Patents Examined by Meredith A Long
  • Patent number: 10535083
    Abstract: Provided is a process, including: obtaining a coupon issued by a merchant, the coupon being redeemable in-store, at a physical location of the merchant; obtaining one or more merchant location identifiers, the coupon only being redeemable at one or more merchant locations identified by the one or more merchant location identifiers; sending the coupon and the merchant location identifiers to publishers for presentation to consumers by the publishers on user devices of the consumers; and receiving indications from the user devices of the consumers that the consumers interacted with the coupon, the indications indicating a consumer selection of an in-store redemption option.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 17, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 14, 2020
    Assignee: RetailMeNot, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael Thomas Georgoff, Brian Keith Showers, Scott Jason Throndson
  • Patent number: 10497029
    Abstract: Brand integration within online content and promoting that online content may be facilitated. A user may define search queries specifying parameter values of one or more parameters. In response to the user defined search queries, the system may identify sets of content producers having parameter values that satisfy the user defined search queries. The user may specify tasks for the identified sets of content producers. A first task may be related to creating online content and/or integrating an advertisement into online content. A second task may be related to promoting and/or endorsing the online content from the first task. The system may effectuate presentation of the user specified tasks to sets of content producers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2019
    Assignee: Disney Enterprises, Inc.
    Inventors: Ryan G. Lissack, Benjamin P. Collier, David E. Smith, Philip Hansen, Kristopher D. Johns, Narbeh Dereghishian, Jonathan Bergknoff
  • Patent number: 10497028
    Abstract: Monetizing brand integration within online content may be facilitated. Parameter values for parameters describing characteristics of online content, access points, and/or producers may be obtained. The user may define search queries specifying parameter values of one or more parameters. In response to the user defined search query, the system may identify online content and/or access points having parameter values that satisfy the user defined search queries. The user may specify tasks for the identified content and/or access points. The user identified tasks may be related to brand integration. The system may effectuate presentation of the user specified tasks to producers that generate a portion of the identified online content and/or access points. Performance of the user specified tasks may be evaluated to determine an outcome. The outcome may include a quantity of a desired result and/or action. The system may distribute compensation to one or more producers based on the outcome.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2019
    Assignee: Disney Enterprises, Inc.
    Inventors: Ryan G. Lissack, Benjamin P. Collier, David E. Smith, Philip Hansen, Kristopher D. Johns, Narbeh Dereghishian, Jonathan Bergknoff
  • Patent number: 10489824
    Abstract: A method and a system are provided for interaction with a digital signage board. An electronic device receives, via a transceiver, a first metadata associated with a first grid displayed on the digital signage board that is configured to display a plurality of multimedia content items in a plurality of first cells of the grid. The electronic device receives, via the transceiver, a second metadata associated with the plurality of multimedia content items. The one or more processors in the electronic device display a second grid comprising a plurality of second cells that are based on the first metadata and the second metadata. The one or more processors in the electronic device further update a property associated with at least one of the plurality of second cells based on a user profile stored in the electronic device and the second metadata.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2019
    Assignee: CONDUENT BUSINESS SERVICES, LLC
    Inventors: Shailesh Vaya, Aritra Dhar, Bhupendra Singh Solanki, Atul Singh, Shubhi Sharma, Neeta Pande, Geetha Manjunath
  • Patent number: 10489794
    Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for marketing products. The method includes the steps of a first vendor contracting with a second vendor under a contract whereby the first vendor pays a commission to the second vendor in exchange for referrals of customers by the second vendor to the first vendor where the first vendor sells products that are complementary to products sold by the second vendor, the first vendor selling a product to a customer of the second vendor, a tracking program calculating a commission payable on the product and the first vendor paying the commission to the first vendor in accordance with the contract.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2019
    Assignee: ELECTRONIC CREDIT SYSTEMS CORPORATION
    Inventor: Robert Brenstein
  • Patent number: 10482494
    Abstract: Connections (e.g., click-throughs) for online campaigns are steered. A plurality of UIOs and parameters for configuring a campaign (e.g., advertisement campaign) for the plurality of UIOs is received. UIOs comparable to each of the plurality of UIOs of the campaign are automatically identified and displayed in as an array of options that can be selected for more detailed information. A distribution of connections is predicted from resulting from displays for the plurality of UIOs of the campaign, based on historical information of connections for the identified comparable UIOs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2019
    Assignee: Lotlinx Canada Manitoba, Inc.
