Patents Examined by Luis Brown
  • Patent number: 10699494
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides a method and device for in-vehicle payment. A face image of an in-vehicle user and a geographic location of the in-vehicle user are received at a point of a ride route traveled by a vehicle occupied by the in-vehicle user. An image set associated with the geographic location is received from an image database using the geographic location of the in-vehicle user. The image set includes face images of a plurality of users. The face image of the in-vehicle user is compared with face images in the image set to determine an identity of the in-vehicle user. A fare deduction account corresponding to the in-vehicle user is identified using the identity of the in-vehicle user. A fare corresponding to the ride route is deducted from the fare deduction account.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 30, 2020
    Assignee: Alibaba Group Holding Limited
    Inventors: Hong Zhang, Zhongzheng Ye, Li Chen, Le Zhou
  • Patent number: 10699291
    Abstract: The present disclosure is directed toward systems and methods for providing third-party content to users of a social networking system. For example, the disclosed systems and methods receive content associated with an offer from a third party for presentation to a user, display the content associated with the offer in a graphical user interface including a feed of social networking content associated with the user, and detecting an interaction of the user with the displayed content associated with the offer. In response to the interaction of the user, the systems and methods navigate to a website associated with the third party and display a graphical element associated with the offer overlaying a portion of the website.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 23, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 30, 2020
    Assignee: FACEBOOK, INC.
    Inventors: John Stephen Ketchpaw, Dan Barak, Kenji Droullard, James F. Geist, Jr., Hiral Mehta, Florian Raphael David Laplantif, Dean Jackson
  • Patent number: 10692110
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are a terminal and an operation method for the same which allow an advertisement platform apparatus to share the advertisement selection information independently collected and managed for each advertisement medium in relation to the terminal by matching terminal identification information that is issued differently for each advertisement medium in providing an advertisement selected based on the terminal identification information issued to the terminal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 23, 2020
    Assignees: Eleven Street Co., Ltd., SK Planet Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Min Ho Han
  • Patent number: 10685369
    Abstract: A system and method is presented for product substantiation and promotion redemption. A purchased product list is transmitted from a retail store system to a promotion analysis server along with a user identifier. The promotion analysis server identifies promotions available to the user, and then considers whether the benefits under the promotions are still available to the user. Discounts for available promotions related to the purchased product list are calculated and transmitted to the retail store system for deduction from the transactions. An approved product list can be provided that filters the purchased product list before transmittal. The approved product list can include promotions from a plurality of programs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 16, 2020
    Assignee: Solutran, Inc.
    Inventors: Barry J. Nordstrand, Jason Lynn Prigge, James Joseph Smola
  • Patent number: 10686870
    Abstract: The present invention comprises an application distribution and metrics system as well as an application monetizing system (ADMS). The ADMS incorporates a cross-platform application distribution system and a usage-based and ad-based monetizing system which allows for fine-tuned usage-based pricing schemes to be created based on system-defined metrics and developer-defined metrics, seamless integration of ad-based monetizing, third party participation in monetizing efforts, and a flexible revenue allocation process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 16, 2020
    Inventors: Eric E. Tirk, Dean P. Fragnito
  • Patent number: 10679256
    Abstract: A content server uses a form of artificial intelligence such as machine learning to identify audio content with musicological characteristics. The content server obtains an indication of a music item presented by a client device and obtains reference music features describing musicological characteristics of the music item. The content server identifies candidate audio content associated with candidate music features. The candidate music features are determined by analyzing acoustic features of the candidate audio content and mapping the acoustic features to music features according to a music feature model. Acoustic features quantify low-level properties of the candidate audio content. One of the candidate audio content items is selected according to comparisons between the candidate music features of the candidate audio advertisements and the reference music features of the music item. The selected audio content is provided the client device for presentation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 9, 2020
    Assignee: Pandora Media, LLC
    Inventors: Christopher Irwin, Shriram Bharath, Andrew J. Asman
  • Patent number: 10664857
    Abstract: Provided is a computer-implemented process for determining offers for a geofenced geographic area. After a mobile user device traverses a geofence, merchants associated with a geofence having a geofence identifier are identified. Candidate offers associated with the merchants are identified and ranked according to ranking criteria. The ranked candidate offers are transmitted to a mobile user device. The ranked candidate offers are cached on the mobile user device and presented to the user via an offers notification. The user may view and redeem an offer by selecting the offers notification.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2020
    Assignee: RetailMeNot, Inc.
