Patents Examined by Kimberly Berona
  • Patent number: 9983591
    Abstract: Systems, methods, and devices for predicting a driver's intention and future movements of a proximal vehicle, whether an automated vehicle or a human driven vehicle, are disclosed herein. A system for predicting future movements of a vehicle includes an intersection component, a camera system, a boundary component, and a prediction component. The intersection component is configured to determine that a parent vehicle is near an intersection. The camera system is configured to capture an image of the proximal vehicle. The boundary component is configured to identify a sub-portion of the image containing a turn signal indicator on the proximal vehicle. The prediction component is configured to predict future movement of the proximal vehicle through the intersection based on a state of the turn signal indicator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2018
    Assignee: FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
    Inventors: Ashley Elizabeth Micks, Harpreetsingh Banvait, Jinesh J Jain, Brielle Reiff
  • Patent number: 9919667
    Abstract: A bumper includes a carrier having a wall extending along a longitudinal axis, and a first leg and a second leg extending away from the wall in a first direction. A plurality of fins are movably attached to the carrier between the first leg and the second leg, and are spaced from each other the longitudinal axis. The fins may be moved to a deployed position to reinforce the bumper to improve low-speed damageability of the bumper, and may be moved to an inactive position, which may allow a fascia to more easily deform relative to the deployed position to provide energy absorption for pedestrian impacts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2018
    Assignee: FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
    Inventors: Nirmal Muralidharan, S. M. Iskander Farooq, Srinivasan Sundararajan, Mohammed Omar Faruque, Dean M. Jaradi
  • Patent number: 9858820
    Abstract: A transportation services providing method and an user device and a server using the same are provided. The transportation services providing method includes following steps: providing a service platform connecting with at least one community website; collecting a status message, related to an event information and posted on the community website, so as to show the collected status messages on the service platform; obtaining an event location of the event information; and establishing a transportation service link on the status message, where the transportation service link provides a transportation service interface indicating the event location and a plurality of transportation requirement settings.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2018
    Assignee: National Taipei University of Technology
    Inventors: Shih-Chia Huang, Ming-Kai Jiau, Sheng-Kai Chou
  • Patent number: 9834194
    Abstract: An automotive vehicle includes an engine, a plurality of electrical load subsystems, and at least one controller. During an auto start of the engine, the at least one controller detects a starter disengage condition. In response to detecting the starter disengage condition, the at least one controller periodically determines a value of an operating parameter associated with the vehicle, causes a first subset of the electrical load subsystems to be enabled when the value of the operating parameter falls with a first predefined range of values, and causes a second subset of the electrical load subsystems to be enabled when the value of the operating parameter falls within a second predefined range of values.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2017
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Sangeetha Sangameswaran, Kirk Pebley, Kevin Roy Harpenau, Eric Michael Rademacher, David Celinske
  • Patent number: 9827931
    Abstract: A vehicle front end includes a bumper and a carrier attached to the bumper. A plurality of fins are movably attached to the carrier and are spaced from each other. The fins taper in a direction transverse to the bumper. The fins may be moved to a deployed position to reinforce the bumper to improve low-speed damageability of the bumper, and may be moved to an inactive position, which may allow a fascia to more easily deform relative to the deployed position to provide energy absorption for pedestrian impacts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2017
    Assignee: FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
    Inventors: S. M. Iskander Farooq, Nirmal Muralidharan, Srinivasan Sundararajan, Sudip Sankar Bhattacharjee, Mohammed Omar Faruque
  • Patent number: 9741048
    Abstract: Computer-implemented methods for identifying or assessing any type of risk and/or opportunity that may arise can include either, alone or in combination, band pass filtering, principal component analysis, random matrix theory analysis, synchronization analysis, and early-warning detection. Each technique can also be viewed as a process that takes a set of inputs and converts it to a set of outputs. These outputs can be used as inputs for a subsequent process or the outputs may be directly actionable for formulating certain economic predictions to make certain decisions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2017
    Assignee: Bank of America Corporation
    Inventors: Timothy J. Bendel, Mark V. Krein, David N. Joffe, Sandi Setiawan, William Anthony Nobili, David Joa
  • Patent number: 9454786
    Abstract: A method of encouraging safe driving of a vehicle using a remote starter device installed at a vehicle is provided. The remote starter device may determine whether it is in signal communication with a remote starter application operating at a mobile computing device separate from the remote starter device. When the remote starter device is in signal communication with the remote starter application, the remote starter device may permit ignition of the vehicle. When the remote starter device is not in signal communication with the remote starter application, the remote starter device may prevent ignition of the vehicle. The driver of the vehicle may be identified and a vehicle telematics device installed at the vehicle may provide vehicle telematics data to an insurance underwriting system. A personalized insurance rate for the driver may be determined based, at least in part, on the vehicle telematics data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 27, 2016
