Patents Examined by Scott A Zare
  • Patent number: 9524484
    Abstract: A method for handling water and oil automatically monitors and schedules the trucking of waste water between a disposal site and multiple well sites. In some examples, the method automatically detects the presence of a tanker truck at a well site and/or at the disposal site and records the truck's arrival and departure times. In some examples, the method monitors the changing level of waste fluid collected in a waste fluid storage tank at the well site and thereby determines the volume of waste fluid transferred from the tank to the truck. In some examples, the method also estimates the volume of waste fluid transferred from the well bore into the tank while the truck is withdrawing fluid from the tank. In some examples, the method automatically generates and posts online billing information and regulatory reports associated with waste water trucking, waste water disposal and oil reclaiming.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2016
    Inventors: Frederic M. Newman, James B. Story, Meredith K. Peeler, Jesse J. Lee, Steven K. Stout, Kevin A. Vaughn, II
  • Patent number: 9514427
    Abstract: A novel graphical interface and input method is provided. In certain implementations, a touch screen interface is provided with a plurality of icons that each represent seats around a table in a restaurant. Each icon is associated with a unique account. Accounts can be easily merged and split by using touch and swipe interfaces with the icons.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2016
    Assignee: TouchBistro Inc.
    Inventors: Robert Taylor, Alejandro Barrotti, George Konrad, Zachariah Zahos, Adam Winkels
  • Patent number: 9438316
    Abstract: In the first state in which the position of an external device is included in the first area where a power supply unit executes wireless power supply and is included in the second area wider than the first area where a communication portion performs communication, the power supply unit is controlled to execute wireless power supply. It is determined whether the state of the external device has transited from the first state to the second state in which the position of the external device is included in the second area and is outside the first area. If it is determined that the state has transited from the first state to the second state, information based on the power supply executed in the first state is communicated with the external device via the communication portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2016
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Seiya Fujinaga
  • Patent number: 9430753
    Abstract: The present disclosure extends to maintaining an item inventory status at an inventory cache management system. The inventory cache may be refreshed regularly by a threshold-based triggering mechanism. In embodiments, as item inventory breaches certain thresholds, the inventory cache may be refreshed with increased frequency to mitigate overselling or underselling scenarios and reduce overall network traffic for items having relatively high inventory levels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2016
    Assignee: Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
    Inventors: Madhavan Kandhadai Vasantham, Sreekanth Sreedhararaj, Vikrant Tare
  • Patent number: 9390410
    Abstract: Disclosed is a mobile platform that enables unique tap-and-connect transaction processing and settlement, which allows consumers, merchants, financial institutions and other third parties to strengthen their relationships through a local transaction network that offers more efficient transaction processing and settlement for reduced per-transaction cost and risk management costs and increased security.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2016
    Assignee: Lemon, Inc.
    Inventors: Wenceslao Casares, Federico H. Murrone, Meyer Malka
  • Patent number: 9369534
    Abstract: In a continual and integrated approach to Internet banner display rights, a party acquires long-term banner display rights on published web sites of other entities, in a manner so as to ensure full and continual control over the content, look and functionality of the acquired banner space. A variety of different forms of compensation can be provided to the entities which publish the web sites, in exchange for the acquisition of the banner space. The Internet banner is multifunctional, utilizing menus, links and similar user interface items, to operate as a portal to a variety of informational content and services, such as e-commerce, search engines, and the like. These services might be provided by the party which owns the banner space, or by third parties. The banners which appear in the spaces acquired from multiple publishing sites are organized into a networked system, to provide users with integrated and consistent access to the available services.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2016
    Assignee: Zap.com Corporation
    Inventor: Avram Glazer
  • Patent number: 9355395
    Abstract: In accordance with one embodiment, a POS terminal apparatus comprises a first interface and a control section. The first interface receives image data obtained by capturing a commodity purchased by a customer. The control section extracts a commodity belonging to a first group from a plurality of pre-registered commodities, compares feature amount of each commodity in the first group with that of an object in the image data, and compares, if a commodity corresponding to the object in the image data is not in the first group, feature amount of a commodity not belonging to the first group with that of the object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2016
