Patents Examined by Brandy Zukanovich
  • Patent number: 9984352
    Abstract: A kiosk apparatus, method and system of providing and distributing a plurality of items to one or more consumers is provided. Each kiosk in a plurality of kiosks may be configured to communicate with a kiosk management system to provide inventory data, which is provided to consumers such that one or more requested items may be reserved in a transaction. The kiosk may be further configured to interact with the consumer to retrieve the reserved items, where the consumer may use a portable device to interact with the kiosk, or the consumer may be prompted by the kiosk to enter account information and/or a generated code associated with the transaction provided by the kiosk management system. Then, a payment process is initiated with the kiosk management system or other entity, and when the payment process is verified, release the requested items to the consumer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2018
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Neil Scott Ackerman
  • Patent number: 9972046
    Abstract: A method and system of conducting a mobile transaction with a kiosk management system operating a plurality of kiosks for requested items is provided. A consumer may possess a portable device configured to communicate with the kiosk management system such that the kiosk management system may provide requested items to a selected kiosk from the plurality of kiosks. The portable device may operate a mobile application to display a list of available kiosks providing the requested items for the consumer to select a kiosk to reserve the requested items at. The consumer may then use the portable device to interact with the selected kiosk to retrieve the requested items reserved at the selected kiosk.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2018
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Neil Scott Ackerman
  • Patent number: 9965796
    Abstract: Methods and systems for facilitating the purchase of an item on a social networking website are described. Merchants can embed payments in buttons displayed on social networking websites to enable payments at the point of discovery, such as on Pinterest® or Facebook®. As the items associated with the buttons are shared further, the embedded payment capability follows the shared items. For example, a Pinterest® pin has the payment capability embedded within it so as the pin gets re-pinned in the Pinterest® platform, shared on blogs, shared on platforms like Facebook®, or surfaces on Google® Search, the payment capability is also available on those platforms. In some instances, open standards such as oEmbed or Open Graph are used to create the buttons with the payment capability and make creation of the buttons simpler for merchants.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2018
    Assignee: PayPal, Inc.
    Inventors: Shilpa Dhar, Teddy Vincent Toms
  • Patent number: 9940629
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are systems, methods, and non-transitory computer-readable storage media for gifting and personalizing a digital media item, particularly an electronic book. A system is described that includes personalizing a digital media item that is to be gifted from a first person to one or more people. The digital media item can be personalized using a segment of the digital media item that the first person associated with the second person. Depending on the second person's response, the gift can be accepted, rejected, or re-gifted. News of the second person's response can be automatically transmitted to a plurality of social networking services.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2018
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Casey Maureen Dougherty, Melissa Breglio Hajj
  • Patent number: 9940654
    Abstract: A method and system for scheduled breaks are described. A network computer system receives provider data corresponding to a request to initiate a pause state with the network service and also receives a position of the service provider from a computing device equipped with a location-based resource. In response to receiving the request, the network computer system selects a facility, based on a selection objective, from facilities that are associated with the pause state and at least one of the position of the service provider and a destination of a service task that is to be completed. The network computer system transmits data corresponding to the selected facility to the computing device to be displayed on a user interface of the computing device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2018
    Assignee: Uber Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Brett Davies, Yulun Li, Meng Huang, Zhewu Zhou
  • Patent number: 9928541
    Abstract: A computer-implemented method is disclosed herein. The method includes the step of receiving, with a processing device of a guidance server, a series of guidance request signals from an electronic computing device operated by a consumer shopping in a retail store. Each guidance request signal contains an alphanumeric character. The method also includes the step of determining, with the processing device, at least one location within the retail store in response to the alphanumeric characters contained in any already-received guidance request signals after each of the series of guidance request signals is received. The method also includes the step of transmitting, with the processing device, a series of guidance response signals to the electronic computing device in response to the determination of the at least one location. Each of the series of guidance response signal contains data indicative of the determined location within the retail store.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2018
    Assignee: WAL-MART STORES, INC.
