Patents Examined by Clement Graham
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Patent number: 7447652Abstract: In an exemplary embodiment, invention is a method for analyzing portfolios of distressed financial assets for the purpose of bidding to acquire those assets. The method utilizes a network-based system including a server system coupled to a centralized database and at least one client system. The method comprises of various steps from generating cash flow data table from variety of data sources to performing sensitivity analysis using Monte Carlo Simulation Model to provide different scenarios. The method utilizes a variety of assumptions in performing analysis, and exports cash flow projections into a pre-determined format to develop financially attractive bids, which have strong probability of, expected return on investment after taking into account a variety of foreseeable risks.Type: GrantFiled: May 31, 2001Date of Patent: November 4, 2008Assignee: GE Corporate Financial Services, Inc.Inventors: Tim K. Keyes, Brian N. Dingman
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Patent number: 7447653Abstract: An electronic commerce system, which aids in a purchase and a sale of a commodity, allows the purchase or the sale of the commodity at a more desirable price or under a more desirable condition. This system comprises a registered commodity data storing unit storing a desired sale or purchase price of a commodity, and the information about a change condition and a change price of the desired sale or purchase price, and a unit changing the price if the information about the change condition or the change price, which is stored in the registered commodity data storing unit, is satisfied.Type: GrantFiled: March 22, 2000Date of Patent: November 4, 2008Assignee: Fujitsu LimitedInventors: Mitsuyoshi Watanabe, Nobuya Fujisawa, Orio Ritani, Kensuke Shimizu, Kaori Nakatani
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Patent number: 7440919Abstract: A method for a financial planning competition having at least two phases, an embodiment of the first phase including a written competition including providing a fictitious client profile to preselected teams, allowing each team thereafter to create a written financial plan based on the client profile and awarding a score. The second phase including giving high-scoring teams a revised client profile containing a change of facts to the original client profile allowing the teams to redraft the original financial plan, receiving an oral financial planning presentation from each team based upon the revised client profile for scoring and awarding a score. Any phase of the present invention may exist in a live environment or over a network, such as the Internet. The competition may also optionally include at least a third phase which is preferably styled, in one embodiment, as a game show format based on financial planning concepts.Type: GrantFiled: October 10, 2001Date of Patent: October 21, 2008Assignee: Ameriprise Financial, Inc.Inventors: Laura J Odegaard, Ora Kaine, Jana L Etheridge, Heather F Ford, Ruth Bowyer, Terri L Anderson, Daniel J Candura
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Patent number: 7440918Abstract: A system and method is disclosed which allows the aggregation of the demands of various buyers, providing an incentive for suppliers to bid to supply those demands in an auction. The system and method operates by scanning a database which contains a listing of goods or services sought by various people or entities. Thereafter, similar goods or services are grouped together and presented to various vendors. The vendors are given the opportunity to bid on the group of similar goods or services. Such a bid may vary from the originally purchased goods or services as long as the bid is within a predetermined range. The vendor which presents the optimum bid within a predetermined period of time is selected as the provider of the goods or services and proceeds to supply the goods or services at the bid upon amount.Type: GrantFiled: April 5, 2001Date of Patent: October 21, 2008Assignee: American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc.Inventors: Edward J. Boyle, Tom Levine, Pat Corbett, John M. Berkley, Linda Birbara, Richard Hand, Dale Contratto, Michael Gonzales
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Patent number: 7437324Abstract: A system and method of tracking bill payment methods which stores details about payment to develop promotions. The system includes a touch screen, keyboard, or other device for recording customer identification information. A display displays payment method options based upon the customer identification information. A touch screen or keyboard for records bill payer selection of one of the payment options. A cash acceptor, check reader, or card reader receives payment in accordance with the one payment option. Finally, a processor determines predetermined details about the payment and stores the details.Type: GrantFiled: September 10, 2001Date of Patent: October 14, 2008Assignee: NCR CorporationInventors: John C. Goodwin, III, Robert Randall Schlieker
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Patent number: 7428507Abstract: A system and an arrangement that process payment requests received from a number of distinct data communication devices via respective communications channels and consistent with different communications protocols. In an example embodiment, a payment processing system includes a plurality of data communications devices that transmit a plurality of payment requests in connection with purchases via respective communication channels. Each transmitted payment request includes a merchant identification code and a set of customer financial account data. The system further includes a payment server arrangement that receives the payment requests from the data communications devices at the respective channels via a plurality of adapter modules corresponding to each of the communication channels. Each of the adapter modules includes a payment processing application that identifies a financial institution identification code associated with the merchant identification code.Type: GrantFiled: June 29, 2001Date of Patent: September 23, 2008Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.Inventors: Jean-Marc Villaret, Kevin Frank Ritschel, William Stuart Taylor
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Patent number: 7424451Abstract: A system, computer code, and method are disclosed for solving optimization problems using prestored data groups pertaining to a plurality of anticipated optimization problems, whereby optimization problems can be solved much faster with fewer iterations. The method may comprise storing a plurality of data groups each associated with one of a plurality of anticipated optimization problems, each of the data groups including optimal solutions to a corresponding anticipated optimization problem; and solving the current optimization problem using the stored data groups.Type: GrantFiled: October 10, 2000Date of Patent: September 9, 2008Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Bruce Wayne Moore, James Richard Kraemer
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Patent number: 7421409Abstract: Initially the amount of data is checked to determine whether a sufficient history is present for the method. Credit card accounts are classified as new, relatively new, and old cards, i.e. opened within six months, within twelve months, and over twelve months ago. The balances for each of the three categories are calculated for each month. The average balance percentages of cards opened within six months and twelve months for the last twenty-four months is calculated and teaser surfers are defined as either having average percentages within the last twenty-four months for all credit cards opened within six and twelve months are greater than predefined percentages.Type: GrantFiled: February 16, 2000Date of Patent: September 2, 2008Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: James Richard Kraemer, Shiping Liu, Edgar Leroy Murphy, Jr.