    Inventors: Lance Timothy Schafer, Jeremy Ryan Charney, Leonard Short, Robert Vucic, Denise Feulner
  • Patent number: 10475074
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus include computer programs encoded on a computer-readable storage medium, including a method for providing content. An indication is received from a content sponsor of a first collection of entities, sharing common characteristics, to be used for selection criteria for presenting a first content item. References to the first content item and selection criteria are stored. A query is received including terms or phrases associated with a first entity. It is determined that the first entity is included in the first collection of entities, wherein the terms or phrases do not include the first collection. Eligible content items are identified, each being associated with selection criteria including criteria specifying the first collection of entities. At least a portion of the first collection of entities is provided for presentation along with search results, including providing one or more of the eligible content items and the first content item.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 12, 2019
    Assignee: Google LLC
    Inventor: Yunkai Zhou
  • Patent number: 10475049
    Abstract: Example computer executable instructions for determining a consumer's offer eligibility using a predicate logic tree against sets of input data are provided. In particular, the disclosed examples recite a rewards engine capable of determining a consumer's offer eligibility using a predicate logic tree against sets of input data. The rewards engine applies rules that are relevant to a particular deal offered by a retail establishment to the consumer's records to determine the consumer's offer eligibility. In some examples, the rewards engine sorts or partially sorts some or all of the consumer's records to determine the consumer's offer eligibility.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 12, 2019
    Assignee: TRANSFORM SR BRANDS LLC
    Inventor: Espen Zachrisen
  • Patent number: 10475077
    Abstract: Advertisement content associated with an entity having a physical location is selected for display to a user by a client device. A proximity of the client device to the physical location is determined. In response to determining the proximity between the client device and the physical location, an advertisement is generated that includes the advertisement content and an indicator of the physical location. The generated advertisement is sent to the client device for display to the user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 12, 2019
    Assignee: Facebook, Inc.
    Inventors: Erick Tseng, Michael John Toksvig
  • Patent number: 10460343
    Abstract: An online system provides a local reach advertisement create flow that determines an estimated radius of a target area for serving an ad to optimize local awareness of the ad based on the advertiser's ad campaign goals. The ad create flow receives location information about an ad target location identified by or associated with the advertiser, and information describing the ad campaign associated with the advertiser. Using the advertising information and population density information associated with the ad target location, the online system selects a target area for serving the ad to reach an estimated number of online system users based on the ad budget and provides an indication of the selected region and the estimated ad reach to the advertiser.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2019
    Assignee: Facebook, Inc.
    Inventor: Erick Tseng
  • Patent number: 10438235
    Abstract: An advertising system has limited computing resources to spend evaluating advertisements of advertisers to determine a “best” advertisement to serve to users of a social networking system. The computing resources are allocated (e.g., by varying the number of advertisements that are considered for presentation to a user) based on the neediness of the user and/or the advertiser on a per impression basis. The neediness of a user may be determined by grouping users into groups and determining a yield curve of expected revenue per computing resource used. Then, the revenue may be maximized across impression opportunities for multiple users. The neediness of an advertiser may be determined by biasing the selection of one advertiser's advertisements over another advertiser's advertisements based on an expected revenue, an expected number of interactions of the advertisement, or otherwise maximizing a satisfaction coefficient for the advertiser.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 21, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2019
    Assignee: Facebook, Inc.
    Inventors: Andrew John Tulloch, Stuart Michael Bowers, Joaquin Ignacio Quinonero Candela
  • Patent number: 10423983
    Abstract: A targeting system based on a predictive targeting model based on observed behavioral data including visit data, user profile and/or survey data, and geographic features associated with a geographic region. The predictive targeting model analyzes the observed behavioral data and the geographic features data to predict conversion rates for every cell in a square grid of predefined size on the geographic region. The conversion rate of a cell indicates a likelihood that any random user in that cell will perform a targeted behavior.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2019
    Assignee: Snap Inc.
    Inventors: David Shim, Elliott Waldron, Weilie Yi, Michael Grebeck, Siddharth Rajaram, Jeremy Tryba, Nick Gerner, Andrea Eatherly
  • Patent number: 10413818
    Abstract: A processing device is described storing instructions defining a first application and a second application. Engagement of the second application by a user is effective to generate one or more rewards for use in the first application. The processing device further stores instructions separate from the second application defining a monitoring module and a reward generating module. The monitoring module is operable to determine a measure of an engagement of the second application by the user. The reward generating module is operable to calculate one or more rewards in dependence upon the determined measure of engagement and to make the calculated one or more rewards available for use in the first application.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2019
    Assignee: Outfit7 Limited
    Inventors: Samo Login, John Stephen Rankin
  • Patent number: 10387904
    Abstract: A virtual vault is generated and displayed for a user of a real-money application and is defined to hold in trust real-money rewards for the user. Each real-money reward is redeemable for real-world monetary value within the real-money application. The virtual vault includes respective reward graphics for the real-money rewards for the user. Upon selection of a reward graphic by the user, a determination is made as to whether or not the user is qualified to receive a real-money reward corresponding to the selected reward graphic. If the user is qualified to receive the real-money reward, the user is credited with a real-world monetary value specified by the real-money reward. Or, if the user is not qualified to receive the real-money reward, the user is notified of one or more actions required by the user in order to qualify for receipt of the real-money reward.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2019
    Assignee: Zynga Inc.
