Abstract: Systems and methods involving a computer-implemented portal that enables a user to pre-authorize purchase of items not yet available for sale are disclosed. In one embodiment, an exemplary method may comprise: providing an online portal that enables a user to manage a financial account; executing a first routine of the portal including interactive functionality enabling the user to specify and pre-authorize purchase of an item that is not yet available for sale; searching to determine at least one electronic source at which the item can be purchased when it becomes available for purchase; and executing a purchase transaction at the future date/time when the item is released for sale, to purchase the item for the user.

Abstract: An online system displays relevant products along with a video watched by a user in a synchronized manner, which allows the user to explore relevant content (e.g., products recommended to the user) while the user is watching the video. The online system receives a video including a sequence of video frames to be displayed to the user, and the video may be associated with a specific theme, e.g., a soccer game, and one or more video frames may include points of interest (referred as “Q points”). The online system detects or receives Q points associated with corresponding video frames, where a Q point in a video frame identifies an object of interest in the video frame. The online system also correlates user profile information of the user with the detected points to select relevant products tailored to the user.

Abstract: A system and method for registering a user with a subscription service for a printer is described. A network-enabled printer can determine when a mobile computing device is brought into a sufficient proximity of the network-enabled printer. The network-enabled printer can receive account information for a user of the mobile computing device when the mobile computing device is brought into the sufficient proximity and transmit the account information to a remote provider in order to register the network-enabled printer and the user with the subscription service.

Abstract: A system selects meals according to a user's tastes and presents media files instructing execution of the meal. The media file is presented as a set of segments, each segment having a thumbnail image and metadata associated therewith. User interactions with the segments are monitored and evaluated to determine whether the segments are viewed, viewed for inspiration, and/or viewed while executing the meal. Actions monitored and evaluated may include movement of a user device during a viewing, pausing of playback, appropriateness of pausing locations to meal preparation steps, and orientation of the device. The metadata of segments and the viewing status thereof is used to determine a user's tastes and skill level to facilitate selection of subsequent meals for the user.

Abstract: A method including selectively aggregating a first set of filters for an item results list. The first set of filters can include multiple filter types, including category filters, facet filters, and price filters. The method also can include, for each filter in the first set of filters and each item in the item results list, determining user engagement statistics for the item when the filter has been applied. The method additionally can include generating a filter score for each filter in the first set of filters. The method further can include selecting a second set of filters from the first set of filters based on the filter scores of the filters in the second set of filters being above a threshold filter score. The method additionally can include applying space-constraint rules to the second set of filters to limit a quantity of filters in the second set of filters based on a ranking of the filters in the second set of filters and based on a screen size of a user device.

Abstract: A social network data processing and profiling system generates a customer profile from customer attributes and information regarding the customer's social network profiles on a plurality of virtual social networks. The social network data regarding the customer is received from the plurality of virtual social networks. The received social network data is used to update the customer profile. One or more products from a products database are identified for recommending to the customer based on the customer profile. The identified products are output to a products page associated with the customer.

Abstract: According to the invention, a method for initiating a similar transaction to one previously initiated by a user is disclosed. The method may include sending a digital receipt for a first transaction to a user. The method may also include determining reminder information, where the reminder information indicates a future time or frequency. The method may further include sending to the user, upon occurrence of the future time or frequency, a digital reminder which includes an interactive element. The method may additionally include receiving an indication that the user has interacted with the interactive element, and initiating a second transaction having a characteristic in common with the first transaction based on the indication.

Abstract: Systems, methods, and computer-readable media are disclosed for server-based feature detection and generation of graphical representation of feature distinctions. In one embodiment, an example method may include determining a first product identifier for a first product, and determining a second product identifier for a second product that is an alternative to the first product. Certain example methods may include determining a first product difference between the first product and the second product, determining a second product difference between the first product and the second product, ranking the first product difference and the second product difference, generating a first graphical indicator for the first product and a second graphical indicator for the second product, the second graphical indicator comprising the first product difference, and presenting the first graphical indicator and the second graphical indicator in a graphical user interface.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method includes: monitoring, by a user device, a location of the user device; determining, by the user device and based on the monitoring, that the user is within a threshold distance or a threshold arrival time of the service provider location; and outputting, by the user device, user information to the service provider based on the determining that the user is within the threshold distance or the threshold arrival time of the service provider location. The user information indicates services to provide to the user by the service provider upon the user's arrival to the service provider location. The outputting causes the service provider to receive the user information for serving the user upon the user's arrival to the service provider location.

Abstract: A method for software application management includes receiving, from a client device, a software application, obtaining a software application manifest for the software application, and transmitting the software application manifest to multiple vendors. Each of the vendors includes computing system resources for hosting the software application. The method further includes receiving bids from the vendors, selecting, from the bids, a winning bid, and transmitting the software application and payment information to the vendor of the winning bid.