Abstract: A stored-value card agent includes a database and a card processor. The card processor is configured to receive from a wallet client a deposit request identifying a deposit amount, effect an electronic funds transfer of the deposit amount to a first account maintained by a computer server, and in the database configure a ledger with the deposit amount. The ledger is uniquely associated with the wallet client in the database. The card processor is configured to receive from the wallet client a withdrawal request identifying a withdrawal amount, confirm that the current balance value in the ledger is at least equal to the withdrawal amount, reduce the current balance value by the withdrawal amount, and initiate an electronic funds transfer of the withdrawal amount from the first account to a second account associated with the wallet client by transmitting to the computer server a transfer request identifying the withdrawal amount.

Abstract: Disclosed is a technology for collecting item-level transaction information for interactive payment experience. According to one embodiment, a merchant server can maintain a database including the information of financial accounts having a particular classification. The classification indicates that these financial accounts are associated with a payment service system. When the merchant server determines a requested financial transaction involves a financial account classified in the database, the merchant server transmits the item-level transaction information to the payment service system. The payment service system receives the item-level transaction information in real-time or near real-time and generates an interactive digital transaction receipt for a consumer.

Abstract: A system verifies whether or not an employee is actually on a job at a location during a standard time period, such as a work shift, by sending alerts to the employee's smart phone. The employee must respond to the alerts. The alerts are sent at random time intervals with a certain average rate. The average rate, called a Poisson parameter, can be varied over the course of a shift.

Abstract: A cooking management system is described that identifies a customer and orders a product for the customer based at least on current temporal data. The cooking management system identifies customers associated with previous product requests that occurred during a predetermined range of time based at least on a comparison of current temporal data with temporal data associated with the previous product requests. The cooking management system causes presentation of identifiers of the identified customers on a display. Responsive to determining that the identifier for a particular customer has been selected, the cooking management system automatically causes a cooking device to prepare a product for the particular customer based at least on customer data associated with the particular customer.

Abstract: This invention discloses a novel system and method for providing retail point of sale terminals that are connected securely over the Internet to a back-office service that manages the retailer's data as a service using a system that supports more than one retailer, each of which will have one or more point of sale terminals.

Abstract: Systems and methods for verifying a distant-from-home financial transaction related to a customer account based on travel indicators in earlier purchase transactions made by that customer.

Abstract: A system, computer readable medium, and method of receiving a primary authorization request at a first authorization switch using a prepaid card that lacks adequate funds in the prepaid account to cover the requested purchase amount, and initiating a secondary authorization request using a funding account identifier associated with a funding account that does contain adequate funds to cover the requested purchase amount.

Abstract: Systems and methods for measuring consumption of entertainment commodities distributed through at least two distribution channels by at least one distribution network operator to one or more media receivers. The methods include collecting consumption data from at least one distribution network operator. The at least one distribution network operator distributes entertainment commodities through at least a first distribution channel and a second distribution channel. The collected consumption data relates to entertainment commodities distributed through at least the first distribution channel and the second distribution channel. The collected consumption data includes at least one inconsistency. The collected consumption data is loaded into a computerized database adapted to store, process, and report on consumption. Cleaned consumption data is produced by reconciling consumption data inconsistencies. A consumption data report is based at least in part on the cleaned consumption data.

Abstract: A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a process that includes providing a pairing key to a communication device, wherein the pairing key is encrypted and is associated with a software application associated with a group of services. The communication device is enabled to utilize the software application based on the pairing key and a service of the group of services is requested from a first media resource center for use with a media device. Responsive to a detection of a communication zone associated with a second media resource center, the pairing key is provided to the second media resource center to enable the service to be used in the communication zone. The software application is not fully enabled until it is determined to be in compliance with a service provider policy. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Abstract: A commodity sales data processing apparatus, including a portable information terminal having a battery and a display on which an executable job name is displayed and a docking station on which the information terminal is mounted to charge the battery, monitors whether or not the information terminal is mounted on the docking station to detect the separation therebetween. The processing apparatus restricts jobs permitted at the time the information terminal is separated from the docking station to a part of jobs permitted at the time the information terminal is mounted on the docking station if the separation between the information terminal and the docking station is detected and the display of the information terminal displays job names permitted at the time the information terminal is separated from the docking station if the separation between the information terminal and the docking station is detected.

Abstract: Tools for providing bill aggregation and/or payment services. In an aspect, such tools aggregate all payments over a given period of time, allowing a user to make a single payment to ensure that all appropriate bills are paid in timely fashion. In another aspect, the tools determine, without requiring user input, an amount due on each bill, as well, in some cases, of a due date for each payment. Optionally, the tools can provide a consolidated statement to inform the user of payments to be made over a given period. Such statements can provide a varying level of detail, depending on the implementation and/or on user preferences. In some cases, a consolidated statement might provide line items and/or detailed support for each payment to be made. In other cases, the consolidated statement might simply provide a single consolidated payment amount.

