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.

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.

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.

Abstract: Systems and methods for creating bid requests, creating bid packages, and evaluating bid packages. One method includes receiving a bid definition including a plurality of data items. The method also includes sending a notification of the bid request to a bid provider and making the bid definition accessible to the bid provider. In addition, the method includes receiving a plurality of data items associated with the bid provider corresponding to the plurality of data items included in the bid definition and receiving a release date for at least one of the plurality of data items associated with the bid provider. The method also includes automatically generating a bid package based on the plurality of bid response data items, storing the bid package, and receiving a request to access the bid package. Access to the stored bid package is controlled based on the release date.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a system and method for providing a payment service of a two-channel authentication method utilizing a card reader infrastructure and a portable user terminal. The system for providing a payment service according to an aspect of the present invention includes an affiliate POS terminal configured to receive MIN card information and generate and transmit a transaction approval request signal, and a server configured to receive the transaction approval request signal, transmit a transaction authentication request signal to a portable user terminal, and transmit approval request information to a financial institution server when transaction authentication is completed from an input signal of the portable user terminal.

Abstract: A method identifies a plurality of product categories by applying a categorization model to product data that includes product names and product descriptions. The product data is obtained from internal sources and external sources. The method creates a knowledge graph for a plurality of business entities from inputs that include the plurality of product categories, published data that includes merchant categorizations, and geographical data. The method generates cohort clusters of similar business entities by applying a clustering algorithm to the knowledge graph. The method uses the cohort clusters to learn an extrapolation model for predicting inventory. The method makes a prediction as to the inventory level using the extrapolation model for a user of the merchant application. The method determines a confidence level for the user and orders additional inventory for the user without further input, if the confidence level is above a specified threshold.

Abstract: A method for providing a gift includes receiving a gift token creation request representative of a selection of a gift recipient and gift limitations from a first computing device. The method includes generating a tokenized PAN associated with a gift account and transmitting the tokenized PAN and gift limitations to a second computing device. The method includes detecting a transaction authorization request that is representative of an attempted transaction at a merchant POS device based on monitoring of transaction authorization data originating from a plurality of merchant POS devices. The transaction authorization request represents an attempted tokenized PAN, an attempted transaction amount and a merchant code. The method includes determining that the attempted tokenized PAN matches the tokenized PAN associated with the gift account.

Abstract: Using contactless cards to pay for offline transactions. An application executing on a mobile device may receive, via a communications interface of a contactless card, an account identifier of the contactless card, and transaction data received by the contactless card from a POS device via the communications interface, the transaction data comprising at least an identifier of a merchant account, a timestamp, and an amount of the transaction, a network connection between the POS device and a payment server not available. The application may transmit the account identifier and the transaction data to the payment server via a cellular network connection of the mobile device. The mobile device may receive, from the payment server via the cellular network connection, authorization of a payment for the transaction. The application may generate a graphical indication of the authorization of the payment for the transaction and output the graphical indication of the authorization.

Abstract: A method for resolving out of stock products in online shopping using image classification is disclosed. Product images are processed to determine feature descriptors to generate object classifiers to associated image similarities. A product is determined to be unavailable from a retailer. The product identifier is then provided to a hierarchical database containing indexed product images to determine therefrom other products whose images have classified similarities to images of the product. Similar products can then be presented to the user based upon their visual characteristics providing an improved product correlation.

Abstract: An information technology (IT) asset management system provides for logically grouping IT assets and performing actions on the logical groups. Cluster analysis techniques are used to analyze the configuration data corresponding to IT assets in the IT asset management system, generating proposed logical groups from the clusters determined by the cluster analysis techniques. A system administrator may be allowed to accept or reject the proposed logical groups.

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention provide systems and methods for providing charging functions. According to one embodiment, a method of charging for services on a communication network can comprise receiving a request to perform a charging function from an application via a northbound interface of a charging enabler. The northbound interface can provide an abstract interface for invoking one or more of a plurality of charging functions. The charging function can be requested from a network resource via a southbound interface of the charging enabler. The southbound interface can provide an interface specific to the network resource. Results of the charging function can be received from the network resource via the southbound interface of the charging enabler and returned to the application via the northbound interface of the charging enabler.

