Patents Examined by Ming Shui
  • Patent number: 10169798
    Abstract: A method of computing a featured set of product groups for a query on an inventory of products. Each of the products can have one or more attribute-value pairs. Each of the one or more attribute-value pairs can have an attribute. The method can include determining a result group of the products matching the query. The method also can include determining relevance scores for the product groups. The method further can include determining a featured attribute and the featured set of the product groups for the featured attribute. The method also can include, after receiving the query from a user, transmitting for display at least one page of a website, where the at least one page has an option to view each of the product groups of the featured set of the product groups that has been selected. Other embodiments of related systems and methods are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2019
    Assignee: WALMART APOLLO, LLC
    Inventors: Dintyala Venkata Subrahmanya Ravikant, Abhishek Gattani
  • Patent number: 10169808
    Abstract: One or more computers may close a purchase order by use of rules. Certain embodiments use values of attributes of a line in a purchase order (PO) to identify a rule among multiple rules. The PO line's attributes which are used to identify the rule are internal to a buyer. When the rule which is identified is disabled, the line is retained unchanged in the purchase order. When the identified rule is not disabled, a user-specified logic which is identified in the rule is used to determine a new value of a numeric term, the numeric term having a preexisting value previously agreed upon by the buyer and the seller, e.g. in units of quantity or units of money. Subsequently, an indication of the line being changed in the purchase order is transmitted to the seller. User may specify different logics in different sets of rules, for different business units.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2019
    Assignee: Oracle International Corporation
    Inventors: Alexandra Dhillon, Elaine Wong, Earnest Ivie, Saravanamaneeian Subhramaniun, Mohan Murugesan, Praveen Kumar
  • Patent number: 10127608
    Abstract: A networked computer arrangement and method in which a manufacturer or service provider may communicate to a plurality of traders the items, including goods and/or services, which may be available for purchase, the quantities of those available items, and any other conditions to be met for the purchase of the available items. Traders may apply guest bidder profiles or entitlement schema to the available goods lists to produce offerings for a plurality of guest brokers. Only bid-relevant product information is presented to each guest broker as needed in order to protect the offering party's overall position on the offered good(s). Guest broker profiles or entitlement schema may be based on perspective contractual arrangements between potential brokers, traders, and a manufacturer or service provider. Offerings are presented to the guest brokers, who are restricted from participating in the bidding process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2018
    Assignee: eBay Inc.
    Inventors: Leland James Wiesehuegel, Rebecca Lynn Roberts, William James Morrison, Jacob Marvin Rzepka
  • Patent number: 10120943
    Abstract: A preference-information gathering system is capable of gathering information on every commodity and/or every service, which are each of interest to a user, as user's preference information. The preference-information gathering system includes a user portable terminal capable of storing a user identifier uniquely identifying the user, an information searching apparatus and a preference-information management apparatus for managing the information on preferences with the user. The information searching apparatus has a search-information inputting unit for requesting a user to enter search information to be used in a process to search for information desired by the user and a user-identifier acquisition unit for acquiring a user identifier.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2018
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Kimiko Tsurumaki, Takuji Maekawa, Kotaro Jinushi, Hirokazu Tanaka
  • Patent number: 10115143
    Abstract: Systems and methods for selection and creation of custom athletic jerseys are described. The athletic jerseys combine two different jerseys. For instance, the jersey may have a front half consisting of one jersey and back half consisting of another jersey. The jerseys may be related to a number of different sports teams, for instance, professional sports teams, college sports teams, and high school sports teams. This allows a fan to own a single jersey that represents multiple points in a player's career. Automatic validation of the license associated with each jersey may be provided and the purchase price of the athletic jersey may include relevant licensing fees. Additionally, a user interface may be provided that allows a user to select amongst a number of possible options.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 2, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2018
    Inventor: Shannon J. Lory
  • Patent number: 10108997
    Abstract: Methods and a system for consumer progress monitoring are provided. A third-party consumer application executing on a Self-Service Terminal (SST) is monitored, without modifying the third-party consumer application, for progress updates. The progress updates are sent to a server and pushed to a device of clerk for monitoring a communication session between a consumer operating the SST and a host system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2018
    Assignee: NCR Corporation
    Inventor: Ian M. Joy
  • Patent number: 10109007
    Abstract: A method for providing information of assets available for transaction to a user is provided. A report is provided to a computing device operated by the user. The report includes one or more entries that each corresponds to an asset that is made to be available during an auction. Each entry can include a link for the corresponding asset. In response to receiving user selection of one or more links on the report, one or more assets corresponding to the one or more selected links are determined. A profile of the user is updated with information associated with the determined one or more assets.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2018
    Assignee: Ten-X, LLC.
