Patents Examined by Matthew Gart
  • Patent number: 8515834
    Abstract: A statistical inventory management system may optimize inventory investment using historical usage and/or consumption of an inventory component by determining one or more target inventory levels (e.g., replenishment levels). Historical usage data may be summed for a plurality of at least partially non-overlapping time periods that may be each equal in duration to a supplier lead-time period for the component to create lead-time usage data. The lead-time usage data may be utilized to more accurately determine future inventory levels (e.g., target inventory levels) because the lead-time usage data may have a reduced variance compared to, for example, day-to-day usage. The inventory management system may be employable by a computing system having a display module (e.g., GUI) that allows a user to receive at least one graphical representation indicative of at least one target inventory level of at least one inventory component (e.g., by selectively interacting with the display module).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2013
    Assignee: Flowvision, LLC
    Inventors: Michael Henderson, David Pytel, Preston McCreary, Gerson Cortes
  • Patent number: 8510170
    Abstract: A point of sale (POS) system includes primary and auxiliary printers powered by a shared power supply. A POS terminal includes the shared power supply, a user interface, and a host including a printer driver for dynamically generating primary print commands. A printer connection card connected to the POS terminal includes a Universal Serial Bus (USB) hub in communication with the host and having at least one USB connector powered by the shared power supply. The primary printer is connected to the USB hub for receiving power and the primary print commands through the USB hub from the POS terminal. An auxiliary printer has a power-only connection to the printer connection card, receiving independently generated auxiliary print commands from a separate host computer. A controller includes control logic for selectively blocking the primary print commands to the primary printer in response to the signal drawn by the auxiliary printer exceeding a threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2013
    Assignee: Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions Holdings Corporation
    Inventors: John D. Landers, Jr., David J. Steiner, Paul M. Wilson, Kimberly A. Wood
  • Patent number: 8510143
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer program products, for implementing a software architecture design for a software application implementing ad-hoc goods movement. The application is structured as multiple process components interacting with each other through service interfaces, and multiple service operations, each being implemented for a respective process component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 31, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2013
    Assignee: SAP AG
    Inventors: Jens Freund, Gerd Moosmann, Martin J. Wilmes, Matthias Heinrichs, Wolfgang Barheine, Jochen Hirth, Sedat Gueler
  • Patent number: 8504446
    Abstract: Example methods disclosed herein to manage and process data associated with network usage include creating first links to represent relationships between event data items and rated data items, and creating second links to represent relationships between the rated data items and billed data items. Such example methods also include, in response to a request for network usage information associated with a first billed data item received after the first billed data item has been generated, processing a first one of the second links to identify a first rated data item associated with the first billed data item, processing a first one of the first links to identify a first event data item associated with the first rated data item, and returning the first event data item in response to the request.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2013
    Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P.
    Inventors: Douglas Unkenholz, Daniel Furlong
  • Patent number: 8498910
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for payroll notification. The method steps include obtaining, by a processor, a payroll rule comprising a message and a condition requiring a payroll dollar amount, obtaining, by the processor, the payroll dollar amount from a first paystub having a first gross pay and a first net pay for an employee evaluating, by the processor, the condition of the payroll rule, where the first gross pay equals a second gross pay on a second paystub having a second net pay for the employee, and outputting, by the processor and in response to the condition being satisfied, the message of the payroll rule onto the first paystub explaining a non-zero difference between the first net pay and the second net pay.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 30, 2013
    Assignee: Intuit Inc.
