Patents Examined by Scott M Tungate
  • Patent number: 11170339
    Abstract: The subject disclosure relates to facilitating package drop off and pickup transactions by facilitating user devices to offer locations for storage, drop off and pickup of packages. In an aspect, a system is described comprising an intake component that receives a set of location data representing available locations for storing packages and a verification component that verifies the set of location data has been selected for use in storing packages.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 9, 2021
    Inventor: Manjunatha Kashi
  • Patent number: 11120390
    Abstract: A smart drop box, system, and method for providing item deposit verification. A smart drop box includes an item receptacle, a processor in communication with the item receptacle, and a user interface in communication with the processor. The item receptacle is configured to receive an item from a user, determine item information related to the item, and transfer the item to a collection container. The processor is configured to determine payment information based at least in part on the item information. The smart drop box is configured to provide deposit verification based at least in part on at least one of the item information and the payment information. In some embodiments, the deposit verification includes a printed receipt and/or an electronic notification.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2021
    Assignee: United States Postal Service
    Inventors: William Albert Tartal, Gabriel Michael Yessin, Dominique Danielle Strothers, Joram Shenhar, Joel Locknauth Dewnandan, Terry Martin Gingell, James Edmund Matthews
  • Patent number: 11120394
    Abstract: A system and method for coordinating item delivery is disclosed. The system includes a control hub configured to receive item information, a dynamic routing system configured to provide routing instructions, and a handheld device configured to receive routing instructions. The control hub controls and coordinates receiving and transmitting item information, including pick-up and delivery schedules, and other item information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2021
    Assignee: United States Postal Service
    Inventors: Mary P. Anderson, James D. Wilson, Angela D. Lawson, Rosemarie Bolha
  • Patent number: 11100798
    Abstract: A vehicle management system for managing vehicles used by users has a usage managing unit configured to accept a user's reservation for use of one of the vehicles, set returnable spaces among parking spaces to be managed, the returnable space being the parking space to which a reserved vehicle can be returned after using the reserved vehicle, and set a planned return space to be a destination for the reserved vehicle among the returnable spaces, and a usage determining unit configured to determine whether or not the use of the reserved vehicle is started. The usage managing unit is configured to set a vacant parking space to the returnable space when the usage determining unit determines that the use of the reserved vehicle is started. The vacant parking space is the parking space in which the reserved vehicle is parked at the time of departure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 24, 2021
    Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Satoshi Chinomi
  • Patent number: 11094142
    Abstract: A method is disclosed. The method includes interacting with a gate access device that is capable of preventing access to a location, where the gate access device subsequently sends an authorization request message to an issuer for approval, the authorization request message including a request to charge a predetermined amount of money to pay for access to a location, and entering the location if the gate access device receives an authorization response message indicating that the charge is authorized.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 17, 2021
    Assignee: VISA U.S.A. INC.
    Inventors: Ayman Hammad, Philip Dixon, Khalid El-Awady, Patrick Faith, Mark Carlson
  • Patent number: 11074545
    Abstract: In some embodiments, methods and systems are provided that provide for facilitating delivery, via unmanned aerial vehicles, of products ordered by a customer of a retailer to a customer-selected physical location of a person other than the customer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 27, 2021
    Assignee: Walmart Apollo, LLC
    Inventors: David C. Winkle, Donald R. High, Todd D. Mattingly
  • Patent number: 11068833
    Abstract: The disclosure includes embodiments for providing secure package delivery for a vehicle. In some embodiments, a method includes receiving, by a Dedicated Short Range Communication radio (a DSRC radio) of a vehicle, a DSRC message. In some embodiments, the method includes unlocking a trunk of the DSRC-equipped vehicle responsive to receiving the DSRC message by the DSRC radio.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 20, 2021
    Inventors: Shazaan Bahrainwala, Divya Toopran, Dustin Harber, Tim Falkenmayer, Hidenobu Suzuki
  • Patent number: 11059073
    Abstract: A mail piece sortation system for maximizing a number of INTELLIGENT MAIL BARCODES (IMBs) encoded mail pieces that are postal-allowable within a mailing tray is described. The system utilizes the thickness of each mail piece, which is determined before placement of the mail piece into a mailing tray. A computer controller oversees the operation of the system and tracks the thickness of each mail piece for assembling each mailing tray with a maximum number of mail pieces based on the thickness determination to achieve a maximum allowable number of mail pieces within the mail tray. INTELLIGENT MAIL TRAY LABELS (IMTLs) are created by the system and attached by an operator to each mailing tray.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 13, 2021
    Assignee: Broadridge Output Solutions, Inc.