    Assignee: Allstate Insurance Company
    Inventors: Rothana Srey, Matthew James Manzella
  • Patent number: 9436944
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are representative embodiments of methods, apparatus, and systems for a mobile device payment system for electric vehicle charging stations (“EVCSs”) or electric vehicle supply equipment (“EVSE”). This system can be used to control the access to EVCS or EVSE and to ensure proper billing for the use of EVCS or EVSE.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2016
    Assignee: Optimization Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Dexter Turner
  • Patent number: 9436943
    Abstract: A method of authorizing a transaction may include receiving, by a hosted service from a client device, a request to access an account and determining whether a user of the client device is permitted to access the account. The method may include, in response to determining that the user is permitted to access the account, receiving, from the client device, a request to initiate a transaction, determining whether the transaction is a long-lived transaction, in response to determining that the transaction is a long-lived transaction, creating a transaction credential associated with the long-lived transaction, and determining, based at least in part on the transaction credential, whether the execution of the long-lived transaction is authorized.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2016
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventors: Umesh Shankar, Glenn Edward Durfee, Darrell Kindred
  • Patent number: 9336540
    Abstract: A method and system for use of a game with charity donations. In one example, a donation agent interacting with a merchant website can offer an online user an option to allocate at least a portion of a payment for or price of a purchase, associated with a transaction made by the user via the merchant website, to be donated by a merchant (corresponding to the merchant website), on behalf of the user, to a charity of the user's choosing. The donation agent can disburse the calculated donation amount to the charity selected by the customer. The points earned can be combined with a college scholarship award mechanism. The game encourages people to participate in the charity in a fun way, e.g., as a hobby every day, with a large user base.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 15, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2016
    Assignee: Sparo Corporation
    Inventor: S. Rob Sobhani
  • Patent number: 9317976
    Abstract: Systems and techniques are presented for processing a user through a paid entry gate using a mobile device. The mobile device receives a beacon packet from a first wireless beacon and wakes up an application. The application wakes up by transitioning to an active or background execution state. The application transmits validation data to a computer server system and the computer server system validates an account of the user. The mobile device receives a beacon packet including a gate identifier that is a unique identification of the paid entry gate from a second wireless beacon and transmits the gate identifier to the computer server system. The computer server system receives the gate identifier, debits the account of the user, and transmits a signal to a gate entry device associated with the gate identifier to grant the user passage through the paid entry gate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2016
    Assignee: Cubic Corporation
    Inventors: David Andrews, Paul Monk, Pradip Mistry
  • Patent number: 9213974
    Abstract: Embodiments of the invention relate to an invention for accessing a remotely located mobile device of a user based on certain events. The system, method, and computer program product are configured to: (a) monitor one or more transaction involving a transaction vehicle of a user; (b) determine a physical location of a transaction vehicle based at least partially on the one or more transactions; (c) determine a geographic location of a mobile device of the user, wherein the mobile device is associated with the transaction vehicle; (d) determine whether or not the transaction vehicle of the user and the mobile device of the user are co-located; and (e) reconfigure one or more applications accessible to the mobile device or one or more functional features of the mobile device based at least partially on determining that the mobile device and the transaction vehicle of the user are not co-located.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 15, 2015
    Assignee: BANK OF AMERICA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Elizabeth S. Votaw, Charles Jason Burrell, Carrie Anne Hanson, Alicia C. Jones, Michael Patrick Lynch, Hood Qaim-Maqami
  • Patent number: 9135407
    Abstract: A license management apparatus transfers license information from a transfer source device to a transfer destination device. The license information is required for enabling functions of a program package serving as an integrated product including a plurality of functions. The license management apparatus includes a management unit and a transfer unit. The management unit manages all or part of the plurality of functions as belonging to one group. After license information of functions included in the program package and managed by the management unit as belonging to the same group is acquired from the transfer source device, the transfer unit transfers license information of functions managed as belonging to the same group to the transfer destination device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 15, 2015
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Kazuo Wakai
  • Patent number: 9129285
    Abstract: Future promotions can be tested on a live production website with a preview web application that is separate from a live production web application used by customers. A preview session is established with the preview web application on a live production server responsive to receiving a request to perform a command on the live production server in a preview mode that allows testing of a future promotion. A preview context and a content context are instantiated for the preview session. The preview context indicates a time in the future to use in processing the request on the live production server. The preview web application dispatches the request to the live production web application on the live production server. The second web application processes the request with business logic based, at least in part, on the preview context and the content context.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2006
