Patents Examined by Scott M Tungate
  • Patent number: 12093886
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to a system, methods, and computer-readable media for automatically initiating post-delivery action based on pre-tender diagnostic test results and post-delivery diagnostic test results stored in a distributed electronic ledger for a particular item. In embodiments, the post-delivery action can include, among other things, automatically initiating a return action such as generating shipment information for a return of the item, initiating an insurance action for the item, and/or communicating an electronic notification to the item seller and/or item purchaser. The post-delivery action can be stored in the distributed electronic ledger, and the post-delivery action can electronically trigger a cascade of returns, billing, communications, and/or insurance actions, among other things.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2023
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2024
    Assignee: UNITED PARCEL SERVICE OF AMERICA, INC.
    Inventor: Robert J. Gillen
  • Patent number: 12073339
    Abstract: Techniques herein attempt to provide actors with more flexible and satisfactory experiences regarding obtaining tickets for an event. A learning model may identify attributes indicative of whether a particular actor (e.g., attempting to purchase tickets to an event) possesses a desirable characteristic (e.g., is likely to attend the event). Each actor can then be evaluated to estimate whether she is a good actor (possesses the characteristic). If so, favored opportunities may be made available, such as the opportunity to buy high-demand tickets. An actor may further have the opportunity to hold or reserve tickets for a period time, during which other actors cannot purchase them. A fee for holding or reserving tickets (and/or maintaining the hold or reserve) can be dynamically set based on market factors. Opportunities to modify seat assignments to allow a group of friends to sit together may also be provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 2023
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2024
    Assignee: Live Nation Entertainment, Inc.
    Inventors: David Scarborough, Samuel Levin, John Carnahan, Michael Horowitz, Alexander Hazboun
  • Patent number: 12073338
    Abstract: Provided are a fully automated dispatch system and method of dispatching vehicles that requires no direct communication between a dispatch person and the driver or passenger.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2024
    Assignee: MOVEO TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
    Inventor: Mario A. Medina
  • Patent number: 12067521
    Abstract: The present invention is a computer method for manufacturing and shipping building construction materials, comprising; reviewing, a building model, wherein the building model is comprised of sections and each section is comprised of a set of members; calculating, the properties of each member of the set of members for each section; arranging, the set of members of each section to form a bundle, wherein the bundle is an arrangement of the set of members based on a volume limitation of a shipping container; and adjusting, the bundle based on other bundles which are placed within the shipping container.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2024
    Assignee: Consulting Engineers, Corp.
    Inventor: Maharaj Jalla
  • Patent number: 12062011
    Abstract: Systems and methods which provide for allocation of tokens, such as may be used for tracking number dissemination, for shipment document processing are described. Embodiments operate to allocate tokens to the various shipping document processing systems for their use by the respective document processing systems. The various shipping document processing systems may be enabled to independently perform shipping document processing for extended periods of time (e.g., days, weeks, etc.) using their respective allocations of tokens, such as to use the tokens, including reuse of the tokens over time, without overlap (e.g., without introducing overlapping instances of tracking numbers). Logic of shipping document processing systems record use time information (e.g., a date and/or time of use of a token or tokens) in association with their use of tokens of their allotment, wherein the use tokens from the allocations is in accordance with last use time information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2022
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2024
    Assignee: AUCTANE, INC.
    Inventors: Yang Lu, Jonathan Michael Bourgoine
  • Patent number: 12062008
    Abstract: Methods and systems for coordinating item delivery are disclosed. In one aspect, a method comprises receiving delivery route data from a carrier device, generating, based on the delivery route data, a digital route for a delivery resource, the digital route comprising a street portion and an office portion, wherein the street portion comprises: a plurality of delivery points at which the carrier is to perform a service, and a segmented travel course for the carrier to travel to each of the plurality of delivery points in a determined sequence, and wherein the office portion comprises details regarding one or more office activities performed by the carrier to prepare for or conclude the street portion of a delivery route. The method further comprises determining an expected duration of time for: (1) travel of each segment of the travel course, (2) completion of each of the street activities, and (3) completion of the one or more office activities.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2024
    Assignee: United States Postal Service
    Inventors: Alison Frankowski Turner, Marc D. McCrery, James J. Boldt
  • Patent number: 12026659
    Abstract: A management system for managing the utilization of item receptacles in a distribution network. Items can be transferred to recipients at a limited number of item receptacles in unit delivery facilities of the distribution network. Item retrieval behavior is tracked to determine a recipient score for known recipients. Based on the recipient scores, subsequent items to be transferred can be placed in a receptacle or a storage area based on the associated recipient score. Placement in receptacles can be prioritized to recipients with low scores indicating that the item will likely be retrieved quickly, while items addressed to recipients with high scores may not be placed into a receptacle if receptacles are scarce.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2023
    Date of Patent: July 2, 2024
    Assignee: United States Postal Service
    Inventors: Marc D. McCrery, Donald Eugene Irwin
  • Patent number: 12020182
    Abstract: The concepts and technologies disclosed herein are directed to venue seat assignment based upon hearing profiles. According to one aspect of the concepts and technologies disclosed herein, a device can include a processor and a memory. The device can receive a request to upload a hearing profile, and can upload the hearing profile to a seat assignment system. The device can receive, from the seat assignment system, a customized seating chart based, at least in part, upon the hearing profile. The customized seating chart can include a visual representation of at least a portion of seating in a venue. The device can select, from the customized seating chart, a seat from the portion of the seating in the venue. This selection can be made automatically or based upon user input.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2022
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2024
    Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P.