    Assignee: TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Keiko Kanamori
  • Patent number: 9342811
    Abstract: A method for fulfilling inventory requests includes receiving an inventory request requesting an inventory item and selecting the requested inventory item from an inventory holder. The method further includes storing the requested inventory item in an order holder associated with the inventory request and moving the order holder to a storage space. In addition, the method includes detecting a triggering event and in response to detecting the triggering event, retrieving the order holder from the storage space.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2016
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael Cordell Mountz, Peter R. Wurman
  • Patent number: 9280772
    Abstract: Devices, systems, and methods are disclosed which relate to an NFC-enabled security token that is removably coupled to a mobile device. The security token may be provisioned with the information by the mobile device, then decoupled from the mobile device and used to authenticate the user or perform a transaction at a POS terminal equipped with an NFC reader. The security token includes logic for user-controlled restrictions on allowable purchases, such as payment limits, timeouts, vendor identifiers, allowed purchases, and location-based restrictions. The security token is further equipped with “self-destruct” security features, such as deactivating itself or erasing any sensitive information upon being unable to contact the mobile device for a specified duration, or being subject to an unauthorized or restricted transaction, until such time as it is re-coupled to the mobile device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2016
    Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P.
    Inventors: Christopher F. Baldwin, Bruce Barnes, Patrick J. Kenny, Shadi I. Khoshaba, Dolores J. Mallian, Nikhil S. Marathe, Charles M. Stahulak
  • Patent number: 9256873
    Abstract: A payment module includes: one or more processors, memory, a first interface module configured to couple the payment module with a control unit of an offline-payment operated machine, and a short-range communication capability for communicating with one or more mobile devices each including a complimentary short-range communication capability and a long-range communication capability. The payment module receives a transaction request via the short-range communication capability from a mobile device to perform a transaction with the offline-payment operated machine. The payment module validates the transaction request to verify that the mobile device is authorized to initiate payment for the transaction by a remote server via the long-range communication capability.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 9, 2016
    Assignee: PAYRANGE INC.
    Inventors: Paresh K. Patel, Chau M. Doan
  • Patent number: 9202331
    Abstract: Vending machines for rounding-up donations for charities. The machines allow consumers to donate change from transactions, or other amounts, to a charity through a purchase of goods or services from the machines.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2015
    Inventor: Michael K Dershem
  • Patent number: 9202186
    Abstract: Materials handling vehicles are integrated with enterprise computing systems by providing a transceiver on a vehicle, where the transceiver is configured for wireless data communication across a wireless computing environment. More particularly, integration is implemented by configuring a processor on the materials handling vehicle to: communicate with the transceiver for wireless communication to a corresponding server computer, to communicate with at least one electronics component of the materials handling vehicle across a vehicle network bus and to receive logon information to identify an operator logging onto the materials handling vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2015
    Assignee: Crown Equipment Corporation
    Inventors: Timothy A. Wellman, Dean E. Winner
  • Patent number: 9189781
    Abstract: The present invention enables the collection by credit/debit card payment of customer co-pay and self-pay charges via an integrated point-of-service transaction management system and method. The system and method of the present invention may assist health care facilities in the collection of co-pay and self-pay charges at the time service is rendered. The present invention can be implemented anywhere cash, checks, credit cards or debit cards are accepted for payment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2015
    Inventors: David Millary, Ken Blessing, Brian Clementoni
  • Patent number: 9183100
    Abstract: A system, method, and auditing device for tracking removal of CPI. The auditing device includes a processor for executing a set of instructions and a memory for storing the set of instructions. The set of instructions are executed to receive one or more electronic devices for verification of CPI removal, the one or more electronic devices being one or more of a plurality of makes and models of electronic devices, determine whether CPI is included on the one or more electronic devices, record an identification and metadata of the one or more electronic devices in response to determining CPI is included on the one or more electronic devices, quarantine the one or more electronic devices until the CPI is verifiably removed, and record the identification and metadata for the one or more electronic devices to a database in response to determining the CPI was included on the one or more electronic devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2015
    Assignee: ATC Logistics & Electronics, Inc.
