Patents Examined by Daniel Felten
  • Patent number: 8326756
    Abstract: A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, identifying a consumer account managed by a service provider to which purchases are chargeable, the identification of the account based on transactional information, enabling customer equipment to request a purchase of an electronically-purchasable item of a vendor via network equipment of the service provider, wherein the vendor is a party other than the service provider, charging the consumer account a fee for a purchase initiated by the customer equipment, and remitting a portion of the fee to an account of the vendor. Other embodiments are disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2012
    Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I, LP
    Inventor: Andrew Egendorf
  • Patent number: 8321344
    Abstract: A self-service terminal (12) for connection to a network (30) is described. The terminal (12) has means for receiving payment from a user (58), such as a check deposit module and/or a cash receiving module. The terminal (12) also includes an electronic payment mechanism (82) for creating an electronic financial instrument for paying for an item purchased via the network (30). The electronic financial instrument created is independent of the payment from the user. The terminal (12) may use a credit card for the electronic financial instrument, and the terminal may have a credit card number associated with it, so that the terminal uses this credit card number as part of the electronic financial instrument. The terminal may be an ATM.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 5, 2001
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2012
    Assignee: NCR Corporation
    Inventor: Gordon A. Forsyth
  • Patent number: 8315932
    Abstract: News information is received. It is determined if the news information contains a reference to a company. It is further determined if the news information matches criteria associated with the company. Securities are automatically trade upon determining that said news information contains a reference to the company and determining that said news information matches criteria associated with the company.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2012
    Assignee: News Technologies LLC
    Inventors: Steven A. Burrows, John Elliott
  • Patent number: 8315929
    Abstract: According to the invention, a process for transferring funds between a payor and a payee in an online transaction is disclosed. In one step, information is received from the payor for debiting a bank account associated with the payor. Authorization is transmitted to the payee to request debits from the payor. The total of all debit requests does not exceed an amount that is authorized. A first request is received from the payee to debit the customer a first portion of the amount. A first debit is initiated from the bank account for the first portion of the amount. A second request is received from the payee to debit the payor a second portion of the amount. A second debit is initiated from the bank account for the second portion of the amount.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 17, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2012
    Assignee: First Data Corporation
    Inventors: Terry Allen-Rouman, John Joseph Mascavage, III, Margaret Morgan Weichert, Robert Edwin Dravenstott
  • Patent number: 8306913
    Abstract: The present disclosure may include, for example, a method for establishing a remitting arrangement between a provider and a vendor to create between the provider and the vendor an electronic process for remitting a portion of a transaction amount billed to at least one billing account of at least one customer associated with the provider for products or services purchased by the at least one customer from the vendor. The method can further include enabling, by way of equipment of the provider, equipment of the at least one customer to communicate with equipment of the vendor, and receiving at the equipment of the provider transactional information indicating that the at least one customer initiated an order for a product or service from the vendor for a transactional amount. The method can also include initiating with equipment of the provider the remittance of the portion of the transaction amount by way of the account of the vendor according to the remitting arrangement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2012
    Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I, LP
    Inventor: Andrew Egendorf
  • Patent number: 8306907
    Abstract: A system and method for communicating an offer to apply for a credit instrument is provided. A processing allows for processing credit history data. A calculating step allows for calculating a first plurality of interest rates based on the credit history data. A determining step allows for determining a second plurality of interest rates based on the first plurality of interest rates, wherein the second plurality of interest rates corresponds to a plurality of credit risk scores. Finally, a communicating step allows for communicating the offer to apply for a credit instrument in an initial communication with an offeree, the offer disclosing the second plurality of interest rates. An apparatus that calculates the interest rates used in the offer is also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2012
    Assignee: JPMorgan Chase Bank N.A.
