Patents Examined by Kathleen Davison
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Patent number: 7979317Abstract: The present invention relates to Mobile Broadcast Multicast technologies, and discloses a method for subscribing a purchase item in Mobile Broadcast Multicast Service, so that the subscription operation and update operation of the purchase item in BCAST are simplified, and the utilization of system resources is improved. In the present invention, a subscription management module generates a PurchaseItem identification, and sends this identification to a service distribution and adaptation module. Therefore, the PurchaseItem identification may be included in a PurchaseItem fragment sent to a user terminal from the service distribution and adaptation module. And, the function of identifying the purchase item is separated from the PurchaseItem fragment identification. Through sending a service request including the PurchaseItem identification to the subscription management module by the user terminal, the subscription of the purchase item is accomplished.Type: GrantFiled: November 30, 2007Date of Patent: July 12, 2011Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd.Inventors: Zhibin Li, Zhuo Sang, Qinwei Zhang
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Patent number: 7970657Abstract: A system and method is described for giving gifts via a social network and displaying icons representing assets that have been acquired via the social network. In various embodiments, the assets include real assets, digital assets, and virtual assets. Digital assets that have been acquired via the social network environment may also be displayed. In some embodiments, the assets are received as gifts or in trade from another user of the social network environment.Type: GrantFiled: April 27, 2007Date of Patent: June 28, 2011Assignee: Facebook, Inc.Inventor: Jared Morgenstern
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Patent number: 7958017Abstract: A system and method that includes several automatic purchasing features. The method includes establishing purchasing criteria for items to be purchased, and automatically searching marketplaces for availability of the items to be purchased. The method also includes identifying available items, of the items to be purchased, that meet the established purchasing criteria.Type: GrantFiled: June 3, 2008Date of Patent: June 7, 2011Assignee: Nebraska Book CompanyInventors: Nathan D. Rempe, Barry S. Major
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Patent number: 7945483Abstract: Embodiments of sales generation, including sales generation employing reverse lead generation using vehicle data systems and methods, are presented herein. In particular, in certain embodiments a user may utilize the vehicle data system to obtain pricing data corresponding to a desired vehicle configuration. When the user is presented with the pricing data associated with the specified vehicle configuration the user may additionally be presented with an upfront price offered by a dealer, where by providing their personal information the user may obtain the name of the dealer offering the upfront price and may additionally be offered the opportunity to purchase the desired, or similar, vehicle at the upfront price.Type: GrantFiled: September 9, 2009Date of Patent: May 17, 2011Assignee: Truecar.comInventors: Philip Inghelbrecht, Scott Painter
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Patent number: 7933810Abstract: A method for collectively purchasing a gift in a social network environment is described. A request is received to establish a gift account, a recipient user of the social network environment is designated to receive the gift, and the gift is selected. Money is received from a plurality of contributing users for deposit into the gift account, and the selected gift is purchased using the money deposited in the gift account. The purchased gift is then provided to the recipient user.Type: GrantFiled: September 5, 2007Date of Patent: April 26, 2011Assignee: Facebook, Inc.Inventor: Jared Morgenstern
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Patent number: 7813965Abstract: Techniques described enable an entity, such as a company employing an e-commerce website, to leverage user-provided content, such as customer reviews of an item, to better customers' shopping experiences. To do so, customer reviews pertaining to an item may be examined to determine if the reviews contain links to other items. These links within the customer reviews may then be aggregated and sorted (e.g., ranked) according to certain criteria. The links may be sorted based on a number of times that the links are used in the reviews and/or on ratings of the items associated with the links. One or more of the links may then be displayed on the website. For instance, these links may appear on an item review page adjacent the customer reviews. Customers navigating to the item review page may then peruse the customer reviews as well as the displayed links that customers have used within the reviews.Type: GrantFiled: December 17, 2007Date of Patent: October 12, 2010Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.Inventors: Jim Robinson, Terry Nightingale, Scott Mongrain, Thomas Keller
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Patent number: 7801774Abstract: A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a system having a controller to receive a grocery list from a communication device of a user, identify a location in a store for each item in the grocery list, determine a selection order for the items in the grocery list based on the identified location of each item, adjust the grocery list according to the selection order and the location of each item, and transmit the adjusted grocery list to a device in the store for conducting grocery shopping according to the adjusted grocery list. Other embodiments are disclosed.Type: GrantFiled: November 21, 2008Date of Patent: September 21, 2010Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P.Inventors: Anup D. Karnalkar, R. Tyler Wallis, William S. Robbins, Susan S. Steele
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Patent number: 7729951Abstract: The present invention is directed to a dynamic virtual shopping area based on user preferences and history. A method for providing a dynamic virtual shopping area in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention includes: capturing user preferences; and dynamically customizing a virtual shopping area for an avatar based on the user preferences, such that the avatar is presented with items the avatar is more likely to purchase upon entering the virtual shopping area.Type: GrantFiled: August 1, 2007Date of Patent: June 1, 2010Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Christopher J. Dawson, Peter G. Finn, Rick A. Hamilton, II, James W. Seaman
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Patent number: 7685023Abstract: An interactive virtual model of a physical storefront can be presented to a shopper within a user interactive interface of a computing device remotely located from the physical storefront. At least a portion of the organizational structure of the interactive virtual model can be identical a portion of the organizational structure of the physical storefront. The organization structure can varies from storefront-to-storefront of different physical storefronts, each being related to a different interactive virtual model. A change involving at least one physical object within the physical storefront can be sensed. Responsive to sensing the change, a virtual object presented in the interactive virtual model can be changed so that the change to the physical object occurring in the physical storefront is reflected in the interactive virtual model and is shown in the user interactive interface.Type: GrantFiled: December 24, 2008Date of Patent: March 23, 2010Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Subil M. Abraham, Vinod A. Bijlani, Mathews Thomas