Patents Examined by Justin M Pats
  • Patent number: 8249903
    Abstract: A collective knowledge set of business relationship information from a plurality of sources is generated. The collective knowledge set is mapped as a plurality of navigable paths forming a business relationship network between a source and a target. One or more of the paths are identified as candidate paths most likely to lead to a business relationship between the source and the target based on evaluation criteria.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2012
    Assignee: Accenture Global Services Limited
    Inventors: David R. Pendergraft, Michael P. Miller
  • Patent number: 8249907
    Abstract: An intelligent solution for monitoring, assigning, and accounting fueling operations. An automated dispatch fueling system comprises a fuel management server populated with airport profile and dispatcher configurations. Utilizing information stored in the database and received from external systems, the automated dispatch fueling system can automatically assign and monitor fueling operations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2012
    Assignee: Varec, Inc.
    Inventors: Derek Blagg, Timothy Lee Archer, Warren Sutcliffe, John Eric Simmons
  • Patent number: 8244573
    Abstract: Provided herein are systems and methods for providing access to marketing data via a reduced-complexity marketer GUI for dynamically defining market segments for use in marketing campaigns. The systems and methods provide a searchable list of person-related and entity-related pluralities of market segmentation criteria, obtain a market segmentation definition comprising a search key corresponding to selected market segmentation criteria, and perform a series of steps to obtain a first market-segment snapshot.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2012
    Assignee: Appature Inc.
    Inventors: Christopher Hahn, Kabir Shahani, Derek Slager
  • Patent number: 8239235
    Abstract: Schedules which include reciprocal events, such as schedules for youth hockey leagues, can be created using a system in which users can invite one another to schedule games based on information selected through an interface and reciprocal dates which are automatically identified by a suitably programmed computer. Information related to games and schedules can be stored in a database which can be accessed and modified by different users depending on their roles and the permissions associated with those roles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2012
    Assignee: 3C Capital, LLC
    Inventors: Marc Friedfertig, Alex Kane
  • Patent number: 8239236
    Abstract: A method for scheduling a meeting for a set of recipients is provided. The set of recipients includes a special attendee and at least one additional attendee including a meeting organizer. The method includes obtaining an initial meeting request from the meeting organizer. The meeting request does not specify meeting commencement information corresponding to at least one of a start time and a date. The method also includes generating a user interface for displaying the initial meeting request to the special attendee. The method also includes collecting input designated by the special attendee from the user interface. The input specifies the meeting commencement information. The method further includes transmitting the collected input. The collected input is used to generate an updated meeting request designating the set of recipients and specifying the meeting commencement information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2012
    Assignee: AOL Inc.
    Inventor: Steve Mansour
  • Patent number: 8234152
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for spawning and management of online surveys is provided. An administration and redirector subsystem (ARS) is used manage ongoing surveys for a plurality of sites. Surveys can be added to or removed from individual sites using the ARS. The ARS also tracks statistics for individual surveys. Redirector tags invite users to participate in surveys and track user survey participation through cookies. The system can be used to conduct advertisement effectiveness studies. Tracker tags and corresponding cookies are used to track users who have viewed content containing the tag. Each study is issued a unique content tag, but uses the same redirector tag.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 31, 2012
    Assignee: InsightExpress, LLC
    Inventors: Stephen Jepson, Jody Francis Powlette, Michael Queenan
  • Patent number: 8234137
    Abstract: Projects of any type require sophisticated management software programs. In reality, these management software programs are provided by various vendors and for different professional fields. For example, scheduling programs for construction professionals, blue print programs for drafting professionals, accounting programs for cost-control professionals. In addition, there are numerous other unofficial and official documents generated by managers of different levels for reporting or track-record-keeping purposes using popular word processing programs and spread-sheet programs. Documents generated by different software programs can only be viewed under the programs they are generated under or compatible programs. This poses a problem in that there is a lack of organized control resulting in difficulty in locating and viewing documents in a timely manner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 3, 2005
    Date of Patent: July 31, 2012
    Assignee: Stellar Services
    Inventor: Liang J. Chen
  • Patent number: 8229781
