Online Advertisement Patents (Class 705/14.73)
  • Patent number: 10007903
    Abstract: A method is provided for communication by a mobile telecommunication device. The method comprises detecting, by the mobile telecommunication device, an input related to an advertisement displayed on the mobile telecommunication device and associated with an online merchant. The method further comprises, responsive to detecting the input, transmitting, by the mobile telecommunication device, to the online merchant, a token stored in a memory location in the mobile telecommunication device, wherein the token contains information for facilitating a transaction between the mobile telecommunication device and the online merchant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2018
    Assignee: Sprint Communications Company L.P.
    Inventors: Michael A. Gailloux, Lauren R. King
  • Patent number: 9966107
    Abstract: Disclosed are various embodiments for transmitting a plurality of files of a plurality of file systems associated with a corresponding plurality of users to each one of the users. In one embodiment, a jukebox service identifies files from file systems associated with each user requesting to consume the transmitted content. In one embodiment, the jukebox service identifies the files based in part on a plurality of disc jockey preferences provided by a disc jockey. The jukebox service then generates a jukebox playlist of the identified files having an order that is generated based at least in part on a playback profile associated with each one of the files. For instance, the playback profile may describe a playback frequency of the respective file. The jukebox service may then transmit the files over a network to clients of requesting users according to the order established by the jukebox playlist.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2018
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Kaloyan K. Kraev, Calvin D. Freitas, Steven A. Miles, David J. Anderson, John Santino, Kurtis J. Norwood, Sukhada S. Palkar, Naveenkumar Selvaraj, Olivier Z. Garamfalvi
  • Patent number: 9965648
    Abstract: A masking system and method for automatically masking sensitive user information on a webpage is provided. The method includes the steps of identifying a location of the first user data of the first type of sensitive user information on the webpage, updating an initial path to the first user data to account for changes to the initial path detected in response to repeated visits to the webpage, wherein the updated initial path to the first user data is stored as a stable path, locating a second user data associated with a second type of sensitive user information on the webpage, by accessing a central database containing path information to a location of the second user data on the webpage, and masking the first user data and the second user data on the webpage, using the stable path and the path information obtained from the central database.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2018
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Ching-Wei Cheng, Tzu-Ching Kuo, June-Ray Lin, Yi-Chun Tsai
  • Patent number: 9959570
    Abstract: The subject matter of this specification can be embodied in, among other things, a method that includes receiving a user account identifier of a content item suppression account and an identity of a user-specified content item, receiving an auction announcement message including the user account identifier and a request for allocation of a content item to a content inventory unit to be presented at the user device, determining a bid for presenting the content item in place of third-party content, transmitting the bid to the auction platform, transmitting the content item in response to the auction announcement message, receiving a message indicating that the content item has been presented in place of the third-party content and an auction price for presenting the content item in place of the third-party content, and reducing a stored account value associated with the user account identifier based on the auction price.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2018
    Assignee: Google LLC
    Inventor: Nemo Semret
  • Patent number: 9928381
    Abstract: A system and a method for managing privacy of data are provided. The method includes causing generation of a trigger notification notifying an access to one or more fields of a user-profile in a first application. The trigger notification generated is by a second application integrated with the first application. The first application includes a plurality of fields comprising sensitive data associated with the user-profile. The method further includes enforcing one or more access preferences corresponding to the one or more fields by the second application on the generation of the trigger notification. The one or more access preferences are based at least on one of a plurality of preconfigured rules and contextual information associated with the trigger notification. Enforcing the one or more access preferences facilitates in managing data privacy.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2018
    Assignee: TATA CONSULTANCY SERVICES LIMITED
    Inventors: Kumar Mansukhlal Vidhani, Akhil Anand Dixit, Vijayanand Mahadeo Banahatti, Sachin P. Lodha
  • Patent number: 9924093
    Abstract: A display device renders a field of view of a panoramic image that is produced from several separate images taken by different cameras. The field of view can be panned across the panoramic image. The separate images each show a portion of a panoramic view and border other images. When rendering a field of view that includes a border between two adjacent images, the images can be merged in a way that substantially eliminates the border and makes the view appear as one continuous image. The merging is performed only as needed, and border regions between images that are not in the rendered field of view are not merged so as to avoid using processing resources unnecessarily.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2018
    Assignee: HOYOS INTEGRITY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Gustavo Leizerovich, Guillermo Padin, Jr.
