Abstract: Disclosed embodiments include a method performed by a computing device of a computer system having a hierarchical arrangement of power nodes including servers. The method includes determining power utilization patterns of the servers, calculating asynchrony scores for the servers based on the power utilization patterns, and clustering the servers into clusters based on the asynchrony scores, where each cluster has servers that have synchronous utilization patterns. The method also includes allocating the servers to the hierarchical arrangement of power nodes by selecting servers from the clusters to reduce synchronous power utilization patterns by the hierarchical arrangement of power nodes.

Abstract: System and method for management and optimization of waiting time for check-out service by using an unique identifier recognition via local wi-fi network with the purpose to manage one or several check-out positions (cashiers or counters), optimizing waiting time for check-out service. This system and method is designed to be used by persons, where each individual is identified by the unique physical address identifier (such as the MAC address) of their personal mobile device with Wi-Fi connection. To access the system on the local server, the user must connect to the licensed establishment's exclusive Wi-Fi local network and access the system using a dedicated pre-installed application or URL address, according to the user's choice. It is therefore a system designed to optimize waiting time, where the addition of new users will occur by mobile device (such as smartphones, tablets, iPods, netbooks, notebooks or other similar devices).

Abstract: A method of evaluating data in a database, the method including causing a workstation to display a graphical user interface which a user can use to create a screening rule by defining at least one screening condition and by entering a score, whether the score is applied to evaluate data in the database if the screening condition is met, whereby no knowledge of a programming language is required to create the screening rule. Other systems and methods are also provided.

Abstract: A request for shopping is placed from inside a procurement system. Intelligent agents are launched to retrieve information from catalog sources web-enabled over the internet or within the intranet. Retrieved catalog information is aggregated and associated with other data items. Business rules are applied to make decisions on what part of aggregated information will be rendered to a User. Sorting/multi-level refining operations are enabled. The User selects one or more catalog results, whereupon an XML shopping cart is created and submitted to the procurement system through published interfaces. The procurement system is enabled to place an order on supplier web-enabled transaction systems.

Abstract: A method for finding and displaying products on a display device of an electronic data processing device is provided. The method includes recognizing an image or image section with at least one imaged object displayed on the display device when the cursor of the data processing device moves into an area of the image or image section. The recognized image or image section is designated with a trigger when the cursor of the data processing device moves into the area of the image or image section and the trigger is superimposed on the area of the recognized image or image section on the display device. The displayed image is segmented and at least one object is detected by an analysis of visual content of the designated image or image section by actuating the superimposed trigger. The at least one detected object may be displayed on the display device.

Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for making a pre-payment. In some embodiments, a user is provided with a mobile wallet; information populating at least one payment instrument to the mobile wallet is received; information that the mobile wallet is usable with respect to the vehicle is received; information that the mobile wallet has been presented by the vehicle to a payment location is received; an authorized pre-payment corresponding to items or an amount associated with the payment location is received; a token is received from the user at the payment location; and the pre-payment is settled using the payment instrument.

Abstract: The present invention provides a novel approach for consumer-driven interaction with sequencing data or genomic information. Sequencing data access, for users with a variety of access and permissions, may be mediated by a central hub. The hub may also facilitate access to the sequencing data for third party software applications. The hub may also provide data analysis or may have access to analyzed data to use such data in providing a user interface for a genome owner or for non-owner secondary users of the system.

Abstract: A method, system and a computer program product are provided for updating mobile device applications at a central cloud server by establishing an application virtual machine representation of a first mobile device application installed on a mobile device; updating the application virtual machine representation at the central cloud server to perform software configuration, installation, upgrade, optimization, testing, or maintenance tasks on the application virtual machine representation without using computational resources at the mobile device; and sending the mobile device one or more modules that were changed when updating the application virtual machine representation for integration into the first mobile device application installed on the mobile device.

