Patents Examined by Florian M Zeender
  • Patent number: 10915872
    Abstract: The method obtains, through use of secure delegated access, data representing a financial transaction by a user of a financial service. The data is obtained in at least near real time following occurrence of the financial transaction. The method makes a determination that the user is proximate to a merchant identified in the data and that the financial transaction is a business expense. In response to making the determination, the method causes auto-detection functionality to detect that the user is in possession of a receipt and causes auto-focus functionality to focus on the receipt. The auto-detection functionality and the auto-focus functionality use a camera on a mobile device of the user. The method then causes the camera to capture an image of the receipt.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 9, 2021
    Assignee: Intuit Inc.
    Inventors: Jennifer Bickerstaff, Qiang Wang, Yu-Wei Hsu
  • Patent number: 10915846
    Abstract: A method for planning preparation of a plurality of dishes according to a plurality of corresponding recipes includes automatically identifying, by a processor, a plurality of candidate sub-recipes, wherein each candidate sub-recipe in the plurality of candidate sub-recipes comprises an intermediate component that is required by at least two of the plurality of corresponding recipes, and automatically selecting, by the processor, at least one candidate sub-recipe in the plurality of candidate sub-recipes for preparation, in accordance with at least one constraint on the preparation of the plurality of dishes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 9, 2021
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Krishna C. Ratakonda, Lav R. Varshney
  • Patent number: 10909518
    Abstract: A user who is authorizing a delegate to make a purchase using funds from an account of the user sends information to a payment provider. The information includes a picture of the delegate, along with information such as a merchant name, a maximum amount, a type of purchase, item information, and/or any other transaction limitations/restrictions. The payment provider then transmits this information to the merchant. A one-time code or number may be communicated to the delegate. When the delegate is ready to make a payment with the user account, the delegate gives the delegate's name and/or other identifying information to the merchant, along with the payment code. The merchant enters the information and is shown a picture of the delegate. If there is a match, the payment may be submitted for processing. In one embodiment, a photo of the delegate may be taken by the merchant and the image transmitted to the user. The user may then be requested to confirm the delegate as an authorized delegate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2021
    Assignee: PAYPAL, INC.
    Inventors: Upendra Mardikar, Attaullah Baig
  • Patent number: 10902493
    Abstract: A photo product design customization system for customizing a photo product design with minimal and intuitive user inputs includes a product design module that displays a photo product design in a main design panel, a user input detection unit that can detect a first directional movement from a first dynamic object in a product type selection panel to the main design panel, or a second directional movement from a second dynamic object in a product style selection panel to the main design panel, or a third directional movement from a third dynamic object in a product style selection panel to the main design panel, and an intelligent product design creation engine that can automatically change the photo product design in the main design panel in response to detection of the first, the second, or the third directional movement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 26, 2021
    Assignee: Shutterffy, LLC
    Inventors: Yaron Stein, Alexander M. Kenis, Roman Sandler, Yehonatan Yehudai
  • Patent number: 10902378
    Abstract: A server for providing inventory management includes a storage device that stores: an inventory database data including an identification code of each of a plurality of commodities owned by a user, and location data corresponding to a predetermined area. A processor receives, from a portable terminal, an identification code acquired by the portable terminal and position information indicating a position of the portable terminal. The processor determines whether the position information corresponds to a position within the predetermined area. If the position information corresponds to a position within the predetermined area, the storage device updates the inventory database based on the received identification code.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 26, 2021
    Assignee: TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Tohru Kobayashi
  • Patent number: 10895596
    Abstract: Methods and systems for localizing and resolving an integrated circuit include selecting one or more electrical stimuli to be applied to a device under test such that the electrical stimuli provide a baseline image and a distinguishing image effect when applied to the device under test. The one or more electrical stimuli are applied to the device under test. Emissions from the device under test are measured to provide a measurement data set and to collect the baseline image and the distinguishing image effect. The measurement includes dividing a field of view in a photon emission image into regions of interest. The measurement data set is analyzed to localize and evaluate circuit structures by comparing the baseline image and the distinguishing image effect. The analysis includes calculating a figure of merit for each region of interest that represents a degree of switching activity in the respective region of interest.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 19, 2021
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Peilin Song, Franco Stellari
  • Patent number: 10872383