    Inventors: Valerie Goulart, Stefan Li
  • Patent number: 9922363
    Abstract: An enhanced shopping system for facilitating grocery shopping and in-store advertising is disclosed. The system utilizes uniquely changes (1) the way grocery retail industry captures and retains customers, (2) how customers organize their shopping efforts in grocery stores, (3) the approach to advertising and reaching customers, and (4) the information available to retailers and merchandisers related to customer (a) shopping patterns, (b) responses to merchandising and advertising, and (c) specific impact of discounting/coupons.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2018
    Assignee: ASHDAN LLC
    Inventors: Danielle Lynn Borom, Michael Preston Borom
  • Patent number: 9910927
    Abstract: Example embodiments of the present disclosure include a system comprising a computer-readable storage medium storing at least one program and a computer-implemented method for providing an interactive graphical user interface (GUI) on an interactive mirror display. Consistent with some embodiments, the method may include identifying an item based on an identification device affixed to the item and accessing product information for the item from a product database. The method may further include generating a recommendation for an additional item related to the item. The method may further include generating the interactive GUI using the product information and the recommendation and causing the interactive GUI to be presented on the interactive mirror display.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 6, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2018
    Assignee: eBay Inc.
    Inventors: Healey Cypher, Tracy Ogishi, Darren Endo, Michael Franklin, Lars Wensel
  • Patent number: 9904926
    Abstract: A method of verifying a receiving of an item by a purchaser is disclosed. An indication that the purchaser agreed to purchase the item is received. A record is added to a purchase history associated with the purchaser, the record including a data item pertaining to the purchasing of the item. A notification that the purchaser has scanned information from a label on a package is received. It is determined that the package contains the item based on a correspondence between the data item and the information from the label. The record is updated to include verification data that the purchaser received the item.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2018
    Assignee: eBay Inc.
    Inventors: Nilesh Mahajan, Srinivasa Pasupulati, Niccolas Conlin
  • Patent number: 9898775
    Abstract: Provided are a method and system for providing information by using a store terminal. A method performed by a mobile terminal to receive information about goods, the method may include storing a first list of goods from a store; receiving, from the store terminal, a second list of goods confirmed by a store terminal; and displaying goods included in the stored first list and goods included in the second list. The goods listed on the second list may be confirmed by the store terminal to be contained in a shopping cart of a user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2018
    Assignee: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Jae-woo Ko, Hee-won Jung
  • Patent number: 9886713
    Abstract: An enhanced shopping system for facilitating grocery shopping and in-store advertising is disclosed. The system uniquely changes (1) the way grocery retail industry captures and retains customers, (2) how customers organize their shopping efforts in grocery stores, (3) the approach to advertising and reaching customers, and (4) the information available to retailers and merchandisers related to customer (a) shopping patterns, (b) responses to merchandising and advertising, and (c) specific impact of discounting/coupons.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2018
    Assignee: ASHDAN LLC
    Inventors: Danielle Lynn Borom, Michael Preston Borom
  • Patent number: 9881333
    Abstract: An enhanced shopping system for facilitating grocery shopping and in-store advertising is disclosed. The system utilizes uniquely changes (1) the way grocery retail industry captures and retains customers, (2) how customers organize their shopping efforts in grocery stores, (3) the approach to advertising and reaching customers, and (4) the information available to retailers and merchandisers related to customer (a) shopping patterns, (b) responses to merchandising and advertising, and (c) specific impact of discounting/coupons.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2018
    Assignee: ASHDAN LLC
    Inventors: Danielle Lynn Borom, Michael Preston Borom
  • Patent number: 9875498
    Abstract: A system and method of global electronic trade in the Internet is provided. The method of global electronic trade for sellers and buyers via the Internet includes registering the sellers and the buyers; providing information regarding goods or services to the registered sellers and buyers; selecting of trade partners based on the provided information; holding tenders; conducting of transactions between the trade partners; conducting a post-transaction procedures; and protecting of information in the system of global electronic trade. In a basis of a method of global electronic trade are put: a method of creating of databases of structured information about offers of sellers and about requests of buyers; and a method of searching of trade partners.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2018
    Inventor: Valentina Pulnikova
  • Patent number: 9852467
    Abstract: A peripheral device, e.g., a headphone, connected to a communication device may have controls that are configured to switch between a regular mode and a purchase mode. When in the purchase mode, the controls of the peripheral device may be configured to facilitate purchase by receiving user input related to making a purchase. The peripheral or the communication device may be configured to receive user instructions, such as a voice command, to switch between the regular mode and the purchase mode. In particular, the controls may include volume buttons configured to adjust volume in the regular mode and configured to adjust purchase price in purchase mode. The controls also may include a start/end button configured to selectively activate or end an application in the regular mode and configured to confirm or select a purchase in the purchase mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 26, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2017
    Assignee: PAYLPAL, INC.