Abstract: Methods and systems are disclosed for providing seller-initiated financing in a sale of an item between private parties. A financial service system configures a financing program to give sellers the opportunity to offer prospective buyers financing directly. The financial service system enrolls a given seller in the program, providing resources and services to the seller to help market the sale and select a credit-worthy buyer. Once the transaction is completed, the financial service system transfers proceeds to the seller, then configures a loan account and payment plan for the buyer. Alternatively, the program can be implemented with an intermediate service provider, such as an online marketplace retailer. The service provider enrolls the seller and assists with marketing and buyer selection, and the financial service system transfers proceeds to the seller and service provider, and configures a loan account and payment plan for the buyer.

Abstract: A payment system is described. The payment system includes a transaction system. The transaction system is configured to receive a request for a code to complete a sales transaction, the request including information about the sales transaction. The payment system is also configured to, in response to said request for said code to complete said sales transaction, generate said code based on the information about the sales transaction. Further, the transaction system is configured to transmit said code to a merchant.

Abstract: The disclosed embodiments provide systems, methods, and techniques for managing merchandising cards. A merchandising card may be, for example, a gift card, loyalty card, or the like. Consistent disclosed embodiments, a system for managing merchandising cards may include one or more memory devices storing instructions and one or more processors configured to acquire, from a device over a network, a plurality of locations associated with the device, the device locations being acquired at different instances in time within a predetermined period of time. Additionally, the processor may be configured to calculate a merchant confidence rating for a merchant using the device locations. Further, the one or more processors may be configured to, based on the merchant confidence rating, determine that the merchant matches a merchant that is associated with merchandising card, and send a reminder a user of the device.

Abstract: A method for improved management of a purchase order comprises searching online for at least one product or group of products similar to each other to be ordered from a generic supplier and obtaining a confirmation of availability. The step of searching for the product to be ordered from the generic supplier can be extended to search for the product or the group of products or alternative products available at least one alternative supplier. The product or group of products or the alternative products found at the alternative supplier are inserted into a shopping cart of the alternative supplier and compared with the product or the group of products of the generic supplier. The extension of the search is started automatically by a search and compare software application authorized by the user and provided by the alternative supplier.

Abstract: A management server communicable with portable information devices includes: a group generating portion that generates a group to which two or more portable information devices belong; an identification information receiving portion that receives the identification information from a transmission source device, which receives from any one of fixed terminals each located geographically at a fixed position, identification information corresponding to related information assigned to the fixed terminal; a group determining portion that, in response to receipt of the identification information from the transmission source device, determines a group to which the transmission source device belongs; and a linked transmitting portion that transmits the identification information received from the transmission source device, in order to allow each of one or more portable information devices which belong to the group determined, to display the related information corresponding to the identification information received

Abstract: Techniques for online price matching are provided. A consumer submits a price offer to a network-based servicer for a product or service. The price offer is directed to or resolved to a specific brick-and-mortar store. The brick-and-mortar store determines whether the price offer can be matched and when it can be matched; a coupon redeemable by the consumer at the brick-and-mortar store is communicated to the consumer. The coupon permits the consumer to acquire the product or service at the price offer provided by an online retailer to the consumer.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method for providing knowledge based sharing performed by a computing device including one or more processors and a main memory storing commands executable by the processors. The method may include: collecting, by a collection module, a question and an answer for the question from a knowledge sharing platform; extracting, by a process extracting module, a process for solving the question from the answer by analyzing the collected answer; tagging, by a process processing module, additional information on the respective processes to the extracted processes and storing the tagged additional information; receiving, by a communication module, search information from a user terminal; and providing, by the communication module, at least one of the answer, the process, and the tagged additional information corresponding to the search information to the user terminal.

Abstract: Devices, methods, and systems for improving the customer experience and simplifying the purchase of items are disclosed. In general the devices, methods, and systems allow a customer to speak a name or type of item, or scan a code (such as a barcode) of an item, and the item is automatically added to a shopping cart of the customer. For example, speech recognition and machine learning techniques may be used to process audio input and identify potential products relating to the input. When there is a high confidence that an identified product is the product the customer intended to purchase, the identified product is automatically added to the customer's shopping cart. When the confidence is not high enough, a list of potential products may be generated and added to the customer's shopping cart. The customer may then select the intended product right from the list in the shopping cart.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for control of data and content protection mechanisms across a network using a download delivery paradigm. In one embodiment, conditional access (CA), digital rights management (DRM), and trusted domain (TD) security policies are delivered, configured and enforced with respect to consumer premises equipment (CPE) within a cable television network. A trusted domain is established within the user's premises within which content access, distribution, and reproduction can be controlled remotely by the network operator. The content may be distributed to secure or non-secure “output” domains consistent with the security policies enforced by secure CA, DRM, and TD clients running within the trusted domain. Legacy and retail CPE models are also supported.

