Patents Examined by Bennett Sigmond
  • Patent number: 9009064
    Abstract: A purchase-transaction-settled online consumer referral and reward system and method using real-time specific merchant sales information is provided for the advertising publishing industry. The system provides a pay per transaction platform that allows advertising publishers to monetize interactive and/or broadcast media advertising by tracking and linking ad acceptance events to consummated consumer purchases.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2015
    Assignee: eBay Inc.
    Inventors: Jon Karlin, Lee Wang
  • Patent number: 8983859
    Abstract: A client-based ad agent dynamically determines whether an advertisement campaign should bid on an impression for an end user and/or sets the bid price of the advertisement campaign for the impression. When an opportunity for an impression on a web page is identified, the ad agent accesses user data associated with an end user. The ad agent analyzes the user data to identify the relevance and/or value of serving an impression to the end user to the advertisement campaign. Based on the analysis, the ad agent controls whether the advertisement campaign bids on the impression for the end user and/or sets the bid price of the advertisement campaign for the impression.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 17, 2015
    Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventors: Nir Nice, Uri Barash, Ying Li, Michael J. Goldbach, William H. Gates, III
  • Patent number: 8972281
    Abstract: A system and process is provided for distributing branding and content messages to wireless mobile devices such as mobile handsets. The system has a mobile media portal process that enables a content owner and one or more sponsors to cooperate in negotiating, planning, and executing a branding or content campaign. For a campaign, a set of consumers has indicated a desire to receive particular content information on their mobile handset, and may have used a web interface or their phone to provide demographic information and content choices. A media center interface, either automatically or under human control, associates a particular marketing message from a sponsor with the content information, and distributes the marketing message and information to the user's handset. Since the marketing message has been selected and adapted to the demographics and preferences of the user, it is likely that the user will positively respond to receiving the marketing message.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2015
    Assignee: Wigglewireless, LLC
    Inventor: Thomas J Pokonosky
  • Patent number: 8972277
    Abstract: A method of manufacturing a layered image assembly and a marketing method are provided including a passive consumer behavior tracking method without requiring an “opt-in” process. The layered image assembly includes a base layer and a top layer with an inner area formed between. An opening is provided within a perimeter of the base layer to provide access to the inner layer. The inner layer is provided with a media that may comprise coupons, offers, advertisements, collapsible springs, animated collapsible springs having an image, etc. The media may include one or more symbols for conveying information. The layered image assembly may be attached to an item, such as a substrate, envelope, package, magazine, etc. The customer information relating to the item may be associated, or merged, with the information from the one or more symbols from the media. This merging of information may be used to track customer purchases, customer information, and the like.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2015
    Assignee: Action Wobble, Inc.
    Inventors: John C. Sullivan, Jeffrey S. Samson, Cory Price, Pedro Vaca, Basil Luck
  • Patent number: 8843394
    Abstract: Systems and methods for mapping identifiers are provided. Activity logs illustrate activities and/or events associated with a plurality of identifiers. The identifiers may be registered identifiers, unregistered identifiers, or a combination thereof. When at least two identifiers share a linking attribute, the at least two identifiers may be mapped to one another, along with information associated therewith (if any) such as a user profile. Each subsequent line of an activity line may also be mapped to the identifiers of the initial single line when a linking attribute or an overlapping identifier is present. A number of identifiers associated with each other may be increased by mapping identifiers and, thus, a targeted audience for a customized advertisement may, in turn, be increased.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 23, 2014
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Fei Cao, Shaoyu Zhou, Siddhartha Roy, Michael Elizarov, Zhuoqing Wu, James Zhang
  • Patent number: 8818849
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus to provide incentives to deflect callers to websites are disclosed. Example methods disclosed herein to deflect a caller to a webpage include receiving a call from the caller, offering an incentive to the caller to terminate the call and access the webpage, and providing an address of the webpage to the caller after the caller consents to terminate the call.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 26, 2014
    Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P.
