Patents Examined by Christopher Buchanan
  • Patent number: 9916560
    Abstract: The present disclosure extends to maintaining an item inventory status at an inventory cache management system. The inventory cache may be refreshed regularly by a threshold-based triggering mechanism. In embodiments, as item inventory breaches certain thresholds, the inventory cache may be refreshed with increased frequency to mitigate overselling or underselling scenarios and reduce overall network traffic for items having relatively high inventory levels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 13, 2018
    Assignee: WAL-MART STORES, INC.
    Inventors: Madhavan Kandhadai Vasantham, Vikrant Tare, Manish Gupta
  • Patent number: 9881327
    Abstract: A merchandising system having a power distribution device associated with a package support system, and a package having a sensory output such as an image display capable of using power, data and/or signals provided from the power distribution device to produce a desired output when the package is associated with the package support system. Packaging materials of the package form the coupling medium for contactless coupling such as capacitive coupling of a controlled signal provided to the package support system to a display on the package.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2018
    Assignee: Philip Morris USA Inc.
    Inventors: William R. Sweeney, Kristen M. Totty, Robert J. Maher
  • Patent number: 9805351
    Abstract: Systems and methods for automating a take-out ordering process. In an embodiment, menu data is imported from a restaurant Point-of-Sale (POS) system over at least one network. The menu data may comprise a plurality of menu items. A menu user interface is generated. The menu user interface may comprise one or more menu screens, which comprise a subset of one or more of the plurality of menu items. A selection of at least one menu item from the subset may be received from a user. Up-sell options can be determined and provided to the user. Once completed, an order is sent to the restaurant POS system over the at least one network. The order can comprise the selected menu item(s) and any of the up-sell options selected by the user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2017
    Assignee: RESTAURANT REVOLUTION TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventor: Brett Harman
  • Patent number: 9799022
    Abstract: In an information processing device (settlement terminal device), a first main body that accommodates a first information processing unit in a first housing including a first input display unit (first touch panel), and a second main body that includes a second housing from which a seat unit for detachably attaching the first main body extends, and accommodates a secure second information processing unit which includes a second input display unit (second touch panel) disposed in the second housing to be on the same plane as that of the first input display unit of the first main body attached to the seat unit, and which has tamper resistance, are provided. In the information processing device, the first input display unit and the second input display unit are preferably arranged on the same plane. A secure portion can secure physically high tamper-resistance performance and the high robustness of the entire device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2017
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Kazuki Saitoh
  • Patent number: 9760952
    Abstract: A method and system for aggregating services is provided. The method includes receiving and processing a service request. The service request is submitted to a service catalog and dispatched to a data integration and API module. The service request is transmitted to a management module and processed with respect to a plurality of service providers. Inter process communications associated with the service request are managed. Additionally, an account associated with the service request and the plurality of service providers is managed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2017
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Jianwen Chen, Margarete Donovang-Kuhlisch, Robert J. Faferko, Ya Xiao Liu, Yan Pang
  • Patent number: 9741030
    Abstract: A system and method including a mobile application installed on a mobile device and configured to authenticate a merchant represented by a unique identifier, determine a position of the mobile device while the mobile device is co-located with a transaction terminal of the merchant, communicate the position to a portal to associate the position with the unique identifier and to receive an account number, and provide the account number to generate an authorization request on the transaction terminal. The authorization request includes a terminal identifier of the transaction terminal. When the authorization request generated using the account number is detected, the association between the account number provided to the mobile application and the location received from the mobile application is replaced with the association between the terminal identifier extracted from the authorization request and the location.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2017
    Assignee: VISA INTERNATIONAL SERVICE ASSOCIATION
    Inventor: Silvio Orlando Renaud Tavares
  • Patent number: 9691105
    Abstract: Techniques of analyzing a calendar to generate financial information are disclosed. In some embodiments, scheduled event data for at least one scheduled event is extracted from an electronic calendar. The scheduled event data can comprise corresponding time data and text for each one of the at least one scheduled event. A financial accounting entry for each one of the at least one scheduled event can be generated based on the extracted scheduled event data. The financial accounting entry can comprise an electronic record of business-related activity that can be used for a financial accounting purpose. Generating the financial accounting entry can comprise populating the financial accounting entry using the time data of the corresponding scheduled event.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2017