Abstract: Methods and systems to automatically respond to a request for product information are described. In one embodiment, a data collection module may collect product data over a network, identify that the product data is related to a particular product, and store the product data and an association between the product data and the particular product in a database. An instant messaging engine may receive a request for the product data after the product data is stored in the database and an interpreter module may identify, in response to the request, the request to correspond to the particular product and retrieve the product data based on the association between the particular product and the product data. The instant messaging engine may also transmit, using an instant messaging protocol, a response to the request, the response including the product data.

Abstract: A system and method is provided for adding an advertisement to a digital message. An advertisement generator residing on a network host accepts digital messages from contributors and allows the contributors to select an advertisement to be displayed with their contributed messages. These digital messages may be sent to specified recipients or published on a Web site. Using stored personal data associated with the contributor and with the recipient of a digital message, in addition to the content of the message itself, the advertisement generator suggests advertisements to be included with the digital messages based on their contextual relevance. If the contributor-selected advertisement is provided by a third party advertiser, the message, contributor, and advertisement data may be utilized to compensate the contributor of that message for sending it to at least one recipient or posting it on a Web site.

Abstract: Embodiments are directed to a computer implemented method of selecting a partner marketing communication. The method includes receiving, by a processor circuit, data of a potential visit by a customer to a location. The method further includes making a determination, by the processor, based at least in part on the data of the potential visit by the customer to the location, that the customer or an agent of the customer may travel to the location. The method further includes selecting, by the processor circuit, at least one partner marketing communication from among a plurality of available partner marketing communications based at least in part on the data of the potential visit and the determination that the customer or the agent may travel to the location.

Abstract: A method may include generating a list of frame candidates, the list of frame candidates including a plurality of aspect ratios, based on a characteristic of a display device and an aspect ratio of a base tile; receiving a set of media items, each with a respective aspect ratio (AR), to display on the display device; and for each respective media item in the set of media items: filtering the list of frame candidates based on a respective aspect ratio of the list of frame candidates being within a threshold cropping amount of the AR of the respective media item; and matching the respective media to a frame candidate of the filtered list of frame candidates.

Abstract: A system for producing promotional media content includes a strategic meta information analysis processing unit configured to process various types of pieces of strategic meta information in various formats to an unstructured data batch having a certain weight value, a media content analysis processing unit configured to classify and analyze each meta information by similarity by using meta information of various types of media content or meta information actively extracted by analyzing each media content, an association analyzing unit configured to calculate association between strategic meta information processed through the strategic meta information analysis processing unit and the media content processed through the media content analysis processing unit, and a media content synthesizing unit configured to finally synthesize promotional media content by using the various types of strategic meta information, the media content, and the association information calculated by the association analyzing unit.

Abstract: One or more embodiments of the disclosure provide systems and methods for improving a user experience for performing transactions between potential buyers and sellers online via real-time communications. For example, a social marketplace system enables a potential buyer to initiate a real-time communication with a seller without the potential buyer having to provide contextual information regarding the item to the seller. In one or more embodiments, the social marketplace system provides a banner, in connection with the real-time communication, populated with structured data associated with the item that the potential buyer and the seller are discussing.

Abstract: A portable device which assists shoppers. The device identifies items of merchandise, and retrieves information about the items from a remote location. The items can be identified based on their labels, by image recognition, by their location, by the shopper, or by other approaches. This additional or enhanced information about the items can then be overlaid on the real-time display of the portable device, such that the shopper has access to said information and can associate it easily to the relevant items.