  • Patent number: 9922342
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer-readable storage medium, are described for providing content. A method includes: receiving a request for an advertisement to be displayed in a slot associated with a third-party content site; identifying a relevant advertisement to be provided in the slot; determining information to be included in an annotation associated with the advertisement, the annotation including customized information related to a user or a group associated with the user that is to be presented along with the advertisement; providing the advertisement responsive to the request including providing the annotation along with a control for re-publishing the advertisement along with the relevant advertisement; receiving user input selecting the control and designating the advertisement for re-publishing; and targeting additional content to the user or a group associated with the user based on the received user input.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2018
    Assignee: Google LLC
    Inventors: Davi Reis, Christian Oestlien, Eider Silva de Oliveira, Marcus A. Leal, Igor P. Soares
  • Patent number: 9924336
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a user of a social networking system requests to check in a place near the user's current location. The social networking system generates a list of places near the user's current location, ranks the places in the list of places near the user's current location by a distance between each place and the user's current location, as well as activity of the user and the user's social contacts for each place, and returns the ranked list to the user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2018
    Assignee: Facebook, Inc.
    Inventors: Joshua Redstone, Eyal Michael Sharon, Srinivasa P. Narayanan
  • Patent number: 9894145
    Abstract: In response to a teleport request, teleport destination characteristics are determined and compared against preferences, characteristics and restrictions of an avatar as indicated by metadata or tags to determine if the teleport destination is suitable for teleportation of that avatar. If the destination is found unsuitable, a search is conducted, preferably based on unmatched metadata of the avatar or the destination to suggest or directly substitute a suitable teleportation destination. Metadata for the avatar and the destination can include metadata which is dynamic (such as destination occupancy or processing capacity) adaptively developed or based on current or historical usage and virtual universe system status.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2018
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Christopher J. Dawson, Barry M. Graham, Rick A. Hamilton, II, Clifford A. Pickover
  • Patent number: 9886258
    Abstract: A method for grayscale-upgrading includes determining a target social group to be grayscale-upgraded, determining a target user account to be grayscale-upgraded in the target social group, and grayscale-upgrading an application or device corresponding to the target user account.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2018
    Assignee: Xiaomi Inc.
    Inventors: Jialin Fan, Heng Qu, Baiming Ma
  • Patent number: 9881058
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and media for displaying information related to displayed content upon detection of user attention are provided. In some implementations, a method for presenting information to a user is provided, the method comprising: detecting a presence of a user; retrieving content and associated content metadata; causing the content to be presented to the user in response to detecting the presence of the user; detecting a user action indicative of user attention to at least a portion of the content presented to the user; and in response to detecting the user action, causing information to be presented to the user, wherein the information presented to the user corresponds to the content metadata associated with the portion of the content.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2018
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventor: Eric H. Liu
  • Patent number: 9843643
    Abstract: A system for monitoring consumer activity on a website is described herein. The system includes a memory device and an activity sessionization server. The memory device is configured to store a webpage list including a plurality of webpage records and an activity session list including a plurality of activity session records. Each of the activity session records including a webpage URL and a session ID. The activity sessionization server retrieves a webpage record from the webpage list, determines if the retrieved webpage record includes a referral URL, identifies a matching activity session record that includes a corresponding webpage URL that matches the referral URL of the retrieved webpage record, determines a corresponding session ID associated with the matching activity session record, and associates the corresponding session ID with the current activity session record.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2017
    Assignee: WAL-MART STORES, INC.