    Assignee: SAP SE
    Inventors: Adam Thier, Monica Bhat, Laura DiTomasso, Matthew Harrison
  • Patent number: 9646349
    Abstract: An apparatus information obtaining apparatus for obtaining apparatus information including model information of an image output apparatus from the image output apparatus via a network is disclosed. The apparatus information obtaining apparatus includes: an image output apparatus list database storing a list of image output apparatuses from which the apparatus information is obtained; an apparatus information send instruction sending unit for instructing the image output apparatus included in the image output apparatus list to send the apparatus information; and an apparatus information receiving unit for receiving the apparatus information from the image output apparatus that is instructed to send the apparatus information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2017
    Assignee: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventors: Tomoko Kano, Atsushi Ibaraki, Kazuhiko Kato, Hisashi Takata
  • Patent number: 9593957
    Abstract: Techniques for providing a trajectory route to multiple geographical locations of interest are described. This disclosure describes receiving global position system (GPS) logs associated with respective individual devices, each of the GPS logs including trajectories connecting a set of geographical locations previously visited by an individual of a respective individual device. A trajectory route service receives a request for a trajectory connecting a set of geographical locations of interest specified by a user. The trajectory route service calculates a proximal similarity between (1) the set of geographical locations of interest specified by the user, and (2) respective sets of geographical locations from the GPS logs. The trajectory route service constructs the requested trajectory with use of at least one of the trajectories from the GPS logs determined at least in part according to the calculated proximal similarities.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2017
    Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventors: Yu Zheng, Zaiben Chen, Xing Xie
  • Patent number: 9589290
    Abstract: This disclosure describes, in part, techniques for collecting item preferences of users at a centralized location and propagating these item preferences to users and merchants in an intelligent manner. In some instances, the centralized location is a payment service that functions to both authorize payment instruments of users for costs of transactions conducted at the merchant, and collect and propagate the item preferences to the merchants and the users.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 31, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2017
    Assignee: Square, Inc.
    Inventors: Daniel Hipschman, James F. Butts, III
  • Patent number: 9582837
    Abstract: A communication terminal receives acceptance data for gas cock opening created by a server, performs selection based on the received acceptance data, reads a two-dimensional barcode, and compares two-dimensional barcode data and target data stored in a storage device of the communication terminal; the sever sends the communication terminal a gas inspection item in which the target data is reflected; the communication terminal receives the inspection item in which the target data is reflected, checks an inspection result item created for the inspection item, and sends the checked inspection result item to the server; and the server gives permission for the gas cock opening based on the sent inspection result item, and sends a result of the permission to the communication terminal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2017
    Assignee: Nippon Gas Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shinji Wada, Shingo Dekamo
  • Patent number: 9519900
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method, and an arrangement (A) for identifying a purchaser (1) and a retailer (2) and per-forming an economical transaction between the purchaser (1) and the retailer (2) at a point of sale (21), where the purchaser (1) has a mobile device (11), and where the point of sale (21) communicates with a transaction system (3). The transaction system (3) transfers funds (31) from the purchaser to the retailer according to given information from the purchaser and the retailer. The inventive method, and arrangement comprise the steps of; the mobile device (11) reading an identity of the point of sale (24) by means of a at least one of a camera, and a radio frequency receiver comprised in the mobile device (11), the mobile device (11), and point of sale generates and transmits messages comprising the identity of the point of sale (24) and the identity of the mobile device (14) through different channels of communication.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2016
    Assignee: SEQR Group AB
    Inventors: Peter Fredell, Mikael Signarsson
  • Patent number: 9509524
    Abstract: The system and method described herein may provide service level management, wherein business processes may be composed of services. A state of the service may be defined by one or more service parameters, which depend upon performance of network components that support the service (e.g., component parameters). The state of the service may depend, for example, on a collection of service parameter values for availability, reliability, security, integrity, and response time. A service level agreement is a contract between a supplier and a customer that identifies services supported by a network, service parameters for the service, and service levels (e.g., acceptable levels for each service parameter).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2016
    Assignee: CA, INC.