    Abstract: Using a model to estimate a payment delinquency for an invoice is described. Multiple delinquency estimation models are generated based on a training set of invoices. Each delinquency estimation model estimates a respective payment delinquency for a particular invoice. A refined payment delinquency is determined for the particular invoice based on respective payment delinquencies determined by the delinquency estimation models. Information associated with a set of invoices may be presented at an interface based on the respective payment delinquencies. A payment reminder application may be programmed to process the invoices according to payment reminder schedules determined based on the respective payment delinquencies. Additionally, invoices may be added to the training set of invoices to update the delinquency estimation models.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 22, 2020
    Assignee: Oracle International Corporation
    Inventors: Tapomoy Dey, Aaron P. Thomas
  • Patent number: 10872382
    Abstract: Described are systems, methods, and computer readable medium for a lottery reconciliation system. Exemplary embodiments provide systems, methods, and computer readable medium for reconciling online lottery game transactions. Exemplary embodiments also provide systems, methods, and computer readable medium for reconciling instant lottery game transactions. Exemplary embodiments also provide systems, methods, and computer readable medium for reconciling lottery game transaction at an interactive vending machine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 22, 2020
    Assignee: Walmart Apollo, LLC
    Inventors: Clayton B. Cooper, Lorrine A. Meyers, Nathaniel Colt, Dennis Lee Manley, Larry Dean Curran, Jr., Dayton Craig Jones, Melissa A. Jones
  • Patent number: 10872323
    Abstract: A system and method for stand-in processing are provided. The system includes a processor and a memory unit communicatively coupled to the processor. The memory unit is configured to store transaction data received from an acquirer corresponding to a transaction made by a payment card. The processor is configured to determine data representing a point of sale (POS) entry mode of the transaction from the transaction data and, using one or more stand-in rules provided by an issuer of the payment card, process the transaction on behalf of the issuer based on the data representing the POS entry mode. Processing includes approving or declining the transaction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 22, 2020
    Assignee: MASTERCARD INTERNATIONAL INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Piyush Sharma, Ravinder Wadhwa
  • Patent number: 10867259
    Abstract: A unified service model method is used for Business Service Management of a computing infrastructure. In the model, service offerings are defined for a business service, and one or more service level targets are associated with each of these offerings. The business service is associated with one or more technical services that support the business service. These technical services are delivered by actual component in a computing infrastructure. In the model, service offerings are associated with the technical services, and service level targets are associated with each of these offerings. A customer defined in the model subscribes to one of the service offerings of the business service. As business services are provided, the unified service model combines the service offerings tying the business and technical services to the associated service level targets, and administrators can manage the services and IT components using the unified service model.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 15, 2020
    Assignee: BMC SOFTWARE, INC.
    Inventors: Darius Wallace, Troy Lee Cline, Cornelis Anthony Winkler Prins, Matthew Dennis Connors
  • Patent number: 10861079
    Abstract: The disclosed electronic commerce cloud-based media retailing systems and methods enable customers to execute a purchase intention of a digital product before that product is officially released for distribution. The ecommerce system comprises a digital entitlement engine and is particularly suited to pre-sell entitlements to digital products such as, but not limited to, video games, computer software, movies, and other entertainment media.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2020
    Assignee: Activision Publishing, Inc.
    Inventor: Robert D. Schonfeld
  • Patent number: 10861007
    Abstract: A method includes reading a card number from a payment device at a point of sale (POS) terminal. The method further includes transmitting a message from the POS terminal to a remote host computer, where the message includes the card number. Still further, the method includes receiving wallet data at the POS terminal from the host computer. The wallet data indicates a plurality of payment accounts associated with the card number. In addition, the method includes displaying the wallet data at the POS terminal and receiving a selection indication from a user at the POS terminal, where the selection indication is for selecting one of the payment accounts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2020
    Assignee: MASTERCARD INTERNATIONAL INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Jennifer R. Dogin, Sean Kirch
  • Patent number: 10860661
    Abstract: The disclosed embodiments relate to a computer system that facilitates the providing of an answer to a question. During operation, the computer system receives the question from a user, where the question is related to income taxes. Then, the computer system performs content-dependent processing of the question based on a tax-information data structure to produce the answer to the question. Note that the tax-information data structure includes: tax phrases, context information associated with the tax phrases, tax concepts that encompass multiple tax phrases, and/or statistical association metrics between the tax phrases and the tax concepts. Next, the computer system provides the answer to the user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2020
    Assignee: INTUIT, INC.
