Abstract: A method for a goods manager to authenticate products at the point of sale is provided. The method comprises: providing an authentication device to a merchant, wherein the authentication device is not associated with a product but is configured to receive product information from a merchant terminal; once information about a product has been received by the authentication device from the merchant terminal, obtaining from the authentication device a signed message comprising information about the authentication device and information about the product received from the merchant terminal; and providing authorization data to the authentication device if the information fulfils one or more criteria, thereby associating the authentication device with the product. A method for a merchant to authenticate goods at the point of sale and a merchant terminal to perform such a method are also provided.

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.

Abstract: Techniques for facilitating estimation of node processing capacity values for order fulfillment are provided. In one example, a computer-implemented method can comprise: generating, by a system operatively coupled to a processor, a current processing capacity value for an entity; and determining, by the system, a future processing capacity value for the entity based on the current processing capacity value and by using a future capacity model that has been explicitly trained to infer respective processing capacity values for the entity. The computer-implemented method can also comprise fulfilling an order of an item, by the system, based on the future processing capacity value.

Abstract: A system for managing and transferring a virtual shopping cart. The system includes a product identification system that is programmed to identify products from a product identification tag, a cart identification system that is configured to generate a cart identifier that uniquely identifies the virtual shopping cart, and a cart management engine. The cart management engine is configured to receive products to add to the virtual shopping cart from the product identification system, associate the products with the cart identifier, and transfer access to the virtual shopping cart from a first device to a second device.

Abstract: One embodiment of the invention is directed to a system comprising a server and a consumer device in operative communication with the server. The server comprises a processor and a computer readable medium coupled to the processor. The computer readable medium comprises computer readable program code embodied therein. The computer readable program code is adapted to be executed by the processor to receive an authorization request message for a transaction conducted by a consumer with a merchant, send the authorization request message to an issuer, modify an authorization response message to include receipt preference data, and send the authorization response message comprising the receipt data to the merchant, wherein the merchant generates a receipt for the consumer according to the receipt preference data.

Abstract: A method, computer program product, and system to identify one or more items in a transaction are provided. The method includes capturing images of the items, determining a set of possible identifications for each item based on the images, determining information regarding the transaction, selecting an identification for each item from the sets of possible identifications, based on the determined information, and adding the selected identifications to the transaction. Identifications for items may be selected based on confidence factors, price thresholds, and customer information.

Abstract: A software application on a device manages transportation procurement for a user. The software application collects application data. The application data is from a plurality of software applications on the device. The application detects a triggering event. The triggering event is based on the collected application data and corresponds to a state of the user. The application determines a transportation need of the user. The need is determined in response to the triggering event. The application determines the need based on the application data. The transportation need includes both a time parameter and a location parameter. The need is determined without direct input from the user. The application generates candidate transportation options which satisfy the need. These options are generated based on the time and location parameters. The application provides the candidate options to the user.

Abstract: Various methods and systems are disclosed for managing and facilitating bot-to-bot transactions, implemented with electronic operations and communications in connection with a bot interaction framework service. In an example, a transaction in a bot-to-bot communication session is established and conducted via the bot interaction framework service using a series of communication, trust, and functional attributes. The processing operations performed by the bot interaction framework service may include: receiving a request for a transaction, for a transaction to be conducted via a bot-to-bot communication session between the user bot and the service bot; identifying communication, trust, and functional attributes for the bot-to-bot communication session; transmitting the communication, trust, and functional attributes to the user bot; and conducting the bot-to-bot communication session based on the communication, trust, and functional attributes.

Abstract: In some embodiments, apparatuses and methods are provided herein useful to testing retail financial system transactions. In some embodiments, a system comprises an automated robotic testing device configured to retrieve a selected card from a physical media library, interact, via the selected card, with a point-of-sale terminal, the point-of-sale terminal configured to receive from the selected card, information associated with the selected card, and transmit, to an external banking institution, the information, and a control circuit configured to determine the selected card, transmit, to the automated robotic testing device, the indication of the selected card, receive one of an authorization and a lack of authorization, in response to receipt of 1) authorization, cause the transaction to be completed, and 2) the lack of authorization, cause the transaction to be voided, determine whether a test associated with the transaction was successful, and log an indication of whether the test was successful.

Abstract: In some embodiments, methods and systems are provided for facilitating delivery of products purchased over the internet by the customers to the customers from a selected product stocking facility of the retailer. The products can be delivered to the customer from the selected product stocking facility of the retailer via a worker of the product stocking facility or an unmanned delivery vehicle.