    Inventor: Lundy Lewis
  • Patent number: 9360337
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention include systems and methods for improved navigation using the global positioning system (GPS). A method of improved navigation includes transmitting a destination to a navigation server through a wireless communication channel. The method further includes transmitting position information from a GPS-enabled device to the navigation server through the wireless communication channel automatically at a time interval. The method further includes generating navigation information by the navigation server. The navigation information is based on the position information and the destination. The method further includes receiving navigation information on the GPS-enabled device from the navigation server through the wireless communication channel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2016
    Assignee: GOLBA LLC
    Inventor: Mehran Moshfeghi
  • Patent number: 9354077
    Abstract: A system and method are disclosed that permits a user to interactively and graphically design a company route to be traveled by a vehicle such as an airplane. Alternatively or additionally, a system and method are disclosed that permits a user to interactively and graphically conduct a virtual travel through, such a virtual fly through, a company route to be traveled by a vehicle such as an airplane.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2016
    Assignee: HONEYWELL INTERNATIONAL INC.
    Inventors: Amit Srivastav, Raghu Raman
  • Patent number: 9324042
    Abstract: A facility for assessing product replenishment is described. The facility determines that a purchasing entity possesses an item, determines an expiration time for the item, and schedules, for a time preceding the expiration, a unilateral communication to the purchasing entity indicating that the item should be replenished. The facility can also manage automatic item replenishment, including determining a target date for replenishment of the item, transmitting to the purchaser in advance of the target date (when the purchaser is not engaged in an electronic shopping activity) a replenishment proposal, and ordering a replacement for the item. In some cases, the facility places an order within a predetermined tolerance of the target date without intervention by the consumer. The facility can also establish and test a condition for suggesting replenishment, can raise an event when the condition is satisfied, and can unilaterally make the replenishment suggestion when the event is raised.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2016
    Assignee: Amazon.com, Inc.
    Inventor: Amit D. Agarwal
  • Patent number: 9292827
    Abstract: Various methods and systems such as in a software application are presented which may include automated purchase recommendations based on amalgamated purchase constraints (4) for business inventory maintenance, notation of events through noted event entry portals (31) for business related observation recordation, automatic facilitation of regular debut of initial suggested industry tied information (50), presentation of business performance data (65) and disparate substantially redundant business performance data (67) in a business performance display (66) for a summary review of business operations, and easy selection of inventory items (83) from a recommended hierarchical categorization of inventory items which may be used to create buying reports, ad hoc reports, and the like.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2016
    Assignee: Rain Effect, LLC
    Inventor: John A. Musa
  • Patent number: 9286639
    Abstract: A system and method uses categorized transaction data to respond to requests for pricing information about one or more merchants corresponding to a subset of the transaction data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 31, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2016
    Assignee: INTUIT INC.
    Inventor: Aaron Patzer
  • Patent number: 9280785
    Abstract: A computer-implemented method of allocating offline advertising, the method including receiving an offer price for audience-member responses for an offline advertising campaign and campaign information describing the offline advertising campaign, comparing the received campaign information to one or more other advertising campaigns to determine a portion of offline advertising inventory to allocate to the offline advertising campaign, and allocating the determined portion of advertising inventory to the offline advertising campaign.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 2, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2016
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventor: Amit Jain
  • Patent number: 9223882
    Abstract: A method, an apparatus, and a recording medium for selecting a location are provided. The present method uses a communication module to position a mobile device so as to get a first location of the mobile device. Then, an electronic map of a range around the first location is displayed. A second location selected on the electronic map by a user is received and used as location information. Accordingly, the user can select precise location of himself/herself in an indoor place and share the location information to remote contacts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2015
    Assignee: HTC Corporation
    Inventors: Yu-Cheng Lee, John C. Wang