Abstract: Provided are an user equipment for recognizing an object and displaying a database matching result, a control method thereof, and a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having a computer program recorded thereon. That is, the present invention provides assistance on a purchase decision-making of a user by sensing an object as quickly as possible and providing information about the object to the user, and also improves convenience of the user through integrated UX.

Abstract: A plurality of wearable accessories for creating a synchronously presented lighting effect from an audience in a controlled access venue. Each accessory has a substrate, a power source, at least one light, a controller, and a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag. The radio frequency identification tag can store information and communicate with other devices to enable a user to conduct transactions with others.

Abstract: Methods and systems are disclosed for providing seller-initiated financing in a sale of an item between private parties. A financial service system configures a financing program to give sellers the opportunity to offer prospective buyers financing directly. The financial service system enrolls a given seller in the program, providing resources and services to the seller to help market the sale and select a credit-worthy buyer. Once the transaction is completed, the financial service system transfers proceeds to the seller, then configures a loan account and payment plan for the buyer. Alternatively, the program can be implemented with an intermediate service provider, such as an online marketplace retailer. The service provider enrolls the seller and assists with marketing and buyer selection, and the financial service system transfers proceeds to the seller and service provider, and configures a loan account and payment plan for the buyer.

Abstract: One embodiment provides a method for assessing probability of winning an in-flight deal. The method comprises receiving information for the in-flight deal. The information for the in-flight deal comprises a set of price points for the in-flight deal and metadata relating to the in-flight deal. The method further comprises, for each price point of the set of price points, predicting a probability of winning the in-flight deal at the price point based on a predictive analytics model.

Abstract: Multimedia content may be delivered to content consumer devices via a content-delivery network. Encrypted content and cryptography keys for decrypting the content may be distributed from a data center to various nodes of the content-delivery network, each node acting as a semi-independent content-delivery system. Each content-delivery system is capable of delivering received content to end-users and implementing a key-management scheme to facilitate secure content-delivery and usage tracking, even when the content-delivery system is disconnected from the data center. In other words, the disclosed systems and methods facilitate the operation of nodes which may operate in “autonomous mode” when disconnected from a larger content-delivery network, thus maintaining content-delivery capabilities despite having little if any connectivity to external networks.

Abstract: Computer program products, methods, systems, apparatus, and computing entities are provided for automatically carrying out actions based on action identifiers in messages. In one embodiment, an appropriate computing entity can determine whether a message comprises an action identifier in the message. If the message comprises an action identifier, one or more of the parties of message can be identified and the corresponding action can be initiated.

Abstract: A system for trading goods over a computer network based on image processing includes an image processor that analyzes a picture received from a user to build a description of entities in the picture and correlations among the entities, a description interpreter that analyzes the description to determine an underlying message in the picture and detect information regarding the user's interests, emotions and affinities to goods and services, wherein the information is stored with the user's profile, the user's list of items to trade, and the user's past transaction history, and a trade matching component that uses the user's profile and produces a ranked list of other users with items to trade, or intermediary trade steps, when another user initiates a new trading transaction.

Abstract: Various embodiments of a system and method for message-based purchasing are described. The system and method for message-based purchasing may include a message-based purchase service configured to determine that a selection has been performed through a network-based interface. Such selection may be indicative of one or more items offered for sale via the network-based interface. The message-based purchase service may be configured to, in response to the selection of one or more items, send to a communication device, a message indicating a code corresponding to the selection. The message-based purchase service may receive from the communication device through a communication channel that does not include the network-based interface, a message including the code. The message-based purchase service may be configured to, in response to determining that the message received from the communication device includes the code, generate a purchase request for the one or more previously selected items.

Abstract: A computer system for determining buying online and picking up in store. A computer receives from a shopper a request for buying online and picking up in store. The computer parses stores carrying an item purchased online and connections of the shopper in a social network. The computer provides the shopper with a list of one or more connections for picking up the item for the shopper. The computer sends to one of the one or more connections a token for picking up the item and information of a store where the item is picked up, after the shopper chooses the one of the one or more connections for picking up the item. The computer sends to the shopper a notification, after the item is picked up by the one of the one or more connections for picking up the item.

