Abstract: A cost-focused determination of whether to deliver an electronic advertisement or notice to a particular user can be made through a cumulative consideration of the predicted return on investment over each of a plurality of electronic channels. A plurality of channel-specific budget values are calculated for the user, one for each channel, each setting an upper spending limit for advertisement to the user over that channel based on the user's information and their activity on the channel. A global budget is calculated for the user using a weighted aggregation of the channel-specific values, information about the user and their activity with the advertiser, and consideration of “overlap” effects of advertising to the same user on several channels. When managing whether to deliver an advertisement over a channel, if the channel-specific value is lower than the global budget, the advertisement is delivered, and the global budget is decreased by a complementary amount.

Abstract: Disclosed is an on-line advertisement method using an advertisement website. An on-line advertisement method according to an embodiment of the present invention provides an advertisement available to a user terminal at a current position of a user terminal which accesses an advertisement website.

Abstract: The invention includes systems and methods, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media, for classifying inputs as belonging to a known or unknown class as well as for updating the system to improve is performance. In one system, there is a desired feature representation for unknown inputs, e.g., a zero vector, and the system includes transforming input data to produce a feature representation, using that to compute dissimilarity with the desired feature representation for unknown inputs and combining dissimilarity with other transformations of the feature representation to determine if the input is from a specific known class or if it is unknown. In one embodiment, the system transforms the magnitude of the feature representation into a confidence score.

Abstract: In general, the embodiments described herein provide systems and methods for evaluating and selecting a pricing markdown solution. Specifically, these systems and methods evaluate a relatively small subset of potential markdown solutions using an objective function to determine a financial impact metric for those markdown solutions. From that relatively small subset, the systems and methods then utilize Gaussian Process Modeling to generate an estimation function of the financial impact metrics. This estimation function can then be used with a directed search to select new potential markdown solutions for evaluation, and results of those evaluations used to update the estimation function. This process is continued iteratively until an optimized markdown solution for the financial impact metric is identified.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to analysis of content to determine an equity index of a brand by building a data record by procuring input data from at least one platform; enriching the data record to remove noise from the input data to obtain an enriched data record; classifying the enriched data record into at least one category of one or more categories to obtain a classified data record; determining a sentiment ratio for the classified data record; determining an engagement metrics for the brand; and determining the equity index for the brand based on the at least one category and the sentiment ratio, the sentiment ratio and one or more variables.

Abstract: A method, system, and/or computer program product optimize a display of messages on a public electronic video display. A video camera captures images of multiple mobile vehicles that are traversing a vehicular pathway, which is physically proximate to a public electronic video display. The multiple mobile vehicles are categorized into a specific vehicle category based on captured images of the multiple mobile vehicles. The specific vehicle category is matched to a particular set of multiple video display messages. A video display message is displayed on the public electronic video display based on the specific vehicle category.

Abstract: Methods and systems for performing targeted advertising are described. Relative concentration of consumer types in the audience of particular media content is determined by measuring the coincidence of key values identifying certain consumer types, and other key values identifying audiences of particular media content, in a database.

Abstract: A method and a system that gives any brand or retailer instant visibility by crowd-servicing grocery shoppers using a photo based app and dashboard are disclosed. Instant visibility in 24 hours with no emails, calls and waiting for half the price on a monthly subscription, all delivered in a neat dashboard and created by grocery shoppers using the intuitive app technology.

Abstract: Systems and methods for ticket classification and response include labeling tickets with a ticket classifier that assigns a ticket label and an associated confidence score to each ticket. Tickets are clustered according to semantic similarity to form ticket clusters. A template associated with each ticket cluster is determined. Templates and the respective ticket clusters are clustered according to semantic similarity to form one or more ticket super-clusters. Tickets that have below-threshold confidence scores are labeled according to the one or more ticket super-clusters. The tickets are automatically responded to.

Abstract: As described herein, a system, method, and computer program are provided for using full and partial dynamic customer criteria sets for targeting promotions. In use, a promotion criteria set is configured for each of a plurality of promotions associated with salable entities. Additionally, a customer criteria set is dynamically generated for a customer. Further, full and partial matching of the customer criteria set to the promotion criteria sets is performed to determine one or more target promotions from the plurality of promotions. Still yet, the one or more target promotions are output for presentation to the customer.

Abstract: One embodiment provides a method for augmenting missing values in historical or market data for deals. The method comprises receiving information relating to a set of deals. For any service included in one or more deals of the set of deals but not included in one or more other deals of the set of deals, the method further comprises augmenting, for any or all of the one or more other deals that does not include the service, one or more missing values for the service with one or more recommended values based on a recommendation algorithm. The service may be at any service level of a hierarchy of services.