    Inventors: Venkata Swamy Martha, Abhishek Gattani
  • Patent number: 9830633
    Abstract: Methods and systems of defining product attributes may involve receiving a search query and extracting a user expectation from the search query. In addition, an attribute may be defined for a product based on the user expectation. In one example, consumer generated content such as forum content, review content, blog content and social networking content, is used to define the attribute.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2017
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Madhu K. Chetuparambil, George T. Jacob Sushil, Kalapriya Kannan
  • Patent number: 9794357
    Abstract: A technique for tracking web browsing activity of a client device that includes storing, in a memory, a client profile having a client identifier associated therewith, providing a client device with a cache file having the client identifier embedded therein, receiving from the client device an identification of a client action and the client identifier, and updating the client profile to include the identification of the client action.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2017
    Assignee: Cision US Inc.
    Inventors: Timothy Michael Fluehr, Mark James Heys
  • Patent number: 9785970
    Abstract: A system for providing mobile advertisement actions may include a memory to store a request, mobile carrier data, mobile advertisement data, and mobile advertisement action data. The system may include an interface operatively connected to the memory to communicate with a mobile device. The system may include a processor operatively connected to the memory and the interface. The processor may receive information and a request from the mobile device via the interface and may determine the mobile carrier data relating to a mobile carrier associated with the mobile device. The processor may identify the mobile advertisement data and the mobile advertisement action targeted to the request and the mobile carrier data. The processor may append the mobile advertisement action data to the mobile advertisement data. The processor may provide the mobile advertisement data with the appended mobile advertisement action data to the mobile device via the interface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2017
    Assignee: Excalibur IP, LLC
    Inventors: Arvind Gupta, Ashutosh Tiwari, Gopalakrishnan Venkatraman, Dominic Cheung, Stacy R. Bennett, Douglas B. Koen
  • Patent number: 9787784
    Abstract: A web server is disclosed that is configured to track requests for web pages on a third party web server. The tracking web server traps a web page request, such as a PURL (Personalized URL) for a personalized web page, before it attempts to serve the web page requested. The URL of the web page request is analyzed to determine the location of the requested page on a third party server, and details of the contact with which the personalized web page is associated. Receipt of the web page request is then recorded in a memory associated with the server, and the web page request is forwarded to the third party server for processing. The redirection to the third party web server may be seamless, such that the contact requesting the page does not know of the redirection. In this way, a tracking web server is provided which can supply a personalized tracking and forwarding function.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2017
    Assignee: INTIMIS LIMITED
    Inventors: Kevin Mason, Ian Griffiths, Ian Nicholas Pollard
  • Patent number: 9773073
    Abstract: A web page may be rendered for display on a client device. The rendered web page may be based on a first document. It may be determined that (i) a scroll position of the rendered web page has changed such that the scroll position is below a threshold scroll position, and (ii) the change of the scroll position is due to an event other than receiving a scrolling command from a user. Possibly responsive to this determination, a second document may be requested and received from a content server device. The web page may be re-rendered for display on the client device. The re-rendered web page may include content from the first document and content from the second document.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2017
    Assignee: tronc, Inc.
    Inventors: Daniel Krecichwost, Jeremy Wayne Majors, Dennis J. Huh, James Thomas Burnett
  • Patent number: 9760872
    Abstract: There is provided systems and methods for automatic completion of online payment forms and recurring payments. The methods include determining if a user is engaged in a financial transaction, requesting permission to use a payment provider to complete the financial transaction, and completing the financial transaction using the payment provider if permission is granted, wherein the payment provider provides user information to complete the financial transaction. The financial transaction may include a payment form including at least one field, a recurring payment, or a payment to a merchant utilized by the user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2017
    Assignee: PAYPAL, INC.
    Inventor: Kamal Zamer
  • Patent number: 9762549
    Abstract: Systems for instant messaging private tags preferably comprise a parser for parsing an instant message for sensitive data and an encryption engine for encrypting the sensitive data. A modified uuencoder is also preferably included for converting the encrypted sensitive data into a data stream that complies with an XML format. Other systems and methods are also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2017
    Assignee: Uber Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Larry G. Kent, Jr., W. Todd Daniell, Joel A. Davis, Brian K. Daigle
  • Patent number: 9727886
    Abstract: A social networking system performs account recovery for a user with the help of the user's connections (e.g., friends). The social networking system selects connections of the user based on information indicating likelihood of real-world interactions between the user and the selected connections. Access codes are sent to the selected connections and the user instructed to obtain access codes from the selected connections via a communication that is outside the social networking system, for example, via phone. The user provides the access codes obtained from the selected connections to the social networking system. If the access codes provided by the user match the access codes sent to the selected connections, the user is granted access to the account. Real-world interactions between two users are determined based on sharing of devices between the users or information indicating presence of the users in the same place during same time interval.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2017
    Assignee: Facebook, Inc.