    Inventors: Lesley Kim Grossblatt, Lucinda Kathryn Foss, Sandra M. Edwards, Kyle Greene Kilat
  • Patent number: 8494924
    Abstract: The present invention provides a method, system, and program product for processing transaction data. Specifically, under the present invention, data such as lottery transaction data is received and stored in a transaction master journal file. Upon receipt, A/R data is extracted from the transaction data and fed to a queue. From the queue, the A/R data is read and processed to provide A/R details, summaries and/or reports. In a typical embodiment, the A/R data is processed to provide A/R activity details such as winner payouts, seller commissions, redeemer commissions, etc.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 23, 2013
    Assignees: International Business Machines Corporation, Kentucky Lottery Corporation
    Inventors: Alan Beal, Mark A. Flewellen, Stewart H. Friedley, Terence H. Morris, Kenneth W. Slucher, Jr., Ramkumar Thilakaramanujam
  • Patent number: 8494916
    Abstract: Freshness inventory control problem may be formulated as a stochastic dynamic program. In one aspect, a stochastic dynamic programming formulation takes as input inventory status, stochastic demand forecast and cost information associated with on-hand inventory. The stochastic dynamic programming formulation is maximized to determine order quantity and depletion quantity of the product per period.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 23, 2013
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Daniel P. Connors, Markus Ettl, David D. Yao, Zhengliang Xue
  • Patent number: 8494927
    Abstract: A method for providing payroll processing software as a service to payroll providers such as payroll vendors and end users. The software developer contracts with the payroll provider to provision, administer and support the payroll processing software thereby allowing the payroll provider to concentrate on its core business of payroll processing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 23, 2013
    Inventor: Alden J. Blowers
  • Patent number: 8484101
    Abstract: A system determines the cost of a transaction. The system receives a transaction for an item. The transaction is in terms of a first unit of measure. The system then determines the quantity in terms of a second unit of measure and calculates the cost of the transaction based on the second unit of measure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2013
    Assignee: Oracle International Corporation
    Inventors: Jatinder Gogna, Anil Jain, Rajesh Seshadri, R. Srinivasa Raghavan
  • Patent number: 8484088
    Abstract: A system and system to improving customer satisfaction in booking process. In one embodiment a system and method are described to determine the cause of the issue in procuring the service is and, based on a set of rules, offer the user a path to complete the procurement successfully. In one embodiment, a system and method are described to determine when a supplier is not available and queue requests until the supplier system is available again. In one embodiment, a system and method are described to actively manage the status of each account so that the user's transactions do not fail because of mis-configured or expired account configuration status.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 6, 2004
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2013
    Assignee: Rearden Commerce Inc.
    Inventors: Mark Orttung, Jerome Chen, Anson Mah, Martin Herrmann
  • Patent number: 8478663
    Abstract: Some embodiments of the invention provide techniques for recommending a size of a subject item to fit a subject consumer. In some embodiments, clusters of consumers with fit characteristics similar to the subject consumer are identified, using one or more data clustering algorithms, based on any of numerous consumer attributes (e.g., self-reported and/or inferred height, weight, body shape, body characteristics, and/or purchase histories (e.g., consumers with high overlap in terms of sets of products purchased)). Information on other consumers in the cluster may be analyzed to draw conclusions on how different sizes of the subject item may fit the subject consumer. For example, the purchase history of other members of the cluster may be analyzed to determine whether other members purchased a particular size of the item, and if so, the size purchased by the other members may serve as a basis to recommend a size that may best fit the consumer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 2, 2013
    Assignee: True Fit Corporation
    Inventors: Zhidong Lu, John Stauffer
  • Patent number: 8473369
    Abstract: This disclosure describes systems and associated methods that can selectively filter seed behavior, e.g., user activity used to generate item recommendations. In some embodiments, seed behaviors and catalog items are associated with categories in an electronic catalog, and a particular seed behavior is used to generate user recommendations if it is more recent than a user's last purchase in the category of the seed behavior. For example, a user's activity in the TV category, e.g., viewing various TV models, may not be used to generate recommendations if the activity occurred prior to the user's purchase of a TV. As a result, in certain embodiments, additional TVs may not appear in the user's recommendations following her purchase, reflecting that the user has fulfilled her desire to purchase a TV.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2013
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Andrew J. Bradley, David Neil Turner, Robert Philip Japp, Oliver Rupert Masting, Matthew J. Round
  • Patent number: 8468060
    Abstract: Web based menu system and method allows users such as buyers and sellers to locate, purchase, and sell goods, items and services. Knowledge of the system increases with user interaction. The system can respond to voice activation and recognition commands. At the web site, the user selects a category followed by a selection of makes, items, or services called a Sub-Category. The system responds by displaying menus referred to as a “Fluidity of Taxonomy”. This process repeats until the user reaches the finite end of the menus. Users can place requests for instant notification of new ad placements. Banner ads can be applicable to the buyers' interest. Sellers can grow the database based on menu selections. The system can retrieve any orderly classification of information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 18, 2013
    Inventors: Anne E. Robb, Larry Fortna, Ronald A Biritz
  • Patent number: 8463672
