Abstract: A method and system for providing personal shopping assistance via a computing device includes hosting a database of information regarding a customer, hosting a database of information regarding a personal shopper, and associating the customer with the personal shopper. The personal shopper is provided the ability to recommend at least one of a product or a service relevant to the customer and receiving an indication of the purchase of the recommended product or service by the customer. An incentive system may provide a reward to the personal shopper based upon the purchased product or service, including a commission or other reward. The system may be implemented on a desktop and/or mobile device as desired to provide flexibility in implementation.

Abstract: Systems, methods, and media for picking-up and delivering products are disclosed. Some embodiments route shoppers to acquire products for multiple customers orders from multiple suppliers using a variety of transportation modes. The transportation modes may differing maximum weight carrying and volume carrying capacities, maximum vehicle speeds. Moreover, some embodiments may account for a different number vehicles for each transportation mode and may further account for the availability of shoppers and vehicles.

Abstract: An apparatus having a handle with a mounted hand grip is described. A first end wall surface of the hand grip is tapered from a base surface to a top surface of the hand grip. A second end wall surface of the hand grip is tapered from the base surface to the top surface of the hand grip. A first end wall of the recess engages the first end wall surface of the hand grip and prevents movement of the first end wall surface away from the base surface of the recess. A second end wall of the recess engages the second end wall surface of the hand grip and prevents movement of the first end wall surface away from the base surface of the recess.

Abstract: Systems and methods for switching communication pathways between a mobile device and connected “Internet of Things” (IoT) device are described to improve scalability and communication between devices. An application on the mobile device may determine whether local or virtual local endpoints are available to route communications without using a remote IoT server endpoint. Communications and updates from multiple co-located, but not necessarily user-related connected devices may be aggregated, and sent to a remote IoT server to reduce the peak load scalability requirement of the server.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus are disclosed regarding an e-commerce system that places customers into a plurality of clusters and tailors services provided to a customer based on the cluster in which the customer is placed. In one embodiment, the e-commerce system defines the clusters based on purchase history data for customers having sufficient purchase history data. The e-commerce system then places customers without sufficient purchase history data into one of the defined clusters based on demographic data for the customer and demographic data for the customers in the cluster.

Abstract: A method and system for emergent data processing are described. A system having one or more servers operable to handle retail data can receive content including customer data and product data. The content can be normalized and stored into a hyper-graph structure in the servers. The system can be used to select a portion of the hyper-graph structure based on a particular customer and to generate a recommendation for the particular customer based on the content in that portion of the hyper-graph structure. The system can also generate personal catalogs based on the information in the hyper-graph structure. The system can perform competitive analysis between products from different sources and include the results in the recommendations. Moreover, the system can perform a vertical analysis of consumable products to provide recommendations for tools or products that can be used in connection with the consumable products.

Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed for accessing protected data. A computing device may have a secured stared storage accessible by two or more applications operating on the mobile device. The computing device may obtain a first token from an authorization service to verify user identity for a first application. The first token may be stored in the shared storage area, and be accessible to one or more applications sharing the storage space. In response to a user attempt to access a web service using a second application, the user identity may be verified using the first token. The authorization service may verify user credentials, and send a second token to the computing device. The second token may be a proxy ticket authorizing access and exchange of protected data between the second application and a web service. The second token may also be stored in the secure storage area.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus are disclosed regarding an e-commerce system having social networking aspects. The e-commerce system leverages such social networking aspects to help promote the sale of products.

Abstract: A computing device (e.g., a server) coupled to a digital signage device may receive characteristic information associated with a visitor of the digital signage device. The received characteristic information may be analyzed, and based on a result of the analysis, advertisement attributes may be determined. The computing device may select, based on the determined advertisement attributes, a particular advertisement from a plurality of advertisement bids. The computing device may cause display of the selected particular advertisement on the digital signage device for the visitor. The characteristic information may be generated by the digital signage device utilizing a video analytics. The computing device may receive particular gesture information associated with a mobile device of the visitor who responds to the displayed particular advertisement.

