Patents Examined by Lynda Jasmin
  • Patent number: 8239230
    Abstract: Personnel and resources are managed in a gaming establishment. A user interface is provided that includes an employee module, a shift-scheduling module, a pit defining module, a table defining module, and a game defining module. A scheduling module is provided that a scheduling module programmed and configured to assign a shift that represents a period of time when a plurality of employees are at work, is further programmed and configured to define whether a table is open or closed in a respective area, and is still further operable to automatically assign an employee to the table based at least on the employee's proficiency with regard to a respective game played at the table and the employee's availability during the shift, wherein the assigning occurs as a function of the electronic game information, the electronic pit information, the electronic shift information and the electronic employee information, respectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2012
    Assignee: Casta International, LLC
    Inventor: Pranav S. Kothari
  • Patent number: 8239232
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and computer-readable media provide for providing commitments information relative to a turf. According to embodiments, a method for providing commitments information relative to a turf is provided. According to the method, a time frame for each of a plurality of turfs is determined. The time frame indicates when a work order of a given category is to be completed. A numeric indicator indicating the time frame in which the work order of the given category is to be completed is displayed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2012
    Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P.
    Inventors: Robert Ingman, Robert Cole, Richard Miller
  • Patent number: 8239238
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus are provided for encoding a work item type definition. In one embodiment, a method is provided for encoding the work item type definition as a data object, such as an XML document. The work item type definition may include a specification of workflow associated with the work item type, and//or a specification of the display of the work item type by a graphical user interface, such as that which may be provided by a workflow management application.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2012
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Aliaksei Baturytski, Brian A. White, Jason L. Prickett
  • Patent number: 8239237
    Abstract: The adaptive product conditioning is a computer-implemented method for identifying product configurations that can be provided to customers in reaction to supply imbalances. The methodology uses data mining techniques to collect and analyze business level meta data to coordinate supply and sales goals in terms of optimizing profits or managing product and technology transitions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Lianjun An, Feng Cheng, Thomas Robert Ervolina, Markus Ettl, Pu Huang, Laurence Allan Phillips, Karthik Sourirajan
  • Patent number: 8234138
    Abstract: Methods and systems for identifying devices having a specified utilization are disclosed. A selected minimum utilization and maximum utilization defining a utilization band may be received. Device information for each of a plurality of accounts, including a device model and utilization information for each device associated with an account, may also be received. A utilization may be determined for each device based on the utilization information. For each device model in an account, a number of devices in an account having the device model and a utilization in the utilization band may be determined. A plurality of clusters may be identified for device model-account pairs, and at least one device model-account pair may be assigned to a cluster.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 31, 2012
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: John C. Handley, Jeffrey R. Earl
  • Patent number: 8234147
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and computer-readable media for ranking products using multiple data sources are provided. A computerized ranking system includes a ranking engine, loaders, and a presentation component. The ranking engine calculates a score for each product based on multiple counts logged by data sources. Loaders communicatively connected to the ranking engine provide the counts to the data sources. The presentation component generates a ranked product list for display on client devices in response to requests for a list of popular products.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 31, 2012
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Nicholas Jon Olejniczak, Mohammed Moinuddin, Joshua John Puetz, Keith McClelland Burke
  • Patent number: 8234150
    Abstract: Certain embodiments disclosed herein provide devices, systems, and methods of using location-based virtual audience feedback to estimate interest in an attraction at one or more venues. Certain embodiments provide devices, systems, and methods of using location-based virtual audience feedback and/or other audience data to estimate interest in a plurality of attractions or other items of interest at a particular venue.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 31, 2012
    Assignee: Kick Drum, LLC
    Inventors: Kacie Maiken Pickton, David Barel
  • Patent number: 8234153
    Abstract: A performance appraisal system is provided for reviewing employees' performance of a company. The performance appraisal system may be integrated with a compensation simulator such that compensation for each employee may be associated with his/her respective performance. On a computer graphical user interface, employees in an organizational unit of the company may be shown in a grid pane displaying a variety of performance tiers. The employees may be distributed among the performance tiers based on performance appraisals. In response to an employee change performance tier, for example, an employee may be dragged from one performance tier and dropped in a different performance tier, the system automatically makes corresponding changes to respective performance appraisals. The integrated compensation simulator simulates adjustments to compensations for affected employees based on changes to performance appraisals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 31, 2012
    Assignee: SAP AG
    Inventors: Diana Luise Hecker, Caroline Goll, Maurice Hendrik Hagen
  • Patent number: 8234143
    Abstract: A method for staffing a project, involving receiving a staffing request for the project, wherein the staffing request includes at least one attribute of the project, and wherein the project is a task to be completed internally by an organization, automatically searching a plurality of user profiles to identify a subset of user profiles from the plurality of user profiles, wherein user data stored in each of the subset of user profiles matches the at least one attribute of the project, displaying the subset of user profiles, and receiving a selection of at least one user profile from the subset of user profiles for staffing the project.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 31, 2012
    Assignee: Intuit Inc.
