Patents Examined by Fawaad Haider
  • Patent number: 11537178
    Abstract: Methods and systems for data center management include collecting sensor data from one or more sensors in a rack; determining a location and identifying information for each asset in the rack using a set of asset tags associated with respective assets; communicating the sensor and asset location to a communication module; receiving an instruction from the communication module; and executing the received instruction to change a property of the rack.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2022
    Assignee: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Sergio A. Bermudez Rodriguez, Hendrik F. Hamann, Hans-Dieter Wehle
  • Patent number: 11531990
    Abstract: Transformation of inputs including beacon inputs, Global Positioning System (GPS) inputs, captured panorama inputs, user-penned descriptive inputs, and payment-amount-specifying inputs, via components, into outputs including user device POS configuration setting outputs and/or payment-gateway-directed authorization request outputs. Further, transformation of inputs including POS scanner inputs, POS keyboard inputs, and/or POS printer-directed inputs, via components, into outputs including compliance check outputs, tagged omnibus record outputs, SKU-UPC mapping outputs, and/or convergence/correlation outputs. Additionally, transformation of inputs including older limited-capability POS software image inputs and/or newer limited-capability POS software image inputs, via components, into outputs including update directive outputs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2022
    Assignee: IDID TECNOLOGIA LTDA
    Inventor: Alexandre Soares Pi Farias
  • Patent number: 11410227
    Abstract: According to the invention, a system for performing a money transfer between a sender an a recipient through the use of an augmented reality device is disclosed. The system may include a first mobile device associated with a first entity. The first mobile device may be configured to detect an indicator via an augmented reality subsystem. The indicator may include a characteristic and be associated with a second entity, as well as be configured to associate meta-information with the indicator. The first mobile device may further be configured to receive an input comprising an amount to be transferred from the first entity to the second entity and transmit a set of instructions to a money transfer network. The set of instructions may be based in part on the indicator and the input, and include instructions to perform a money transfer between the first entity and the second entity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 9, 2022
    Assignee: The Western Union Company
    Inventors: Evans Mehew, Linda DeBerardinis
  • Patent number: 11386383
    Abstract: The invention discloses a waitressing drone that brings drinks to people at the restaurant, and the orders are identified from the Facebook photo of the user, that the drone displays when making the delivery. The invention facilitates the interaction with humans and drones via the social network. With the invention, the order input time is greatly reduced for the consumer, and the consumer may move about while waiting for the order as the drone finds the consumer. Also importantly, the social nature of the drone allows for the sharing of drones among multiple human users. Further, the interfacing of the social human profile with non-human drone profiles allows for the continuous retraining and reprogramming of drones to meet more specific and individualistic user tasks, thereby liberating people from mundane manual labour.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2022
    Inventor: Mikko Vaananen
  • Patent number: 11379807
    Abstract: A method and system for processing a financial transaction initiated by a cardholder with a merchant. The cardholder initiates the transaction using a cardholder input device and transmits an authorization request message including transaction data received by the cardholder input device from a point of sale (POS) device associated with the merchant. The authorization request message is received by a computer system. The transaction data is validated, and an authorization response message is transmitted after validation. The cardholder input device may forward the authorization response message to the POS device for completing the transaction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2022
    Assignee: MASTERCARD INTERNATIONAL INCORPORATED
    Inventor: James Sinton
  • Patent number: 11263641
    Abstract: Providing a cognitive blockchain for user privileges is provided. A distributed secure encrypted ledger is established for storing information related to privileges for users across a plurality of nodes in a permissioned network with known identities. An internet of things (IoT) device node in the plurality of nodes records a first block in the distributed secure encrypted ledger containing activity information related to a privilege corresponding to a user of the IoT device node. A licensing node in the plurality of nodes evaluates information in the first block. The licensing node records a second block containing privilege information corresponding to the user of the IoT device node based on the evaluating.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2022
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventor: Hyman Chantz
  • Patent number: 11222306
    Abstract: Disclosed is a system for real-time measurement of inventory on shelves. The system uses light sensors placed in association with the inventory and the shelves to measure in real-time the removal/replacement of inventory from the shelves. When inventory is on the shelves, less light reaches the light sensors. As inventory is removed from shelves, the light sensors receive more light. The difference in light received generates as signal that can be measured, thereby allowing for determining inventory levels on each shelf. The system may be retro-fitted to existing shelving systems, thereby avoiding the cost of purchasing new shelving systems. The system can work on any shelving system, including gravity-feed roller shelf (GRS), flat shelves, and spring loaded pusher shelves, and is unaffected by usual temperatures found in retail establishments and can thus work in both refrigerated and unrefrigerated systems. Also disclosed are related methods.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2022