Abstract: Computer-implemented systems and methods are disclosed for deploying documents in a live environment. The systems and methods can provide a configuration environment including a testing environment and a staging environment that can be used to configure documents that can implement software as a system. The documents can provide users with various services, that can be accessed by the documents in a testing staging environment and a live environment. The documents can be used to edit configuration files that can correspond with an entity or a patient. After being edited, a diff utility can be used to calculate and provide differences between a modified configuration file and an original configuration file. Non-transitory computer readable storage media for storing instructions that use the methods are also disclosed.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are example embodiments for financier-facilitated guaranty provisioning. For certain example embodiments, at least one device, such as a server device of a financier: (i) may discover at least one authorization request corresponding to at least one product transaction; or (ii) may provide at least one proffered guaranty transaction to at least one guarantor. However, claimed subject matter is not limited to any particular described embodiments, implementations, examples, or so forth.

Abstract: A user attribute value transfer method, includes: obtaining a picture; performing facial recognition to recognize human faces in the picture; according to an entered instruction, determining a target human face selected from recognized human faces and determining a corresponding target attribute value; generating an attribute value transfer request according to the target attribute value and corresponding facial recognition information; and sending the attribute value transfer request to a server, so that the server performs an attribute value transfer operation according to the attribute value transfer request.

Abstract: In one example, a data collection module collects product data over a network, identifies that the product data is related to a particular product, and stores the product data and an association between the product data and the particular product in a database. An instant messaging engine receives a request for the product data after the product data is stored in the database and an interpreter module identifies, in response to the request, the request to correspond to the particular product and retrieve the product data based on the association between the particular product and the product data. The instant messaging engine transmits, using an instant messaging protocol, a response to the request, the response including the product data.

Abstract: An infrastructure manager for an information handling system is disclosed. The infrastructure manager includes a solution property extractor service, a data store, and a visualization engine. The solution property extractor service may extract solution details from a solution template queried from a solution template repository and may transform the solution details into a document. The solution details may include infrastructure information and workload information from the solution template. The data store may store the document. The visualization engine may access the data store to extract components required by the document, determine whether the existing components of the information handling system correlate to the components required by the document, and display the recommended workload.

Abstract: A communication device may communicate a first establishing command with an external device via a NFC interface so as to establish a first communication link, receive first target data from the external device via the NFC interface by using the first communication link, process a specific command included in the first target data so as to create second target data, select one type of disconnection method according to information included in the first target data from among plural types of disconnection methods for disconnecting the first communication link, and disconnect the first communication link by using the selected one type of disconnection method. The communication device may communicate a second establishing command with the external device via the NFC interface so as to establish a second communication link, and send the second target data to the external device via the NFC interface by using the second communication link.

Abstract: A system, method and apparatus for payment processing using dynamic barcodes is provided. In an embodiment, a method is provided. The method includes receiving a request to stage an order, including information identifying a merchant. The method further includes determining current order information for the merchant. The method also includes producing a token identifier for the order. The token identifier includes an item code and a ticket identifier. The item code identifies or references an economic understanding for the order. Additionally, the method includes staging the order within a system to allow for completion of the order later in time. The order completes through notification of payment to a POS terminal by a consumer and fulfillment of the order by the merchant. The method further includes sending the token identifier to the merchant. The token identifier is to be provided to the consumer for use by the consumer in paying for the order at the POS terminal.

Abstract: A method is provided for converting a location code index to a product code value, comprising performing a step selected from the group consisting of: applying a mapping L2P to a location code index nL to provide a product code index nP and applying a function nP2vP to the product code index nP to provide a product code value vP; and applying a function nL2vL to a location code index nL to provide a location code value vL and applying a mapping L2P to the location code value vL to provide a product code value vP. A system is also provided for providing a product code P from a location code L, the system comprising: a processor; an input coupled to the processor and configured to receive the location code L; and a converter L2P operable to map the location code L to the product code P.

