Patents Examined by Robert C Johnson
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Patent number: 10074101Abstract: Provided is a computer implemented process for reminding users of offers that were discovered by the user at one location when, at a later time, the user is at another location, the process including: displaying, with a mobile device, an offer and a reminder interface to indicate that the user requests themselves or another reminder recipient to be reminded of the offer when near another computing device of the reminder recipient; receiving an interaction with the reminder interface by the user and, in response, storing a reminder request in memory, the reminder request identifying the offer; obtaining data identifying the other computing device, a geographic area of the other computing device, or a wireless environment of the other computing device; detecting, with a processor of the mobile device, that the reminder recipient has interacted with the other computing device, entered the geographic area, or entered the wireless environment; and in response to the detection, presenting a notification reminding tType: GrantFiled: December 19, 2016Date of Patent: September 11, 2018Assignee: RetailMeNot, Inc.Inventor: Eithan Zilkha
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Patent number: 9965769Abstract: Devices, computer-implemented methods, and computer-readable media for a redemption header for merchant offers, such as online coupons, are provided. In some embodiments, an offers website may provide offers, such as online coupons, in a browser executing on a user device. When a user selects an online coupon, the browser is redirected to a merchant website associated with the online coupon and a coupon code value is copied to a clipboard. Additionally, a redemption header having the coupon code and instructions is added in the merchant webpage. A webpage element for the redemption header, such as an inline frame, is created in the merchant webpage and the redemption header is provided based on an offer identifier stored in a browser-accessible storage item such as a cookie.Type: GrantFiled: December 22, 2017Date of Patent: May 8, 2018Assignee: RetailMeNot, Inc.Inventors: Nicholas James Shiffert, Michael Paul Cravey, Jagjit Singh Bath
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Patent number: 9959557Abstract: A content server provides a client device with audio content including an audio advertisement, which is provided in response to receiving a request for digital audio content from a client device associated with a user. The content server obtains user information about the user and retrieves advertisement text received from an advertiser, which are used to generate a personalized text advertisement. The personalized text advertisement is generated according to an advertisement template specifying an ordered combination of text components. The personalized text advertisement includes the received advertisement text, user information text selected from the obtained user information, and template text. The client device is provided with an advertisement based on the personalized text advertisement and is configured to play an audio version of the personalized text advertisement. The audio advertisement is generated using a text-to-speech algorithm at the client device or at the content server.Type: GrantFiled: September 29, 2014Date of Patent: May 1, 2018Assignee: Pandora Media, Inc.Inventors: Shriram Bharath, Jacek Adam Krawczyk, Christopher Irwin
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Patent number: 9953335Abstract: Devices, computer-implemented methods, and computer-readable media for a redemption header for merchant offers, such as online coupons, are provided. In some embodiments, an offers website may provide offers, such as online coupons, in a browser executing on a user device. When a user selects an online coupon, the browser is redirected to a merchant website associated with the online coupon and a coupon code value is copied to a clipboard. Additionally, a redemption header having the coupon code and instructions is added in the merchant webpage. A webpage element for the redemption header, such as an inline frame, is created in the merchant webpage and the redemption header is provided based on an offer identifier stored in a browser-accessible storage item such as a cookie.Type: GrantFiled: March 28, 2017Date of Patent: April 24, 2018Assignee: RETAILMENOT, INC.Inventors: Nicholas James Shiffert, Michael Paul Cravey, Jagjit Singh Bath
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Patent number: 9934517Abstract: A method comprises receiving, by a computer-based system for processing a transaction, a notification that a transaction account holder has taken an action, taking, in near real time, an action in response to the action taken by the transaction account holder, and/or communicating with a web-client associated with the transaction account holder in response to the action taken by the transaction account holder. The communicating with the web-client may occur in near real time.Type: GrantFiled: June 17, 2014Date of Patent: April 3, 2018Assignee: AMERICAN EXPRESS TRAVEL RELATED SERVICES COMPANY, INC.Inventors: Sibish Basheer, Nageshwara R. Chirravuri, Sastry V S M Durvasula, Ravi Govindasamy, Priyadarshini Koul, Ashish Kumar, Premkumar Manivannan, Sathish B. Muthukrishnan, Varun Sood, Sohail Zafar