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Patent number: 7418425Abstract: An electronic money system is provided which requires lower management and running cost, and features higher flexibility. An acquirer/brand holder managing an electronic money brand manages all keys used for authentication processing in the system, and issues the keys as necessary. The acquirer/brand holder distributes keys according to a tie-up agreement to IC card issuers, a POS center, an MMK center, and an affiliate merchant terminal unit. The POS center, the MMK center, and the affiliate merchant terminal unit are apparatuses for users to use the IC cards or for managing them. The acquirer/brand holder, however, does not distribute issued keys to cybershops which users can access by using a personal computer and a reader/writer. Instead, in this case the acquirer/brand holder saves the issued key itself, and carries out authentication processing with a predetermined IC card upon a request from the cybershop.Type: GrantFiled: August 30, 2001Date of Patent: August 26, 2008Assignee: Sony CorporationInventors: Makoto Yamada, Nobumitsu Ukai, Junichi Sato, Shigeyuki Kawai, Tsutomu Okude, Koji Ito
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Patent number: 7401045Abstract: Method and systems for administering a credit card account are disclosed. The method comprises defining a finance charge waiver period for each one or more debits to the credit account. For each debit, it is determined whether a finance charge waiver period associated with a debit has expired. Debits for which the finance charge waiver period has expired are added to a set of billed charges. Finance charges accrue against all debits for which finance charge waiver period has expired. Optionally, a customer may be provided with advance notice of debits for which the finance charge waiver period will soon be expiring.Type: GrantFiled: March 5, 2001Date of Patent: July 15, 2008Assignee: Capital One Financial CorporationInventors: Michael Zamsky, Catherine Leicester Ogle, Janet M. Mitro, Vijesh V. Iyer, Kevin Dale Kingston, Derrick Joseph
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Patent number: 7398244Abstract: A market process operates according to a market methodology that enables crowd price improvement relative to the prices in a stored order file during both price discovery and execution. The market process operates on a platform that also supports trading processes. The trading processes either are actively inquiring about market prices, have posted orders with the market process to be executed in due course, or have registered to be in the crowd of the market process and receive price improvement opportunities from the market process. During price discovery, an actively inquiring trading process can request crowd price improvement, and if the crowd provides an improved price, the active trading process must execute at the crowd provided price.Type: GrantFiled: March 8, 2001Date of Patent: July 8, 2008Assignee: Stikine Technology, LLCInventor: Christopher Keith
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Patent number: 7392224Abstract: A system and a method of operating a debit card reward program that generates a reward for the cardholder based upon purchases made with the debit card. This reward amount may be applied to subsequent purchases made by the cardholder with the debit card. Additionally, all or a portion of the reward amount may be delivered to a sponsor, such as a charitable institution. A reward is accrued for every purchase conducted at any merchant made using the debit card. In particular, this reward is a varied percentage of every debit card purchase and may result in an additional reward for purchases that meet selected criteria.Type: GrantFiled: September 16, 1999Date of Patent: June 24, 2008Assignee: JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A.Inventors: James L. Bauer, Margaret Masella
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Patent number: 7389266Abstract: Systems and methods consistent with the present invention manage a credit card having an adjustable credit limit. The system determines whether the credit limit is likely to be reached by possible transactions made by the customer when using the account. The system adjusts the credit limit when it is determined that the credit limit is likely to be reached. The adjusted credit limit is analyzed to determine whether it satisfies predefined credit limit amount criteria associated with the account. The system then revises the adjusted credit limit, as necessary, such that the revised credit limit satisfies the predetermined credit criteria.Type: GrantFiled: June 29, 2001Date of Patent: June 17, 2008Assignee: Capital One Financial CorporationInventors: Taylor Early, Rahul Nawab, Martin Poteralski, Michael Rydzy
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Patent number: 7386500Abstract: A computer-based system for valuing a customized indexed call option.Type: GrantFiled: June 27, 2001Date of Patent: June 10, 2008Assignee: Genesis Financial Products, Inc.Inventor: Richard C. Payne
