Patents Examined by Ryan Zeender
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Method and system for providing a payroll preparation platform with user contribution-based plug-ins
Patent number: 9330402Abstract: Customizations and regional optimizations made to a payroll preparation and management system by one or more contributing users are transformed into payroll optimization plug-ins. The payroll optimization plug-ins are then aggregated into payroll optimization plug-in sets that, when implemented, optimize the payroll configurations used by the payroll preparation and management system for a given region and/or type of business within the region. The payroll optimization plug-in sets for a given region and/or activity are then requested and/or selected by other individuals using the payroll preparation and management system and imported to the requestor's implementation of the payroll preparation and management system to optimize the requestor's implementation of the payroll preparation and management system for the requested region, and/or type of business within the requested region.Type: GrantFiled: November 2, 2012Date of Patent: May 3, 2016Assignee: Intuit Inc.Inventors: Mohan Naik, Gorman Ho, Danilo Bangit, Jr., Brad Sinclair -
Patent number: 9324042Abstract: A facility for assessing product replenishment is described. The facility determines that a purchasing entity possesses an item, determines an expiration time for the item, and schedules, for a time preceding the expiration, a unilateral communication to the purchasing entity indicating that the item should be replenished. The facility can also manage automatic item replenishment, including determining a target date for replenishment of the item, transmitting to the purchaser in advance of the target date (when the purchaser is not engaged in an electronic shopping activity) a replenishment proposal, and ordering a replacement for the item. In some cases, the facility places an order within a predetermined tolerance of the target date without intervention by the consumer. The facility can also establish and test a condition for suggesting replenishment, can raise an event when the condition is satisfied, and can unilaterally make the replenishment suggestion when the event is raised.Type: GrantFiled: January 25, 2012Date of Patent: April 26, 2016Assignee: Amazon.com, Inc.Inventor: Amit D. Agarwal
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Patent number: 9317876Abstract: A method includes receiving a payment object for payment of a certain amount owed by a first party to a second party. The payment object carries sufficient account information for the payment from an account associated with the payment object. The second party communicates the account information from the payment object and an identification of the second party for receipt by a third party; and receives in return data that is indicative of a gratuity to be charged against the account. The second party prints a document that includes the certain amount owed and the gratuity, as indicated by the data received by the second party, and presents the document for signature by the first party. The printed document preferably includes the total of the amount owed and the gratuity. The payment object may be a credit card, charge card, debit card, rebate card, or stored-value card.Type: GrantFiled: February 24, 2009Date of Patent: April 19, 2016Inventor: Blake Bookstaff
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Patent number: 9310210Abstract: An assessment module for assessing data from a digital map for a vehicle. The assessment is made on the basis of a piece of dedicated map quality information and measurement data from an ambient sensor system in the vehicle. The connected driver assistance systems and safety systems in the vehicle use the digital map data on the basis of the assessment.Type: GrantFiled: October 28, 2008Date of Patent: April 12, 2016Assignee: Continental Teves AG & Co. oHGInventors: Ulrich Stählin, Otmar Schreiner, Andreas Kircher, Enno Kelling, Matthias Schorn
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Patent number: 9310214Abstract: A system and method adjusts road segment boundaries based on information received from devices that travel a road system for purposes other than road segment definition.Type: GrantFiled: January 24, 2008Date of Patent: April 12, 2016Assignee: BlackBerry CorporationInventor: Assimakis Tzamaloukas
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Patent number: 9304004Abstract: An update information providing server for providing data of an updated portion in map data composed of plural kinds of the data includes: a map data storage unit configured to store incremental update data of a difference between the data at a predefined time and newest data, and a data size of the incremental update data; an update request receiving unit configured to receive from a user terminal a map data update request including a capacity of a recording medium, and priority information for specifying a data kind of the data to be preferentially updated; an update order information making unit configured to make update order information; an update information transmission unit configured to extract the incremental update data from the storage unit, to make update information including the extracted incremental update data and the update order information, and to transmit the made update information to the user terminal.Type: GrantFiled: January 21, 2009Date of Patent: April 5, 2016Assignees: Hitachi, Ltd., Clarion Co., Ltd.Inventors: Yukihiro Kawamata, Yukio Miyazaki, Takayuki Uchida
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Patent number: 9305312Abstract: A grocery store or retail establishment easy-pass (E-Z) lane system for enabling express non-contact payment of a plurality of items is presented including an E-Z pass express checkout lane having at least a scanner for scanning the plurality of items and provided exclusively to preferred members pre-registered with the grocery store or retail establishment. The system includes an RFID antenna positioned about the E-Z pass express checkout lane for communicating with an RFID transponder issued to a preferred member when the RFID transponder is in close proximity to the RFID antenna. The E-Z pass checkout lane is activated thereafter for use by the preferred member for express checkout without the preferred member furnishing direct payment at the E-Z pass express checkout lane via a personal payment account that is separate and distinct from a prepaid vendor-established and maintained purchasing account.Type: GrantFiled: October 25, 2011Date of Patent: April 5, 2016Inventors: Theodosios Kountotsis, Agjah Libohova