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus to determine shopper traffic in retail environments are disclosed herein. In a disclosed example method of generating shopper traffic data, in-person-based count data and sensor-based count data are obtained. The in-person-based count data is indicative of a first quantity of shoppers within a first zone of a monitored establishment is obtained. The sensor-based count data is indicative of a second quantity of shoppers within the first zone of the monitored establishment. The example method also involves determining a relationship value indicative of a relationship between the in-person-based count data, the sensor-based count data, and first sales data associated with the first zone of the monitored establishment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2012
    Assignee: The Nielson Company (US), LLC
    Inventors: Michael John Zenor, William J. Dupre, Frank W. Piotrowski
  • Patent number: 8219437
    Abstract: Systems and methods are presented for constructing production plans to achieve one or more production goals, in which a diagnosis engine determines the production plant condition based on a previously executed plan, observations from the plant, and a plant model, and formulates a heuristic based on a diagnostic objective, and with a planner to performing a partial-plan search using the heuristic to construct the plans that will concurrently achieve at least one production goal and facilitate the diagnostic objective.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 10, 2012
    Assignee: Palo Alto Research Center Incorporated
    Inventors: Lukas Daniel Kuhn, Robert Price, Johan de Kleer, Minh Binh Do, Rong Zhou
  • Patent number: 8219433
    Abstract: A method and system for conducting an elemental analysis of a job's functions and requirements, conducting a medical diagnosis of a worker to determine the physical capabilities and limitations of the worker, and comparing the elemental analysis and the medical diagnosis to determine whether the worker can function in a particular job be it the current job, another existing job or a modification of either.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 10, 2012
    Inventor: Rajiv D. Pandya
  • Patent number: 8214249
    Abstract: Embodiments of systems, methods, and software associated with the development of a resource or production plan within an enterprise's integration system are described in the present disclosure. In one of many embodiments, a method is described. Upon obtaining a master planning schedule, the method includes evaluating an inventory of resource associated with the master planning schedule. A production schedule associated with the master planning schedule is evaluated. Also, the method includes estimating carbon emission information associated with the master planning schedule.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2012
    Assignee: Oracle International Corporation
    Inventor: Nigel King
  • Patent number: 8209214
    Abstract: An arrangement for providing targeted content includes data repositories storing information from which targeted content may be selected. The data repositories store at least one contextual relationship graph. The arrangement also includes an input/output interface through which a request for targeted content is made. The arrangement further includes a controller that receives the request for targeted content and selects targeted content using the contextual relationship graph. The controller further provides the selected targeted content through the input/output interface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2012
    Assignee: RichRelevance, Inc.
    Inventors: Tyler Kohn, David Selinger, Michael DeCourcey
  • Patent number: 8140378
    Abstract: A system and method are provided for modeling shopper behavior in a store. The system may include an analysis program executable on a computing device, configured to receive product position data and shopper path data gathered from a plurality of stores, each having a different shape represented in a corresponding store map. The analysis program is typically configured to spatially define behavioral domains, product categories, and geographic locations that are common to each of the store maps, and compute statistics based on the product position data and the shopper path data, which statistics are normalized by behavioral domain, product category, and geographic location, across the plurality of stores.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2005
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2012
    Assignee: Shopper Scientist, LLC
    Inventor: Herb Sorensen
  • Patent number: 8135607
    Abstract: A client transmits one or more lead records to a lead enhancement module that is configured to enhance the received lead records and return enhanced lead records to the client. In one embodiment, the client specifies which of a plurality of enhancements should be applied to lead records received from the particular client. In one embodiment, the lead enhancement module returns a contactability score for each lead record, indicated a likelihood that the individual identified in the lead may be contacted using the contact information provided in the lead record and/or additional contract information located by the lead enhancement module. In one embodiment, data items associated with the individual that are returned to the client are selected based on a vertical market of the client. In one embodiment, custom models that are defined on a per client basis are applied to lead records that are received from the particular client.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 13, 2012
    Assignee: Experian Marketing Solutions, Inc.