    Inventors: Yigal Dan Rubinstein, Jacob Andrew Brill, Arturo Bejar, Jonathan H. Frank, David Breger
  • Patent number: 9697185
    Abstract: A method, apparatus, and manufacture for content protection for protecting some objects is provided. A content protection operation or license operation is performed for at least one media object of a web application. Some or all of the objects are then marked as protected. When an operation is performed that accesses a protected object, a user agent determines whether to deny the operation, to allow the operation and mark data exported by the operation and objects storing the exported data as protected objects, or to allow the operation and not mark data exported by the operation and objects storing the exported data as protected objects.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2017
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventors: David Kimbal Dorwin, Andrew Martin Scherkus
  • Patent number: 9678932
    Abstract: An apparatus and a method for extracting a body from a web page are provided. The method includes, determining a start node for the extracting of the body from the web page according to a coordinate designated by a user, determining a body region according to the start node, and displaying the determined body region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2017
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Chang-Hyup Jwa, Mariusz Grzegorczyk
  • Patent number: 9674210
    Abstract: A processing device comprises a processor coupled to a memory and is configured to obtain data characterizing host devices of a computer network of an enterprise. The data is applied to a logistic regression model to generate malware infection risk scores for respective ones of the host devices. The malware infection risk scores indicate likelihoods that the respective host devices will become infected with malware. The logistic regression model incorporates features of the host devices including at least user demographic features, virtual private network (VPN) activity features and web activity features of the host devices, and the data characterizing the host devices comprises data for the incorporated features. Proactive measures are taken to prevent malware infection in a subset of the host devices based at least in part on the malware infection risk scores. The processing device may be implemented in the computer network or an associated network security system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 26, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2017
    Assignees: EMC IP Holding Company LLC, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
    Inventors: Alina M. Oprea, Ting-Fang Yen, Viktor Heorhiadi, Michael Kendrick Reiter, Ari Juels
  • Patent number: 9658758
    Abstract: A web page may be rendered for display on a client device. The rendered web page may be based on a first document. A first scroll position of the rendered web page may be determined. The first scroll position may be below the beginning of the first document. The web page may be re-rendered for display on the client device. The re-rendered web page may be based on a second document. A web-page navigation back command may be received. Possibly responsive to receiving the web-page navigation back command, the web page may be further re-rendered for display on the client device, and a scroll position of the further re-rendered web page may be adjusted to be at the beginning of the first document. The further re-rendered web page may be based on the first document.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2017
    Assignee: Tribune Publishing Company, LLC
    Inventors: Daniel Krecichwost, Jeremy Wayne Majors, Dennis J. Huh, James Thomas Burnett
  • Patent number: 9661158
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image reading section, a storage section, a communication section, an acceptance section, and an operation control section. The storage section has a plurality of storage regions at least one of which is associated one-to-one with one or more digital signage devices. The operation control section is configured to, when the acceptance section accepts a delivery instruction, allow the image reading section to read an original document and generate image data from the read original document, allow the storage section to store the image data generated by the image reading section in the one or more respective storage regions associated with the one or more digital signage devices designated in the delivery instruction, and allow the communication section to send the image data stored in the one or more associated storage regions to the one or more respective digital signage devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2017
    Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventor: Yasuhiko Kida
  • Patent number: 9652784
    Abstract: Implementations described and claimed herein provide systems and methods for generating network intelligence based on network data. In one implementation, a network traffic dataset representative of network traffic across one or more ports of a primary network is obtained. The ports are associated with a secondary network in communication with the primary network. A content distribution network log associated with the secondary network is obtained. The content distribution log includes a history of content requests. A domain name system log associated with the secondary network is obtained. The domain name system log includes one or more Internet Protocol addresses. Network intelligence is generated based on the network traffic dataset, the content distribution network log, and the domain name system log. The network intelligence may be customer analytics, an aggregated data feed, and/or recommendations for inventory placement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2017