    Inventors: Yeyang Sun, Jiayu Sun
  • Patent number: 11101037
    Abstract: Mechanisms are provided for implementing a disambiguation engine for disambiguating content. Electronic content is received from a corpus of electronic content, and analyzed to identify an ambiguous portion of content. The ambiguous portion of content is a portion of the electronic content whose meaning is not made explicit in the ambiguous portion of content. A context associated with the ambiguous portion of content is determined and a set of one or more context based ambiguous content interpretation rules associated with the determined context is applied to the ambiguous portion of content to generate an interpretation of the ambiguous portion of content. The ambiguous portion of content is annotated based on the interpretation to generate disambiguated electronic content which is stored for processing as part of a subsequent operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 24, 2021
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Corville O. Allen, Timothy A. Bishop
  • Patent number: 10990772
    Abstract: An inventory management system provides automated management of medical item inventory and maintenance of a digital chain of custody for medical items. Medical items are labeled with an RFID-encoded tag that also displays a 2D barcode. The RFID tag and the 2D barcode both encode the same serialized Electronic Product Code (EPC) data for each specific item. Reading of the RFID tag is performed using a fixed or handheld RFID reader. Reading of the 2D barcode is performed using a handheld mobile device, such as a tablet or smart phone. The two-technology label allows for the digital chain of custody to be updated by means of RFID scanning in locations where RFID readers are available and by using a smart phone or tablet to read the 2D barcode in locations where RFID readers are unavailable.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 27, 2021
    Assignee: DeRoyal Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: Brian C. DeBusk, Joe L. Smith, Mary E. Kaylor
  • Patent number: 10902448
    Abstract: A retailer computer system receives from a first computing device a shopping recap having data indicative of one or more products that were shown to a customer by the sales associate while the customer was within a retail establishment. The received shopping recap is stored within a data repository where it is linked to a customer identifier that is associated with the customer and an associate identifier that is associated with the sale associate. If the customer later purchases a product, data indicative of the product being purchased is compared against data within any shopping recap that is linked to that customer to determine if a sales associate that is also linked to any shopping recap linked to that customer is to be awarded a commission for the product being purchased. The purchase of the product by the customer may further generate a digital receipt where the digital receipt includes a notice that the customer is being awarded an incentive, such as a coupon.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 26, 2021
    Assignee: Transform SR Brands LLC
    Inventor: Leena Munjal
  • Patent number: 10899396
    Abstract: A vehicle including a drag reduction system is described herein. The drag reduction system includes an eddy disrupter element mounted on a vehicle body and movable with respect to the vehicle body, a plurality of sensors mounted to the vehicle body, and a processor programmed to operate the eddy disrupter based on signals received from the sensors. The plurality of sensors include a first sensor mounted near the rear end of the vehicle body and a second sensor mounted near the front end of the vehicle body for measuring fluid pressure adjacent to the vehicle body. The processor is programmed to operate the eddy disrupter element to adjust a position of the eddy disrupter element relative to the surface of the vehicle body based on a comparative analysis of a measured fluid pressure received from the first sensor and a measure fluid pressure received from the second sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 26, 2021
    Inventor: Eric Sandgren
  • Patent number: 10796248
    Abstract: A ride-sharing server may receive, from a user, a vehicle-rental request including trip characteristics specifying an origin location, a destination location, and time constraints; identify another user having rental criteria matching that of the vehicle-rental request; send a rent-share request to the user and the other user to rent-share as a joint-rental group; and rent a vehicle to the joint-rental group when the rent-share request is confirmed. A mobile device of a ride-sharing user may send, to a rent-sharing server, a vehicle-rental request including trip characteristics specifying an origin location, a destination location, and time constraints; receive, from the rent-sharing server, a rent-share request to rent-share a vehicle as a joint-rental group including another user having rental criteria matching that of the vehicle-rental request; and responsive to the rent-share request, rent the vehicle as the joint-rental group.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2020
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Yimin Liu, Perry Robinson MacNeille, Jinjing Yang
  • Patent number: 10699273
    Abstract: A method for authorizing a mobile payment transaction is provided that is based on device locations. The method includes receiving, by a server, a request from a point of sale (POS) device to authorize a payment transaction involving a payment facilitating device. In an embodiment, the request includes payment information of the payment transaction and location information of the POS device. When the request is received, an authorizing client device for the payment transaction is identified based on the payment information from the payment facilitating device. The request to authorize the payment transaction is granted when it is determined that the authorizing client device is located within a predetermined distance from the POS device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 30, 2020
    Assignee: LOOKOUT, INC.