    Inventors: Robert Friedman, Sarina Kinder, Eric Johnson, Michael Jansta
  • Patent number: 10108933
    Abstract: When a trading system receives a request from an employee to trade leave time for a related value, the trading system communicates with an employer system to request a value of leave time accrued by the employee. The employer system transmits the value of leave time to the trading system, and the trading system converts the value of leave time into a related value. Through the trading system, the employee can use the related value to purchase items from one or more merchants.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2018
    Assignee: PTO, Inc.
    Inventors: Gregory Jon Hatch, Todd Comnenos Lucas, Robert Shannon Whalen, Steven Craig Armstrong
  • Patent number: 10102561
    Abstract: In some cases, a delivery service system may include a handheld electronic device for use with a delivery service (e.g., a grocery delivery service). When operating in a voice input mode, the handheld electronic device may record and store audio data in memory. The stored audio data may be communicated from the handheld electronic device (e.g., via a Wi-Fi connection) to the delivery service for speech processing. When operating in a scanner input mode, the handheld electronic device may record and store item identifier information (e.g., barcode data) in memory. The stored data may be communicated to the delivery service for item identification processing. In some cases, a user interface associated with the delivery service may allow the user to review and confirm an order prior to submission of the order for delivery.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2018
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Julien George Beguin, Douglas James Herrington, Richard David Young, Toni Raquel Reid Thomelin, David George Butler, Michael James Panzitta, Sean Joseph Henry Oczkowski, Igor Fred Robert von Nyssen
  • Patent number: 10102558
    Abstract: Methods and systems for improving a shopping experience are described. A customer brings items of clothing to try on in a dressing room. The customer's exact location is provided to the store clerk with the assistance of a beacon located in the dressing room. The store clerk also knows the exact items the customer has brought into the dressing room because a reader in the dressing room reads tags associated with the items. The customer may be provided with information on suggested products, such as alternative or complementary items to the items the customer selected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2018
    Assignee: PAYPAL, INC.
    Inventor: Dennis Warren Koo Tze Mew
  • Patent number: 10102555
    Abstract: Illustrative embodiments may generally be directed to, among other things, a platform for providing information to one or more consumers to facilitate the purchase of one or more vehicles. In one embodiment, the platform may provide information associated with one or more OEMs and their vehicle product lines. In another embodiment, the platform may facilitate selecting, building, modifying, comparing, and/or purchasing one or more vehicles. In yet another embodiment, the platform may determine inventory data corresponding to actual available inventory at one or more dealerships.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2018
    Assignee: AUTOTRADER.COM, INC.
    Inventors: Nicholas James Park, Melanie Allgood Hygema, Brett Michael Kelly, Brian Cameron Zavitz, Pamela Ann Russek, Jose Ignacio Puente
  • Patent number: 10095884
    Abstract: A system and method for using customer information in electronic commerce using the Internet are provided. The system includes a customer information database (DB) for storing a unique number for each customer, an integrated customer information DB for storing actual customer information corresponding to the unique number in an integrated manner, and a management server for providing the unique number stored in the customer information DB and providing the actual customer information corresponding to the unique number under a security condition when an external terminal requests customer information. Actual customer information can be effectively prevented from being easily leaked by hackers or malicious programs and customer information can be utilized without a security issue.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2018
    Assignee: EBAY KOREA CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Young Bae Ku
  • Patent number: 10089678
    Abstract: A system and method is provided for identifying and reporting suspicious orders for substances and/or products. The system executes an application to process order detail data included in a received order request for a particular item. The application includes a plurality of processing rules that identify suspicious orders based on the order detail data and historical data. The application assigns a hold attribute value to a hold flag associated with the order when the order is determined to be suspicious by one of the plurality of processing rules and transmits a hold notification via communication network to one or more predetermined individual/entities. The application also selectively stores detail data, audit data, and historical data in at least one of a plurality of data tables.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2018
    Assignee: SpecGX LLC
    Inventors: Jennifer M. Buist, Thomas E. Duffel, Karen A. Harper, Donald A. Lohman, David M. Scheu, Gail S. Tetzlaff
  • Patent number: 10083472
    Abstract: Availability of recycled auto parts listed in a centralized inventory system is verified by a query to the inventory system carrying the part. The query identifies the part and data about the part of relevance to a potential buyer (such as price, condition, location) to be verified. Verifications can be performed upon explicit user request, or upon actions implicitly requiring verification, such as adding a part to an estimate or shopping cart, ordering a part, or requesting the part seller to hold the part for future purchase, or the like; verification may also be automatically performed for some or all search results. Results of a verification may also be broadcast to the potential buyer and to the part seller (broker and/or part supplier) to enable audit and follow-up on the verification request.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 25, 2018
    Assignee: Used-Car-Parts.com, Inc.