    Assignee: Level 3 Communications, LLC
    Inventor: Jonathan Callahan
  • Patent number: 9654627
    Abstract: Personal information, such as professional information normally associated with a business card may be identified and appended to a messaging sequence to provide automated user profile updates. One example embodiment may transmitting an initiation message from a service provider to a user device to initiate a communication session, transmitting a request message to the user device to accept contact information associated with the service provider, receiving a confirmation message responsive to the request message, transmitting the contact information responsive to receiving confirmation of the request, and automatically initiating a contact information update on the user device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2017
    Assignee: West Corporation
    Inventors: Kellan Stec, James K. Boutcher
  • Patent number: 9652777
    Abstract: In an example embodiment, a method of dynamically optimizing a user interface on an electronic device is provided. A user interface is presented to a user, wherein the user interface includes one or more elements. User interactions with the one or more elements are then measured. The one or more elements of the user interface are then dynamically modified based on the measured user interaction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2017
    Assignee: eBay Inc.
    Inventors: John Tapley, Krystal Rose Higgins, Eric J. Farraro
  • Patent number: 9641682
    Abstract: An approach is provided for selecting a telecommunications channel. In the approach, recipient attributes that correspond to an intended recipient are identified and current environment settings are retrieved. Predefined channel expression rules are then executed, with the channel expression rules utilizing the recipient attributes and the current environment settings as inputs to the rules. The execution of the channel expression rules results in the identification of a best telecommunications channel. A message is then transmitted to the intended recipient over the identified best telecommunications channel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2017
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Paul B. Konigsberg, Shaochun Zhu
  • Patent number: 9626711
    Abstract: A system and method provides product/service recommendations by rendering and analyzing content on webpages that are linked to on a user's personal webpage. In this manner, the system and method compiles a more complete view of the user's interest and preferences, thus providing more effective and finely-attuned user recommendations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2017
    Assignee: W.W. Grainer, Inc.
    Inventor: Geoffry A. Westphal
  • Patent number: 9613148
    Abstract: A method and system for determining a property of a user in a social network platform are provided according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. The method includes: determining a property of a seed user in the social network platform; determining a property of a social network platform function interacting with a user according to a property of the user in the social network platform; and determining a property of a user interacting with a social network platform function according to a property of the social network platform function. By the embodiments of the present disclosure, the property of the user in the social network platform can be determined accurately.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 4, 2017
    Assignee: TENCENT TECHNOLOGY (SHENZHEN) COMPANY LIMITED
    Inventor: Changwen Yuan
  • Patent number: 9608892
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for performing client-side click tracking. In one aspect, a method includes receiving, by a client, a resource from one or more servers. The resource includes (i) a link, (ii) click tracking code, and (iii) local storage monitoring code. The method includes invoking, by the client, the click tracking code and the local storage monitoring code, detecting, by the invoked click tracking code, a selection of the link, and generating, by the invoked click tracking code, a representation of the selection. The method includes storing, by the invoked click tracking code, the representation of the selection in a local storage on the client, determining, by the invoked local storage monitoring code, to communicate the representation of the selection; and communicating, by the invoked local storage monitoring code, the representation of the selection to the one or more servers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2017
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventors: Zhongli Ding, Dragan Zivkovic
  • Patent number: 9594485
    Abstract: A first document may be requested and received from a server device. Based on the first document, a web page may be rendered for display on a client device. The rendered web page may include a plurality of selectable items, each corresponding to a respective type of web page content. Via a user interface of the client device, a selection of a first selectable item of the selectable items may be received. Possibly responsive to receiving the selection of the first selectable item, a second document may be requested and received from the server device. The second document may include a first particular type of web page content corresponding to the first selectable item. The web page may be re-rendered for display on the client device to include content from both the first document and the second document.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2017
    Assignee: Tribune Publishing Company, LLC
    Inventors: Daniel Krecichwost, Jeremy Wayne Majors, Dennis J. Huh, Farha Abdul Sattar Mukri, James Thomas Burnett