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Patent number: 9922339Abstract: A transaction parameter date set comprising input variables characterizing the transaction conditions are collected when an electronic payment is initiated on an electronic payment system. The collected transaction input variables are used to calculate an expected future transaction value using a decision function. The expected future transaction value identifies high utility transaction based on a comparison of the expected future transaction value to a threshold value established while training the decision function on a training data set of known outcome. A high utility transaction can include behavior that if rewarded is likely to retain current users or grow the electronic payment system network by adding new users. If the expected future transaction value exceeds the threshold value the sender of the electronic payment is rewarded by the system.Type: GrantFiled: March 15, 2013Date of Patent: March 20, 2018Assignee: GOOGLE LLCInventors: Travis Harrison Kroll Green, Brian Richard Schneirow
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Patent number: 9922337Abstract: A system and method for assigning a value to an electronic communications action by a user based on the social media profile of the user in the initiation of transactions based on some electronic communications action by a user, such as updating their social status with their mobile device. The value of the reward or distribution is variable as it is determined in real time from a calculation using the user's social media influence. The components of Applicant's invention include a system monitor, a validation module, and a redemption module, which work in concert to provide a user with a tangible and immediately usable reward of some value, or credit towards the same, in response to the user publishing or sending certain social status updates, messages, or posts with their mobile device, with the value awarded determined in real time.Type: GrantFiled: August 29, 2014Date of Patent: March 20, 2018Inventor: Brett Circe
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Patent number: 9911126Abstract: A method, apparatus, and system are directed towards providing advertisement insertions at a point of consumption into digital content, such as broadcast television content. A content provider may initially mark the content for advertisement insertion, and create a metadata file indicating constraints, targets, expirations, or the like. A downstream user employs a plug-in component and provides an initial user profile, in part, to access the content with advertisements. As the content is played, and an advertising marker is encountered, fast forwarding or other skipping features are disabled, and an advertisement stream is spliced into the content stream. The advertisement stream is determined based on the user profile and/or other metadata. Moreover, the advertisement stream may be obtained over a network such that advertisements may be refreshed even years after the content has been acquired by the user. In one embodiment, the advertisement consumption may be tracked and reported.Type: GrantFiled: February 25, 2008Date of Patent: March 6, 2018Assignee: Google LLCInventors: Glenn A. Morten, Brian A. Baker
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Patent number: 9904939Abstract: A system for targeting advertising can include a communications interface and a processor. The communications interface can receive data associated with times of use of applications. The processor can be communicatively coupled to the communications interface and can categorize the applications by genres. The categorization is within a time of use group and is based on at least part of the retrieved data. The processor can also determine priority values associated with the genres based on levels of use of the applications during a period of time associated with the time of use group. The processor can also identify a current time and determine an advertisement according to at least one genre of the genres. The at least one genre can be associated with a highest priority value of the determined priority values. The period associated with the time of use group can correspond to the identified current time.Type: GrantFiled: May 17, 2013Date of Patent: February 27, 2018Assignee: Yahoo Holdings, Inc.Inventors: Allie K. Watfa, Jonathan Kilroy, Dale Nussel, Anupam Seth