    Inventor: Samuel N. Zellner
  • Patent number: 12008513
    Abstract: Methods and systems for tracking an object comprise a horizontal surface upon which objects are to be placed, a weight sensor disposed on one side of the horizontal surface, and a processor in communication with the weight sensor. The processor is adapted to detect a change in weight measured by e weight sensor, to associate the detected weight change with an identified object and with a location on the horizontal surface, and to confirm whether a cause of the weight change at the location on the horizontal surface corresponds to a proper handling of the identified object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 2022
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2024
    Assignee: Position Imaging, Inc.
    Inventors: Shahzad Farooq Kirmani, Alex Seiger
  • Patent number: 12008516
    Abstract: An apparatus is provided for detecting duplicate travel. The apparatus may include at least one memory and at least one processor configured to detect a travel path of a vehicle based in part on received items of location data. The processor is also configured to determine whether the travel path is associated with a defined street segment including a plurality of location points corresponding to a street. The processor is further configured to determine whether the vehicle travels the street multiple times in a predefined time period. The processor is further configured to superimpose visible indicia on the defined street segment in response to detecting that the vehicle traveled the street multiple times during the predefined time period. Corresponding computer program products and methods are also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2024
    Assignee: United Parcel Service of America, Inc.
    Inventor: Mark J. Davidson
  • Patent number: 12001996
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides systems and methods that impute missing shipment milestones using vehicle tracking data (e.g., global positioning system (GPS data, automatic identification system (AIS) data, and/or the like). In particular, the present disclosure provides improved techniques to impute when a shipping vehicle (and the cargo loaded thereon) has arrived at a transportation location (e.g., port). In some implementations, the milestone imputation process first includes collecting a historical sample of the vehicle tracking data. Next, density-based clustering methods can be applied to identify vessel stops. This historical set of vessel stops can then be further clustered in order to identify individual docking or loading/unloading locations for all the transportation locations around the world.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 17, 2022
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2024
    Assignee: P44, LLC
    Inventors: Thomas Janos Atwood, Milad Davaloo, Marc-Henri Paul Gires
  • Patent number: 11983662
    Abstract: A process for verifying an item deposit via a smart drop box. The process includes an item receptacle, a processor in communication with the item receptacle, a scanning device, and a database. The item receptacle is configured to receive an item from a user, scan the item, and generate item information. The processor is configured to compare the item information generated with identified item information from the database. If the information generated matches the information from the database, the item is accepted. In some embodiments, the deposit verification includes a printed receipt and/or an electronic verification.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2024
    Assignee: United States Postal Service
    Inventors: William Albert Tartal, Gabriel Michael Yessin, Dominique Danielle Strothers, Joram Shenhar, Joel Locknauth Dewnandan, Terry Martin Gingell, James Edmund Matthews
  • Patent number: 11978010
    Abstract: Systems and methods for handling a plurality items by using a sorter to receive items and obtain item information and delivery destinations from the items. A run manifest is generated having an item identifier and a destination for each of the plurality of items. The run manifest data is used in a routing module to generate dynamic routes for delivering the plurality of items, and generating a sequence identifier for each of the plurality of items according to the dynamically generated routes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2022
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2024
    Assignee: United States Postal Service
    Inventors: Stephen M. Dearing, C. Scot Atkins, James DeForrest Wilson, Scott R. Bombaugh, Carla F. Sherry
  • Patent number: 11941549
    Abstract: The management device of an autonomous driving vehicle includes a congestion rate calculation unit and a waiting place setting unit. The congestion rate calculation unit is able to calculate the congestion rate of a parking lot adjoining each of a plurality of commercial facilities. In a case where the congestion rate of a neighbor parking lot, or a parking lot in the neighborhood of a boarding place contained in reservation information for an autonomous driving vehicle reserved for dispatch, during a waiting time period before the scheduled boarding time, is less than a congestion threshold, the waiting place setting unit sets the neighbor parking lot as a waiting place for the autonomous driving vehicle to wait during the waiting time period.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2024