Abstract: A programmable hardware system for machine learning (ML) includes a core and an inference engine. The core receives commands from a host. The commands are in a first instruction set architecture (ISA) format. The core divides the commands into a first set for performance-critical operations, in the first ISA format, and a second set of performance non-critical operations, in the first ISA format. The core executes the second set to perform the performance non-critical operations of the ML operations and streams the first set to inference engine. The inference engine generates a stream of the first set of commands in a second ISA format based on the first set of commands in the first ISA format. The first set of commands in the second ISA format programs components within the inference engine to execute the ML operations to infer data.

Abstract: A method provides personalized recommendations to a mobile device associated with a user. The method includes obtaining an event log from the one or more sensors embedded in the mobile device associated with the user. The event log is analyzed by a processor of the present invention to identify one or more attributes associated with the surroundings of the mobile device. A method selects one or more recommendations to be sent to the mobile device associated with the user. In additional embodiments, methods record the response received to the recommendations and using the recorded responses to further select more personalized recommendations.

Abstract: A distributed computing device generates a gradient descent matrix based on data received by the distributed computing device and a model stored on the distributed computing device. The distributed computing device calculates a sampled gradient descent matrix based on the gradient descent matrix and a random matrix. The distributed computing device iteratively executes a process to determine a consensus gradient descent matrix in conjunction with a plurality of additional distributed computing devices connected by a network to the distributed computing device. The consensus gradient descent matrix is based on the sampled gradient descent matrix and a plurality of additional sampled gradient decent matrices calculated by the plurality of additional distributed computing devices. The distributed computing device updates the model stored on the distributed computing device based on the consensus gradient descent matrix.

Abstract: A POS terminal (code reading device) according to one example embodiment of the present invention includes: a code reading unit that reads information of a code based on a reflected light from the code attached to an item; and a discount processing unit that makes a discount of the item when the information of the code is not read by using a first light being irradiated on the code and the information of the code is read by using a second light being irradiated on the code, wherein the second light is different from the first light.

Abstract: Methods and systems for authenticated supplemental content delivery are disclosed herein. The systems can include a first requestor and a second requestor. The system can include a plurality of networked servers. The plurality of networked servers can: receive a first supplemental content request including a digital certificate from the first requestor; determine the inclusion of the digital certificate in the first supplemental content request; validate the digital certificate; determine a supplemental content class from a set of supplemental content classes based on the digital certificate; select first supplemental content based on: the determined supplemental content class; and provide the selected first supplemental content in an electronic form to the first requestor.

Abstract: Systems and methods for the optimized allocation of content on a content distribution system according to a content distribution plan are described. In some embodiments, a management system may be configured to generate an optimized schedule for content distribution, such as an advertising campaign. For a television distribution schedule, an impressions forecast may be generated based on the available inventory and historical audience measurement information, such as television ratings for a television advertising campaign. An optimized schedule may be generated based on the impressions forecast and content may be distributed according to the optimized schedule. Measurement information relating to the distribution according to the optimized schedule may be analyzed and used to generate a re-optimized schedule, for example, that may be used to schedule the advertising campaign on a subsequent day.

Abstract: One variation of a method for selectively advertising items in an image includes: loading an image to a social feed; receiving a first tag and a second tag including identification of a first item and a second item visible in the image, respectively; based on the first tag and the second tag, correlating the first item with a first product and the second item with the second product; based on the first product and the second product, sourcing a first link to a first electronic storefront and a second link to a second electronic storefront that facilitate purchase of the first product and the second product, respectively; and selectively displaying a first visual cue of the first link and a second visual cue of the second link to a first user and to a second user, respectively, according to demographics of the first user and the second user.

Abstract: Methods and systems are described for providing advanced programmatic advertising targeting. In one embodiment, a system includes a storage medium to store instructions of one or more performance based algorithms and processing logic coupled to the storage medium. In response to receiving a function call from an advertising entity, the processing logic is configured to execute the instructions of the one or more performance based algorithms to analyze parameters of the function call including an advertising cost budget for an ad campaign and analyze advanced targeting data and parameters and rules for determining a customized ad campaign for the advertising entity. The advanced targeting data and parameters include device characteristics and user characteristics including at least one of conversion rate, ad engagement rate, installed software application (app) type on a user's device, and in-app purchase (IAP) activity of a user from any ad source.

Abstract: In some embodiments, apparatuses and methods are provided herein useful to automatically determining a discount for an item. In some embodiments, a system comprises an item database including information about a plurality of items, a control circuit configured to determine substitute items, calculate a score indicative of how similar a substitute item is to an item, determine a group of substitute items including items for which the score is above a threshold, determine a list of negotiable items, generate a user interface including the list of negotiable items, receive selection of one of the items from the list of negotiable items, determine the discount for the one of the items, and update the user interface to present the discount for the one of the items, a display device configured to present the user interface, and the user input device configured to receive the selection of the one of the items.