    Inventors: Sergei (Shawn) Nikolaev, Josephine Gavignet
  • Patent number: 10387905
    Abstract: A notification regarding a real-money application is transmitted to a user of a second application when the user is executing the second application. The notification conveys a reward available to the user within the second application in exchange for performing a required action in the real-money application. Upon selection of a control object by the user, the real-money application is executed with reference to the user so as to provide the user with an interface to perform the required action in the real-money application. Upon determining that the user completed the required action in the real-money application, a status of the user is updated in the second application to provide the user with the reward in the second application corresponding to completion of the required action in the real-money application.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2019
    Assignee: Zynga Inc.
    Inventors: Sergei (Shawn) Nikolaev, Josephine Gavignet
  • Patent number: 10387903
    Abstract: Provided is a process, including: obtaining an offer issued by a merchant, the offer being redeemable on-line, at the merchant's website, in-store, at a physical location of the merchant, or both; obtaining a plurality of single-use offer codes associated with the offer; receiving a request for a single-use offer code, the request having a phone number; sending to the phone number, via a text messaging service, a text message comprising a uniform resource identifier (URI) to a select single-use offer code of the plurality single-use offer codes; and sending the single-use offer code to a consumer user device in response to a user selection of the URI.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2019
    Assignee: RetailMeNot, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael Thomas Georgoff, Scott Jason Throndson, Jeffrey Ryan Rego
  • Patent number: 10380605
    Abstract: Systems and methods for associating discounts or incentives with payment options are presented. In various embodiments, a customer purchasing goods or services is presented with various discounts or incentives to use one or more particular forms of payment such as cash, credit card, debit card, house card, or the like. After being presented with such information, the customer may then choose a form of payment, taking into account the various discounts or incentives related thereto. The appropriate discount or incentive is then applied to the customer's total bill and/or saved in the customer's loyalty account for future use.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2019
    Assignee: NCR Corporation
    Inventors: Jason Groff, Scott Mulcay
  • Patent number: 10332154
    Abstract: Controlling an electronic device to acquire a personal profile for a person. The electronic device acquires a personal profile for a person identified by a unique identifier. The personal profile is a profile generated by applying big data analytics to personal data collected for the person identified by the unique identifier. Responsive to reception of at least one candidate profile, the electronic device is controlled to perform a match between the personal profile and the at least one candidate personal profile. The electronic device is controlled to provide at least one user-perceivable indicator that indicates a result of the match. The unique identifier of the person is a fingerprint received via a fingerprint scanner. The personal profile is generated and stored by a data processing system prior to receipt of the unique identifier.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2019
    Inventor: Shant Tchakerian
  • Patent number: 10333909
    Abstract: The disclosed embodiments illustrate methods and systems for identifying a targeted content item for a user. The method includes receiving one or more encrypted first attributes of the user, and a first key. Thereafter, one or more content items are encrypted using the first key. The one or more content items are stored in a data structure such that the one or more content items are indexed in the data structure according to one or more second attributes of the one or more content items. Thereafter, at least one encrypted content item is retrieved from the data structure based on the one or more encrypted content items, the indexing of the one or more content items, and the one or more encrypted first attributes. The at least one encrypted content item is decrypted to generate the targeted content item.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2019
    Assignee: Conduent Business Services, LLC
    Inventors: Aritra Dhar, Shailesh Vaya
  • Patent number: 10318989
    Abstract: A method for providing information related to information displayed on a signage device to a mobile device carried by a user includes displaying on a screen of the signage device one or more images, establishing a connection between a mobile device and the signage device, displaying on the screen of the signage device a mark unique to the user, after the connection has been established, moving the mark on the screen in accordance with an operation of the mobile device by the user, and transmitting, to the mobile device, information related to an image at which the mark is located.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2019
    Assignee: Toshiba TEC Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Akihiko Fujiwara, Mika Hirama, Masaaki Yasunaga, Tetsuya Nobuoka