    Inventors: Jordan Brewer, James Shaw, Steven A. Sholtis, James R. Nelson
  • Patent number: 8234151
    Abstract: Certain embodiments disclosed herein provide devices, systems, and methods of using location-based virtual audience feedback to estimate interest in an attraction at one or more venues. Certain embodiments provide devices, systems, and methods of using location-based virtual audience feedback and/or other audience data to estimate interest in a plurality of attractions or other items of interest at a particular venue.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 31, 2012
    Assignee: Kick Drum, LLC
    Inventors: Kacie Maiken Pickton, David Barel
  • Patent number: 8214243
    Abstract: Systems and methods for managing large oil field operations are provided. A oil field map is displayed on a monitor. The oil field map includes oil well objects, oil field facility objects, surface work crew objects, sub-surface work crew objects, safety zones objects, and work equipment rig objects associated with at least one work crew object and having a geographic locater device for tracking its location, each of the objects include a date attribute and a location attribute. The oil field map is customizable by date and has a date selector tool. At least two surface or sub-surface work crew objects are scheduled via a domain-specific software application from which the surface or sub-surface work crew object was extracted. The scheduling of the surface or sub-surface work crew objects is repeated until all surface and sub-surface work crews are scheduled for a date range of interest.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2012
    Assignee: Chevron U.S.A. Inc.
    Inventors: Troy Darcy Graham, Andrew Kent Olson, Justin Lewis Walker, Kenan Oran
  • Patent number: 8214441
    Abstract: A system and method disclosed for using and updating a database of template responses for a live agent in response to user communications. The method includes computing an average string distance between each response from a live agent and a template, use to generate the response, modifying the computed average string distance based on a customer satisfaction score associated with each response and selecting a response that minimizes the computed average string distance and maximizes customer satisfaction. Upon receiving a further communication on a certain issue, the system presents a prototype response that has been added to the template database to the live agent for use in generating a response to the further communication that reduces handling time and increases customer satisfaction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2012
    Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P.