    Abstract: A method and charging system for facilitating interim billing for an IMS session is provided. The method may include receiving time-based interim accounting messages at CDFs from NEs (i.e., CTFs) of an IMS network serving an IMS session, opening or updating interim CDRs for each NE serving the IMS session based on the time-based interim accounting messages, extracting accounting record numbers from the time-based interim accounting messages, the accounting record numbers uniquely identifying the time-based interim accounting message in relation to other interim accounting messages from the corresponding NE for the IMS session, and determining if a partial record closing trigger has been reached for the IMS session, wherein the interim processing trigger is a function of the accounting record number extracted from the time-based interim accounting message for the corresponding NE, an AII value, and a partial record closing threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2013
    Assignee: Alcatel Lucent
    Inventors: Ranjan Sharma, Luc T'Syen
  • Patent number: 8463649
    Abstract: Methods and corresponding system are provided herewith that, in at least one embodiment, include the act or acts of: determining that a service provided by a restaurant is available for bidding. The service is provided for a particular time and a particular date. The methods and system also include receiving a bid for the service provided by the restaurant, in which the bid is associated with a first amount; storing the bid with a plurality of other bids in a storage device; and comparing the bid with at least one other bid that is submitted for reserving the service. The at least one other bid is associated with a second amount. The methods and system also include determining that the first amount is greater than the second amount; and outputting an indicia that grants the request to reserve the service provided by the restaurant to a highest bidder, in which the first amount submitted by the highest bidder is greater than the second amount.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2013
    Assignee: CFPH, LLC
    Inventors: Howard W. Lutnick, Dean P. Alderucci
  • Patent number: 8458014
    Abstract: A system and method for optimizing order fulfillment by considering multiple supply modes in one aspect, plans supply of inventory by forecasting demand, estimating accuracy of said forecasted demand, and establishing reorder point policy based at least on said accuracy of said forecasted demand, a plurality of supply transportation modes, cost of carbon emissions and limit on carbon emission credits. Current inventory position is monitored and if the current inventory position is below the reorder point policy, orders are placed according to a selected shipping method. The selected shipping method may be based at least on customer order priority, transportation budget, and carbon emission limit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2013
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Feng Cheng, Young Min Lee
  • Patent number: 8458058
    Abstract: A tax event system is configured to evaluate a taxable event that gives rise to tax liability in multiple jurisdictions. The system provides for real time determination of location information (e.g. work location, residence location, assignment location, and the like) for the calculation of tax liability. Such real time analysis allows for transactions to be settled and tax liability to be satisfied in time periods prescribed by various regulating authorities.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2013
    Assignee: American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael Kuchs, Terence Duffeler, Deborah Thomas, Ramana M. Murthy
  • Patent number: 8438063
    Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed for mobile payment using picture messaging to deliver an image with an encoded payment key. A mobile device equipped with at least a display and an input is used to connect to a server on the mobile network. Upon authentication of a user of the mobile device, the server generates the payment key, encodes the key in an image, such as a bar code, and transmits the image to the mobile device. The user holds the display of the mobile device up to an optical scanner at a POS terminal. Logic on the POS terminal extracts the payment key from the image, and uses the payment key to bill the user. The POS terminal transmits the bill with the payment key to the server on the network. The server ensures that the key is active, and debits an account for the user based on the amount presented in the bill. The key is de-activated after a specified time period or one use, whichever occurs first.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2013
    Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P.
    Inventor: Luis F. Albisu
  • Patent number: 8438066
    Abstract: A method for authenticating a geo-fencing payment, including receiving based on a wireless protocol of the geo-fencing payment, a payment account number associated with a mobile device of a consumer, wherein the payment account number is sent automatically to a POS device without user intervention when the mobile device is within a pre-determined range of the POS device, receiving a security code and an identifier of a merchandise that are inputted into the POS device by the consumer, determining that the mobile device is within the pre-determined range when the security code and the identifier are received, submitting, to a computer server, a merchandise order comprising a payment amount, the payment account number, and the security code, and receiving an authorization from the computer server to release the merchandise to the consumer based on a consumer profile of the consumer stored in the computer server.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2013
    Assignee: Intuit Inc.
    Inventors: Billy Yuen, Ray Yiu Ming Lai
  • Patent number: 8438065
    Abstract: A point of sale computer system that allows a customer to select and consummate a sale himself. The system may include graphics storage media configured to store two- and three-dimensional graphics data relating to the sale, as well as business rules storage media, configured to store business rules that specify the graphics that should be displayed during the selection and consummation process based on input received from the customer. The technology allows a presentation to be made to the customer that is entertaining and that maintains the attention of the customer throughout the sale selection and consummation process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2013
    Assignee: EMN8, Inc.
    Inventors: Paul Sidlo, William Kovacs, Philip J. Brock, John O'Keefe, Jonathan Humpherys, Andrew Whiddett, Simon Feltman, Amar Kurani