Patents Examined by Jeffrey D. Carlson
  • Patent number: 6862575
    Abstract: A system for issuing electronic coupons. A master coupon is provided by a service which may be copied by customers and placed into their individual electronic wallets. The coupons may have a variable benefit or value which may be established by a variety of parameters. The parameters include a set time period, certain action by the customer, the purchase of specific items, the purchase of specific dollar values, or external parameters such as the score in a baseball game. The coupons may be transferred or recopied by the customer as desired. The customer may gain additional benefits by recopying the coupons to others.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 2000
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2005
    Assignee: Nokia Corporation
    Inventors: Akseli Anttila, Suresh Chande, Mikko Mäkipää, Isto Männistö
  • Patent number: 6654725
    Abstract: A system and method for customized advertisement selection and delivery on the World Wide Web (WWW) upon the Internet. The advertising system has a database server which stores advertisements and their campaign information, and an advertisement server which generates electronic advertisements available to a client system. In the system, a customization process which customized the electronic advertisements to be delivered to each client system is performed. A user connects to a web site and is presented with an editorial page or a list of search results. The system inserts a customized advertisement into the page that matches the page content or search topic. No identifiable data is collected during the interaction with the user. Advertisers can specify display constraints for each advertisement. The system will adapt all unrestricted parameters in order to maximize the user's click-through probability.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 1999
    Date of Patent: November 25, 2003
    Assignee: NEC Corporation
    Inventors: Marc Langheinrich, Atsuyoshi Nakamura
  • Patent number: 6571217
    Abstract: A system and method are provided for updating a banner in a graphical display. In embodiment, the system comprises a processor circuit in a client device that includes a processor and a memory, both of which are electrically coupled to a local interface. The local interface may comprise, for example, a data bus and accompanying control bus. Also electrically coupled to the local interface is a network interface such as a network card that couples a network to the local interface. The system includes a display device electrically coupled to the local interface. The system further includes banner update logic stored on the memory and executable by the processor. The banner update logic particularly comprises logic to automatically initiate a download of a remote banner located at a predefined address on the network to the memory, and logic to display a local banner stored in the memory on the display device upon a failure to download the remote banner to the memory.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2000
    Date of Patent: May 27, 2003
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company L.P.
    Inventors: Jeff M. Anderson, David Hall, Stephen D. Dentel, Sherri L. Brown
  • Patent number: 6542874
    Abstract: A retail subscription system receives one or more subscription cards indicating that subscriptions to periodicals were sold. The retail subscription system verifies the subscriptions by reference to its own databases and to codes on the subscription cards, and transmits the subscriptions to a fulfillment house for distribution if the codes are determined valid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 5, 1998
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2003
    Assignee: Walker Digital, LLC
    Inventors: Jay S. Walker, Sanjay K. Jindal
  • Patent number: 6505169
    Abstract: In a multimedia presentation transmitted by streaming media, advertising/announcements are dynamically inserted into the stream in response to a realization of conditions preselected by the source of the advertising/announcements. In a particular embodiment providers of the streaming media content define metadata for the programming. Advertising/announcement sources define metadata for their ads to be presented. The requirements of both metadata files are compared to both program data and ad data to specify conditions that determine when an Advertisement/announcement is inserted into a media stream.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2000
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2003
    Assignee: AT&T Corp.