    Inventors: Jeffrey L. Schroder, Jeffrey Joseph Schroder, Jeffrey W. Mueller, Jeffrey Dalton Chastain, Luis Daniel Canisalez, Jeremy M. Mount, Aaron Edward Daniel, Robert S. Cohen, Laura Beth Donica
  • Patent number: 10083468
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are methods and corresponding systems for facilitating a live registry event between a shopper and one or more remote viewers. In the live registry event, the shopper, registers for gifts that they would like to receive while sharing their registering experience with the viewers in real-time. When the user registers for an item, a server system allows the viewers to purchase the gift for the shopper.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 25, 2018
    Assignee: Google LLC
    Inventors: Steven John Lee, Bradley James Rhodes, Indika Charles Mendis, Max Benjamin Braun
  • Patent number: 10074129
    Abstract: Embodiments of the invention include a virtual reality system that includes an instrumented device used to present a virtual shopping environment to a simulation participant. The participant's interactions with the virtual shopping environment may be used to conduct market research into the consumer decision making process. The virtual shopping environment may include one or more smart objects configured to be responsive to participant interaction. The virtual shopping environment may recreate a real-world shopping environment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2018
    Assignee: RED DOT SQUARE SOLUTIONS LIMITED
    Inventor: Mark Edwards
  • Patent number: 10068275
    Abstract: Various methods and systems for obtaining remote shopping advice are described herein. In one example, a method includes taking two or more media representations of items to be discussed. A parameter is selected within a social shopping app for obtaining feedback on the items to be discussed. The two or more media representations are assembled into a query within the social shopping app based, at least in part, on the parameter. The query is sent to a reviewer from within the social shopping app. Feedback on the items to be discussed is received from the reviewer within the social shopping app.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2018
    Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventors: Meredith Morris, Kori Inkpen Quinn, Gina Danielle Venolia
  • Patent number: 10062103
    Abstract: Native e-commerce transactables for social and other familiar and/or suitable user environments are enabled. A user of a network site may interact with a transactable to conduct a transaction with a 3rd party without leaving a user environment of the network site. The transactable may be configured to adopt the “look and feel” of the network site into which it is incorporated. While conducting the transaction with the transactable, the user may perceive that they remain at the network site, even though transaction information may be exchanged with a 3rd party network site. The transaction mediation service may obtain social activity data from a plurality of social network sites, as well as merchant activity data (e.g., transaction activity) from a plurality of merchant network sites. The data of each suitable network site may be translated, transformed and/or normalized into a unified and uniform format maintained by the transaction mediation service.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2018
    Inventors: John T. Wantz, II, Rhen Zabel, Greg Vandenberg, Tim Piatenko
  • Patent number: 10062096
    Abstract: A computer-enabled transaction system provides a list of items for purchase in response to a user request for an item. The system filters prospective items based on eligibility which includes availability of the item for purchase. Eligible items are ranked based on generated revenue per impressions wherein impressions include previous viewings of the items. The ranked, eligible items are then displayed in a list to the user with preferential displaying of the higher ranked items.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2018
    Assignee: Vegas.com, LLC
    Inventor: Paul Leslie Mello
  • Patent number: 10055781
    Abstract: The invention relates to systems and methods for monitoring and providing humidity control for an asset within a closed environment such as a storage container, with transmission of sensed humidity levels to at least one server that stores current and historical humidity levels and comprises a processor and stored executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, may recommend an optimal humidity controller to use for the asset, determine when the recommended humidity controller requires replacement and predictively recommend an optimal replacement humidity controller based on at least historical humidity data and trending thereof, execution of a sales transaction, that may be pre-scheduled based on asset type, asset size and/or historical data, for the optimal replacement humidity controller, and providing the proper replacement humidity controller to the user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2018
    Assignee: Boveda Inc.
    Inventors: Jason L. Schmitz, Robert L. Esse, Sean A. Knutsen