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Shin Sakurada, Katsuya Hoshi, Hiroaki Sugiyama, Masahisa Sawada, Hiroyuki Ito, Makoto Segi, Hiroki Hattori
  • Patent number: 11935115
    Abstract: System and methods for management of third party satellite radio activation/deactivation by a vehicle rental service company, wherein satellite radio services may be provided in a rental car when requested by a customer. The systems and methods will enable activation of a satellite radio shortly before or at the start of the rental period, and activation may be altered by the vehicle rental service company in the event that the rental period is shortened or extended, or if the vehicle is exchanged. The systems and methods deactivate the satellite radio service at the end of the rental period. The systems and methods may also be used to activate or deactivate other equipment or services made available via a vehicle rental service company in response to a customer request.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Assignee: AVIS BUDGET CAR RENTAL, LLC
    Inventors: Wing Yu Joseph Chan, Michael J. Caron
  • Patent number: 11928639
    Abstract: Embodiments provide methods for validating secure delivery of an IHS (Information Handling System) by confirming that the packages by which the IHS was delivered include only the packages used to ship the IHS from a factory or other trusted entity. During factory provisioning of the IHS, a shipping certificate is uploaded to the IHS, where the certificate includes shipping identifiers that are each associated with a package used to ship the IHS. Upon receiving packages by which the IHS has been shipped, shipping identifiers, such as bar codes and RFID codes, are collected from the received packages. The shipping identifiers collected from the received packages are compared against the shipping identifiers from the shipping certificate in order to validate the plurality of received packages as the same packages that were used to ship the IHS.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2024
    Inventors: Jason Matthew Young, Marshal F. Savage, Mukund P. Khatri
  • Patent number: 11922815
    Abstract: A method for managing data traffic of customers and self-driving vehicles includes receiving a transport request by a requesting customer, processing the received transport request, and identifying, among the self-driving vehicles, a compliant vehicle compliant with the transport request. The method also includes identifying a compliant route, compliant with the transport request, and causing the compliant vehicle to perform a transport service over the identified compliant route according to said transport request. identification of a compliant vehicle, identification of a compliant route, and causation of the compliant vehicle to perform a transport service are based on information about the mobile communication network, information about the compliant vehicle, and information about a radio state in the mobile communication network between the customers, between the vehicles, and between the customers and the vehicles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: TELECOM ITALIA S.p.A.
    Inventors: Sergio Barberis, Mauro Renato Boldi
  • Patent number: 11922364
    Abstract: A system and method for geo-certifying delivery of items is disclosed. In some embodiments, a system tracks the intended delivery addresses of items as well as the actual delivery points. The system then determines if it has geo-verified geo-coordinates for the intended delivery points. If so, the system geo-certifies a delivery if the actual delivery point is within a geofence surrounding the intended delivery address.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: United States Postal Service
    Inventors: Juliaann Sanders Hess, Seth Lee Johnson
  • Patent number: 11868947
    Abstract: In some embodiments, apparatuses and methods are provided herein useful to the sortation of products using a conveyor assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2024
    Assignee: WALMART APOLLO, LLC
    Inventors: Robert J. Taylor, Matthew D. Alexander, William M. Propes, John C. Crecelius, Jr., Jason D. Bellar
  • Patent number: 11853956
    Abstract: In an aspect, a system for assembling a transport is presented. A system includes a computing device. A computing device is configured to receive a transport request. A transport request comprises a recipient identifier. A computing device is configured to arrange a plurality of components into a transport assembly as a function of a recipient identifier. A computing device is configured to generate a transport label. A computing device is configured to input a transport label into a carrier optimization model. A computing device is configured to provide a recommendation of a carrier from a plurality of carriers as a function of a transport assembly and carrier optimization model.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2023
    Assignee: Hammel Companies Inc.
    Inventors: Joseph Charles Dohrn, Matthew Paul McGowan