Abstract: A computing apparatus configured to perform natural language processing, e.g., by comparing the words in a communication transcript of a user to a list of keywords, to generate an input vector representing a pattern of text in the communication transcript. A predictive model is generated from correlating input vectors to user ranking scores, e.g., for retention. The input vector determined from a communication transcript is applied to the computation model to compute a predicted retention score of the user. The retention score can be used, for example, to select a personalized recommendation for a communication connection to an adviser and/or a targeted offer.

Abstract: Method and system are provided to facilitate transactions in a particular on-line trading platform from a third party web site. The system may be configured to associate identification information, such as a uniform resource locator (URL), with a reference to an item of merchandise on a web page provided by a third party entity. In response to a request originated from a client device of a user, the method may cause presentation of a listing of the item of merchandise maintained in the particular on-line trading platform and a visual control to facilitate commencing of a transaction process with respect to the item of merchandise in the on-line trading platform.

Abstract: Technical solutions are described for a seller to bypass a spam filter. An example method includes sending, by a message preempting apparatus, for receipt by a server corresponding to the seller, a transaction identifier in response to a transaction between a user and the seller. The method also includes sending, by the message preempting apparatus, for receipt by a messaging server, the transaction identifier, where the messaging server, in response, bypasses a spam filter for a message that is associated with the transaction identifier.

Abstract: A processor-implemented method, system, and/or computer program product sorts and displays product reviews of ecommerce products. A system receives product reviews for ecommerce products. The product reviews are displayed on an ecommerce webpage, are generated by product reviewers, and are for different types of products. Reviewer profiles of the product reviewers are received. The reviewer profiles include characteristics of the product reviewers that affect usage of one or more of the different types of products. A user profile for a user is received. The user profile includes characteristics of the user that affect usage of one or more of the different types of products. The user profile is matched to a specific reviewer profile from the reviewer profiles. The product reviews are sorted according to the different types of products and the specific reviewer profile. The sorted product reviews are then displayed on the ecommerce webpage.

Abstract: A system is provided for providing a product and a location from a code selected from the group consisting of a product code index, a location code index, a location code value, and a product code value. The system comprises: a processor, an input coupled to the processor and configured to receive the code, a first converter operable to convert a product code index to a product code value; a second converter operable to convert a product code value to a location code value; a third converter operable to convert a location code index to a location code value; a fourth converter operable to convert a location code value to a product code value; whereby, a product and a location are provided.

Abstract: An electronic commerce (e-commerce) system may send advertisement emails to customers that are registered with the e-commerce system. The advertisement emails may include mailto hyperlinks. Each mailto hyperlink may be associated with a product that is being offered for sale, and each mailto hyperlink describes an email message that may be generated when that hyperlink is selected. When a mailto hyperlink is selected, the generated email message may include one or more parameters related to the product associated with the hyperlink, such as an identifier of the product. The generated email message may then be transmitted to the e-commerce system. The e-commerce system may receive the message and, based on the parameters in the received message, execute a transaction to purchase the identified product on behalf of the customer.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method for applying payment services to a payment transaction over a first payment network using a payment services computer system hosted on a second payment network is provided. The method includes receiving a service request at the payment services computer system from a requestor. The service request has a first format that is readable by the second payment network. The method includes determining, at the payment services computer system, the payment services the service request is registered to receive. The method includes processing the service request by applying the registered payment services to the service request. The method includes generating, at the payment services computer system, a services response. The services response is generated based on the registered payment services and the payment transaction data. The method additionally includes transmitting the services response to at least one of the cardholder and the requestor.

Abstract: An information processing apparatus includes a communication unit, a display, and a remote operation unit. The communication unit communicates with an external device. The display displays information, and receives an input operation. The remote operation unit remotely operates a screen displayed on the external device. The remote operation unit operates the external device in a state in which at least one operation on the external device are invalidated. In the case where a drawing input operation is performed on the display with the screen displayed on the external device displayed on the display, the remote operation unit validates an operation corresponding to the drawing input operation, among the at least one operation on the external device which have been invalidated.

Abstract: Disclosed are various embodiments for shopping using a messaging system. A message from a user includes a plurality of line items. At least one item may be identified corresponding to at least one of the plurality of line items. The at least one item may be included in a list associated with a user account.