    Inventor: Jayanta Das
  • Patent number: 8306915
    Abstract: The present invention is directed to a method and system for authenticating software license. The method for authenticating software license according to an embodiment of the present invention transmits a usage authorization request to an authentication information management server through a communication network, and receives and stores authentication information from the authentication information management server. Subsequently, the method for authenticating software license according to an embodiment of the present invention transmits a terminal identifier to a personal computer, and calculates run-time of software using a launch signal, a termination signal, or combinations thereof, received from the personal computer, corresponding to the running of software, and charges in accordance with the calculated run-time of software. The present invention enables users to authenticate software license using a mobile communication terminal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2012
    Assignee: Mtekvision Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Byung-woong Yim
  • Patent number: 8296231
    Abstract: A network-accessible funds transfer system is disclosed that is capable of controlling a funds transfer transaction in which a funds transfer service collects funds from a payer and transfers collected funds to a payee. In one embodiment, the funds transfer service uses credit card information specified by the payer via the service's user interface to collect funds from the payer (through interactions with a third party fulfillment service), and uses bank account information specified by the payee via the service's user interface to transfer collected funds to a bank account of the payee.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2012
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Mark J. Britto, Aimee K. Cardwell, FuMing Young, Nicholas K. Peddy, Adrian J. Blakey, Angela C. Lee, Erich L. Ringewald
  • Patent number: 8276810
    Abstract: Method, apparatus and system for setting up withdrawal change orders online or at a cash handling device for immediately retrieval and/or future retrievals of paper cash and coin. The change order may include specific requested denominations of paper cash and/or coins. The change order may also include a specific location that the user wishes to retrieve the cash at. Upon authentication of the user at the requested cash handling device within the time-frame specified, the user may receive the change order requested automatically.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 7, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2012
    Assignee: Bank of America Corporation
    Inventors: Kevin Cole, Wanda P. Wick
  • Patent number: 8266054
    Abstract: A system and method for dynamically creating and presenting a network based application for any number of a plurality of products. The method and system upon receiving a request to apply for one or more of a plurality of products, dynamically creates an application pages that includes fields to input the specific information required to apply for the selected products. The application page is provided to the applicant through the network and the application data is received by the system. The method and system causes the application data to be processed and provides the results to the applicant. The applicant is provided the results of multiple specific applications in with minimal data input and in real time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2012
    Assignee: JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A.
    Inventor: Robert J. Rosko
  • Patent number: 8260705
    Abstract: A method, system and program product, the method comprising: obtaining a plurality of net credit/debit amounts during a month period; generating data for depositing/transferring funds to or withdrawing/transferring funds from at least one of one or more aggregated deposit accounts multiple times in a month period, the data generating step comprising generating data for instructions for making a withdrawal/transfer from funds held at one of the one or more depository institutions more than six (6) times during the month period, comprising presenting instructions to the respective one depository institution using one or more of the methods: in person, or by mail, or, by messenger, or by telephone and distributed by mail, or by automated teller machine, or a combination thereof for substantially all of the withdrawals/transfers except for a set of at least one but not more than six withdrawals within the month period.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2012
    Assignee: Island Intellectual Property LLC
    Inventors: Bruce Bent, Bruce Bent, II, David Edgar Gareis, Thomas J. O'Donnell
  • Patent number: 8249971
    Abstract: A system comprises a memory operable to store financial data associated with a business entity having a plurality of shares. The business entity may receive, directly or indirectly, income associated with rent or lease of infrastructure assets, the rent or lease paid by a first company to a second company. The system further comprises a processor that is communicatively coupled to the memory and that is operable to determine a value of each share. The processor is further operable to calculate an increase in the value of each share in response to an increase of capital expenditures associated with the infrastructure assets.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2012
    Assignee: Hunt Power, L.P.
    Inventor: W. Kirk Baker
  • Patent number: 8239312
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for consolidating net-pay and debt management of a sales representative or sales team is presented. A party associated with the sales representatives may obtain debts and specify rules on payment of those debts which can be tracked back to the domain (e.g., agreements, rules, sale item, etc.). The ledger items created for that distributor by the commission engine are typically processed to distribute payments into accounts specified by the distributor and to pay debts obtained by the distributor. Available money may be split into various methods of payments for a distributor. These splits can be tracked by adding various constraints (related to the financial industries business model). The system allows the user to model the payment rule/constraints. Payment splits support pay-outs to alternate payee from funds of a distributor. The distributor may specify deduction rules which can be applied to the distributors earning to facilitate deductions for items such as taxes, mutual funds etc.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2001
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2012
    Assignee: Versata Development Group, Inc.
    Inventors: Cheng Zhou, Rangarajan Venkastesan, Joshua Toub
  • Patent number: 8229818
    Abstract: A system and method for providing market information are disclosed. In this application, updates are received for a tradeable object at a price level from at least one exchange. To the extent that the updates do not include enough details to compute the number of orders resting at a particular price level in a market, estimation may be used to provide order queue information. As a result, the number of orders which are pending in the market at various price levels may be determined using the techniques described herein. The interface disclosed herein may be used to display the number and/or quantity of the orders in the order queue.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2012
    Assignee: Trading Technologies International, Inc.