Abstract: A device receives receipt data of a receipt of a transaction for a product, and processes, using a term matching technique, the receipt data to identify transaction information including a transaction date and product information. The device determines that the transaction caused a user to be covered by or eligible for a warranty for the product, generates a tag identifying the product, and associates, using a data structure, the product information, data identifying the warranty, and the tag with a record of the transaction that is accessible via a program that allows the user to search for the receipt or terms of the warranty. The device performs actions associated with assisting the user in managing the warranty, such as by reminding the user of an expiration date of the warranty and/or by assisting the user in submitting a claim based on the warranty.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method of managing an inventory of articles includes receiving, by a transfer processor, article information associated with the articles, and identifying, by the transfer processor, one of the articles based on an article identifier. The method also includes retrieving article information based on the identifier, the article information including care information for the one of the articles, and, when the identified article is an article requiring special care, a special care requirement is included in the care information, and preparing the article for transfer based on the care information.

Abstract: An inventory management and purchase order system that provides flexible calculation of reorder quantities, based on bounded time interval sales trends, in which multiple such intervals may be configured (compounded) on a per-SKU basis.

Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed for receiving, from a client device, a first input that provides a current address associated with a user; receiving, from the client device, a second user input that identifies a target location; and searching a real-estate database to identify a real-estate property associated with the current address. The systems and methods further provide for estimating equity associated with the real-estate property, updating parameters of a loan model based on the target location and the estimated equity, and providing an output of the model for presentation to the user based on the updated parameters.

Abstract: Methods, system, and computer program products for associating off-line transactions involving a product with visitors to a web-site. Data relating to an off-line transaction and data relating to visitors to a web-site is received in a computer. The computer determines a score for each visitor based on a number of page views relating to a product in the transaction. A subset of visitors may be determined based on the scores. A likely candidate may then be selected from the subset of visitors using matching methods that compare e-mail addresses, IP addresses, geographic proximities, and times of event occurrences of the transaction to those of the visitor web sessions. The visitor having the strongest match may be identified as a likely candidate, and a web session generated by the likely candidate associated with the off-line transaction for analytics analysis of web marketing and web-site design effectiveness.

Abstract: A device may receive data that includes invoice data related to historical invoices from an organization, contact data related to historical contacts between the organization and various entities, and dispute data related to historical disputes between the organization and the various entities. The device may determine a profile for the data. The device may determine a set of supervised learning models for the historical invoices based on one or more of the historical contacts, the historical disputes, the historical invoices, or historical patterns related to the historical invoices. The device may determine, using the profile, a set of unsupervised learning models for the historical invoices independent of the one or more of the historical contacts, the historical disputes, or the historical patterns. The device may determine, utilizing a super model, a prediction for the invoice after the super model is trained. The device may perform one or more actions.

Abstract: A user interacts with an inventory location, such as a lane on a shelf, picking items or placing items to that inventory location. A neural network (NN) is trained using a subset of reference images to determine parameters, such as node weights. An image of the user interaction is acquired and processed by the NN to determine if an item in a test image matches an item in a candidate set of items. During use, the parameters are used to dynamically instantiate an ad hoc neural network having a graph that is based on a number of items in a candidate set. The candidate set of items may comprise items within reach of a user at the time the test image was acquired, such as on a nearby shelf or tote. The NN output indicates if the test image is deemed to match one of the candidate set of items.

Abstract: A system and method may present, by a first application being executed by an electronic device, a first user interface that enables a user to select a food item and/or non-food item for purchase at a retail establishment. In response to receiving, by the first application, a request from the user using the first user interface to purchase a beverage at the retail establishment, a second application may be linked with the first application. A data repository inclusive of selectable beverage options available for dispensing by a beverage dispenser at the retail establishment may be accessed. The second application may present a second user interface for selection of a selectable beverage option. A selected beverage instruction code representative of a selected beverage may be generated and communicated to the beverage dispenser at the retail establishment to cause the beverage dispenser to be configured for dispensing the selected beverage.

Abstract: A system for building a product library without requiring a planogram includes an image capture unit operated to provide images of items. Taking data from a shelf label detector and depth map creation unit, a processing module can be used to compare detected shelf labels to a depth map, define a product bounding box, and associate the bounding box with an image provided by the image capture unit to build image descriptors. The system can include one or more autonomous robots for supporting and moving the image capture unit and other components.

Abstract: A method for reading information stored in an electronic tag includes (a) initiating a tag reading process during which information stored in an electronic tag is read by an electronic reading device, (b) emitting radio signals from an antenna of the electronic tag reading device toward a predetermined area while moving the antenna, and (c) after step (b), stopping the emitting of the radio signals and the moving of the antenna. Steps (b) and (c) are repeated one or more times during the tag reading process.