    Inventors: Jeffrey Lewis Brandt, Angela Sandoval, Aaron Bangor
  • Patent number: 8818843
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus to determine when to deflect callers to websites are disclosed. Example methods disclosed herein to deflect a caller to a webpage include receiving a call from the caller, determining a performance metric associated with processing the call, and determining whether to offer the caller an option to terminate the call and access the webpage based on the performance metric.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 26, 2014
    Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P.
    Inventors: Jeffrey Lewis Brandt, Angela Sandoval
  • Patent number: 8775256
    Abstract: A system and method for placing ads on a client-side video replay system during a pause mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 8, 2014
    Assignee: The DIRECTV Group, Inc.
    Inventors: Scott A. Rosenberg, Matthew H. Self
  • Patent number: 8700467
    Abstract: Provided is an apparatus and method for providing a cell-based advertisement broadcast service in a broadband wireless communication system. In an advertisement broadcast service of a service interface server in the broadband wireless communication system, an advertisement content transmission request message containing at least one of information about advertisement broadcast content, information about an advertisement broadcast zone, and information about an advertisement broadcast channel is received from a service provider. The received advertisement content transmission request message is transmitted to an MCBCS controller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 15, 2014
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Ji-Hye Ha, Sung-Won Lee, Dong-Keon Kong, Sang-Jun Moon
  • Patent number: 8694374
    Abstract: A computer-implemented method for processing network activities is described. The method includes identifying a model that specifies attributes for network objects, identifying a network object having one or more attributes that deviate from the model, and providing as an input to a ranking algorithm a value associated with the deviance of the one or more attributes of the identified network object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2014
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventors: Michelangelo Diligenti, Diego Federici
  • Patent number: 8666757
    Abstract: Fraud and abuse detection in an entity's payment coding practices includes the ability to search for fraud at all levels of the hierarchical coded payment system within the context of an unsupervised model. The model uses variables derived and profiles created at any level or at all levels of the hierarchical coded payment system to create a comprehensive description of the payment coding activities submitted by the entity. That description is compared with other peer entities to determine unusual and potentially inappropriate activity. The profiles created may themselves be utilized for purposes other than the detection of fraud and abuse.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2002
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2014
    Assignee: Fair Isaac Corporation
    Inventors: Nallan C Suresh, Jean de Traversay, Hyma Gollamudi, Anu K Pathria, Michael K Tyler
  • Patent number: 8655724
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus are described for evaluating a binary classification system operable to classify each of a plurality of events as a first event type or a second event type. At least some of the events of the first event type are independently verifiable with reference to verification data. The binary classification system is susceptible to a first error type in which events of the first event type are classified as the second event type, and a second error type in which events of the second event type are classified as the first event type. Operation of a first configuration of the binary classification system is evaluated with reference to an objective function. The objective function is derived by expressing a number of errors of the second error type in terms of a number of errors of the first error type with reference to the verification data, and by assuming relative proportions of the first and second event types within the plurality of events.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2014
    Assignee: Yahoo! Inc.
    Inventors: Richard Tao-Hwa Chow, Pavel Berkhin, Elena Eneva, Boris Klots, Nicolas Eddy Mayoraz, Rajesh Girish Parekh
  • Patent number: 8600801
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus to deflect callers to websites are disclosed. An example method disclosed herein to deflect a caller to a webpage comprises receiving a call from the caller, identifying a webpage based on information characterizing the call, and providing an address of the webpage to the caller when the caller consents to terminate the call.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2013
    Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P.
    Inventors: Jeffrey Brandt, Angela Sandoval, Douglas F. Reynolds, Aaron Bangor
  • Patent number: 8554622
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus are described for evaluating a binary classification system operable to classify each of a plurality of events as a first event type or a second event type. At least some of the events of the first event type are independently verifiable with reference to verification data. The binary classification system is susceptible to a first error type in which events of the first event type are classified as the second event type, and a second error type in which events of the second event type are classified as the first event type. Operation of a first configuration of the binary classification system is evaluated with reference to an objective function. The objective function is derived by expressing a number of errors of the second error type in terms of a number of errors of the first error type with reference to the verification data, and by assuming relative proportions of the first and second event types within the plurality of events.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2013
    Assignee: Yahoo! Inc.