Abstract: A system and method to detect changes in transaction parameters for the identification of a store of the merchant in a payment processing network. The system is configured to monitor input data, such as acquirer's merchant master file (AMMF), transaction records, to detect transaction parameters of a processing entity that partially match with the transaction parameters associated with an external, persistent identifier of the merchant and/or the store of the merchant, determine a change or difference introduced in the detect transaction parameters, and update the set of transaction parameters associated with the persistent identifier of the store of the merchant that can be used to identify the set of transaction parameters of the store in a communication external to the communication system of the payment processing network.

Abstract: An inventory system comprised of a central computing device in communication with one or more remote computing devices is disclosed. The central computing device is configured to update inventory information for inventory items held within the inventory system based on information received from the remote computing devices. The remote computing devices are configured to transmit updated inventory information to the central computing devices when an inventory item is newly added to the inventory system and when an inventory item is taken out of the inventory system. The remote computing devices also correspond to one or more inventory units for storing the inventory items. The remote computing devices are configured to transmit order requests to the central computing device that request additional inventory items for their corresponding inventory units.

Abstract: Methods, computer program products, and systems for operating a retail environment using unmanned vehicles are provided. The methods include observing a person interacting with one or more items with a camera carried by an unmanned vehicle, identifying the one or more items based on data received from the unmanned vehicle, and adding each identified item to a transaction for the person. The methods can further include charging the person for the transaction, presenting promotions, retrieving a desired item, answering questions, following a person, guiding a customer to a location, and showing images of inventory items.

Abstract: A system is provided for netting obligations between entities of a cycle of obligations. Each obligation specifying an quantity of an item that a from-entity of the cycle is obligated to provide to a to-entity of the cycle. For each entity, the system determines whether the sum of its inventory of the item and the quantity of the obligation on which it is a to-entity is sufficient to satisfy the obligation on which it is a from-entity. When sufficient, the system identifies one or more netting transactions to settle the obligations of the cycle. The system then directs the execution of the netting transactions and settlement transactions to effect and record the settling of the obligations.

Abstract: Provided are check-in to checkout systems and methods. The system includes a point of sale, a display, a mobile device, and a backend system. When the POS starts a transaction, such as, but not limited to scanning an item, the POS generates a transaction/basket identification. In response to starting the transaction, the POS sends the transaction/basket ID to the display in the form of a QR code or one-dimensional barcode. The mobile device operating a mobile application scans and captures the displayed code and reports to the backend systems. The backend systems then send a check-in event, which includes gathered data by the backend systems, to the POS and the POS acknowledges receipt of the message. At this point, a notification may be sent to the mobile application that the check-in was successful and a link is established for flow of information.

Abstract: Systems and techniques for self service delivery of content stored on removable media. A self service terminal stores a plurality of titles in a repository, and copies of titles are stored to removable media devices maintained in the self service terminal. In response to a user selection of an available title made during a transaction, a removable media device storing a copy of the selected title is delivered to the user. Anticipated demand is estimated and titles are stored to removable devices as needed to maintain an inventory to meet the estimated demand, including overwriting existing titles already stored on removable media, and overwriting returned media as needed.

Abstract: Embodiments of the instrument inventory system create, record and enable access of data about collections of instruments and tools such as surgical instruments and dental instruments. The instrument inventory system includes at least one user interface, at least one instrument interface, an instrument processor and a database storing instrument records. The instrument inventory system includes a training function which enables the system to create a data record for new instruments when the system encounters new instruments.

Abstract: A computer-based technology is provided to optimize a warehouse space, such as warehouse racks. The technology determines a storage duration of a pallet in a warehouse, and further determines an optimal storage location for the pallet in the warehouse. For example, the technology can determine how long an inbound pallet will stay in a warehouse, and locate an optimal area of the warehouse to store the pallet. Such an optimal pallet storage area is selected to reduce labor costs in transporting the pallet in, within, and out of the warehouse and further optimize the management of multiple pallets in the warehouse as a whole. In addition, the technology can consider the size of the pallet in determining the optimal storage location in the warehouse.

Abstract: A server system tracks purchases by a user of consumable items. Notifications of use of an appliance using a consumable item are received and an estimated amount of the consumable item is decremented in response to the notification. A consumption rate is determined based on the notifications and an expected runout date is calculated. Delivery of the consumable items is then invoked on or before the runout date. The appliance may include, for example, be a network-enabled washing machine that reports loads washed, a refrigerator that detects items removed therefrom, a coffee maker that reports cups of coffee prepared.