Patents Examined by Thomas Dixon
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Patent number: 9342335Abstract: A system according to an embodiment of the present invention includes at least two virtual machines running on a hardware platform using either a hosted or a bare metal hypervisor. The virtual machines may communicate with an agent-server resident in the host operating system or in one of the virtual machines to switch control of the hardware component, such as graphics hardware, from one virtual machine to another.Type: GrantFiled: August 11, 2010Date of Patent: May 17, 2016Assignee: Open Innovation Network, LLCInventors: Wing-Yee Au, Alan Rowe, Sameer Narkhede
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Patent number: 9330393Abstract: A result for a task may be provided in response to receiving a request from, for example, a user for the result. The request specifies a desired accuracy level for the result. The accuracy of the result is determined using the individual accuracies of one or more persons that have selected the result. Each person's individual accuracy is determined based on results for prior tasks previously performed by that person. The person's individual accuracy is proportional to the number of that person's prior results that are with a consensus of other persons that have performed the same prior task. The result is provided if the accuracy of the result is equal to or greater than the desired accuracy level.Type: GrantFiled: June 29, 2012Date of Patent: May 3, 2016Assignee: Demand Media, Inc.Inventors: Byron William Reese, William Ballard
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Patent number: 9324048Abstract: Security personnel time is assigned to a store property by generating an incident score based on a probability of an incident occurring on a store property. A set of ranges of incident scores, each range being associated with a number of hours of security personnel time, are retrieved from computer memory. A range of incident scores in the set of ranges of incident scores that the generated incident score falls within is identified and an associated number of hours of security personnel time is retrieved. Security personnel time is assigned to the store property using a processor based on the number of hours of security personnel time retrieved for the identified range of incident scores.Type: GrantFiled: July 11, 2014Date of Patent: April 26, 2016Assignee: Target Brands, Inc.Inventors: Jennifer Ptak, Matthew Caven, Atasi Sinha, Swathi RShetty, Prithwijit Mjumdar, Nikhil Khanolkar, Nikesh Suthar, Indraneel Peratla, Dhrubajyoti Chaudhuri, Bhaskar Roy
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Patent number: 9305311Abstract: A method may include receiving, from users, information identifying items purchased by the users, the information including a price for each of the items, and storing the information in a database. The method may also include receiving, from a second number of users, additional information identifying items purchased by the second users, the additional information including a price for each of the items, and identifying a first item in the database that matches a second item associated with purchases by one of the second users. The method may further include determining whether the price for the second item is lower than the price for the first item stored in the database and updating the database to include the second price for the first item, in response to determining that the second price is lower than the first price.Type: GrantFiled: November 7, 2013Date of Patent: April 5, 2016Assignee: Cellco PartnershipInventors: Nader Gharachorloo, Farshid Mostoufi
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Patent number: 9305290Abstract: Disclosed is an employee vacation scheduling system for enabling an employee to purchase vacation travel services on the basis of the availability of the paid leaves thereof. The vacation scheduling system comprises a database comprising a plurality of employees wherein, each employee is associated with the number of paid leaves the employee is entitled to. The scheduling system further comprises a store module for enabling an employee to purchase a vacation travel service that spans a predetermined number of vacation days, a date module for enabling the employee, in the process of purchasing the vacation travel service, to mark successive vacation dates for the utilization of the vacation travel service, and a payment module for enabling the employee to pay for the vacation travel service upon determining that the number of vacation days are lesser than or equivalent.Type: GrantFiled: April 3, 2013Date of Patent: April 5, 2016Inventor: Amy Carenza
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Patent number: 9275396Abstract: The present disclosure relates to computer-implemented methods, software, and systems for generating and using discount keys associated with a particular sales person in association with sales within an enterprise online store. One example process includes operations for (i) identifying a discount key at a sales system associated with a prospective sale negotiated between a sales person and a prospective customer, (ii) determining at least one item associated with the identified discount key, (iii) determining at least one discount associated with the determined items associated with the identified discount key, (iii) facilitating completion of the prospective sale at the sales system for the prospective customer based on the at least one determined discount associated with the at least one determined item, and (iv) associating the completion of the prospective sale at the sales system with a sales account for the sales person.Type: GrantFiled: May 21, 2012Date of Patent: March 1, 2016Assignee: SAP SEInventors: Marco Sachs, Pascal Scheuermann