    Inventors: Vijay K Bhagavath, Joseph Thomas O'Neil
  • Patent number: 6502077
    Abstract: The present invention relates to an electronic advertising system. More specifically, the present invention creates a means to select ads for publication in the newspaper based on past performance of individual personal ads, thus attempting to optimize the number of responses to the printed personal ad column as a whole. At the same time, all personal ads are published on the Internet so as to accommodate all advertisers regardless of the past performance of their ad. Finally, by fully integrating the Internet personal ads service with the audiotex personal ad service, advertisers whose ad only is published on the Internet are in no way disadvantaged by fewer features or options.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2000
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2002
    Inventor: Gregory J. Speicher
  • Patent number: 6484148
    Abstract: Electronic advertising devices and methods of using the same for providing targeted advertisements to one or more individuals based on the individual(s) consumer profile(s). The devices or systems include a sensor or receiver for receiving identifying signals from individuals such as signals emitted by cellular telephones. Using information associated with or retrieved using the identifying signal, targeted advertisements are delivered to the individuals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2000
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2002
    Inventor: John E. Boyd
  • Patent number: 6470322
    Abstract: A system comprises a point-of-sale (POS) terminal, a POS controller, a retail subscription system. The POS terminal allows a cashier to enter subscription sales data into the POS controller. The POS controller maintains databases on available subscriptions and produces databases containing data relating to subscriptions sold to customers. The retail subscription system verifies the subscriptions by reference to its own databases and transmits the subscriptions to a fulfillment house for distribution.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 5, 1998
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2002
    Assignee: Walker Digital, LLC
    Inventors: Jay S. Walker, Sanjay K. Jindal
  • Patent number: 6405175
    Abstract: A web site on the world-wide-web allows users to search a product/price database. The database contains product and price information for a wide variety of products from many different suppliers such as online and offline stores. Information in the database is collected and corrected by submitting users who are rewarded for product submissions. A submitting user inputs data on new product, price, supplier, or rating information using an online form. The user highlights coordinates of the model, make, and price on the supplier's web page, so that automated software can later check the supplier's web page for price and product updates. The submitting user is rewarded for submitting product and price information. When other consumer-users search the database and find the product, the submitting user is again rewarded. When these other consumer-users follow a link to the supplier's web page for that product, the submitting user is further rewarded.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 1999
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2002
    Inventor: David Way Ng
  • Patent number: 6334112
    Abstract: A system comprises a point-of-sale (POS) terminal, a POS controller, a retail subscription system. The POS terminal allows a cashier to enter subscription sales data into the POS controller. The POS controller maintains databases on available subscriptions and produces databases containing data relating to subscriptions sold to customers. The retail subscription system verifies the subscriptions by reference to its own databases and transmits the subscriptions to a fulfillment house for distribution.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 5, 1998
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2001
    Assignee: Walker Digital, LLC
    Inventors: Jay S. Walker, Sanjay K. Jindal
  • Patent number: 6334113
    Abstract: A system comprises a point-of-sale (POS) terminal, a POS controller, a retail subscription system. The POS terminal allows a cashier to enter subscription sales data into the POS controller. The POS controller maintains databases on available subscriptions and produces databases containing data relating to subscriptions sold to customers. The retail subscription system verifies the subscriptions by reference to its own databases and transmits the subscriptions to a fulfillment house for distribution.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 5, 1998
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2001
    Assignee: Walker Digital, LLC
    Inventors: Jay S. Walker, Sanjay K. Jindal
  • Patent number: 6325689
    Abstract: The pyrotechnic entertainment product has an upright spindle that may be pushed into the ground for support until a coil in the spindle engages the top surface of the ground. The image of an upright dancing bull or other creature is secured to the spindle intermediate its opposite ends and is poised as if he were performing the steps of a Mexican hat dance. A pyrotechnic pinwheel resembling a sombrero is rotatably carried on the upper end of the spindle slightly above the head of the bull. When the pinwheel is ignited, it propels itself about the spindle like a spinning sombrero while emitting a colorful plume of sparks reminiscent of the energy, color, and excitement of the traditional Mexican hat dance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2000
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2001
    Inventors: Gregory P. Shelton, Robert J. Garringer
  • Patent number: 6321202
    Abstract: A system and method for managing real estate transactions is provided. The method includes the steps of receiving and storing data relating to a plurality of contacts including buyers and sellers of real estate, receiving and storing data relating to a plurality of vendors each associated with at least one phase of a real estate transaction, accessing vendor data based upon occurrence of a particular phase of the real estate transaction and communicating data relating to the vendors to a contact upon occurrence of the particular phase of the real estate transaction. The system includes means for conducting each of these steps.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 1999
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2001
    Assignee: Home Link Services, Inc.
    Inventor: William M. Raveis, Jr.