    Inventors: Charles Preston, Marc Fagan
  • Patent number: 11055686
    Abstract: The invention is directed to systems and methods of conducting transactions associated with a transit card. A method of conducting transactions may be conducted between a processor and a transit processor. Steps may include receiving a redemption request and determining if it is a pre-authorization request or a redemption; if the redemption request is a pre-authorization request, determining if the account is authorized for a particular transit type. If the account is authorized, communicating approval to the transit processor. If the account is not authorized communicating denial. If the redemption request is a redemption: determining if account value is sufficient to pay the redemption amount; if not, denying and if so approving the transaction and deducting the amount, and determining if the account value is below a pre-determined threshold for a particular transit types, and if so, updating the status of the account at a data store.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 6, 2021
    Assignee: E2INTERACTIVE, INC.
    Inventors: Phillip Graves, Merrill Brooks Smith, Phil M Chakiris, Michael Parlotto
  • Patent number: 11049200
    Abstract: A server machine is configured to map an identifier of a user to an account of the user within a database. The server machine also embeds the identifier within a uniform resource locator (URL) that, when operated by a browser of the user, causes the browser to interact with a supplier server machine. The server machine later receives interaction result data from the supplier server machine, and the interaction result data includes the identifier of the user and an interaction detail resultant from the interaction initiated by the browser with the supplier server machine. A machine then detects that the interaction detail corresponds to the account of the user based on the identifier being both received in the interaction result data and mapped to the account of the user. Accordingly, the server machine causes inclusion of the interaction detail within an information entry that corresponds to the user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 29, 2021
    Inventors: Adam Julian Goldstein, William Robert Glass, Melissa Anne Skevington, Andrew Joseph Dawson, Steven Clarke, Ha Tu Hang, Thomas Pierre Robert Genin, Navin Lal
  • Patent number: 11017328
    Abstract: Today an individual attending an event must undertake a second registration and purchasing sequence in order to attend a subsequent occurrence of the event. However, by the time they remember to re-register their interest may have waned or the event is sold out. In other instances, they forget even though the event does not sell out. Accordingly, it would be beneficial to provide registrants of an event with a means to re-register for the next occurrence of the event in a manner that was quick, simple, independent of execution of the registration/purchase steps with a service provider, and independent of completion of service provider support for the next event. Further, it would be beneficial to leverage the credential provided to the registrant for the current event in progress or just completed in the re-registration of the registrant for the next event. It would be further beneficial for said method to leverage the technology and devices of portable electronic devices associated with the registrant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 25, 2021
    Assignee: Events Online Inc.
    Inventor: Stephen Partridge
  • Patent number: 10997544
    Abstract: Disclosed are methods and systems for delivery of items using an unmanned aerial vehicle (“UAV”). A user may be provided with a delivery location identifier (“DLI”) that is to be placed at a delivery location within a delivery destination to identify where a UAV is to position an item as part of a delivery to the delivery destination. For example, the delivery destination may be a user's home. Within the deliver destination of the user's home, the user may select a delivery location, such as a spot in the back yard wherein the UAV is to position the ordered item as part of the delivery. To aid the UAV in navigating to the delivery location, the user places the DLI at the delivery location. The UAV detects the DLI and positions the item at or near the DLI as part of the item delivery.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 4, 2021
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Avi Bar-Zeev, Brian C. Beckman, Steven Gregory Dunn, Atishkumar Kalyan, Amir Navot, Frederik Schaffalitzky
  • Patent number: 10970667
    Abstract: Systems and methods for handling a plurality items by using a sorter to receive items and obtain item information and delivery destinations from the items. A run manifest is generated having an item identifier and a destination for each of the plurality of items. The run manifest data is used in a routing module to generate dynamic routes for delivering the plurality of items, and generating a sequence identifier for each of the plurality of items according to the dynamically generated routes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 6, 2021
    Assignee: UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE
    Inventors: Stephen M. Dearing, C. Scot Atkins, James DeForrest Wilson, Scott R. Bombaugh, Carla F. Sherry
  • Patent number: 10916083