    Inventors: Brian Gventer, Ken Nguyen, Kevin Asbury, Joel McCarty, Mike Lowry
  • Patent number: 9165278
    Abstract: The present disclosure extends to maintaining an item inventory status at an inventory cache management system. The inventory cache may be refreshed regularly by a threshold-based triggering mechanism. In embodiments, as item inventory breaches certain thresholds, the inventory cache may be refreshed with increased frequency to mitigate overselling or underselling scenarios and reduce overall network traffic for items having relatively high inventory levels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 20, 2015
    Assignee: Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
    Inventors: Madhavan Kandhadai Vasantham, Vikrant Tare, Sreekanth Sreedhararaj, Mahesh Tyagarajan
  • Patent number: 9152968
    Abstract: A system for and a method of acting on beverage bottles has a plurality of bottles each provided with a device selected from the group consisting of an electrical device and an electronic device integrated in each of the beverage bottles without interfering with a content of the bottle and providing a function; and a unit for remotely acting on the devices of at least some of the beverage bottles with the use of internet so that the devices produce corresponding functions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2015
    Assignee: Medea Inc.
    Inventor: Tim Goldburt
  • Patent number: 9152933
    Abstract: Position dependent operation of a materials handling vehicle, comprises utilizing a processor on the materials handling vehicle to communicate across a wireless computing environment to a corresponding server computer via a transceiver on the materials handling vehicle. Operation further comprises obtaining from at least one device on the materials handling vehicle, information relating to the position of the materials handling vehicle and communicating the obtained position related information to the server computer. The operation still further comprises receiving a command from the server computer to perform a predetermined action, wherein the command is based upon the position related information of the materials handling vehicle relative to a position of a point of interest known by the server, and communicating information across a vehicle network bus to at least one component of the materials handling vehicle to perform the predetermined action in response to the received command.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 17, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2015
    Assignee: Crown Equipment Corporation
    Inventor: Timothy A. Wellman
  • Patent number: 9152955
    Abstract: A computer implemented method for reducing input performed in a commerce based application is provided. The method includes receiving a sequence of input values from an input device and associating the sequence of input values with an object in the application based on the sequence. A context of the application is determined One or more tasks in the application are automatically performed based on the object, the context and the sequence of input values.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2015
    Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventors: Ashvin Mathew, Derrick Steven Bazlen, Jeffrey Blucher, Sylvester M. LaBlanc, Andreas Hofmann, Gregg Robert Dingle, Brendan O'Meara
  • Patent number: 9105056
    Abstract: Methods and systems for communicating expense management information between an expense management system and a mobile device are provided. The methods and systems include one or more applications for a mobile device, such as mobile phone, that enable a user, such as an expense manager for an entity such as a business entity or other organization, to use their mobile device to communicate and exchange data with an expense management system, such as a telecommunications expense management system. The methods and systems enable an expense manager to review and approve invoices, generate graphics to review usage or other data, and conduct data searches relative to the expenses being managed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 11, 2015
    Assignee: Cass Information Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Carl N. Friedholm, Angela Melissa Taylor, Randy Edmonds, Gregory Steven Thomas
  • Patent number: 9092753
    Abstract: Methods and systems for documenting an inventory of items by accessing an inventory algorithm for creating an inventory list, adding multiple items to the inventory list, adding details about one or more of the items in the inventory list, identifying one or more real properties containing items in the inventory list, and linking one or more images and documents with one or more of the items in the inventory list. The user can schedule a future event reminder to automatically receive an email message corresponding to the scheduled event. The inventory can be created by providing a user with an access code to access the inventory list corresponding to the user, providing a Reseller with access to the inventory algorithm for setting up a new user account and the user authorizing an Authorized Inventory Professional with access to the inventory algorithm for creating the inventory list for the client user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 28, 2015
    Assignee: Protectovision, LLC
    Inventor: Daniel Fanelli