  • Patent number: 6317723
    Abstract: A system comprises a point-of-sale (POS) terminal, a POS controller, a retail subscription system. The POS terminal allows a cashier to enter subscription sales data into the POS controller. The POS controller maintains databases on available subscriptions and produces databases containing data relating to subscriptions sold to customers. The retail subscription system verifies the subscriptions by reference to its own databases and transmits the subscriptions to a fulfillment house for distribution.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 1999
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2001
    Assignee: Walker Digital, LLC
    Inventors: Jay S. Walker, Sanjay K. Jindal
  • Patent number: 6270391
    Abstract: This invention relates to a lighting system for a rotating object wherein the lights are made to appear stationary by being turned on and off in synchrony with the rotation of the object. This synchronization is achieved by utilizing magnetic field sensors which determine the instantaneous orientation of the object relative to the Earth's magnetic field.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 2, 1999
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2001
    Inventor: Tryggvi Emilsson
  • Patent number: 6244922
    Abstract: An ornamental motion toy includes a book-shaped housing having a front design and a plurality of windows in the front design, a plurality of ornaments suspended in the windows, a driving unit, a transmission unit driven by the driving unit to move the ornaments in the windows along different paths, light and sound producing means installed in the housing and controlled to produce light and sound effects.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 2000
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2001
    Assignee: Chain Fong Toys Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Chao-Feng Kang
  • Patent number: 6241573
    Abstract: A toy vehicle trackset includes a base supporting a vertically extending tower. A toy vehicle trackway includes a vertically rising portion supported by the tower which transitions to a vertical loop and a plurality of helically arranged downwardly spiraling track loop portions. The track loop portion form intersections with the vertically rising portion of the track. Each intersection is covered by a shroud to prevent injury to a child user in the event of collisions within a given intersection. The trackway includes a return which is coupled to a toy vehicle accelerator whereby toy vehicles repeatedly cycle through the trackway set.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 2000
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2001
    Assignee: Mattel, Inc.
    Inventors: Eric C. Ostendorff, Helena Bartok, James Rhoden
  • Patent number: 6238260
    Abstract: An egg holder toy for containing and supporting an egg and depicting with the egg a character of interest includes a support base or a pedestal that includes the lower body and feet of said character of interest and having an open hollow upper recess for receiving a first end of an egg nested therein and a pair of forelimbs of the character attached to the support base and an upper member that includes features of the top of the character of interest selected from the group including hats and upper head features, the upper member having an open hollow lower recess for receiving a second end of said egg.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 1999
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2001
    Inventor: Adam K. Spindell
  • Patent number: 6238262
    Abstract: An electronic interactive puppet 10 has a body 12 with a head 14 that is capable of moving from left to right. The puppet's head 14 also has a moveable mouth 16, moveable eyes 18 and moveable eyebrows 20 to give added expression to the puppet's facial features. An actuating means 22 is provided for moving the puppet's head 14, mouth 16, eyes 18 and eyebrows 20 responsive to an actuating signal. The puppet 10 also includes a sound reproducing means 24 housed within the body 12 for reproducing pre-recorded sounds such as dialogue for the puppet. An electronic control means 26 is operatively connected to the actuating means 22 and sound reproducing means 24 of the puppet. The sound reproducing means 24 and actuating means 22 can be activated in synchronism with a sound track of a video program so that the puppet 10 appears to interact audibly and animatedly with the video program. The puppet 10 can be used with any conventional video program, and does not require a special video recording.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 1999
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2001
    Assignee: Technovation Australia Pty LTD
    Inventor: Victor Manuel Pracas
  • Patent number: 6234864
    Abstract: An improved sound producing device, to be attached to the frame of a bicycle adjacent the wheels, the device including a clamp member having a pair of clamp arms, each clamp arm including a head portion and a handle portion at opposite ends thereof. The sound producing device includes an attachment assembly to movably attach the clamp arms to one another at respective mid-sections thereof and to exert a biasing force on the clamp arms causing the clamp heads thereof to be drawn towards one another, requiring that a compressing force be exerted on the handle portions in order to pull the clamp heads apart when engaging or disengaging the device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 29, 2000
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2001
    Inventor: James J. Onori