Abstract: A conditional purchase offer (CPO) management system is disclosed for receiving CPOs from one or more customers, such as airline passengers, and for evaluating the received CPOs against a number of CPO rules defined by a plurality of sellers, such as airlines, to determine whether any seller is willing to accept a given CPO. A CPO rule is a set of restrictions defined by a given seller, such as an airline, to define a combination of restrictions for which the seller is willing to accept a predefined price. The CPO rules may be securely stored by one or more servers. The CPO management system permits a seller to correct for forecasting errors, if necessary, or other competitive forces which have produced excess capacity, by providing inventory for sale to CPO customers.

Abstract: A method and system for facilitating the transfer of intellectual property are disclosed. In one embodiment, the method of facilitating the transfer of intellectual property includes obtaining at a computer system of a first entity information concerning intellectual property in which an interest is available for transfer (the “available intellectual property”) from a second entity. The method further includes transferring the interest in the available intellectual property by concluding an agreement between the first and second entities. The agreement is representative of an acceptance of an offer concerning the transferring of the interest in the available intellectual property and consideration for the transferring of the interest. At least a portion of the interest in the available intellectual property that is transferred to the first entity is intended to be transferred from the first entity to a third entity.

Abstract: A method of providing network access includes entering network access information into a merchant device at a merchant location. The information relates to a request from a customer to obtain network access. The method also includes causing the information to be transmitted to a host computer system from the merchant device, receiving a payment from the customer, receiving activation confirmation from the host computer system at the merchant device, and providing a presentation instrument to the customer. The presentation instrument may be used by the customer to obtain network access. The method further includes using the presentation instrument to settle a transaction with the customer for merchandise.

Abstract: An online auction system and method comprising a single access fee for participation and allowing participants to place bids free of charge. The system comprises an auction management assembly in communication with a network, an auction event structured to present information pertaining to an auction item, access fee defining entry to the auction event, and at least one bid independent of an associated fee. In some embodiments, the system comprises an entry requirement and entry fee. In some embodiments, the system comprises an auction room having a plurality of auction events, and a single entry fee for access to auction room and its contents. The method comprises receiving, storing, and presenting auction item information, establishing an access fee, receiving indication of payment of the access fee, commencing an auction event, allowing participants to access the auction and place multiple bids free of charge, and facilitating completion of the auction event.

Abstract: The present invention provides a software facility for identifying the items most relevant to a current query based on items selected in connection with similar queries. In preferred embodiments of the invention, the facility receives a query specifying one or more query terms. In response, the facility generates a query result identifying a plurality of items that satisfy the query. The facility then produces a ranking value for at least a portion of the items identified in the query result by combining the relative frequencies with which users selected that item from the query results generated from queries specifying each of the terms specified by the query. The facility identifies as most relevant those items having the highest ranking values.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a system and method for providing complete electronic commerce (“E-Commerce”) transactions and solutions for a marketing company's products via the World Wide Web, including facilities for signing up new customers and recruiting, training and supporting new Independent Business Owners through an interactive online process. In another aspect, the present invention relates to the combination of a marketing business with a membership buying opportunity using both electronic commerce and face-to-face transactions. The present invention is also directed to a system and method for combining a marketing business with a membership buying opportunity, so that Independent Business Owners participating in the marketing plan can introduce customers to a membership buying opportunity and earn bonuses or commissions based on the purchases by those members, while Members in the buying opportunity can consume products or, at their option, qualify to become Independent Business Owners.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for selecting a vendor for a customized good or service, including receiving vendor attributes from the vendors and receiving invitation-for-bid data from the buyer defining a custom job. The invitation-for-bid-data is received through a web browser and is compared to the vendor's attributes based on at least one selection criterion to generate a vendor selection pool of vendors qualified to bid on the job. Vendors in the vendor selection pool receive a vendor's invitation-for-bid. A bid is received from at least one vendor. The lowest price bid is identified, the buyer is informed of the identity of the selected vendor, and solicited for approval of the selected vendor. Upon receipt of approval from the buyer, an order is issued to the selected vendor. The non-selected vendors in the selection pool are informed of the bid prices and of the selection results.

Abstract: Method, system, and computer program product embodiments are disclosed for providing recommendations to hospitality customers. Defining steps include establishing a connection with a customer's mobile device, obtaining information about the location of the customer's mobile device, determining recommended goods or services currently offered by one or more business locations, and outputting for display on the customer's mobile device a listing of the recommended goods or services navigable by category or subcategory.

Abstract: A recurring order management system and method for a computer network is disclosed. The system receives a request to suggest a recurring order for one or more products or services. The system generates a profile which stores the suggested products or services, the suggested recurrence for those products or services and the suggested quantities to deliver upon each recurrence. The order then automatically recurs one or more times according to the specified recurrence.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a method includes accessing event information and payment information associated with an event listing on an event management system, and calculating a fraud risk score for the event listing based at least in part on the event information and payment information.