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Patent number: 7383212Abstract: A method, apparatus, and computer program product for storing and retrieving historical account statements for online display. Historical account statements are stored and made available for retrieval online by using a text version of an organization's statements stored for periodic printing and mailing of statements. The statement displayed for online viewing appears as a duplicate, in all material respects, of the printed and mailed statements.Type: GrantFiled: February 22, 2000Date of Patent: June 3, 2008Assignee: Presidential Bank, FSBInventors: A. Bruce Cleveland, Curt R. Johnson
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System and method for conducting an electronic financial asset deposit auction over computer network
Patent number: 7376612Abstract: A computer system for conducting an electronic financial asset deposit auction over a computer network such as the Internet. The computer system includes a computer connected to the Internet, which performs the following functions: (1) receiving an electronic deposit application form from a prospective depositor; (2) providing such application to a deposit authorizer's computer over the computer network for approval; (3) receiving an electronic message from the deposit authorizer's computer indicating whether or not such deposit has been approved; (4) entering the deposit application into a database that is accessible to bidder/borrowers via the computer network, if the deposit is approved; and (5) maintaining the deposit application in the database for a predetermined period time during which bidder/borrowers may submit bids and the prospective depositor may accept a bid.Type: GrantFiled: March 24, 2000Date of Patent: May 20, 2008Inventor: Khai Hee Kwan -
Patent number: 7376620Abstract: In an information retrieval application, a system and method for detecting content holes. A content body is parsed into a plurality of concepts nodes, including a first concept node. A percentage of successful service interactions is determined as a function of concept node and, if the percentage of successful service interactions at the first concept node is below a predefined threshold, a content hole is flagged.Type: GrantFiled: July 23, 2001Date of Patent: May 20, 2008Assignee: Consona CRM Inc.Inventors: David B. Kay, Denis Lynch, Mark Angel, Shafi Mohammed, Catherine Wormington
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Patent number: 7373328Abstract: In one embodiment, a method for managing variable rate debt in the form of at least one credit issued by a borrower, comprising: budgeting for interest owed on the variable rate debt by the borrower during a time period when an interest rate on the variable rate debt is below a first predetermined low interest rate level; applying at least a portion of any existing current budgetary excess by the borrower to reduce future interest rate risk by performing at least one of i) the early retirement of principal associated with the variable rate debt and ii) the funding of a sinking fund; and applying at least a portion of any accumulated budgetary excess by the borrower during a time period when the interest rate is above a first predetermined high interest rate level to reduce an amount of debt service. A corresponding software program and system are also disclosed.Type: GrantFiled: June 29, 2001Date of Patent: May 13, 2008Assignee: Goldman Sachs & Co.Inventor: George H. Butcher, III
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Patent number: 7370015Abstract: A user is connected to the Internet by a proxy server that impersonates the user. Websites are accessed by sending an HTTP request to the proxy server. The HTTP request is encoded with characters that are understood by the proxy as requiring that the HTTP request be intercepted and either an identified script be executed or data within the request be extracted. The impersonating proxy automatically carries out the steps that would otherwise be carried out by the user when performing a transaction at a website. In one example, a user checks a bank website for a balance inquiry. A first HTTP request includes a script identifier. The proxy retrieves and executes the identified script, which in turn causes a an HTTP response to be sent to the user's browser for personal information (e.g., user name and password).Type: GrantFiled: October 9, 2001Date of Patent: May 6, 2008Assignee: SAP Portals Israel Ltd.Inventor: Yaniv Gvily
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Patent number: 7353199Abstract: A method for moderating external access to an electronic document authoring, development and distribution system can comprise the steps of: identifying a third party requesting access to the system; permitting restricted access to the third party; and, eliminating all access restrictions imposed in the permitting step when the third party registers with the system. Thus, the inventive method provides to a third party potential customer access to the electronic document authoring, development and distribution system without risking the abuse of the system by the potential customer. The inventive method can encourage the submission of third party Web assets for use by registered users of the system. Specifically, the inventive method can further comprise the steps of: accepting electronic submissions of Web assets from the third party; storing the accepted Web assets in a Web asset database; and, compensating the third party for subsequent distribution of the Web assets.Type: GrantFiled: September 24, 1999Date of Patent: April 1, 2008Assignee: Perfect Web Technologies, Inc.Inventor: Thomas L. DiStefano, III