    Inventors: Ryan N. Andrews, Robert A. West, Jens-Uwe Schluetter, David W. Garrison, Michael J. Burns
  • Patent number: 8224747
    Abstract: In a software suite for enabling viewing and manipulation of data through a single portal accessible from a data-packet-network, a software interface for enabling proxy transfer of funds from one financial account to another is provided. The software interface comprises, an interactive main window for configuring transfer funds orders, viewing pending transfers, viewing transaction history, and viewing active account balances related to registered financial accounts, an interactive selection window accessible through the main interface, the selection window for enabling selection of individual accounts for grouping into a list of activated accounts and an automated confirmation window enabling confirmation of data parameters of a requested funds transfer. A user operating the main interface may initiate funds transfer orders to be performed between accounts at requested times by proxy in a fashion transparent at the time of execution to the requesting user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2012
    Assignee: Yodlee.com, Inc.
    Inventors: Srihari Kumar, Suman Kumar Inala, Jennifer Scott, Blake Earl Hayward, Satyen Desai
  • Patent number: 8224735
    Abstract: An investment method provides a predictable monthly income to a retiree or other investor while increasing asset growth potential and decreasing the likelihood that assets will need to be sold during market downturns. The method may be implemented by computer equipment and computer programs operated by an investment services provider. Funds are first received from an investor and used to purchase assets for a Growth Component and an Income Protection Component. The assets in the Growth Component are invested primarily in growth-oriented investments, and the assets in the Income Protection Component are invested primarily in income-oriented investments. The investor may be paid distributions from the Income Protection Component. As the Income Protection Component is depleted through the payment of the distributions, it is periodically replenished by selling assets from the Growth Component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2012
    Assignee: The Mutual Fund Store-Kansas City, LLC
    Inventors: Adam Bold, Stacey Schreft
  • Patent number: 8219492
    Abstract: A method of facilitating the endorsement of products through Internet advertisements accepts a bid for an endorsement, enables communication, associated with the bid, between an advertiser and a potential endorser, and serves an endorsement associated with the bid. In one implementation, the endorsement is displayed together with a symbol verifying the endorser.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 10, 2012
    Assignee: Yahoo! Inc.
    Inventors: Su-Lin Wu, Erick Cantu-Paz, Christopher John Leggetter
  • Patent number: 8214258
    Abstract: Systems, methods, and computer program products are provided for a comprehensive environmental benefit program associated with purchases made by a corporate entity and, more specifically, purchases associated with a commercial credit card. According to embodiments herein disclosed, environmental impact data, such as ecological or carbon footprint data may be determined based on the purchases made by a commercial entity using the commercial credit card and, in some embodiments, purchases made through other purchasing channels. In addition, environmental advisory data, such as suggestions for environmental improvements, environmental educational information or the like may be determined based on the purchases. Additionally, environmental rebates, such as carbon offsets may be determined based on the purchases/purchase amounts and customized based on commercial entity preferences.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2012
    Assignee: Bank of America Corporation
    Inventors: Jeffrey Thomas Pauly, David James Vogel
  • Patent number: 8214284
    Abstract: A special purpose entity offers a financial product linked to a charitable organization. A monetary donation is made to the charitable organization for paying a premium assigned to the financial product. Capital payments are received from one or more investors for the financial product. The premium is paid by the special purpose entity to the investors. Upon occurrence of a catastrophic event assigned to the financial product, the capital is paid from the special purpose entity to the charitable organization, for funding relief efforts for the catastrophic event. Otherwise, the capital is repaid from the special purpose entity to the investors. Charities and donors can prepare a country for natural and man-made disasters by putting in place funding before a catastrophic event actually occurs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2012
    Assignee: Swiss Reinsurance Company Ltd.
    Inventors: Albert Otto Selius, Maria Giovanna Guatteri
  • Patent number: 8190524
    Abstract: Equipment of a provider may be operable to establish a billing arrangement with a purchasing customer to charge a billing account associated with the purchasing customer a first amount, establish a remitting arrangement with a selling vendor to remit between the selling vendor and the provider a second amount by way of an account associated with the selling vendor, establish communications with equipment of the purchasing customer, enable the equipment of the purchasing customer to communicate with equipment of the selling vendor, obtain transactional information relating to a purchase transaction initiated by the purchasing customer, which results in the billing account of the purchasing customer being charged the first amount, and initiate between the selling vendor and the provider a remittance of the second amount by way of the account associated with the selling vendor. Additional embodiments are disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2012
    Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P.
    Inventor: Andrew Egendorf