  • Patent number: 9552439
    Abstract: A web page may be rendered for display on a client device. The rendered web page may include a first document and a first advertisement that is based on the first document. It may be determined that a first scroll position of the rendered web page has a first characteristic. Possibly responsive to determining that the first scroll position of the rendered web page has the first characteristic, a second document may be requested and received from a content server device, and, based on the second document, a second advertisement may be requested and received from an advertisement server device. The web page may be re-rendered for display on the client device. The re-rendered web page may include content from the first document, content from the second document, the first advertisement, and the second advertisement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2017
    Assignee: Tribune Publishing Company, LLC
    Inventors: Daniel Krecichwost, Jeremy Wayne Majors, Farha Abdul Sattar Mukri
  • Patent number: 9552440
    Abstract: A web page may be rendered for display on a client device. The rendered web page may include a non-scrollable portion and a scrollable portion. The non-scrollable portion may contain a first advertisement in a particular position specified by an advertisement placeholder. The first advertisement and the scrollable portion may be based on a first document. A first scroll position of the scrollable portion may be determined to have a first characteristic. The web page may be re-rendered for display on the client device. The re-rendered web page may include the non-scrollable portion containing a second advertisement in the particular position, and the scrollable portion. The second advertisement may be different from the first advertisement. The second advertisement and the scrollable portion may be based on a second document.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2017
    Assignee: Tribune Publishing Company, LLC
    Inventors: Daniel Krecichwost, Jeremy Wayne Majors, Farha Abdul Sattar Mukri
  • Patent number: 9536274
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is a drawing processing apparatus including: a drawing library section adapted to transmit a drawing command via a network; and a data transmission management section adapted to transmit reusable data, used to execute the drawing command, via the network at a time different from when the drawing command is transmitted. Also disclosed herein is a drawing processing apparatus including: a data reception management section adapted to receive reusable data, used to execute a drawing command, via a network at a time different from when the drawing command is received; and a drawing library section adapted to set the reusable data, received by the data reception management section, in a graphics processor as a resource and adapted to receive the drawing command via the network and supply the drawing command to the graphics processor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2017
    Assignees: Sony Corporation, Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.
    Inventors: Taruhi Iwagaki, Michel Xavier, Osamu Ota
  • Patent number: 9525903
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides a method and system for skipping one or more advertisements at a corresponding one or more advertisement slots in a content viewed by a user of one or more users. The method includes receiving a first amount from the user, choosing a first set of advertisement slots of the one or more advertisement slots, determining a corresponding threshold third pre-determined amount separately for each of the first set of advertisement slots for bidding and bidding a corresponding fourth pre-determined amount for each of the first set of advertisement slots. The first amount is set for skipping optimum number of the one or more advertisements at the corresponding one or more advertisement slots. The choosing is based on a second amount for each of the one or more advertisement slots, the first amount and a first pre-defined criterion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 31, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2016
    Inventor: Sanjeev Madhava Rao
  • Patent number: 9521034
    Abstract: A method, apparatus, and system for generating a resource address. The method comprises: configuring a propagation path parameter in the resource address; and updating the propagation path parameter in a resource propagation process according to a login state and an identifier of a user propagating the resource address, and returning the updated resource address to a client that the user logs in to; wherein the propagation path parameter is used to uniquely identify a primary propagation behavior between a propagator of the resource address and a previous propagator thereof. By configuring the propagation path parameter in the resource address and updating the propagation path parameter in the resource address propagation process, embodiments implement propagation path tracking of the resource address, facilitate acknowledgement of the propagation of the resource address, and perform a statistical collection for and an analysis on the propagation path of the resource address.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2016
    Assignee: SHENZHEN DEVELOPMENT PROMOTION CENTRE FOR ENTERPRISES
    Inventor: Jimmy Chun
  • Patent number: 9503534