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Patent number: 9292827Abstract: Various methods and systems such as in a software application are presented which may include automated purchase recommendations based on amalgamated purchase constraints (4) for business inventory maintenance, notation of events through noted event entry portals (31) for business related observation recordation, automatic facilitation of regular debut of initial suggested industry tied information (50), presentation of business performance data (65) and disparate substantially redundant business performance data (67) in a business performance display (66) for a summary review of business operations, and easy selection of inventory items (83) from a recommended hierarchical categorization of inventory items which may be used to create buying reports, ad hoc reports, and the like.Type: GrantFiled: February 17, 2012Date of Patent: March 22, 2016Assignee: Rain Effect, LLCInventor: John A. Musa
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Patent number: 9286639Abstract: A system and method uses categorized transaction data to respond to requests for pricing information about one or more merchants corresponding to a subset of the transaction data.Type: GrantFiled: December 31, 2009Date of Patent: March 15, 2016Assignee: INTUIT INC.Inventor: Aaron Patzer
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Patent number: 9280785Abstract: A computer-implemented method of allocating offline advertising, the method including receiving an offer price for audience-member responses for an offline advertising campaign and campaign information describing the offline advertising campaign, comparing the received campaign information to one or more other advertising campaigns to determine a portion of offline advertising inventory to allocate to the offline advertising campaign, and allocating the determined portion of advertising inventory to the offline advertising campaign.Type: GrantFiled: January 2, 2009Date of Patent: March 8, 2016Assignee: Google Inc.Inventor: Amit Jain
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Patent number: 9277012Abstract: A method of tracking information in a multi-tier computerized environment, the method comprising: receiving an at least one packet; storing data associated with the at least one packet and with an at least one request or transaction associated with the at least one packet; parsing a byte stream generated from conversion of the at least one packet; detecting data associated with the at least one request or transaction related to the byte stream; matching a thread associated with the byte stream with the at least one request or transaction associated with the at least one packet according to predetermined fields within the byte stream, an apparatus for implementing the same and methods for determining resource consumption of requests or transactions.Type: GrantFiled: August 27, 2007Date of Patent: March 1, 2016Assignee: CORRELSENSEL LTDInventors: Lanir Naftay Shacham, Oren Shlomo Elias
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Patent number: 9269529Abstract: A method for performing DA (Dynamic Alignment) beam calibration in a plasma processing system is provided. The method including acquiring a positional difference, the positional difference is acquired using an optical imaging approach. The optical imaging approach comprising of positioning the wafer on the end effector, taking a still image of the wafer on the end effector, processing the still image to ascertain the center of the wafer and an end effector-defined center defined by the end effector, and determining the positional difference between the center of the wafer and the end effector-defined center defined by the end effector. The method also includes centering a wafer with respect to an end effector by compensating for a positional difference between the wafer and the end effector with robot movement compensation. The method including moving the wafer and the end effector through DA beams associated with a plasma processing module.Type: GrantFiled: December 19, 2008Date of Patent: February 23, 2016Assignee: LAM RESEARCH CORPORATIONInventors: Matt Rodnick, Christine Allen-Blanchette
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Patent number: 9262762Abstract: A processing system is operable for issuance and processing of cards with fee options applicable to a group of fee types. In one embodiment, the processing system includes a processing module, a secure card network, an issuer fee database and card account database. The card issuance database is operable to store a fee record associated with a card, wherein the fee record includes the fee options configured to apply to the group of fee types. The card account database is operable to store a card account record for the card, wherein the card account record includes a universal fee access counter for tracking parameters associated with the fee options configured to apply to the group of fee types.Type: GrantFiled: October 9, 2008Date of Patent: February 16, 2016Assignee: Visa U.S.A. Inc.Inventor: Justin T. Monk
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Patent number: 9264489Abstract: A peer-to-peer network comprises a plurality of intelligent terminal nodes, each intelligent terminal node being operable to establish, maintain, and tear-down communication sessions with another intelligent terminal node, a plurality of network service nodes coupled to the plurality of intelligent terminal nodes, the plurality of network service nodes comprise at least one of the plurality of intelligent terminal nodes, at least one user P2P function module operable to store, locate and distribute service resource information related to user policies, and at least one network P2P function module operable to store, locate and distribute service resource information related to operator provider policies, and operable to exert stricter security control than the at least one user P2P function module.Type: GrantFiled: April 4, 2008Date of Patent: February 16, 2016Assignees: ZTE Corporation, ZTE (USA) Inc.Inventors: Li Mo, Weijun Lee, Larry Shaoyan Ma, Xing Chen