    Inventors: Richard Tao-Hwa Chow, Pavel Berkhin, Elena Eneva, Boris Klots, Nicolas Eddy Mayoraz, Rajesh Girish Parekh
  • Patent number: 8527334
    Abstract: Technologies are described herein for sharing advertisement revenue. An advertiser-generated avatar is provided to a first participant. The advertiser-generated avatar may be associated with an advertisement. Further, the first participant may be associated with a current avatar. The current avatar is replaced with the advertiser-generated avatar. While the first participant is associated with the advertiser-generated avatar, a level of interaction between the first participant and other participants is monitored. An amount of compensation to provide the first participant is determined based on the level of interaction between the first participant and the other participants. The compensation is provided to the first participant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 27, 2007
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2013
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Erik Porter, Tobin R. Titus, Ernest A. Booth, Mario Esposito, Vincent Edward Bannister
  • Patent number: 8489458
    Abstract: The subject matter of this specification can be embodied in, among other things, a method that receives at a server a first request to rebroadcast a first sponsored content item that was displayed on the social network to the first user to a second user. A second request to display at least one sponsored content item to the second user when the second user accesses an electronic document associated with the social network is received at the server. The first sponsored content item is retrieved for rebroadcast from one or more sponsored content items indicated for rebroadcast to the second user. The first sponsored content item is output to the second user of the social network in response to the second request to display and without requiring the second user to select the first sponsored content item for display.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2013
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventors: Davi Reis, Rob Figueiredo
  • Patent number: 8442859
    Abstract: Systems, methods, and computer program products are provided for optimizing liquidity that an Audience Producer can access for the sale of audience profile access rights by having each individual audience profile access right listed using symbology that can gamer the highest price discovery and depth of market. This is accomplished, in part, by providing multiple listing symbologies for a single asset, allowing for a determination of an optimized or improved symbology for obtaining a best purchase or sale price for a structured advertising asset.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2013
    Assignee: Managed Audience Share Solutions LLC
    Inventors: Todd J. Broms, Amihai Ulman
  • Patent number: 8442863
    Abstract: A “Real-Time-Ready Analyzer” combines a data stream management system (DSMS) with a map-reduce (M-R) framework to construct a streaming map-reduce framework that is suitable for real-time Behavioral Targeting (BT) (or other temporal queries). The Real-Time-Ready Analyzer allows users to write “dual-intent” temporal analysis queries for BT. These queries are succinct and easy to express, scale well on large-scale offline data, and can also work over real-time data. Further, the Real-Time-Ready Analyzer uses the aforementioned streaming map-reduce framework to provide dual-intent algorithms for end-to-end BT phases. Experiments using real data from an advertisement system show that the Real-Time-Ready Analyzer is very efficient and incurs orders-of-magnitude lower development effort than conventional systems.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2013
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Badrish Chandramouli, Jonathan Goldstein, Xin Jin, Balan Sethu Raman, Songyun Duan
  • Patent number: 8438056
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus to provide incentives to deflect callers to websites are disclosed. An example method disclosed herein to deflect a caller to a webpage comprises receiving a call from the caller, offering an incentive to the caller to terminate the call and access the webpage, and providing an address of the webpage to the caller after the caller consents to terminate the call.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2013
    Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P.
    Inventors: Jeffrey Brandt, Angela Sandoval, Aaron Bangor
  • Patent number: 8433606
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus to determine when to deflect callers to websites are disclosed. An example method disclosed herein to deflect a caller to a webpage comprises receiving a call from the caller, determining a performance metric associated with processing the call, and determining whether to offer the caller an option to terminate the call and access the webpage based on the at least one performance metric.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2013
    Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P.
    Inventors: Jeffrey Brandt, Angela Sandoval