    Abstract: A system includes a server device and a plurality of user terminals. Each of the user terminals transmits a provisional user identifier, a group identifier, and activity information representing an activity of a user to the server device. For each of the received activity information, the server device selects distribution information based on the activity information, and also generates combination information including the distribution information and the provisional user identifier received with the activity information. The server device transmits a distribution information list including the combination information generated based on the activity information received with the group identifier, to each of the user terminals associated with the group identifier. Each of the user terminals acquires the distribution information included in the combination information including the provisional user identifier in the received distribution information list.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2016
    Assignee: NEC CORPORATION
    Inventor: Ryo Furukawa
  • Patent number: 9481460
    Abstract: A drone-based microbial analysis system includes an electronic drone control facility including an electronic storage memory device. The storage memory device stores information including a location of at least one possible contaminated area previously determined to contain at least one positively-tested microbe. At least one drone vehicle is in signal communication with the drone control facility and autonomously navigates to the at least one possible contaminated area to collect a specimen. The drone control facility performs a microbial analysis based on the collected specimen and confirms the at least one possible contaminated area is a positively contaminated area that contains at least one microbe based on the microbial analysis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2016
    Assignee: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: James R. Kozloski, Timothy M. Lynar, Clifford A. Pickover, John M. Wagner
  • Patent number: 9479659
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes a processor to perform: acquiring date information determined based on a current date; selecting an icon to be displayed on the display unit, according to the date information, from a plurality of icons that is used to execute image processing; controlling a display unit such that the display unit displays the selected icon; acquiring selection information specifying an icon selected from the icon displayed on the display unit; and controlling a printing execution unit such that the printing execution unit prints an image by executing the image processing associated with the icon specified. In a case where the date information represents a first date, the processor, in the selecting, configured to select a first icon, and in a case where the date information represents a second date, the processor, in the selecting, configured to select a second icon.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2016
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Mayumi Nishizaki
  • Patent number: 9454530
    Abstract: Techniques are described for determining relationships between user activities and determining search results and content recommendations based on the relationships. A plays-related-to-searches application may determine a relationship score between plays of a media title and searches of a query by determining a distance between a projection of the search onto the space of the users and a projection of plays of the media title onto the space of the users. A plays-after-searches application may determine a score for plays of the streaming media title given the search by multiplying a number of times plays of the media title occur after the query is entered by the number of times any play occurs, and dividing by a product of the number of times plays of the media title occur after any query is entered and the number of times plays of any media title occur after the query is entered.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 27, 2016
    Assignee: NETFLIX, Inc.
    Inventors: Mohammad Sabah, Carlos Gomez-Uribe, Vijay Bharadwaj, Sasi Parthasarathy, Siddharth Angrish
  • Patent number: 9447448
    Abstract: A drone-based microbial analysis system includes an electronic drone control facility including an electronic storage memory device. The storage memory device stores information including a location of at least one possible contaminated area previously determined to contain at least one positively-tested microbe. At least one drone vehicle is in signal communication with the drone control facility and autonomously navigates to the at least one possible contaminated area to collect a specimen. The drone control facility performs a microbial analysis based on the collected specimen and confirms the at least one possible contaminated area is a positively contaminated area that contains at least one microbe based on the microbial analysis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2016
    Assignee: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: James R. Kozloski, Timothy M. Lynar, Clifford A. Pickover, John M. Wagner
  • Patent number: 9430782
    Abstract: Advertisements in a social networking system may be targeted to searching users in relation with a real-time search engine operated by a social networking system. Ads are targeted to users based in part on social information included in a structured search query and/or search results on a page. In a typeahead search, a user of the social networking system may receive prefix search results of objects in the search box. The prefix search results are ranked by relevance to the user, and advertisers may bid for particular objects to increase their ranking in the results list. An option may be provided to a viewer of search query results to buy an ad that would be seen by other users who performed the same search query, received a targeted search result, or based on targeting criteria as determined by the viewer bidding on the ad.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2016
    Assignee: Facebook, Inc.