    Inventors: Richard Williams, Jacob Kong, Lawrence J. Hughes, Rasoul Hajikhani
  • Patent number: 8135611
    Abstract: Efficient and effective centralized management of automated field force installation and evaluation of assets. Service representatives can each perform an asset installation and/or an asset evaluation with the aid of a handheld device. The handheld device can display worksheets comprising a sequence of instructions and prompts related to the installation/evaluation. In performing the asset installation/evaluation, the service representative can follow the instructions and enter responses to the prompts into the handheld device. The handheld device can communicate with a server to download the worksheets onto the handheld device and to upload from the handheld device data related to the installation/evaluation. Authorized users' network devices can interact with a reporting module of the server to generate reports based on the uploaded data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 13, 2012
    Assignee: Reflexis Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Stan Hawkins, Thomas Swiedler, Charles Turner
  • Patent number: 8131583
    Abstract: A method and tools are disclosed for systematically capturing the key elements of a business process in conjunction with the definition/development of focused key process indicators and threshold values that provide useful and manageable information about the health of the business process from both the managerial and operational perspective. A service blueprint is used to capture business processes in a novel and specialized manner. The service blueprint and associated Key Process Indicators (KPIs) are dynamic updated and linked within a business monitoring & control platform. The method of the present invention is flexible, dynamic, and allows for real-time measures that yield a picture of the present health of the process in addition to the capability of generating predictive vital signs as strong indicators of the future health of the business.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2005
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2012
    Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property II, L.P.
    Inventor: Chris Rapposelli-Manzo
  • Patent number: 8108241
    Abstract: An improved method is provided herein of managing information that typically relates to a project, process, or workflow. The information is classified within various hierarchical levels of categories, subcategories and their lowest level data elements and is organized within an electronic graph in a corresponding hierarchical sequence. The graph comprises what is termed as “cell bodies” in the form of graphical objects. These graphical objects represent each of the categories, subcategories and data elements and are aligned against each other in various orthogonally stacked configurations where the cell bodies consist of one or more geometric shapes, symbols, characters and their respective features such as color, in a tight grouping, which together, represent several variables of a single data set record. Each cell body may be a cluster of one or more such graphical components.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2012
    Inventor: Shabina Shukoor
  • Patent number: 8090611
    Abstract: A facility is described for enabling workflow applications. The facility receives a request to identify an optimized resource list that identifies resources capable of performing a workflow process task. The workflow process task can be associated with a document type relating to a document associated with a workflow envelope. The workflow envelope can store multiple documents of at different document types. The facility includes a workflow engine and a simulation engine. The workflow engine performs workflow process tasks based on the tasks identified in the workflow envelope. The simulation engine can employ modeling and historical data from a workflow metrics data source to generate the optimized resource list and identify identifying resources matching the workflow process tasks identified in the workflow envelope.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2012
    Assignee: Open Text S.A.
    Inventors: Brian Hodges, Colin Kinahan, Simon Orrell, Thomas W. Denny, Rick R. Roth, Christian Stephens, Thomas Brooks, Scott Ian Tattrie, Marvin Keith Lum, Kirk Slone, Eric Jobin, Daren Yong
  • Patent number: 8073731
    Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for improving processes in a healthcare organization by mining historical data for information that can be used to more effectively allocate resources and process components. Factors used for the analysis include time, information, motivation, skills, and authority for particular resources. Arbitrage processing is used to minimize opportunity costs and increase efficiency.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2011
    Assignee: ProcessProxy Corporation
    Inventor: Terry Rajasenan
  • Patent number: 8055526
    Abstract: An intelligent solution for monitoring, assigning, and accounting fueling operations. An automated dispatch fueling system comprises a fuel management server populated with airport profile and dispatcher configurations. Utilizing information stored in the database and received from external systems, the automated dispatch fueling system can automatically assign and monitor fueling operations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2011
    Assignee: Varec, Inc.
    Inventors: Derek Blagg, Timothy Lee Archer, Warren Sutcliffe, John Eric Simmons