    Inventors: Gang Wang, Igor A. Podgorny, Troy D. Otillio
  • Patent number: 10861070
    Abstract: In a system and method for processing and implementing product regulations at a retail enterprise, a list is received by a retail server of products offered for sale by the enterprise that are regulation eligible, the received list of products is compared with product data identifying products offered for sale to all customers of the enterprise, each product in a database of the enterprise that matches a product in the list and that is not already marked therein as regulation eligible is marked as regulation eligible, and for each product so marked at least one characteristic of the product upon which regulation eligibility is based is determined, the database is searched to identify similar products that include the at least one characteristic, and for each identified similar product a request is transmitted for a determination of regulation eligibility thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2020
    Assignee: Meijer, Inc.
    Inventor: Jason Dika
  • Patent number: 10860977
    Abstract: Disclosed are various embodiments for shifting inventory within an inventory network. In a traditional push fulfillment model, items are delivered to customers after orders are placed by customers from a warehouse or fulfillment center through a traditional shipping carrier. Using a pull model as described herein, inventory is shifted throughout an inventory network based upon pull signals generated by sensor networks associated with customers that represent predictions for future orders by customers and the inventory is retrieved by the network node that issues the pull signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2020
    Assignee: AMAZON TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventor: Pragyana K. Mishra
  • Patent number: 10863306
    Abstract: Various embodiments each include at least one of systems, methods, devices, and software for auto-configuring of radio beacon devices. One embodiment includes a method that detects a beacon device has been connected to a computing device and retrieving beacon identifying data from the beacon device. The method may then query a backend system based on the beacon identifying data to determine whether the beacon identifying data has been previously configured in the backend system. When the beacon device has been previously configured in the backend system, the method includes issuing a command to the backend system to remove the previous configuration of the beacon device then issuing a data write command to the backend system to configure the beacon device in the backend system in association with the computing device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2020
    Assignee: NCR Corporation
    Inventors: Benjamin A Mosher, William Ellis Stansfield, Andrew Smith
  • Patent number: 10853763
    Abstract: Techniques for onboarding new service providers based on portable service provider attributes are described. In an example, a server computing device may determine service provider attribute(s) of a service provider associated with a first merchant and associate the service provider attribute(s) with a data entry corresponding to an identifier of the service provider in a database. The server computing device may subsequently receive, from a point-of-sale device operated by a second merchant, identification data associated with the service provider and may determine the identifier of the service provider based on the identification data. Based on the identifier, the server computing device may access the service provider attribute(s) associated with the service provider from the database and may update a second merchant service inventory associated with the second merchant based on the service provider attribute(s) of the service provider.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2020
    Assignee: Square, Inc.
    Inventors: Aaron Armstrong, Rajat Mittal, Neha Karajgikar, Prashant Prabhu
  • Patent number: 10849442
    Abstract: An ice merchandiser for storing bagged ice for purchase by a customer is provided. The ice merchandiser includes a payment system structured to enable a patron to facilitate a bagged ice product transaction at the ice merchandiser, and an access control system structured to selectively provide access to the ice merchandiser during the bagged ice product transaction based on the payment system providing an indication that payment for the ice product has been validated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2020
    Assignee: Leer, Inc.
    Inventors: William M. Huffar, Karl E. Katuin, Michael A. Andrew, Stephen J. Dieter, Terry D. Matt, John A. Miller, Nicholas A. Truesdale
  • Patent number: 10853782
    Abstract: A system and method for vending device inventory management is disclosed. The system and method may enable receiving vending data from a processing unit retrofitted with a vending machine controller (VMC) of a vending device. The vending data may be associated with one of a cash transaction or a cashless transaction. The system and method may enable analysing the vending data. The system and method may enable updating an inventory associated with the vending device and recommending a product or combination of products for refilling of the vending device based upon analysis of the vending data. The system and method may enable generating an updated planogram based on the updated inventory. The system and method may further enable displaying an updated planogram along with the product or combination of products recommended on a user device for enabling the user to refill the one or more products in the vending device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2020
    Assignee: VENDEKIN TECHNOLOGIES PRIVATE LIMITED
    Inventors: Anshoo Gaur, Aroon Ashish Khatter
  • Patent number: 10846676
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a financial device and a control method and system thereof. The financial device may comprise: one or more selection portions; and a control unit configured to process any one of a plurality of financial processes, when any one of the one or more selection portions is input.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2020
    Assignee: ATEC AP CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yong Gyun Choi, Kyung Hee Kim, Kwang Hyun Park, Han Yong Park, So Young Kim