Abstract: Described herein are embodiments of a system that permits various entities (e.g., hiring, staffing, and client computer systems and/or devices) involved in the placement of a candidate to a job to interact systematically to carry out functions that conventional systems are unable to perform. These functions may, for example, include synchronizing systems of different entities involved in placing a worker, effectively tracking a temporary workers during a placement and/or hiring process, and post placement activities. To this end, systems and method are provided that permit a handshake process between disparate systems to complete a candidate placement process, timesheet approval and processing, consolidated invoicing, customized analytics and reporting, supplier onboarding of temporary workers, and post-hiring tracking, among other novel tools, interfaces and functionality.

Abstract: Techniques disclosed herein provide more efficient and more relevant item recommendations to users in large-scale environments in which only positive interest information is known. The techniques use a rank-constrained formulation that generalizes relationships based on known user interests in items and/or use a randomized singular value decomposition (SVD) approximation technique to solve the formulation to identify items of interest to users in an efficiently, scalable manner.

Abstract: A product line engineering (PLE) feature modeling structure called a multistage configuration tree that supports the engineering, deployment and maintenance of complex product family trees is provided. Feature selections and downselections are incrementally staged throughout the nodes in a product family tree. Feature decisions made at any node are inherited by all descendants of that node, thereby defining a product family subtree.

Abstract: A system is disclosed for providing retailer controllable access to consolidated inventory management services through a retail worker's personal smartphone. The system—operable largely within and through the retailer's private computing network—comprises data nodes, an enterprise service bus, and a device application. Inventory-related data is kept in the data nodes, with access thereto from suitably provisioned personal mobile devices moderated by the enterprise service bus pursuant to policies and parameters defined by the retailer. Provisioning the personal mobile device involves installation thereon of the device application. The device application launches a user interface for accessing the data nodes through the enterprise service bus, thus enabling the use on the worker's personal mobile device of retailer-specific, job-related inventory management tools.

Abstract: Voluntary benefits outsourcing systems and methods may be used to provide voluntary benefits to employees. An employee may choose to select any number of voluntary benefits from a menu of voluntary benefits available to that employee through the voluntary benefits system. Available voluntary benefits may include, but are not limited to, automobile insurance, homeowners insurance, life insurance, accident insurance, critical illness insurance, disability insurance, healthcare insurance, dental insurance, long term care insurance, pet care insurance and legal services insurance, discounts on computers, movie tickets, auto financing, educational testing, telephones, travel, child care, and a host of other work/life offerings, for example. The voluntary benefits systems and methods include calculating a single payroll deduction based upon the selection of the voluntary benefits by the employee. In this manner, the employee may receive a pay check with only one deduction for all selected voluntary benefits.

Abstract: Some systems and methods are directed to a device agnostic architecture configured to control and/or manage the interactions between any front end store systems (e.g., self checkout (SCO) systems) for capturing purchase items and backend systems (e.g., point of sale (POS) subsystems) for completing purchase of the items. The device agnostic architecture can include a translation layer or translation component that mediates communications from and/or between the front end and backend systems. For example, the translation layer maps any commands received from any SCO and/or POS device into execution commands native to receiving systems. For example, back-end processing systems can be configured to control on-line identification of products and/or services for purchase, and manage execution of sales of any goods or services. The translation layer manages communication between SCO devices and the backend systems so each communicates with each other according to their respective formats (e.g.

Abstract: A method and apparatus of maintaining time information for a multi-tasking customer service agent is disclosed. One example method of operation may include maintaining time information allocated to a plurality of tasks. The method may include receiving a first task and starting a first timer at a computing device corresponding to the beginning of work performed on the first task. The method may also include receiving a second task and starting a second timer different from the first timer, which corresponds to the beginning of work performed on the second task. The method may further include transferring a total time allocation record representing a total time counted by the first timer and a total time counted by the second timer to a data record stored in memory, wherein the data record associates the total time counted by the first timer with a corresponding task, and associates the total time counted by the second timer with a different corresponding task.

Abstract: A determination unit determines, based on a character string contained in an image and a determination condition stored in a storage unit, whether or not it is appropriate to have a viewer to view the image according to a setting in which the information indicated by the character string is not changed or deleted. When the determination unit determines that it is not appropriate to have the viewer to view the image according to the setting in which the information indicated by the character string is not changed or deleted, a processing executing unit executes processing necessary for having the viewer to view the image according to a setting in which the information indicated by the character string is changed or deleted.

Abstract: Various embodiments are generally directed to techniques for audit management, such as for automating and/or streamlining one or more audit processes or procedures, for instance. Some embodiments are particularly directed to generating optimized audit queues and facilitating efficient performance of the audit queues to provide improved audit platforms. For instance, in one or more embodiments, an audit platform may prioritize documents in a batch with identified authentication requirements and/or identified authentication requirements completed by specific associate entities to create an effective worklist, or audit queue, that covers predefined audit targets for the documents and/or associate entities. In various embodiments, the audit platform may present documents in the worklist and/or associated authentication requirements along with one or more tasks or baselines for completion and/or verification via one or more user interfaces.