Abstract: A product management and sales system for managing product preparation and sales. The system includes a kitchen display and input device displaying a plurality of perishable food items to be produced and receiving a production indication signal indicating production of at least one of the plurality of perishable food items. The system further includes a digital menu board displaying the plurality of perishable food items available for sale, a sales counter terminal for completing a sale of at least one of the plurality of perishable food items and outputting a sold indication signal; and a controller receiving the sold indication signal. The controller compares the sold indication signal to a predetermined inventory level for the at least one perishable food item and outputs an item-to-be-produced signal to the kitchen display and input.

Abstract: Method for monitoring assets that include a sensor system that obtains data about contents thereof, a processor that derives information about the contents from the sensor data, and a communication system that, when linked to a communications network, wirelessly transmits the information derived by the processor via the Internet. The information is received at a data processing and storage facility, associated with a unique identification code for each asset, and stored in association with the identification code. Access to the stored information is effected via the Internet.

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention relate to systems, methods, and computer program products for annotating financial transactions. For example, one embodiment of the invention provides a financial institution's computer apparatus having a memory communicably coupled to a processor. In one embodiment, the memory device includes information regarding a plurality of bank accounts stored therein, and the processing device is configured to receive an indication of a transaction involving a first bank account stored in the memory device, send a request for ancillary information about the transaction to a party associated with the first bank account, receive ancillary information, such as a photograph of a product purchased in the transaction, from the party associated with the first bank account, and associate, in the memory device, the received ancillary information with the transaction.

Abstract: A method for conducting an electronic transaction with a backend server system includes interfacing a mobile device with a touch point to wirelessly obtain a backend server system address and an identification code. The touch point is associated with an electronic transaction terminal device to be utilized by a user of the mobile device to conduct an electronic transaction. Communication is established between the mobile device and the backend server system. The identification code and a mobile device identifier associated with the mobile device are received. It is determined whether one or more electronic certificates associated with the mobile device identifier are applicable for use in the electronic transaction. The identification code is used to provide at least one of the applicable electronic certificates to the terminal device and applying the at least one applicable electronic certificate to the electronic transaction.

Abstract: A transaction terminal which includes a projector instead of a liquid crystal display. The transaction terminal includes a projector for projecting images of transaction screens on a surface during a transaction, an input device for recording operator selections in the transaction screens during the transaction, and a computer for generating the images of the transaction screens, for displaying the screens via the projector, and for processing the operator selections during the transaction.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media, for conducting cardless payment transactions. One of the methods includes receiving from a merchant computer an indication of a payment transaction by a user associated with a mobile phone number. A text message is provided to a device associated with the mobile phone number requesting approval for the payment transaction, wherein the message includes an approval code. A message is received from the device associated with the mobile phone number. If the text message from the device associated with the mobile phone number includes the provided approval code, account information associated with the mobile phone number is obtained, authorization for the payment transaction is obtained using the account information, and notification of authorization of the payment transaction is provided to a merchant conducting the payment transaction.

Abstract: Scalable handling of billing events that affect one or more accounts. A computing system partitions received events into a number of channels, perhaps by account identifier. The channels receive the events, process the events, and forwards the events to an aggregator to allow the events to be aggregated by account to allow for easier computation of a bill. The aggregator also performs de-duplication of events to help reduce the risk of double billing.

Abstract: A system and method for assigning controlled access to a securable device may include (i) a kiosk configured to enable a user to rent a securable device from among multiple securable devices and (ii) a lock unit associated with the securable device and being in communication with the kiosk. The lock unit may further be configured to enable the user to access the securable device after being rented by the user via said kiosk. The kiosk may further be configured to enable the user to purchase goods or services in addition to rental of the securable device.

Abstract: Disclosed embodiments relate to a method implementable on a computing device for modifying color characteristics of an image. The method includes identifying one or more regions in the image based on a luminance value associated with one or more pixels in the image. Each region comprises a first set of pixels having a predefined range of luminance values. The first set of pixels is categorized in a first set of predefined color categories corresponding to the each region based, at least in part, on a chroma value associated with each pixel in the first set of pixels. Each predefined color category in the first set of predefined color categories comprises a second set of pixels. The color characteristics of the second set of pixels are modified based on a region and a predefined color category associated with the second set of pixels.

Abstract: A method includes obtaining data from a portable electronic device in which the data regards information obtained using the portable electronic regarding the transaction, and information obtained using the portable electronic regarding at least one of a physical location of the portable electronic device when obtaining the information regarding the transaction and the time of the day when obtaining the information regarding the transaction, and processing the transaction based on the data regarding the information regarding the transaction and the at least one of the information regarding the physical location of the portable electronic device when obtaining the information regarding the transaction and the time of the day when obtaining the information regarding the transaction. The method may be employed in a point-of-sale transaction for the purchase of products at checkout.

