Abstract: A payment processing system for processing mobile point-of-sale transactions and extending cash advances to merchants is disclosed. The payment processing system receives repayment of the cash advance from the merchant by withholding a portion of funds from financial transactions processed for the merchant, the portion of funds determined according to repayment terms for the cash advance. The payment processing system receives signals from other products provided to the merchant by the payment processing service provider to determine payment deferral eligibility for the merchant where the payment processing system refrains from taking repayment from the financial transactions processed for the merchant by the payment processing system. The payment deferral eligibility may be determined in response to a merchant request for a payment deferral or automatically by the payment processing system.

Abstract: Disclosed are various embodiments involving access to guest orders in an electronic commerce application. In one embodiment, a request to access a guest account is obtained from a client. The request specifies a destination network address and an order identifier. A message is sent to the destination network address in response to verifying that the destination network address and the order identifier are associated with the guest account. The message includes a link that facilitates access to an order management function for the guest account.

Abstract: A semi-tractor trailer for distribution of natural gas and a system and method for use of the same are disclosed. In one embodiment, a semi-tractor trailer supported fuel receptacle has a plurality of metered fuel dispensers along the sides thereof to permit customers to park along side the semi-tractor trailer and fuel their vehicles with clean natural gas, which may be compressed natural gas or liquid natural gas, for example. The semi-tractor trailer is filled at a central filling location and transported by a tractor to a convenient retail location. A volume monitor monitors the volume of clean natural gas in the semi-tractor trailer and transmits this information to the central filling location, which may dispense a replacement semi-tractor trailer upon the volume of clean natural gas reaching a pre-determined threshold and retrieve the spent semi-tractor trailer in one trip.

Abstract: The disclosed embodiments include methods and systems for detecting ATM skimmers based upon radio frequency (RF) signal. In one aspect, the disclosed embodiments include a system for detecting ATM skimmers including a memory storing instructions and one or more processors that execute the instructions to perform one or more operations for detecting ATM skimmers. The operations may include, for example, receiving radio frequency (RF) signal data corresponding to one or more RF signals detected by an antenna located within communication range of the ATM. The operations may also include determining one or more unidentified RF signals of the detected ATM RF signals that differ from one or more baseline RF signals.

Abstract: A cash management system utilizes a cloud computing model wherein a cloud of one or more servers may be locally networked or may be geographically dispersed and accessed by the client device over the Internet. The client device is a cash management safe. More than one safe may be employed in a system. Metrics, control functions, and interactions normally handled by an autonomous safe are shunted directly to a cloud server on the network. Usage data, currency validations, coin validations, security entries, etc. are communicated to the cloud server. The cloud server(s), based on database information and software settings, can transmit configuration, updates and information to remote safes. The information transmitted may include user configuration, access rules, currency configuration, alert configuration, and software and firmware updates. The cloud server based cash management system allows the entire cash management of an enterprise to be provided as a service to that enterprise.

Abstract: A system is disclosed that includes memory resources and one or more processing components coupled to the one or more memory resources. At least one of the memory resources stores a basic input/output system (BIOS). The one or more processing components are coupled to the memory resources to run a program for operating a point-of-sale (POS) terminal. The program enables a user to provide an input to open a cash drawer. A controller circuit receives a signal from the BIOS when the user provides the input and generates a pulse signal having a predetermined duration to cause a voltage signal to be transmitted to a solenoid of the cash drawer. The voltage signal causes the solenoid to change states in order to open the cash drawer.

Abstract: A visible-light based display system may be used to project visual guidance to picking and/or stowing agents in a materials handling facility dependent on their current location. The system may comprise a plurality of fixed-location display devices and/or mobile display devices coupled to a control system. The control system may send messages to particular ones of the display devices for projection of visual guidance usable to direct an agent to a particular inventory area in which an item is to be stowed or from which an item is to be picked, to identify a particular position within an inventory area, and/or to identify a particular item stored within an inventory area. The messages may include location, position, and/or descriptive information associated with an item to be stowed or picked. The projected visual guidance may include light or laser beams, text, graphics and/or images, and may be agent-specific, item-specific, and/or order-specific.

Abstract: Merchants may desire to save for a variety of reasons, such as to purchase a new piece of equipment for use at the merchant, to pay vendors for services provided to the merchant, to set up a “rainy-day fund”, or the like. As such, described herein are techniques and arrangements for helping a merchant reach its savings goals by automatically saving, for the merchant, a portion of each transaction made by the merchant at a point-of-sale (POS) device of the merchant.

Abstract: A method for categorizing a use scenario of a product is disclosed. The method includes extracting, from a text describing the use scenario of the product, at least one feature tuple capable of characterizing the use scenario and performing a latent semantic association analysis on the at least one feature tuple to obtain a latent topic sequence for the use scenario. Further, the method includes determining a product scenario category to which the use scenario belongs according to the latent topic sequence for the use scenario. Additionally, a corresponding apparatus is also disclosed.

Abstract: A pickup location that includes a control station and one or more storage compartment modules provides the ability for items to be ordered and delivered for pickup by a user without having to pack those items in a shipping package prior to shipping from a materials handling facility. Delivering items for pickup by a user without having to package the items prior to shipping, may provide a better experience for the customer, reduce waste in packaging material and a lower cost of delivering the ordered items to the customer.