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2015
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Victor S. Chan, Darshanand Khusial, Jacob T. Vandergoot
  • Patent number: 9111300
    Abstract: In one example, we describe methods and systems for automated online merchant charity donations. In one embodiment, a donation agent interacting with a merchant website can offer an online user an option to allocate at least a portion of a payment for or price of a purchase, associated with a transaction made by the user via the merchant website, to be donated by a merchant corresponding to the merchant website on behalf of the user to a charity of the user's choosing. If the online user exercises the option, the donation agent can calculate an amount of the donation to be made and store the calculated donation amount in a database. The donation agent can disburse the calculated donation amount to the charity selected by the customer. The method also works for the off-line model. The points earned can be combined with a college scholarship award mechanism. The system and method describe authentication and the way the charity funding is distributed, with respect to the college tuition and scholarship award.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 18, 2015
    Assignee: SPARO CORPORATION
    Inventors: S. Rob Sobhani, Parsa Namazi, Christine Angela Dolendo, Maryam Paez
  • Patent number: 9105018
    Abstract: Apparatus and methods for bill integration are provided. Checks issued by a bill-pay vendor may be integrated into a daily issue file and be presented to a user for review. The review may include selecting one or more check service to be applied to a check. The presenting may including marking checks and images corresponding to items received from a bill-pay vendor. Credit card transactions initiated via a bill-pay vendor may be integrated into the daily issue file. Checks received from the bill-pay vendor may be numbered into a range that is not a user-generated range. Bill-pay integration may include just-in-time funding of payments initiated through the bill-pay vendor. The daily issue file may be accessed via a mobile device, and may be filtered based on an entitlement associated with the mobile device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 11, 2015
    Assignee: Bank of America Corporation
    Inventors: Anne D. Tatham, Milton Santiago, Jr., Christopher Hope, Richard M. Brewer
  • Patent number: 9105054
    Abstract: In one example, we describe methods and systems for automated online merchant charity donations. In one embodiment, a donation agent interacting with a merchant website can offer an online user an option to allocate at least a portion of a payment for or price of a purchase, associated with a transaction made by the user via the merchant website, to be donated by a merchant corresponding to the merchant website on behalf of the user to a charity of the user's choosing. If the online user exercises the option, the donation agent can calculate an amount of the donation to be made and store the calculated donation amount in a database. The donation agent can disburse the calculated donation amount to the charity selected by the customer. The method also works for the off-line model. The system and method describe authentication and the way the charity funding is distributed, with respect to a calendar date and a specific event.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 11, 2015
    Assignee: SPARO CORPORATION
    Inventors: S. Rob Sobhani, Parsa Namazi, Christine Angela Dolendo, Maryam Paez
  • Patent number: 9105055
    Abstract: In one example, we describe methods and systems for automated online merchant charity donations. In one embodiment, a donation agent interacting with a merchant website can offer an online user an option to allocate at least a portion of a payment for or price of a purchase, associated with a transaction made by the user via the merchant website, to be donated by a merchant corresponding to the merchant website on behalf of the user to a charity of the user's choosing. If the online user exercises the option, the donation agent can calculate an amount of the donation to be made and store the calculated donation amount in a database. The donation agent can disburse the calculated donation amount to the charity selected by the customer. The method also works for the off-line model. The system and method include authentication and the way the charity funding is distributed, with respect to multiple preference lists and forbidden lists.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 11, 2015
    Assignee: SPARO CORPORATION
    Inventors: S. Rob Sobhani, Parsa Namazi, Christine Angela Dolendo, Maryam Paez
  • Patent number: 9076167
    Abstract: In one example, we describe methods and systems for automated online merchant charity donations. In one embodiment, a donation agent interacting with a merchant website can offer an online user an option to allocate at least a portion of a payment for or price of a purchase, associated with a transaction made by the user via the merchant website, to be donated by a merchant corresponding to the merchant website on behalf of the user to a charity of the user's choosing. If the online user exercises the option, the donation agent can calculate an amount of the donation to be made and store the calculated donation amount in a database. The donation agent can disburse the calculated donation amount to the charity selected by the customer. The method also works for the off-line model. The system and method perform authentication and the way the charity funding is distributed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 7, 2015
    Assignee: SPARO CORPORATION
    Inventors: S. Rob Sobhani, Parsa Namazi, Christine Angela Dolendo, Maryam Paez
  • Patent number: 9064192
    Abstract: A non-volatile memory system adapted for securely registering votes within a voting system is described. The votes are encoded as a set of logically grouped cells based on a voter's selection of an item. The encoding assures that the votes are easily distinguishable by a read circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 23, 2015
    Assignee: Jonker LLC
    Inventor: David Liu