    Inventor: Saumil Ashvin Gandhi
  • Patent number: 9830640
    Abstract: Embodiments for creating a unified catalog include systems and method that import catalog data from one or more underlying catalog systems. The systems configure required fields for order fulfillment and receive a request for at least one selected item from the user. The systems further present at least one required field to the user in response to the request and send an order for the at least one selected item to the one or more catalog systems, the order comprising data from the at least one required field.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2017
    Assignee: Bank of America Corporation
    Inventors: Michael Emil Ogrinz, Jennifer Elizabeth Munro, David Ryan Ammons
  • Patent number: 9805131
    Abstract: Example embodiments of the present disclosure include a system comprising a computer-readable storage medium storing at least one program and a computer-implemented method for providing an offer based on a level of buying intent of an individual. Consistent with some embodiments, the method may include monitoring an amount of time an individual wears a particular garment while in a fitting room of a retail store, and determining an interest level of the individual in purchasing the garment based on the amount of time the individual wears the garment. The method may further include generating and provisioning an offer to the individual based on the determined level of intent.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2017
    Assignee: EBAY INC.
    Inventors: Healey Cypher, Tracy Ogishi, Darren Endo, Michael Franklin, Lars Wensel
  • Patent number: 9785994
    Abstract: Embodiments of the invention are directed to systems, methods and computer program products for aiding with purchase inquiries through an optical head-mounted display in a wearable computer. An exemplary apparatus is configured to receive information captured by the wearable computer; transmit, to at least one database, the received information including a primary identifier and at least one secondary identifier; retrieve, from at least one database, detailed information related to the first item of interest and the at least one additional item of interest, where the detailed information is associated with the primary identifier and the at least one secondary identifier; and present, on the optical head-mounted display in the wearable computer, the detailed information related to the first item of interest and the at least one additional item of interest, in a comparison format.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2017
    Assignee: Bank of America Corporation
    Inventors: Alicia C. Jones, David M. Grigg, Carrie Anne Hanson, Richard Andrew Starbuck
  • Patent number: 9779435
    Abstract: Various embodiments provide computer program products and mobile purchase shipping systems for facilitating purchase of a product by a customer. The products and systems may be configured to receive customer data associated with the customer and to validate at least a portion of the received customer data. The products and systems may then receive package data associated with the product and receive payment data from a type of payment presented by the customer. Once received, the products and systems may use at least a portion of the validated data, the package data, and the payment data to generate a shipping manifest. In certain embodiments, the products and systems may include a magnetic card reader configured to read customer data from a customer driver's license. Still other embodiments may incorporate a mobile printer, such that the products and systems may generate a package shipping label, a shipping manifest, and/or a receipt.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2017
    Assignee: UNITED PARCEL SERVICE OF AMERICA, INC.
    Inventors: Byron Crutcher, Lester Ross
  • Patent number: 9749368
    Abstract: Concepts and technologies are described herein for providing media content sharing. The concepts and technologies disclosed herein can be employed to share media content with a social network, even for content subject to access control mechanisms and/or copyright laws. According to various embodiments disclosed herein, media content can be shared with a social network, or the like. An application running at or in conjunction with a computer can obtain information relating to media content displayed at or accessible to the computer, format the data, and transmit the data to a social networking site or other location in a format appropriate for the site. Contents and technologies for viewing the shared content also are disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2017
    Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventors: Raman Narayanan, Rajendra Vishnumurty, Russell Songco, Paresh Suthar, Suresh Babu Velagapudi, Ming Liu
  • Patent number: 9734530
    Abstract: A system and method for creating a watchlist of products relating to any type of item/service/event for which any type of purchase may be made by a user. The system permits a user to access a website and identify items of the website that are of interest and other users (or friends) and associate one or more users with one or more items in the watchlist. The system stores the identified items and friends in a watchlist for later retrieval, review, transmission or action by the user. The system may periodically inform the user of any changes to the items of interest or any changes in purchases made by the users friends to items in the watchlist. Items may alternatively be added from multiple websites, multiple emails or automatically by the system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2017
    Assignee: @PAY IP HOLDINGS LLC
    Inventor: John P. Killoran