    Inventors: Amit Alon, Gregory Joseph Badros
  • Patent number: 9424364
    Abstract: A method and a device are disclosed including an integrated connection between a Social Business Network (SBN) and a webpage configured to provide context-based relevant information about content and/or metadata associated with the webpage. A SBN provides business-oriented information in a social networking environment. In some embodiments, SBN connection automatically provides information about the webpage's owner, or is used used or to start a conversation with another user. In still other embodiments, the SBN connection may retrieve information from external sources such as Facebook®, web, and databases associated with the SBN, including prior relevant conversations, project information, participant information, articles, historical data, and the like. In various embodiments, the SBN connection is in the form of a browser plugin component, which may be enhanced by custom software cartridges developed by customers of SBN to dynamically alter the behavior or add functionality to the SBN plugin component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2016
    Inventors: Oudi Antebi, Amir Leshem, Roy Antebi, Ran Hanoch Meiteles, Sagi Eliyahu
  • Patent number: 9401886
    Abstract: A method of preventing personal information from being posted to an internet, comprising determining whether text within a post includes a pre-identified text pattern indicative of a first user's personal information, replacing any identified personal information with a number of trackback identifiers, and posting the text to the internet with the post including the number of trackback identifiers. A system for replacing personal information in an interact post with a number of trackback identifiers, the system comprising a processor, a discovery module, and a trackback generation module, in which the discovery module, when executed on the processor, searches through text within a post for any personal information associated with a first user, and in which the trackback generation module, when executed on the processor, replaces any identified personal information with the number of trackback identifiers before the information is posted to the internet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 26, 2016
    Assignee: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Paul Roger Bastide, Matthew E. Broomhall, Robert Edward Loredo
  • Patent number: 9384379
    Abstract: Electronic consent for telemarketing calls can be obtained by soliciting consent from an individual using two-dimensional barcodes, such as quick response (“QR”) codes. The QR code can be printed on an advertisement and read by a smart phone. The reading of the QR code causes communication to be originated from the individual's smart phone for the purpose of requesting the individual to be contacted for a particular purpose. The communication can be construed by the enterprise as providing electronic consent for the enterprise to contact the individual with a subsequent telemarketing call. The sender's telephone number and other relevant information can be stored in an electronic consent database used to ensure compliance with appropriate marketing regulations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2016
    Assignee: NOBLE SYSTEMS CORPORATION
    Inventor: Karl H. Koster
  • Patent number: 9369758
    Abstract: A method for interpreting messages, user-defined alert conditions, voice commands and performing an action in response is described. A method for annotating media content is described. A method for presenting additional content associated with media content identified based on a fingerprint is described. A method for identifying that an advertisement portion of media content is being played based on a fingerprint derived from the media content is described. A method of one media device recording particular media content automatically in response to another media device recording the particular media content is described. A method of concurrently playing media content on multiple devices is described. A method of publishing information associated with recording of media content is described. A method of deriving fingerprints by media devices that meet an idleness criteria is described. A method of loading, modifying, and displaying a high definition frame from a frame buffer is described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2016
    Assignee: TiVo Inc.
    Inventors: Amir Gharaat, James Barton, Mukesh K. Patel
  • Patent number: 9330079
    Abstract: Systems and methods for prioritizing content generation in a distributed content system are described herein. In one aspect, content parameters are defined and prioritized according to various characteristics of the content. Type and subject matter of the content may influence content parameter definition and prioritization. Additionally, the position and size of the content within an interactive display may impact the priority assigned to the content parameters. As the content parameters are processed, an analysis tool may determine blocking data which inhibits or delays presentation or processing. Accordingly, the system may request the blocking data from other devices in the system in order to continue generating content.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2016
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: David Marcks, Matthew Trahan
  • Patent number: 9332312
    Abstract: A video display device performing wireless communication with a plurality of external devices is provided. The video display device includes a display unit, a memory formed according to driving of an external device and configured to store state information of the external device, a tuner configured to receive advertisement data including a plurality of content items selectively outputtable to the display unit, in real time; and a controller configured to control the display unit to output a content item matched to state information of the external device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2016
    Assignee: LG ELECTRONICS INC.
    Inventors: Jiho Choi, Saehun Jang, Hyeonhui Kim, Jungdo Kim, Junhee Yeo