Abstract: According to one embodiment, a player may accumulate occurrences of matched lottery numbers over a plurality of lottery outcomes (e.g., lottery number drawings) and/or a plurality of lottery entries. The player may be allowed a bonus if a running count of occurrences of matched numbers is at least equal to a predetermined number.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
June 1, 2010
Date of Patent:
January 8, 2013
Assignee:
Walker Digital, LLC
Inventors:
Jay S. Walker, James A. Jorasch, Magdalena M. Fincham, Stephen C. Tulley, John M. Packes
Abstract: Systems, apparatus, methods and articles of manufacture provide for controlling access to one or more functions of a mobile device, or other computing device, based on information about activities of a user.
Abstract: According to one or more embodiments, apparatus, systems and methods are provided for facilitating commerce. In some embodiments, an apparatus (e.g., a central computer) facilitates posting of an item for sale by receiving a digital image of an item for sale, receiving an audio description (e.g., included in an audio file) of the item, and providing an indication of the description to at least one potential buyer. In one embodiment, the digital image and the audio description are received from a mobile phone.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
August 9, 2006
Date of Patent:
December 18, 2012
Assignee:
Walker Digital, LLC
Inventors:
Daniel E. Tedesco, Jay S. Walker, James A. Jorasch, Evan I. Schwartz, Dean P. Alderucci
Abstract: Systems, methods and apparatus are provided for processing telephone calls from a plurality of customers directed to a call center. In some embodiments, the method includes receiving a telephone call at a call center from a first customer, determining that all agents of the call center are unavailable, placing the telephone call in a queue, obtaining first customer information, and matching the first customer information to second customer information associated with an ongoing communication between a second customer and an agent. The first customer is then offered an opportunity to monitor the ongoing communication, and in some embodiments is connected to the ongoing communication.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
September 15, 2008
Date of Patent:
December 4, 2012
Assignee:
Walker Digital, LLC
Inventors:
Jay S. Walker, James A. Jorasch, Thomas M. Sparico, Robert C. Tedesco
Abstract: In accordance with some embodiments, processes and interfaces for enhancing or modifying the output of search results are provided. For example, an interface may allow a user to indicate a particular search result returned for a search as being undesirable. In one embodiment, such an indication may cause a removal (e.g., by a search engine or by a third party software application with access to a listing of search results returned by the search engine) of the search result from the listing of the search results as well as review of the remainder of the search results to determine which additional search results should also be removed (e.g., additional search results may be determined, on behalf of the user, to be undesirable for the same reason as the search result(s) indicated by the user).
Abstract: Methods, systems and articles of manufacture are provided for administering sobriety tests to online gamblers, as well as to determining whether, when and to whom to administer a sobriety tests. Various mediation events to be initiated upon certain results of such sobriety tests are also disclosed.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
June 24, 2010
Date of Patent:
November 27, 2012
Assignee:
IGT
Inventors:
Jay S. Walker, Zachary T. Smith, Magdalena M. Fincham
Abstract: Systems and methods for storing a transaction history with respect to a business entity, and an incentive regarding a business entity, previously offered to an account. A desired transaction involving a holder of the account and the business entity may be generated based on the transaction history and a metric. An incentive may be generated based on an artificial intelligence program (AIP), the transaction history, and the metric. The desired transaction and the incentive may be transmitted for presentation to a holder of the account.
Abstract: Some systems, processes, apparatus and articles of manufacture provide for selling lottery entries. In one example, a request is received to purchase a multiplier and a set of play indicia for a lottery game.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
June 22, 2010
Date of Patent:
October 30, 2012
Assignee:
Walker Digital, LLC
Inventors:
John M. Packes, Jr., Stephen C. Tulley, James A. Jorasch, Daniel E. Tedesco, Magdalena Mik, Jay S. Walker, Steven M. Santisi
Abstract: An adjustable band includes a tube of material having an open first end and a second end, and a closing device at the open first end. A portion of the tube adjacent the second end may be inserted into the first end to form the band. The band has an adjustable circumference in accordance with a length of the inserted portion, which is secured to the first end by the closing device.
Abstract: Systems, apparatus, interfaces, methods, and articles of manufacture that provide for surety product underwriting. In some embodiments, for example, the process of underwriting (e.g., quoting and/or selling) surety products may be enhanced by calculating suggested magnitudes of credit to extend for any given customer and/or transaction. According to some embodiments, an interface for surety underwriting may be provided to facilitate and/or improve the underwriting process.