Abstract: A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, an avatar engine having a controller to retrieve a user profile of a user, present the user an avatar having characteristics that correlate to the user profile, detect one or more responses of the user during a communication exchange between the avatar and the user, identify from the one or more responses a need to engage in an e-commerce transaction, engage in a commercial exchange with a merchant system according to the e-commerce transaction, identify a commercial status of the e-commerce transaction from the commercial exchange with the merchant system, and present the user by way of the avatar the commercial status of the e-commerce transaction. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Abstract: Management of trouble tickets for a circuit is provided. A method and system provides a plurality of management tools that enable a user to obtain, verify, and manage information related to a trouble ticket to ensure compliance with federal standards and proper resolution and billing for problems experienced for a customer. With the method and system, the user may open a trouble ticket, close the trouble ticket, and bill a customer for services associated with resolving the trouble ticket.

Abstract: A system for tracking a product from origin to destination is disclosed. The system includes a probe that comprises two plates, a power source and a processor. The power source is controlled by the processor to produce an oscillating output at the plates. Using the oscillating voltage, the probe interrogates a device through capacitive coupling. The device includes a control unit, a memory unit, and first and second materials physically associated with the device for communication using capacitive coupling. Information associated with the device is transferred from the device to the probe through capacitive coupling between the first and second materials and the first and second plates, respectively.

Abstract: Refund issuing stations that can be accessed by users/taxpayers include a user interface for obtaining user ID data associated with users/taxpayers and a card/cash dispenser for providing the users/taxpayers with a prepaid tax refund debit or credit card, or currency, based on user tax and/or refund data provided by a financial management system used to prepare user's tax returns and tax related documents, and/or file the user's tax returns.

Abstract: A method, system, and computer-readable medium for automatically determining appropriate delivery information for one or more items of an order or potential order is described. A variety of types of information can be considered when determining what delivery information is appropriate for one or more items, such as a type of the items, the particular items, relationships of the items to other items, information about the purchaser, and/or information about the recipient. In addition, the automatic determination of an appropriate address for an item being ordered or potentially ordered by a user can be made in a variety of ways, such as based on inferences from past behavior when ordering items, on inferences from information about the item and from available delivery information for the user, and/or on previous explicit indications from the user.

Abstract: A system for providing card account controls and purchase impact information may comprise at least one subsystem that receives information regarding a potential purchase of a customer, and at least one subsystem that provides potential purchase impact information to the customer based on the information regarding the potential purchase of the customer.

Abstract: In general terms, the present invention relates to methods and apparatuses for providing a foreign currency solution. In some embodiments, a method is provided that includes: (a) establishing a foreign currency account for a domestic account holder; (b) receiving a domestic currency payment for funding the foreign currency account; (c) exchanging the domestic currency payment to produce an exchanged foreign currency payment; (d) crediting the foreign currency account by the amount of the exchanged foreign currency payment; and (e) authorizing a foreign currency transaction involving the foreign currency account and the domestic account holder. Other embodiments relate to configuring a mobile device to operate as a mobile wallet, such that the mobile device includes a foreign currency account module and/or a domestic currency account module that can be used to engage in both domestic currency and foreign currency transactions.

Abstract: A retailer computer system facilitates the purchase of products that are determined to be useful in the performance of a task by presenting to a consumer a first user interface by which the consumer may select a task from a repository of tasks, each task stored in the repository of tasks having documented instructions, such as a recipe, for performing the task, by presenting in a web page the documented instructions of the selected task, by using one or more keywords within the documented instructions of the selected task to select at least one product from an electronic product catalog, the selected at least one product being one or more of a part, such as a recipe ingredient, and a tool, such as an appliance, usable in performing the task, and by presenting to the consumer a second user interface for allowing the consumer to purchase via use of an online retail channel the selected at least one product.

Abstract: A computer system to monitor and authenticate the creation of a medicinal herb including information on where seeds used to grow a plant containing a medicinal herb buds were obtained from, information on how and where the seeds were grown to cultivate the plant, information on when the buds were harvested from the plant and converted into a medicinal herb full chain a custody of all personnel involved from obtaining the seeds, cultivating the seeds into a plant, harvesting growth from the plant and converting it into a medicinal herb and transportation of the medicinal herb to a dispensing facility and how the medicinal herb was dispensed to a patient.

Abstract: System(s), method(s), and device(s) that can aggregate all or substantially all data traffic, such as wireless data traffic egressing to the Internet, at one or more regional aggregation hubs and capture a portion(s) of data traffic associated with a subscriber(s) of interest at the regional hub(s) are presented. Data traffic associated with subscribers can be aggregated at an access concentrator(s) and respective public Internet Protocol (IP) addresses can be given to respective subscribers. The data traffic can be aggregated at the regional hub(s) and data traffic associated with a subscriber(s) of interest can be identified based at least in part on the public IP address(es) of the respective subscriber(s) of interest. The data traffic associated with a subscriber(s) of interest can be captured and provided to a consumer (e.g., law enforcement, service provider) who desires such data.