  • Patent number: 8392262
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for determining a pickup location for an item selected in an online transaction based on location information or data. The method comprises obtaining location data for the mobile communication device and determining availability of the selected item at one or more locations based on proximity to the location. According to an embodiment, one of the locations with item availability is selected and the online transaction is completed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2013
    Assignee: Research In Motion Limited
    Inventors: Martyn Mallick, Christopher Smith