Abstract: A computing device hosting a website of a business may be operable to receive a first search input comprising a term submitted via a search bar on the website. Upon performing an internal search for the term with no result, the computing device may output information on the no-result. The computing device may then perform, using one or more external search engines, a search for the term. Search results of the search, performed using the external search engine(s), may be analyzed. Based on a result of the analysis, one or more particular character strings related to the term may be identified. The computing device may generate and store, based on the identifying of the particular character string(s), one or more alternative search suggestions. Upon subsequently receiving an input comprising at least a portion of the term entered in the search bar, the computing device may output the alternative search suggestion(s).

Abstract: A bin positioned within a refrigerator drawer and slidable across the refrigerator drawer at one or more edges of the refrigerator drawer and/or at one or more sliding mechanisms attached to at least one side of the refrigerator drawer.

Abstract: A redundant actuation lock apparatus includes an interface, an electronic mechanism, and a manual mechanism. The interface manipulates lock bar(s) into a locked/unlocked position. The electronic mechanism includes an actuator and power drive. The actuator is disengageably coupled to and drives the interface. The power drive is coupled to and drives the actuator in response to a control signal. The manual mechanism includes a key input and an output. The key input receives and rotates with a mechanical key. The output disengageably couples to the interface and rotates with the mechanical key. The actuator is engaged with and the output is disengaged from the interface in an electronic mode, while the actuator is disengaged from and the output is engaged with the interface in a manual mode.

Abstract: A system and method for online peer-to-peer rental of things using crowdsourcing and selected groups of potential lenders. Individuals desiring to borrow a particular thing may search a listing of things offered for rental by lenders that have chosen to list for rental some of the things that they own. If a thing desired by one wishing to rent is not available among the things currently listed for rental, the borrower may request that potential lenders be contacted. Potential lenders may be identified using a collection of personal information for a population of consumers based on consumer purchase history information and consumer rental history information collected by the entity operating the peer-to-peer rental system.

Abstract: A system and method supporting the assisted creation of media content documenting the details of completing a step-by-step project by a consumer in an Internet-based, social networking/social e-commerce environment.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus are disclosed regarding an e-commerce system that promotes sales of products based on product comparisons. Some embodiments may present a marketing message that justifies a price difference between presented products based on attribute differences between the presented products.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus are disclosed regarding an e-commerce system that clusters customers based on demographic data and purchase history data for the customers. In some embodiments, the e-commerce system solves an Integer Program that accounts for the demographic data and purchase history data in order to identify a hyperplane that splits a selected cluster of customers.

Abstract: Systems, methods, and apparatus are disclosed that provide a pickup process for items purchased from a store. In some embodiments, a mobile computing device of a customer may determine whether the mobile computing device and therefore the customer are in a pickup zone for a store. In response to determining that the mobile computing device is in the pickup zone, the mobile computing device may notify the customer and request whether the customer wishes to initiate pickup of purchased items from the store. The mobile computing device may notify a merchandise pickup system of the customer's desire to pickup the purchased items.

Abstract: A system and method for assessing personal preferences and interests of end-users by engaging one or more end-users in a game in which the end-user may be given a chance to win a product item from a collection of product items selected by the end-user.

Abstract: Example computer executable instructions for determining a consumer's offer eligibility using a predicate logic tree against sets of input data are provided. In particular, the disclosed examples recite a rewards engine capable of determining a consumer's offer eligibility using a predicate logic tree against sets of input data. The rewards engine applies rules that are relevant to a particular deal offered by a retail establishment to the consumer's records to determine the consumer's offer eligibility. In some examples, the rewards engine sorts or partially sorts some or all of the consumer's records to determine the consumer's offer eligibility.

Abstract: Systems and methods for providing an air agitator nozzle system are disclosed. In an exemplary embodiment, the system comprises a vacuum and a nozzle. The vacuum is configured to suck particles from a floor surface. The nozzle is configured to spray air at the floor surface to loosen the particles and to push the loosened particles toward the vacuum to be sucked from the floor surface.