Patents Examined by Matthew Zimmerman
  • Patent number: 9684891
    Abstract: An access management system for managing network access of an end-user to one or more online content sources of a number of content providers. The system comprises a content proxy unit that stores the concealed addresses of the content sources. The content proxy unit is designed to receive a request for accessing one or more content sources from the end-user. The system further comprises an access management unit that stores an access rights record of the end-user. The access management unit is designed to authorize the request according to the access rights record of the end user. If the request is authorized, the content proxy unit facilitates the accessing using the concealed addresses of the requested content sources.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2017
    Inventor: Amnon Nissim
  • Patent number: 9683850
    Abstract: A method of operation of a navigation system having adaptive coverage includes: detecting a no service region or an intermittent loss of service region upcoming in a route; selecting an adaptive coverage operations block based on the no service region or based on the intermittent loss of service region for storing on a device; and sending data from the adaptive coverage operations block for displaying on the device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2017
    Assignee: Telenav, Inc.
    Inventors: Yi-Chung Chao, Robert W. Rennard, Zhiqi Luo, Musiri S. Shrivathsan
  • Patent number: 9672547
    Abstract: A handheld computing device for editing images and a method thereof. The handheld computing device can include a screen, a memory for storing an application for at least one of image acquisition, image uploading, and image editing, and a processor. The handheld computing device can receive a notification message from a first external device over a communication network, the notification message containing location information for accessing a specific image, the location information indicating an internet-address of the specific image, access the specific image by using the location information, display the specific image on the screen, and perform an image editing option on the screen to edit the displayed specific image based on the application stored in the memory.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2017
    Assignee: LG ELECTRONICS INC.
    Inventors: G. Victor Treyz, Susan M. Treyz
  • Patent number: 9665983
    Abstract: Techniques are disclosed for facilitating electronic commerce in an augmented reality environment. In some embodiments, a method comprises detecting, by a mobile device, presence of the physical product or the real life service; and presenting, on the mobile device, information to conduct the transaction of a physical product or a real life service via the augmented reality environment. In some embodiments, a method comprises detecting one or more targets in the augmented reality platform using a select area in a perspective of a user, the perspective being captured by a mobile device; and prompting the user to choose an object of interest from the one or more detected targets. Among other advantages, embodiments disclosed herein provide an intuitive and integrated user experience in shopping using augmented reality devices, thereby reducing the consumer user's effort in conducting such activities, reducing necessary sales personnel and their working hours, and increasing sales.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2017
    Assignee: ZAMBALA, LLLP
    Inventor: Nova T. Spivack
  • Patent number: 9665894
    Abstract: A retrieval support system includes a database which stores commodity image data; a retrieval unit which acquires commodity image data having image characteristic information which is the same as or similar to image characteristic information indicating a characteristic in an image of input image data, from the database, with respect to the input image data; and a condition setting unit which sets a retrieval condition including at least one of time information relating to time, place information relating to places and occasion information relating to occasions. The retrieval unit performs retrieval of the commodity image data based on the retrieval condition set by the condition setting unit. The commodity image data acquired by the retrieval unit and information relating to a commodity different from a commodity corresponding to the commodity image data are output together.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2017
    Assignee: NIKON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Masami Kumazawa, Hideya Inoue, Koji Yamagaki
  • Patent number: 9659319
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides a method and an apparatus for processing resource returning. According to the method, as a first user requests for a return of a resource associated with a prior online trade, a trading server determines if the first user has a user rating greater or equal to a preset user rating threshold, and if yes, returns the requested online trading resource to the first user without waiting until a second user has received the corresponding returned goods or services from the first user. The method can expedite the process of returning resources in online trading, and lightens the system burden caused by the user's frequently refreshing the account to check the resource return status.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 17, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2017
    Assignee: Alibaba Group Holding Limited
    Inventors: Shunping Yan, Qiu Lin
  • Patent number: 9652754
    Abstract: A computer-implemented method and system is disclosed in which a network-based e-commerce environment includes a merchant site to receive a voice call associated with a purchase transaction from a consumer, generate a payment request corresponding to the consumer purchase transaction in response to receiving the voice call, send the payment request to a payment site, and receive confirmation from the payment site that payment for the consumer purchase transaction has been received.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2017
    Assignee: PayPal, Inc.