Abstract: Currency handling apparatus comprising: accommodating unit for accommodating various kinds of currencies; a currency discharge opening; a transfer unit for transferring the currencies from the accommodating units to the currency discharge opening; a control unit for controlling the transfer unit to transfer the currencies from the accommodating units to the currency discharge opening thereby to discharge the currencies; and a storage unit for storing various kinds of discharge patterns indicating the numbers of currencies of individual kinds. The control unit is constituted to specify at least one of the discharge patterns in response to the instruction of a user and to discharge the currencies in accordance with the specified discharge pattern. As a result, the user can discharge the desired numbers of currencies of individual kinds merely by performing the simple designating operations.

Abstract: A method of tracking an inventory of objects via a mobile communications device includes acquiring an image of one or more of the objects via the mobile communications device, which also collects a location of the mobile communications device while acquiring the image of the one or more of the objects. The location and image are transferred from the mobile communications device to a remote server via a wireless network, such that the one or more of the objects are identified at the server based on the image, and the location and identity of the one or more objects are stored on a database associated with the server.

Abstract: A method for providing registrationless payment card security for a payment network that includes maintaining a list of anonymous mobile telephone numbers, which correspond to personal payment card account numbers (PAN). When a card-present authorization for a listed PAN is received, the payment network requests the geolocation of the cell phone of the card holder in real time from the mobile network operator. The mobile network operator determines the geolocation of the cell phone and transmits it to the payment network. The payment network compares the geolocation of the cell phone with the geolocation of the merchant to confirm that the card holder is present at the location of the transaction.

Abstract: A system includes a inventory pier and a mobile drive unit. The inventory pier includes a first side and a second side. The first side includes defined areas at which inventory holders are designated to be stationed. The inventory pier is operable to receive inventory items from at least one of the inventory holders at least one of the defined areas. The mobile drive unit is operable to transport an order holder along the second side of the inventory pier, wherein the order holder is operable to receive an inventory item from the inventory pier at a location along the second side of the inventory pier.

Abstract: A method for managing payment of digital certificates includes receiving a request to issue a digital certificate to a subscriber, capturing and saving payment information of the subscriber, performing a first authentication and verification of the subscriber at a first time, and performing at least one additional authentication and verification of the subscriber at least once every authentication period. A long-lived certificate is issued to the subscriber provided the subscriber is authenticated and verified. The long-lived certificate is valid for an expiration period. However, the long-lived certificate is revoked if (1) the additional authentications and verification produce invalid results, or (2) if payment is not received during a payment period. The authentication period is shorter than the expiration period and there are at least a first and a second authentication period within the expiration period. The expiration period is longer than the authentication period.

Abstract: A vendor-based inventory management system configured to facilitate management of retailer inventory associated with a vendor using a computing device. The system includes a communication module in communication with a plurality of remote point-of-sale (POS) systems over a network. The system also includes a data storage module having a memory storage device that stores POS data received. In addition, the system includes an interface module in communication with the data storage module and that reports comparative historical POS data across a plurality of store locations. The system further includes a data analysis module in communication with the data storage module. The data analysis module includes a computing device that analyzes data and suggest beneficial transactions. Furthermore, the system includes a contact management module that manages contact information across a plurality of store locations and associates the same with reported suggested beneficial transactions.

Abstract: This disclosure describes, generally, methods and systems for creating dynamic subsets of larger equipment parts lists (EPLs). For example, a method may include receiving a search request that includes an associated failure code and a target asset. The method might further include providing an EPL for the asset type, and retrieving sub-lists of the EPL based on previous search requests which are associated with the failure code for the asset type. The method may further predict which one of the plurality of sub-lists has the highest probability of being associated with the failure code for the asset type and might present the predicted sub-list of the EPL to a user.

Abstract: A secure registry system and method for the use thereof are provided which permits secure access to a database containing selected data on a plurality of entities, at least portions of which database has restricted access. Mechanisms are provided for controlling access to restricted access portions of the database are provided, such access being determined by at least one of the identity of the requesting entity and the entity's status. A multicharacter public code may be provided which the system can map to provide permit delivery of items, complete telephone calls and perform other functions for entities. The system may also be utilized to locate an individual based on limited biological data. Organizations utilizing the system may have custom software facilitating their access and use of the system.

Abstract: Apparatus and methods related providing city services, such as parking, are described. A mobile device can be configured to receive information from local sensor nodes, such as parking sensor nodes, in the vicinity of the mobile device. In a parking application, the mobile device located in a moving vehicle can be configured to locate available parking based upon the information received from the parking sensor nodes. In other embodiments, the mobile device can be utilized in a retail establishment in conjunction with a remote server to display eye-level image data taken at various locations throughout the retail establishment. The eye-level image data can include products displayed throughout the retail establishment and can be augmented with one or more indicators that indicate product placement locations associated with the products.

Abstract: The present invention is a method and system for rating in-store media elements based on the measurement for behavior patterns and demographics of the audience in the vicinity of the media element, where a plurality of input images of the audience are captured by at least a means for capturing images in the vicinity of the media element. The input images are processed by automated video analytic algorithms in order to measure the behavior patterns and demographics of each person in the audience tied to the media element. The measurements for the behavior patterns and demographics of the audience from the target media elements are aggregated. A set of ratings for the media element is calculated based on the measurements. The measured media elements are sampled, and the audience measurement for the sample is extrapolated to other media elements for in-store locations or for a group of stores. The ratings are converted into a standardized output.