Abstract: The top rated products in a product category are identified by computing a score for each product in the category. The score is computed by calculating a time decay factor for each product category. The time decay factor is utilized to decay the ratings of each product as a function of time. A relevance value is also computed for each product. The relevance value is utilized to modify the ratings for each product in view of the recency of the ratings. The score may be computed for each product using the ratings for the product, the computed time decay factor, and/or the relevance value. The computed scores are utilized to rank the products in the product category.

Abstract: Disclosed is an Internet broadcasting contents consignment sale system and method. An Internet broadcasting station makes a consignment sale contract with companies or individuals who have copyrights of authored pieces, such as computer and video game makers, filmmakers, music producers, television broadcasting stations, and publishers; generates the consigned authored pieces into specific contents data; allows users to use the contents data only through a specific execution program provided by the Internet broadcasting station; permits Internet users to download the contents data via wire and wireless Internet free of charge and keep them; and allows the users to use desired contents data by receiving restoration information on the Internet.

Abstract: A social networking system predicts a life event (e.g., birthday, change in marital status, relationship status, etc.) for a target user based on information associated with the user. The social networking system identifies gift suggestions to provide to one or more friends of the user based on the predicted event. A gift suggestion may include an invitation to purchase or send an item, voucher, or other gift to the target user, wherein the gift may be determined based on information about the target user's interests obtained by the social networking system. The social networking system sends a gift suggestion to one or more friends of the target user, where the gift suggestion identifies the predicted life event and provides the gift suggestion to the target user's friend. The advertisement may require action by multiple of the target user's friends before the gift is sent to the target user.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a system and method for providing complete electronic commerce (“E-Commerce”) transactions and solutions for a marketing company's products via the World Wide Web, including facilities for signing up new customers and recruiting, training and supporting new Independent Business Owners through an interactive online process. In another aspect, the present invention relates to the combination of a marketing business with a membership buying opportunity using both electronic commerce and face-to-face transactions. The present invention is also directed to a system and method for combining a marketing business with a membership buying opportunity, so that Independent Business Owners participating in the marketing plan can introduce customers to a membership buying opportunity and earn bonuses or commissions based on the purchases by those members, while Members in the buying opportunity can consume products or, at their option, qualify to become Independent Business Owners.

Abstract: Methods and systems include receiving feedback from one of a plurality of users for one of a plurality of items, storing the received feedback and past feedback received from the plurality of users, wherein the received feedback and past feedback are stored as combinations of users and items having feedback given by the users, calculating relevance between the one of the plurality of items and another one of the plurality of items, based on first information indicating a degree of feedback given by the one of the plurality of users for the plurality of items, and second information indicating a degree of stored past feedback given by the plurality of users to the plurality of items, and immediately recommending items to the one of the plurality of users, the recommended items having the highest relevance to the one of the plurality of items, based on the calculated relevance.

Abstract: A contextual computing system allows a variety of actors to interact with system components to carry out computational and communication tasks. The system is provided as a self-contained and portable solution for communications needs, employable by a number of entities such as telecommunications companies, enterprises, and system operators. The computing system is implemented using layers, with components within the layers carrying out computational and communication tasks in response to input from actors. The system allows business logic and communication to be integrated into a single solution, providing for efficient communication and remarkable ease of use in a variety of possible deployments.

Abstract: A request is received from a first consumer to sell at least one ticket, in which a provider of the ticket may have authorized the ticket to be sold. Information regarding the ticket may then be presented to at least a second consumer, who may make an indication to purchase the ticket. Thereafter, an inducement may be paid to the provider of the ticket in connection with a sale of the ticket to the second consumer.

Abstract: An information providing system is disclosed. The system includes a management apparatus having a database storing facility-event information of facilities or events, and a portable apparatus communicatable with the management apparatus. The portable apparatus sets each place, at which a movement stop time exceeds a prescribed staying time, as a stay place. The management apparatus estimates that a living area of a user of the portable apparatus is a collective area covering all of the stay places of the user. The management apparatus sets the collective area as the search scope, extracts the facility-event information matching the search scope from the database, and transmits the extracted facility-event information to the portable apparatus.

Abstract: A system and/or a method of collaborative filtering based on attribute profiling is disclosed. In one embodiment, a method includes generating a product profile of a content-based product through applying any number of value data assigned by a user to a set of attributes embodying possible reasons as to why the user reacts to the content-based product, generating a user profile of a user through applying a group of value data assigned by the user to a content-based product sharing the set of attributes and recommending a different content-based product to the user when a different product profile of the different content-based product matches with the user profile beyond a threshold value. The method may include recommending the different content-based product to a different user when a different user profile of the different user matches with the user profile of the user who has subscribed to the different content-based product.

Abstract: A request is received from a first consumer to sell at least one ticket, in which a provider of the ticket has authorized the ticket to be sold. Information regarding the ticket may then be presented to at least a second consumer, who may make an indication to purchase the ticket.