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Patent number: 9875488Abstract: A system and method for providing targeted marketing to a user based on the user's social media interaction. The system includes one or more computing platforms providing computer-automated functionality performing method steps for accepting a digital media and digital media related data from a publisher, generating associated information unique identifiers, monitoring social media networks for member-user rankings of the digital media after it is posted, and communicating to a member-user targeted marketing information based on the user rankings. A data storage device persists the digital media, digital media related data, and information unique identifier, which may include a linking hash character, a unique identifier, an account identifier, and/or social media network system-defined elements. The publisher selects digital media and information representing digital media elements, and posts the digital media on the social media network website.Type: GrantFiled: April 16, 2014Date of Patent: January 23, 2018Assignee: REWARDSTYLE, INC.Inventors: Baxter Box, Harrison Jackson
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Patent number: 9875470Abstract: An email payment gateway configured to enable users to receive @PAY offers using print media quick response (QR) codes. A consumer views an advertisement or product having packing with a QR code and scans the QR code. Scanning the QR code generates an email addressed to the email payment gateway requesting information on the product, which is sent to the email payment gateway. The email payment gateway receives the email and responds to the consumer with an email that includes information on the products in the advertisement. Included in the email from the email payment gateway is a button enabling the recipient to purchase the relevant item. The button preferably includes a mail-to hyperlink as that generates an outgoing email reply requesting to purchase the product.Type: GrantFiled: March 15, 2013Date of Patent: January 23, 2018Assignee: @PAY IP HOLDINGS LLCInventor: John P. Killoran
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Patent number: 9865004Abstract: A system and method for advertisement impression volume estimation is herein disclosed. According to one embodiment, the computer-implemented method includes identifying a plurality of advertisement placements for an advertisement campaign based on a campaign parameter and a specified performance level for a past advertisement campaign, determining a first plurality of advertisement impressions from the plurality of advertisement placements based on a target geographic region, and estimating a second plurality of advertisement impressions from the first plurality of advertisement impressions based on a discount rate.Type: GrantFiled: December 23, 2013Date of Patent: January 9, 2018Assignee: MaxPoint Interactive, Inc.Inventors: Laura Snoddy, Michael Els
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Patent number: 9846895Abstract: Embodiments are directed to generating and managing an advertising campaign based on a third-party listing. In particular, an identifier associated with a listing posted over a third-party service from a user of the third-party service is received. Listing data for the listing is retrieved from the third-party service using the identifier associated with the listing. Thereafter, an advertising campaign is automatically generated based at least in part on the retrieved listing data. In one aspect, generation of the advertising campaign includes generating an advertising creative using the retrieved listing data. Subsequently, an advertising opportunity is selected according to the generated advertising campaign. Following the selection, an advertisement based on the advertising creative is provided to a content provider associated with the advertising opportunity.Type: GrantFiled: March 15, 2013Date of Patent: December 19, 2017Assignee: Quantcast CorporationInventors: Silvius V. Rus, Barney Govan, Nhat Bao Sinh Vu, Mark Cooper
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Patent number: 9818129Abstract: One variation of a method for calculating advertisement effectiveness includes: posting an advertisement for a product to a social feed within a social networking system; tracking a view of the advertisement by a user; determining a proximity of the user to a store of a merchant; in accordance with a privacy setting of the user, selecting personal data of the user from data stored in the social networking system, the personal data including an identity of the user and an interest of the user; in response to the determined proximity of the user to the store, transmitting the selected personal data to the store; and, in response to a transaction between the user and the store, assessing an effectiveness of the advertisement according to a determined correlation between the transaction and the view of the advertisement by the user.Type: GrantFiled: March 15, 2013Date of Patent: November 14, 2017Assignee: FACEBOOK, INC.Inventors: Abheek Anand, Neville Bowers, Ram Vaidyantathan, Sohan Mazumdar, Ted Zagat, Kelly Winters
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Patent number: 9792625Abstract: An ad publisher provides an online system with user identifying information of users who interacted with an advertisement presented by the ad publisher and indications of interactions with the advertisement. A landing page is associated with the advertisement, and the advertiser provides the online system with user identifiers of users who interacted with the advertisement and requested the landing page. The online system determines whether the ad publisher fraudulently identifies interactions with the advertisement by comparing the user identifying information received from the ad publisher with the user identifiers received from the advertiser.Type: GrantFiled: May 22, 2014Date of Patent: October 17, 2017Assignee: Facebook, Inc.Inventors: Vijaye Ganesh Raji, Jason Duane Clark