    Inventors: John Newman Faith, Eithan Zilkha, Christopher Matthew Duty
  • Patent number: 10664878
    Abstract: A server computer receives a request for promotional material from a management client running on a user device while a non-web-browser application is active on the user device, identifies the promotional material to send to the user device in response to the request, and sends the promotional material to the user device at a first time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2020
    Assignee: AD Persistence LLC
    Inventors: George M. Nemitz, Vincent James Spinella, Rajiv Konkimalla, Dillip Kumar Kara, James Francis Spinella
  • Patent number: 10657538
    Abstract: A podcast system and method are provided to select and deliver media ads over a network to a user device and to insert the media ads in media content subscribed to and delivered over the network to the user device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 19, 2020
    Assignee: SONY INTERACTIVE ENTERTAINMENT LLC
    Inventors: Andrey Yruski, Murgesh Navar
  • Patent number: 10657557
    Abstract: A system and/or method may be provided to notify a user of incentives offered by various funding sources based on the user's location. In particular, incentives offered by various funding sources at various merchant locations are determined. The user's location and movements are monitored. When the user approaches or is near a merchant location where a funding source offers incentives, a notification maybe generated and presented to the user to notify or remind the user of the incentives offered at the merchant location. The notification may include description of the incentives and directions on how to obtain the incentives.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 19, 2020
    Assignee: PAYPAL, INC.
    Inventor: Frederic Billou
  • Patent number: 10643248
    Abstract: A content server provides a client device with audio content including an audio advertisement, which is provided in response to receiving a request for digital audio content from a client device associated with a user. The content server obtains user information about the user and retrieves advertisement text received from an advertiser, which are used to generate a personalized text advertisement. The personalized text advertisement is generated according to an advertisement template specifying an ordered combination of text components. The personalized text advertisement includes the received advertisement text, user information text selected from the obtained user information, and template text. The client device is provided with an advertisement based on the personalized text advertisement and is configured to play an audio version of the personalized text advertisement. The audio advertisement is generated using a text-to-speech algorithm at the client device or at the content server.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2020
    Assignee: Pandora Media, LLC
    Inventors: Shriram Bharath, Jacek Adam Krawczyk, Christopher Irwin
  • Patent number: 10628841
    Abstract: Embodiments of vehicle data systems for use in distributed computer network are disclosed. Particular embodiments may determine and enhance vehicle data from various data sources distributed across the computer network, and utilize the enhanced vehicle data in the determination of normalization metrics that account for geography and population density or spatial behavioral patterns. Embodiments may utilize these normalization metrics to assign zone labels to geographic areas and present representations of the geographic areas based on the normalization metrics across the distributed computer network.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2020
    Assignee: TrueCar, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael D. Swinson, Lin O'Driscoll, Daniel Salazar, Ludovica Rizzo, Jacob LaCivita
  • Patent number: 10628851
    Abstract: The present disclosure is directed toward systems and methods for identifying offers in networking system post. For example, systems and methods described herein identify one or more offer indicators in a networking system post and calculate a confidence score representing a level of confidence that the unstructured networking system post includes a merchant offer. In response to calculating a confidence score above a threshold value, systems and methods described herein prompt the composer of the unstructured post to convert the post into a structured offer. Upon converting the unstructured post into a structured offer, systems and methods described herein intelligently distribute the structured offer for use by networking system users.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2020
    Assignee: FACEBOOK, INC.
    Inventors: John Stephen Ketchpaw, Dan Barak, Dean Jackson, James F. Geist, Jr.