Abstract: A subscription system allows a customer to establish a subscription to a product with one or more retailers (e.g., by establishing the subscription through a controller or central system). In one embodiment, a subscription may be established after receiving information that identifies a product. Terms of a subscription for the product are established, such as a frequency and a duration of the subscription.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
February 20, 2012
Date of Patent:
October 9, 2012
Assignee:
Walker Digital, LLC
Inventors:
Jay S. Walker, Magdalena Mik, James A. Jorasch, Andrew S. Van Luchene, Michiko Koyabashi, Geoffrey M. Gelman, Russell P. Sammon, Andrew P. Golden, Adam Stevenson
Abstract: Systems and methods are provided allowing a player to play a gaming device and receive a predetermined number of outcomes in exchange for a payment. The gaming device generates at least the predetermined number of outcomes, and adjusts a balance of the player device based on the outcomes. The player can continue playing regardless of whether the balance is less than zero.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
July 5, 2006
Date of Patent:
October 2, 2012
Assignee:
IGT
Inventors:
Jay S. Walker, James A. Jorasch, Geoffrey M. Gelman, Stephen C. Tulley, Steven M. Santisi, Norman C. Gilman
Abstract: In accordance with some exemplary and non-limiting embodiments, a method, an apparatus and a computer readable medium are provided for receiving a request from at least one lottery player to purchase at least one lottery ticket comprising a plurality of symbols, issuing the at least one lottery ticket to the lottery player, associating the at least one lottery ticket with a lottery team formed of at least one other lottery player associated with at least one other lottery ticket associated with the lottery team, determining an occurrence of a qualifying winning event based on the plurality of symbols of all of the lottery tickets associated with the lottery team, and determining a payout for the lottery team based upon the occurrence of the qualifying event.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
April 17, 2009
Date of Patent:
September 25, 2012
Assignee:
Walker Digital, LLC
Inventors:
Jay S. Walker, Jeffrey Y. Hayashida, Russell P. Sammon, Zachary T. Smith, Gregory J. Scribner, Stephen C. Tulley
Abstract: According to some embodiments, systems, apparatus, methods, and articles of manufacture may provide for improved health care compliance. Embodiments may comprise, for example, identifying an occurrence of an event associated with the taking of a substance by a patient, determining output information associated with a game, and providing the output information to the patient. Some embodiments may comprise receiving a code associated with a patient, wherein the code includes encoded information that is indicative of an occurrence of an event associated with the taking of a substance by a patient, decoding the code to determine the information, determining whether the occurrence of the event is compliant with a condition associated with the taking of the substance, and providing, in the case that compliance with the condition is determined, one or more rewards to the patient.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
June 14, 2006
Date of Patent:
September 11, 2012
Inventors:
Jay S. Walker, James A. Jorasch, Patrick W. Nee, Jr., Carson C. K. Fincham, Evan Walker, David Bean, Rajivan Maniam
Abstract: A point of sale system or other computer system stores a product pricing database in which a full price and discount prices corresponding to one or more discount pricing tiers are stored for each product available for sale. Each of the discount prices for a given product has an associated historical transaction amount associated therewith, such that in order to qualify for a given pricing tier and thus a given price for a product, a customer must be associated with the appropriate historical transaction amount corresponding to the pricing tier.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
November 20, 2009
Date of Patent:
September 4, 2012
Assignee:
Walker Digital, LLC
Inventors:
Jay S. Walker, Andrew S. Van Luchene, Magdalena Mik, Daniel E. Tedesco
Abstract: The invention relates to methods and apparatuses for acquiring a physical measurement, and for creating a cryptographic certification of that measurement, such that its value and time can be verified by a party that was not necessarily present at the measurement. The certified measurement may also include corroborative information for associating the actual physical measurement process with the certified measurement. Such corroborative information may reflect the internal or external state of the measurement certification device, as well as witness identifiers of any persons that may have been present at the measurement acquisition and certification. The certification may include a signal receiver to receive timing signals from a satellite or other external source. The external timing signals may be used to generate the time included in the certified measurement, or could be used to determine the location of the measurement certification device for inclusion in the certified measurement.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
June 24, 2009
Date of Patent:
August 21, 2012
Assignee:
Walker Digital, LLC
Inventors:
Jay S. Walker, Bruce Schneier, James A. Jorasch
Abstract: Disclosed herein are various systems and methods for improving the establishment and management of vending machine subscriptions, including systems and methods for constructing, communicating, and registering subscriptions, as well as various methods for processing the redemption of vending machine subscription items. Several additional embodiments are disclosed, including various alternate methods of promoting longitudinal machine-customer relationships.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
May 7, 2010
Date of Patent:
July 31, 2012
Assignee:
Walker Digital, LLC
Inventors:
Paul T. Breitenbach, Sih Y. Lee, Paul D. Signorelli, Daniel E. Tedesco, James A. Jorasch, Stephen C. Tulley, Geoffrey M. Gelman, Robert C. Tedesco
Abstract: Accordingly some embodiments, a merchant server receives an indication of acceptance by a customer of an offer for a subsidy from a second merchant of a purchase of at least one item from a first merchant. The customer agrees to participate in an additional transaction with the second merchant in exchange for having the subsidy applied against the purchase from the first merchant. In one embodiment, after selling the at least one item to the customer, the merchant server determines that the customer did not participate in an additional transaction with the second merchant as the customer agreed to, and assesses a penalty against the customer.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
November 2, 2010
Date of Patent:
July 31, 2012
Assignee:
Walker Digital, LLC
Inventors:
Jay S. Walker, Daniel E. Tedesco, John M. Packes, Jr., James A. Jorasch, Jr.
Abstract: In accordance with some exemplary and non-limiting embodiments, a system, a method, an apparatus and a computer readable medium are provided for determining sets of winning numbers for a first lottery drawing and a second lottery drawing, determining a performance score of a group of participants based on entries of the group eligible for the first lottery drawing and for the second lottery drawing, and determining an award (e.g., a secondary award) based on the performance score of the group.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
October 23, 2009
Date of Patent:
July 24, 2012
Assignee:
Walker Digital, LLC
Inventors:
Jay S. Walker, Jon E. Ellenthal, Nancy Palumbo, Stephen C. Tulley
Abstract: A system for managing a purchase agreement, including: a memory element for at least one specially-programmed general purpose computer for storing an artificial intelligence program (AIP) and a purchase agreement between a customer and at least one business entity, the purchase agreement including at least one requirement regarding at least one retail transaction between the customer and the business entity; a processor in the specially-programmed general purpose computer for: compiling a purchasing history for the customer with respect to the business entity and the purchase agreement, the memory element for storing the purchasing history, and modifying, using the purchasing history and the AIP, the at least one requirement to increase revenue or profitability of the business entity; and an interface element in the specially-programmed general purpose computer for transmitting the modified at least one requirement for presentation to the customer.