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Patent number: 9256912Abstract: In order to measure a measurement target on a PCB, height information of the PCB is acquired by using a first image photographed by illuminating a grating pattern light onto the PCB. Then, a first area protruding on the PCB by greater than a reference height is determined as the measurement target by using the height information. Thereafter, color information of the PCB is acquired by using a second image photographed by illuminating light onto the PCB. Then, the first color information of the first area determined as the measurement target out of the color information of the PCB is set as reference color information. Thereafter, the reference color information is compared with color information of an area except for the first area to judge whether the measurement target is formed in the area except for the first area. Thus, the measurement target may be accurately measured.Type: GrantFiled: May 13, 2010Date of Patent: February 9, 2016Assignee: KOH YOUNG TECHNOLOGY INC.Inventors: Joong-Ki Jeong, Min-Young Kim, Hee-Wook You
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Patent number: 9256898Abstract: Generally speaking, systems, methods and media for managing shared inventory in a virtual universe are disclosed. Embodiments of the method may include receiving notification of a user session being established between a user and a virtual universe simulator. The method may also include accessing a list of shared inventory items for the user where the list of shared inventory items includes one or more shared inventory items each having an inventory source associated with it. Embodiments may also include retrieving at least one shared inventory item from its associated inventory source and passing the retrieved shared inventory item to the virtual universe simulator. Further embodiments may include retrieving an updated listing for the shared inventory items from their associated inventory sources and passing the updated shared inventory item list to the virtual universe simulator. Further embodiments may include passing metadata for shared inventory items to the virtual universe simulator.Type: GrantFiled: February 11, 2008Date of Patent: February 9, 2016Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Kulvir S. Bhogal, Rick Allen Hamilton, II, Clifford Alan Pickover, Anne R. Sand
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Patent number: 9250084Abstract: A system for navigating includes an interface operable to receive position information of a first modality. The position information of the first modality is associated with a navigation unit. The interface is further operable to receive position information of a second modality. The position information of the second modality is associated with the navigation unit. The system also includes a processor coupled to the interface and operable to identify a destination. The system is further operable to navigate to the destination based on the position information of the first and second modalities by switching between the first modality and the second modality.Type: GrantFiled: August 10, 2007Date of Patent: February 2, 2016Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc.Inventors: Shmuel Shaffer, Labhesh Patel, Bruce D. Moon, Shantanu Sarkar, Gebran G. Chahrouri, Joseph F. Khouri
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Patent number: 9245424Abstract: According to one embodiment, a store system includes: an image output section configured to output an image picked up by an image pickup section; an object recognizing section configured to recognize a specific object by reading a feature value of the output image; a similarity determining section configured to calculate similarity indicating to which degree the recognized object is similar to a reference image of the object determined in advance and determine whether the calculated similarity exceeds a threshold set in advance; and a defective informing section configured to inform, if the similarity determining section determines that the calculated similarity does not exceed the threshold set in advance, that the object is not recognized as a regular commodity.Type: GrantFiled: August 22, 2011Date of Patent: January 26, 2016Assignee: Toshiba Tec Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Hiroyuki Ueda, Masahito Sano, Nobuo Watanabe, Hiroyuki Koyama
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Patent number: 9245267Abstract: A system, apparatus, and method for providing and using a payment account or payment device identifier when conducting a transaction. The bank identification number (BIN) is decoupled from the primary account number (PAN) or other form of device identifier when generating the payment account or payment device identifier. The payment account or payment device identifier is used to access information regarding the issuer, with that information being used to route a transaction authorization request message to the appropriate entity.Type: GrantFiled: September 29, 2010Date of Patent: January 26, 2016Assignee: Visa International Service AssociationInventor: Shantnu Singh
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Patent number: 9241039Abstract: Various systems, methods, and programs embodied on computer readable mediums are provided relating to classroom attendance tracking. In one embodiment, a method is provided that comprises the steps of harvesting personal identification data from each one of a plurality of students attending a class in conjunction with a conduct of the class using a portable identification capture device, and coupling the portable identification capture device to a client coupled to a server via a network. The method further comprises automatically uploading the personal identification data from the portable identification capture device to the server.Type: GrantFiled: July 11, 2006Date of Patent: January 19, 2016Assignee: WEST VIRGINIA UNIVERSITYInventor: Richard T. Holsberry