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Patent number: 9785973Abstract: A method for loading a layout with advertising item data is provided. Layout header data is parsed. A layout item object is then built. Global layout variables are replaced with values. Local layout variables are replaced with data from content objects. Displayed data is then created.Type: GrantFiled: February 6, 2006Date of Patent: October 10, 2017Assignee: CELLFIRE INC.Inventors: Preston Tollinger, Brent Dusing
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Patent number: 9785976Abstract: A social networking system generates an advertisement, a recommended budget, and recommended targeting criteria for an object maintained by the social networking system for presentation to social networking system users. Information associated with the object by the social networking system is used to generate elements of the advertisement, the recommended budget, and the recommended targeting criteria. Different budgets, each associated with a predicted return on investment, may be determined, allowing an advertiser to select a budget based on the return the advertiser receives from presentation of the advertisement. Additionally, an advertiser may modify the recommended targeting criteria, recommended budget, or elements of the generated advertisement to customize presentation or distribution of the advertisement.Type: GrantFiled: December 11, 2013Date of Patent: October 10, 2017Assignee: Facebook, Inc.Inventors: Dong Guo, Mark Kar Hong Wong, William Schurman
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Patent number: 9779425Abstract: A method and system is provided for facilitating affiliate link generation. A publisher enables the system by identifying a webpage on an affiliate web site. The system performs an initial assessment of the page to extract webpage information, which is compared to information stored in a database. If the extracted information matches stored information, a record of the webpage is displayed and an affiliate link is dynamically generated for immediate use. If the extracted information does not match stored information, a new record of the webpage is created. If the webpage contains product-specific data, a product-specific record is stored. If the webpage does not contain product-specific data, a non-product record is stored. An affiliate link is then dynamically created. The new record of the product and dynamically created affiliate link is added to the database for immediate use.Type: GrantFiled: December 31, 2012Date of Patent: October 3, 2017Assignee: REWARDSTYLE, INC.Inventors: Alexei Stoliartchouk, Forrest Jordan, Baxter Box
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Patent number: 9754283Abstract: An online system provides identifies multiple candidate budgets to an advertiser requesting presentation of advertisements via the online system. The advertiser may select a candidate budget used for presenting advertisements via the online system. A default budget may be identified from the candidate budgets to increase the likelihood of the advertiser selecting the default budget. The candidate budgets and the default budget are determined by the online system to maximize the likelihood that an advertiser elects to present advertisements via the online system or to maximize revenue received the online system for presenting advertisements from the advertiser. Various factors are specific to the advertiser, the object being advertised, and other contextual information may be used to determine the candidate budgets.Type: GrantFiled: January 31, 2014Date of Patent: September 5, 2017Assignee: Facebook, Inc.Inventors: Dong Guo, Mark Kar Hong Wong, Zhi Zhong
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Patent number: 9741047Abstract: A system including a processor may filter a population to identify a group having members, and deliver, over an electronic network, a survey to members of the group to determine value preferences and value gaps. The survey may be made according to a set of paired comparisons or other related techniques. The system may generate vectors according to the determined value preferences and value gaps for members of the group, which may have lengths equal to numbers of determined values for the members. The system may cluster members of the group into segments by calculating patterns of differences between generated vectors. Results of this process enable the creation of a predictive model to estimate segment membership, which can be used in the generation of a promotion for display corresponding to a clustered segment, and deliver the promotion to a client device associated for display.Type: GrantFiled: August 2, 2016Date of Patent: August 22, 2017Assignee: Merkle, Inc.Inventors: Robert Lee Wood, Futoshi Yumoto, Thomas D. Lacki