    Abstract: Exit-possible exit gates are managed for each of vehicles that exit a parking lot. A vehicle exit management system 100 includes a gate terminal 161 controlling an exit gate of the parking lot; a DCM 141; and a vehicle management server 110 connected with the DCM 141 via a network 170. The DCM 141 transmits priority information acquired from the vehicle management server 110 based on a user ID of a vehicle 130 to the gate terminal 161 at a time of vehicle exit; and the gate terminal 161 opens the exit gate in the case of the received priority information satisfying the conditions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 9, 2021
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kenichi Murata, Yasuyuki Tamane, Masato Endo
  • Patent number: 10891584
    Abstract: The subject matter described herein includes devices, systems, and methods for intelligently storing, sending, and receiving items such as packages for storage. The devices, systems and methods include providing a mechanism for storing, locking, unlocking, accessing, and monitoring the process of sending an item for delivery or receiving an item for delivery. The secure storage of items in the disclosed device facilitates remote maintenance and diagnostics, secure delivery and retrieval of items, the sharing of resources, and a reduction in consumer and delivery interaction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 12, 2021
    Inventors: Manjunatha Kashi, Jyothi Kashi
  • Patent number: 10872306
    Abstract: The subject disclosure relates to facilitating a transmission of data, information or instructions between a mobile device and an electronic storage device. In an aspect, a system is described comprising a detection component that detects, by an application executing on a first device, signal data corresponding to a second device. In another aspect, the system can comprise a requesting component that requests, by the application executing on the first device, from a third device a set of storage data corresponding to the second device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 22, 2020
    Inventors: Khurram Mahmood, Manjunatha Kashi
  • Patent number: 10860968
    Abstract: In some examples, a service computing device may receive, from respective mobile devices of a plurality of mobile devices, an indication of a communication availability condition of each respective mobile device. The service computing device may determine, for a delivery job, based at least in part on the indication of the communication availability condition received from each of the respective mobile devices, that a first mobile device of the plurality of mobile devices is likely to have a greater communication availability for a duration of the delivery job than a second mobile device of the plurality of mobile devices. Based at least partially on the determination, the service computing device may send, to the first mobile device, a communication to assign the delivery job to a courier associated with the first mobile device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2020
    Assignee: DOORDASH, INC.
    Inventors: Jeffrey Frank Iacono, Fion Lam, Dane Rowland Johnson
  • Patent number: 10824965
    Abstract: Virtualization methods and systems for optimizing the availability of items in an inventory of items in a reservation system. The items are classified into item types and an item type is defined by a requestable set of at least one characteristic. Reservations may be received for a set of at least one characteristic that is a subset of an item type. After a reservation has been accepted, all the availabilities of the requestable sets of at least one characteristic in the inventory are updated. The reservation system may be a hotel reservation system and item types may be hotel room types or other bookable products. The reservation system may be a flight reservation system and item types may be bookable places on flights.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 3, 2020
    Assignee: AMADEUS S.A.S.
    Inventors: Florent Pellerin, Vincent Bossert, Fabien Mourgues, Mourad Boudia, Thierry Delahaye, Bruno Mousli, Antoine Cheinet, Benoit Lardeux
  • Patent number: 10810534
    Abstract: In some embodiments, apparatuses and methods are provided herein useful to the sortation of products using a conveyor assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 20, 2020
    Assignee: Walmart Apollo, LLC
    Inventors: Robert J. Taylor, Matthew D. Alexander, William M. Propes, John C. Crecelius, Jr.
  • Patent number: 10803459
    Abstract: Systems, methods, and computer program products for processing an online transaction to purchase an itinerary of products. In response to processing of the online transaction being halted, an OLTP system may queue a database record defining the itinerary and the forms of payment being used to purchase the products in the itinerary. In response to receiving a request to restart processing of the online transaction, the OLTP system may de-queue the database record, identify a set of products in the itinerary for which processing of the transaction has not been completed, and determine the status of each product in the set. Based on the status of each product, the OLTP system may determine a point at which processing should be restarted for the product, and a sequence in which the products should be processed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 13, 2020
    Assignee: Amadeus S.A.S.
    Inventors: Jean-Chafic Hays, Guillaume Van De Kerckhove, Emmanuelle Geoffroy, Manuela Argano, Mustapha Rachid