    Inventors: Kevin Patrick Mahaffey, Brian James Buck
  • Patent number: 10552788
    Abstract: Tracking data of objects within a facility may be obtained using a plurality of smart floor tiles. Techniques for installation of the smart floor tiles allow for the generation of information about the relative arrangement of the smart floor tiles relative to one another. This relative arrangement is used in conjunction with information about physical dimensions of the smart floor tiles to generate a mapping that associates particular floor tiles with particular physical locations within the facility.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2020
    Assignee: AMAZON TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventors: Camerin Cole Hahn, Nikolai Orlov, Joseph Chauvin, Benjamin Jozef Gyori
  • Patent number: 10521766
    Abstract: A wine inventory management system is provided to assist a user in selecting and locating a wine from a wine collection. In one example, a wine inventory management system may comprise a smart cap having an indicator portion and a processor in communication with the smart cap. The processor in communication with the smart cap may comprise a determining module that determines a set of criteria, a matching module that matches wines to the set of criteria to form a wine set, and an illuminating module that illuminates smart caps of the wine set. The smart caps may be illuminated with different colors, light animation patterns, and with different images in some examples.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2019
    Assignee: Uncorked Studios Incorporated
    Inventors: Marcelino Alvarez, David Evans, David Ewald, John Furukawa, Joshua D'Errico, Joel Morrissette, Melissa Chan, Lee Lerner, Miguel Higgins Moy
  • Patent number: 10424028
    Abstract: A method, computer program product, and system includes a processor(s) determining, based on obtaining data from the one or more sensors over the wireless communications connection, that individuals are within a given vicinity. The processor(s) queries personal computing devices associated with the individuals to determine an identity of each individual in the given vicinity. The processor(s) assigns a service provider(s) to a portion of the identified individuals. The processor(s) obtains preference information related to the portion and determines environmental information related to an environment experienced by the portion by locating at least one sensor within a predetermined distance of the portion, and communicating, over the wireless communications connection, with the at least one sensor. The processor(s) generate simulations for providing services to the portion that include temporal parameters and selects an optimal simulation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 9, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2019
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Michael Bender, Rhonda L. Childress, Michael P. Shute
  • Patent number: 10410169
    Abstract: A method for sharding a store inventory database is provided. The method may include separating a store inventory database into a first inventory database shard in a first inventory database server which has inventory data for a first group of items sold by a store and into a second inventory database shard in a second inventory database server which has inventory data for a second group of items sold by the store which are different than the first group of items. The method may also include associating a router with the sharded store inventory database, the router housing resident shard determination logic which comprises information which, for an item sold by the store, identifies an inventory database shard on which inventory data for the item is stored.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2019
    Assignee: WALMART APOLLO, LLC
    Inventors: Madhavan Kandhadai Vasantham, Sreekanth Sreedhararaj
  • Patent number: 10387862
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention relate to systems, methods, processes, computer program code, and means for creating digital wallets for users. In some embodiments, digital wallets are created, at least in part, on information obtained from payment transactions conducted by users.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2019
    Assignee: PAYPAL, INC.
    Inventor: Kevin Laracey
  • Patent number: 10380543
    Abstract: A product inventory management system including a cabinet configured to contain an inventory of product units having RFID tags and further configured to monitor the inventory by wirelessly detecting the RFID tags, and a server system configured to communicate over a network with the cabinet, the server system capable of managing the inventory of the cabinet. There is also a method for product inventory management, including receiving, in a server system and via a network, inventory data from a cabinet, the inventory data corresponding to an inventory of product units stored in the cabinet, and generating an order to have additional product units added to the cabinet according to the cabinet inventory.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2019
    Assignee: AMERISOURCEBERGEN SPECIALTY GROUP, LLC
    Inventor: Dale Danilewitz
  • Patent number: 10373107
    Abstract: A system includes acquisition of an electronic image of items disposed in first locations, determination, based on the electronic image, of a visit image result comprising a first one or more linear groups, a first one or more facings per linear group and a first zero or more product identifiers per facing, determination of planogram reference data comprising a second one or more linear groups, a second one or more facings per linear group and a second zero or more product identifiers per facing, and determination of one or more corrective actions based on the visit image result and on the planogram reference data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2019
    Assignee: SAP SE
    Inventors: Koji Kawashima, Robert Moore