    Inventor: Kristen Ondeck
  • Patent number: 9646341
    Abstract: An exemplary display system is disclosed, which includes a display wall having a plurality of slots; a plurality of removable shelves, each removable shelf insertable into a slot of the plurality of slots; a plurality of unique identifiers, each unique identifier coupled to a corresponding removable shelf; a fixed shelf having an embedded or attached sensor; and a user-interactive visual display. Various systems display plumbing fixtures. In exemplary embodiments, the unique identifiers are implemented using RFID tags.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2017
    Assignee: Danze, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael Werner, Sharon Overby, Edward Detgen, Brian Fiala, Kevin McJoynt, Mark Abbas, James Stoklosa, Christopher Livaudais, Florian Vollmer, Sandjar Kozubaev
  • Patent number: 9645986
    Abstract: An electronic textbook system allows instructors to create custom coursebooks by integrating various materials from disparate sources. Instructors can arrange the materials, format them, provide tables of contents and indices. Payment mechanisms as well as policies for the components are integrated automatically so that the final book satisfies policy requirements for each of its component parts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2017
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventors: James Patterson, Nathan Moody
  • Patent number: 9639828
    Abstract: Generally, embodiments of the invention are directed to methods, computer readable media, servers and systems for enabling merchants to use hosted order pages (HOPs) and/or silent order posts (SOPs) and thereby avoid handling payment information and the costs associated Payment Card Industry (PCI) compliance, while at the same time utilize third-party fraud detection screens and thereby avoid costs associated with fraudulent transactions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2017
    Assignee: Visa International Service Association
    Inventors: Lisa Anderson, Sonny Truong
  • Patent number: 9626716
    Abstract: Various embodiments of a network page are provided. In one embodiment, at least one server serves up a network page to a client to be rendered on the client in a networked environment. The network page is associated with a network site that facilitates a purchase of items. The network page includes a graphical representation of a selected one of the items, and a plurality of destination regions, each of the destination regions being associated with a corresponding one of a plurality of shipping addresses. The network page is configured to facilitate an association of the selected one of the items with a respective one of the destination regions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2017
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Derek Gaw
  • Patent number: 9607316
    Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed that use social networking profiles of users to generate personalized content of display pages. The personalized content may be generated using profile data retrieved via an application program interface of a social networking system, and may be presented on the display pages of a distinct system, such as a site that hosts an electronic catalog of items. The personalized content may include features that allow a user to indicate a like or preference for an item and that can be customized based on, e.g., the extent of the user's social network or the influence the user has over other potential users of the catalog system. Systems and methods are also disclosed that use the social networking profiles to generate personalized messages that can be posted to social network contacts of the user to provide information about items for which the contacts may be interested.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2017
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Jeetendra Mirchandani, Sumit Kumar Sultania, Vinayak R. Hegde
  • Patent number: 9560932
    Abstract: The present invention relates to beverage preparation machine (1) with a virtual shopping functionality. The machine comprises a touch screen (10) and a control unit (21). The touch screen (10) is adapted to display an image (80) of the interior of a shop offering goods (81) related to the machine (1) on the touch screen (10), to display an image of a container (82) on said touch screen (10), and to submit information on a touch operation to the control unit (21). The displayed interior corresponds to the interior of a physical shop offering said goods (81), in particular to the interior of a shop of a chain of physical shops having a standardized presentation of said goods (81). The control unit (21) is adapted to accept selection of a good (81) for purchase upon detecting a touch operation on a good (81) on the touch screen (10) and on the container (82) on the touch screen (10).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2017
    Assignee: Nestec S.A.
