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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Abstract: A system and method for processing new rate sheets in a telecommunications system are disclosed, wherein the method may include receiving an email message from a supplier at a communication network; determining whether the received email message includes rate information; if the received email message includes rate information, fetching details of a template for the supplier associated with the received message; parsing and storing information in a first rate sheet based on information from the template; and updating routing tables based on the parsed rate information.

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.

Abstract: An account information management apparatus includes an input receiving unit for receiving a net price, a tax-inclusive price, and an amount to be actually transferred to a transaction party, out of a tax-inclusive transaction amount, a computing unit for calculating the tax amount included in the transaction amount using the information received by the input receiving unit, and generating actual amount account information in which a transaction of the amount to be actually transferred to a transaction party is recorded and tax account information in which a transaction record of only the tax amount is recorded separately from the transaction record of the amount to be actually transferred to the transaction party, and an account information storage unit for storing therein the actual amount account information and the tax account information in association with each other for each transaction.

Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for operating a vehicle including an engine comprising a turbocharger including a compressor and a turbine. The engine further includes a bypass path configured to selectively route gas from downstream of the compressor to upstream of the turbine. In one embodiment, the method comprises selectively increasing gas flow to the engine by adjusting gas flow through the bypass path from downstream of the compressor to upstream of the turbine. In this manner, the performance of the engine may be adjusted for various operating conditions.

Abstract: Computationally implemented methods and systems include acquiring user preference information of a user that indicates one or more customized food preferences of the user including at least one or more ingredient integrity preferences related to integrity of one or more ingredients; determining that there is no capable automated customized food generation machine present in nearby vicinity of the user that is able to currently generate one or more customized food items in compliance with the one or more customized food preferences of the user; and identifying one or more substitute automated customized food generation machines present in the nearby vicinity of the user that are able to currently generate at least one substitute customized food item that is only in partial compliance with the one or more customized food preferences of the user. In addition to the foregoing, other aspects are described in the claims, drawings, and text.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for computing distance between devices. In one aspect, a method includes the actions of determining an approximate distance between a merchant computer and a customer device based on a strength of a wireless signal associated with data transmitted and received between the merchant device and customer device. The actions further include validating the approximate distance based on signals from a plurality of motion sensors of the customer device to generate a validated distance. The actions further include generating a list with the one or more customers ranked in the list based on the validated distance. The actions further include presenting, on the merchant device, the list of the one or more customers.

Abstract: Computationally implemented methods and systems include acquiring user preference information of a user that indicates one or more customized food preferences of the user including at least one or more preferences related to integrity of one or more ingredients for use in generating one or more customized food items; identifying one or more capable automated customized food generation machines that have one or more ingredients in one or more sufficient quantities to be able to currently generate at least one customized food item in accordance with the one or more customized food preferences of the user; and presenting, in response at least in part to the identification, one or more indicators that direct the user to at least one automated customized food generation machine. In addition to the foregoing, other aspects are described in the claims, drawings, and text.

Abstract: A gratuity analyzing computing device and method are provided. The computing device may include a receiver to receive transaction data of a plurality of merchants, wherein the transaction data includes authorization transactions and clearing transactions, a calculator to match a plurality of authorization transactions with a plurality of clearing transactions, respectively, and calculate gratuity amounts for the plurality of matched transactions, an analyzer to select at least two merchants, generate tip data for each selected merchant, the tip data for a respective merchant being generated based on gratuity amounts of matched transactions that correspond to the respective merchant, and rank the at least two merchants based on a comparison of the generated tip data of the at least two merchants with respect to each other, and a transmitter configured to output the rank and the tip data of the at least two merchants to a user.

Abstract: A communications controller and method is provided for use in a checkout system including at least one POS terminal and a wrist-worn wearable device. The communications controller includes an alert server and one or more adapters. The alert server receives transaction information from a POS terminal, processes the transaction information to identify the POS terminal and an issue relating to the POS terminal to be resolved. An adapter develops alert information for the wrist-worn wearable device to enable the wrist-worn wearable device to display a notification associated with the issue relating to the POS terminal and to receive an input to resolve the issue relating to the POS terminal. The alert information is based on the transaction information and specifications of the wrist-worn wearable device.