    Inventors: Srinivas Bangalore, Mazin Gilbert
  • Patent number: 8209217
    Abstract: This disclosure describes a platform for better connecting authors and retailers that offer works of the authors for acquisition by a community of users. This platform includes multiple tools that allow the authors to provide content to the community of users through the retailer or through another entity. In addition, this platform provides tools that authors may utilize for marketing their works, for tracking acquisition (e.g., sales) of their works, for connecting with other authors, or for a multitude of other purposes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2012
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Victoria A. Griffith, Jeff L. Belle, Daniel Leng, Mark A. Winham, Adam J. Iser, Michael Anthony Frazzini
  • Patent number: 8200528
    Abstract: A factor analysis system and method thereof is disclosed. The factor analysis system comprises a data receiving module for receiving a plurality of factors having influence on a target total value, a plurality of base values corresponding to the factors, and a target improvement percentage; a first computing unit for computing a reference target total value and a plurality of upgraded target total values; a second computing unit using the upgraded target total values and the reference target total value to compute the sensitivity of each of the factors; and a processing module for multiplying a factor improvement of each factor in percentage point by the factor sensitivity of each factor to obtain the level of contribution of each factor to the target total value. Through the factor analysis, a decision maker can decide the optimal combination of different factor improvements for achieving the planned target total value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2012
    Assignee: National Tsing Hua University
    Inventors: Chen-Fu Chien, Chih-Han Hu
  • Patent number: 8200522
    Abstract: The present invention discloses a repeatable and standardized approach for deploying a SOA infrastructure to client environments. The approach is designed to accelerate a deployment by leveraging existing integration assets and utilizing a phased approach when executing the deployment. It is preferred to perform the integration with significant client participation, which speeds the deployment process while ensuring knowledge of a resulting SOA solution is transferred to a client's IT team. Stages of the phased approach can include a transition enablement stage, an environment preparation stage, a sandbox delivery stage, and an integration and skills transfer stage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Edwin J. Bruce, Alan D. Emery, Romelia H. Flores
  • Patent number: 8190465
    Abstract: In various implementations, a sales order are received from a sales order requester for at least one good, wherein the sales order includes product options for ordered goods via a sales product requirement specification object. A sales order confirmation is generated at least partially based on the sales order and a plan for production of the ordered goods. The ordered goods to be produced based on the plan are allowed. And an outbound delivery request defined by a planning product requirement specification object is generated, wherein the ordered goods are delivered to the sales order requestor based on the delivery request.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2012
    Assignee: SAP AG
    Inventors: Bernhard Lokowandt, Achim Clemens, Reiner Bildmayer, Thomas Gross-Boelting, Klaus Reinelt
  • Patent number: 8185426
    Abstract: A system and method for providing real-time appointment rescheduling by providing access to one or more computer-based appointment scheduling systems and a virtual open appointment wait-list associated with one or more appointment slots in the scheduling systems. One or more service consumers request to be placed on the wait-list. When an appointment becomes available, wait-list data is searched to find the first consumer that is next on the wait-list and whose wait-list data is consistent with the newly available appointment. The first consumer is then contacted with a designated period of time to respond and accept the appointment. After the designated period of time has passed with no response from the first consumer, the wait-list data is searched again to find the second service consumer that is next on the wait-list. The process is repeated automatically until the newly available appointment is accepted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2012
    Assignee: Intuit Inc.
    Inventor: Siamak Khoubyari
  • Patent number: 8185423
    Abstract: Disclosed are arrangements, referred to as just-in-time workflow (JITW) arrangements, which provide a decentralised process (900) for performing a sequence of tasks, in which individual network services successively identify (961), assemble (960) and execute (962) a chain of subsequent network services on the basis of their suitability to communicate over a network and to perform their associated tasks.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2012
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: John Charles Brook, Rawinder Kaur Khera Singh
  • Patent number: 8185429
    Abstract: A database navigation system simplifies the navigation and use of sales target information in a database. The salesperson, i.e., the user, begins navigating and using the database by logging into the secured system using a computer. Once logged in, the system displays a Leads Worksheet that lists the sales targets, or “suspect”, from the database assigned to that user and the name of a prospecting process, i.e., a prospecting cycle, that the user will follow with that target. The prospecting cycle comprises of several management-defined steps. Once the user creates a To-Do list of the targets to pursue that workday, the user goes to an Action Page. Here, the user completes the actions in the step of the prospecting cycle for each selected sales target using the tools provided. The system creates a log, i.e., a history, of the user's actions including phone calls, e-mails, video transmissions, and the like as related to the target.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2005
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2012
    Inventor: Robert H. Howard
  • Patent number: 8175911
    Abstract: A system and method for inferring and visualizing correlations of different business aspects for business transformation are provided. Business models, for instance, that may include business component model, business process model, value drivers and metrics model, application model, organization model, and solutions model are organized into a model topology data schema, and qualitative relationships and quantitative relationships may be configured among the entities or components of the business models. Correlations are inferred and visualized based on those relationships.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Rong Zeng Cao, Wei Ding, Shun Jiang, Juhnyoung Lee, Chun Hua Tian