    Inventors: Alfred Yoakim, Fabien Ludovic Agon
  • Patent number: 9542707
    Abstract: A computer-implemented method and system for keyword bidding in a market cooperative are disclosed. A particular embodiment includes receiving a keyword bid from a first party; determining a value to a host associated with the keyword bid; augmenting the keyword bid by an amount corresponding to the value to the host; and sending the augmented keyword bid to a second party.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2017
    Assignee: eBay Inc.
    Inventors: Sameer Hassan, Stephen Kenneth Lobo, Stephen Richard Thomas
  • Patent number: 9390444
    Abstract: A product adaptor of a server receives a request from an interface application associated with the product adaptor. The request includes a request for a subset of all available products that are offered by a communication service provider. The subset of the products includes particular products that a user is permitted to purchase. The product adaptor determining whether a cache of the product adaptor stores a response that satisfies the request based on information in the request. The response includes information about the subset of the products. The product adaptor retrieves the response from the cache of the product adaptor when the cache of the product adaptor stores the response. The product adaptor further transmits the information about the subset of the products to the interface application. The interface application utilizes the information about the subset of the products to offer one or more of the particular products to the user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2016
    Assignee: VERIZON PATENT AND LICENSING INC.
    Inventors: Ibrahim Itani, Muhammed Shaphy, Yogesh Sawant
  • Patent number: 9378520
    Abstract: Concepts and technologies are disclosed herein for obtaining ratings using a rating service. A server computer executing a rating service can detect arrival of a user device at a vendor location. The server computer also can detect an interaction with a product offered at the vendor location by the user device. The server computer can determine that a rating for the product is to be requested, and can request the rating from the user device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2016
    Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P.
    Inventors: James W. Fan, Jeffrey A. Aaron, Venson Shaw
  • Patent number: 9361640
    Abstract: Methods and systems are described for providing efficient product ordering of products, such as groceries or any other product or item. The customer enters keywords (or generic terms) that describe a desired item on a first portion of a display screen and search result items associated with each of the keywords on the list automatically appear on a second portion of the display screen. When the customer selects the desired items from the second portion of the display screen, the selected items automatically appear on a third portion of the display screen. The customer can then click a “Check Out” button on the same screen and have the products shipped to him/her.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2016
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Aaron M. Donsbach, Keith L. Frost
  • Patent number: 9317881
    Abstract: The present solution relates to an improved system and method for providing interactive content. The present solution can provide a first content object for display in a content slot of an information resource of a content provider. The first content object can include one or more tags that can each be linked to a respective second content object of a plurality of second content object. When an interaction is received with a first tag the system can identify a second content object corresponding to the first tag. The second content object can be provided for display in the same content slot of the information resource. In some implementations, the second content object can include a transaction interface to purchase an item identified in the second content object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2016
    Assignee: ADORNO PUBLISHING GROUP, INC.
    Inventors: Sara Ledterman, Arif Jan Jensen
  • Patent number: 9294620
    Abstract: A customer service application resident on a user's portable electronic device is used to get information about a service and also request the service offered by a store. The customer service application can check for nearby stores when launched. Once the user is deemed to be within the service area of the store, the store host server computer can start sending information about various products, servers, events, or workshops offered by the store. The user can use the customer service application to request product or service help from store employees, register for an event/workshop, reserve a product for pickup, etc.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2016
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Corey Fugman, Benjamin Vigier, Yingfeng Su, Chen Li, Filip Krsmanovic
  • Patent number: 9292824
    Abstract: In certain embodiments, a system includes a processing system and tangible computer-readable media accessible by the processing system. The media may store software and purchase order identifications. Each purchase order identification indicates a respective one of the purchase orders and is globally unique with respect to each other purchase order identification. The software when executed by the processing system is configured to perform operations, including accessing a request comprising a particular one of the purchase order identifications. The request had been generated at a client device that had decoded the particular purchase order identification from an optical scan of a code provided with packaging of one or more products of the respective purchase order indicated by the particular purchase order identification. The operations further include generating data for receipt by the client device. The data comprises information that facilitates returning at least one of the products.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2016
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Kyle A. Freeman