  • Patent number: 10628843
    Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for offering loyalty rewards for transactions. One exemplary method includes associating, by a computing device, a merchant with a group of reward offerors, and associating, by the computing device, a consumer payment account with a group of reward offerees. The method also includes receiving, by the computing device, and advertising to the reward offerees, a reward offer from the merchant; receiving a transaction associated with the merchant and with the consumer payment account, and identifying, in a data structure, the merchant as a member of the group of reward offerors and the consumer payment account as associated with the group of reward offerees. The method then further includes, based on the advertised reward offer and on the identified merchant, updating, by the computing device, a loyalty reward account associated with the consumer payment account.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2020
    Assignee: MASTERCARD INTERNATIONAL INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Adam Robert Bell, Benjamin M. Berger, Edward R. Tempesta, Nikhil Anand Malgatti, Pavel Umanski, Pranit Flora
  • Patent number: 10621626
    Abstract: A system of generating advertising inventory by marketers sharing content with others via a social network or other electronic communication across a network. This embodiment may include allowing one or more content providers to provide links to content items. The content items may be provided directly by the content provider or by a clearinghouse entity or other intermediary. A subscriber may then search for relevant content items from one or more content providers. The subscriber may provide ancillary content for association with the selected content item. Thus, when the subscriber shares a URL identifying the selected content item via a social network, the URL may be encoded with a unique identifier identifying the subscriber. When the URL is clicked by a user, an ad server on the publisher's side may recognize the unique identifier and display the content item with the ancillary content provided by the subscriber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2020
    Assignee: The New York Times Company
    Inventors: Matthew T. Boggie, Amy E. Hyde, Guy Dassa, Bobby Roe
  • Patent number: 10621609
    Abstract: Approaches presented herein enable providing a group-based purchasing incentive related to a product or service at a retail store to a customer among a group of customers contingent on an action being performed by a predefined number of members from the group. Specifically, a customer in a retail store is identified as part of a group of customers. A notification of a group-based purchasing incentive offer is transmitted to a mobile device of the identified customer. The offer is contingent on a specified number of other customers in the group performing an action. When the specified number of other customers in the group have performed the action, the group-based purchasing incentive is provided to the identified customer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 3, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2020
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Ryan M. Graham, Jeremy A. Greenberger, Ciaran E. Hannigan, Matthew J. Margolis, Kevin M. J. Roisin
  • Patent number: 10621608
    Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for tracking referrals among a plurality of members of a social network. A data storage is created to store member information for the plurality of members. Relationships between the plurality of members are determined using the member information in the data storage. A data structure is created to show relationships between the plurality of members. Member events are received for the plurality of members. In response to a purchasing member of the plurality of members making a purchase, determining one or more members contributing to the purchase based on the member events and the data structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2020
    Inventors: Ethan Henry Fieldman, Ritesh Chaube
  • Patent number: 10607257
    Abstract: Systems and methods for pre-loading and displaying intervening content, such as advertisements, on a mobile device during latency periods, such as when an advertiser landing page is requested by that device, are provided herein. Intervening content may be pre-loaded on to the device and associated with one or more particular advertisements such that selecting/interacting with the associated advertisement triggers intervening content display during known or detected periods of latency. In some cases, a latency threshold or thresholds may determine one or more types of content to present, and/or a content presentation sequence.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2020
    Assignee: Google LLC
    Inventors: Satyam Shaw, Ravi Jain, Surojit Chatterjee
  • Patent number: 10600076
    Abstract: A panel provider may transmit queries to an audience measurement server to retrieve measurement data for subsets of clients selected via one or more characteristics, such as characteristics of the client, characteristics of the client's device, characteristics of the received content, etc. To protect panel data, the panel provider need not identify these characteristics to the audience measurement server; rather, queries may be made via a plurality of filters that may be applied to client and/or content identifiers. Because the audience measurement server may apply the filters or data structures to select client data for retrieval without knowing what the filter represents, the panel provider's reason for any particular query may be hidden. For further obfuscation, the panel provider may provide a plurality of filters that individually may identify large numbers of clients, but when intersected or applied together, identify only the clients for whom measurement data is required.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2020
    Assignee: Google LLC
    Inventors: Raimundo Mirisola, Oliver Thomas Gaymond
  • Patent number: 10586243
    Abstract: Devices, computer-implemented methods, and computer-readable media for a redemption header for merchant offers, such as online coupons, are provided. In some embodiments, an offers website may provide offers, such as online coupons, in a browser executing on a user device. When a user selects an online coupon, the browser is redirected to a merchant website associated with the online coupon and a coupon code value is copied to a clipboard. Additionally, a redemption header having the coupon code and instructions is added in the merchant webpage. A webpage element for the redemption header, such as an inline frame, is created in the merchant webpage and the redemption header is provided based on an offer identifier stored in a browser-accessible storage item such as a cookie.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 3, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 10, 2020
    Assignee: RetailMeNot, Inc.
    Inventors: Nicholas James Shiffert, Michael Paul Cravey, Jagjit Singh Bath