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Patent number: 9262768Abstract: A system for determining preference, including a client device with feedback controls, a server and addressable URIs; the device and server in communication over an electronic network and the URIs' content retrievable over the network; the server automatically receiving and storing ratings, tracking URIs, using ratings to create a preference model for URIs, and using the preference model to suggest URIs; the stored ratings include a record having a rated item URI, a rater having a unique identification, a rating value provided by the rater, and at least one metadatum for creating subsets of ratings. Also, a method for automatically creating a chimeric preference vector, the method steps including identifying a multiplicity of datasets of rated items; automatically combining the datasets to form a combined dataset; automatically identifying ratings collisions; treating ratings collisions to form a data subset; and generating a chimeric preference vector based on the data subset.Type: GrantFiled: March 14, 2013Date of Patent: February 16, 2016Assignee: Joseph Anthony CarsanaroInventors: Joseph Anthony Carsanaro, Christopher Lawrence Mills
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Patent number: 9256892Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer program product, for selecting advertisements. In one aspect, a method includes receiving publisher selections of advertisements; associating the selected advertisements with an advertisement environment in a document; generating an advertisement request code for inclusion in the document; evaluating performance metrics for the selected advertisements; and in response to determining that the selected advertisements do not meet the performance threshold, optimizing the selection of selected advertisements based on the performance metrics; substituting a selected advertisement with a candidate advertisement and causing a client device to render the candidate advertisement in the advertisement environment in the document.Type: GrantFiled: May 19, 2014Date of Patent: February 9, 2016Assignee: Google Inc.Inventors: Rob Kniaz, Abinhay Sharma, Kai Chen, Maxim Drobintsev
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Patent number: 9251486Abstract: A system for orchestrating the process of fulfilling service requests for utility services receives a first service request for utility services. The first service request references a first service point. The system evaluates conditions at the first service point. The system issues an electronic command message to fulfill the first service request based on the evaluation of conditions at the first service point. The system receives a second service request for utility services. The second service request references a second service point. The system evaluates conditions at the second service point. The system initiates a field activity to fulfill the second service request based on the evaluation of conditions at the second service point.Type: GrantFiled: April 4, 2013Date of Patent: February 2, 2016Assignee: Oracle International CorporationInventors: Richard E Walsh, David P Siska
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Patent number: 9230226Abstract: In accordance with aspects of the disclosure, systems and methods are provided for capacity planning management by generating a capacity expansion plan for a plurality of production resources used to produce one or more products relative to one or more time intervals. The systems and methods may include evaluating production patterns for each production resource to determine a production capacity within each time interval, evaluating budget patterns for each production resource to determine a production cash flow within each time interval, generating one or more potential capacity expansion forecasting schemes for each production resource and production budget based on the production patterns for each production resource and the budget patterns for each production budget, and generating the capacity expansion plan within each time interval based on the one or more potential capacity expansion forecasting schemes for each production resource and production budget.Type: GrantFiled: July 10, 2012Date of Patent: January 5, 2016Assignee: SAP SEInventors: Wen-Syan Li, Gufei Sun, Heng Wang
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Patent number: 9202204Abstract: Disclosed is an employee vacation scheduling system for enabling an employee to purchase vacation travel services on the basis of the availability of the paid leaves thereof. The vacation scheduling system comprises a database comprising a plurality of employees wherein, each employee is associated with the number of paid leaves the employee is entitled to. The scheduling system further comprises a store module for enabling an employee to purchase a vacation travel service that spans a predetermined number of vacation days, a date module for enabling the employee, in the process of purchasing the vacation travel service, to mark successive vacation dates for the utilization of the vacation travel service, and a payment module for enabling the employee to pay for the vacation travel service upon determining that the number of vacation days being variable based upon a selected day are lesser than or equivalent.Type: GrantFiled: February 21, 2015Date of Patent: December 1, 2015Inventor: Amy Carenza
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Patent number: 9171333Abstract: A system for performing due diligence on electronically stored documents is provided. A dynamic due diligence item (DDDI) is created by one user and associated with a particular document or piece of information by the system. The created DDDI is assigned to another user. The created DDDI is then routed by the system over a computer network to another user for review of the DDDI and the associated particular document or piece of information. In certain instances, after receiving the notification and opening the document, the system may enforce upon the second user a required action when the DDDI is presented.Type: GrantFiled: July 6, 2012Date of Patent: October 27, 2015Assignee: NASDAQ, INC.Inventors: Bret Beresford-Wood, Amanda Grosse, Adam Ross, Kevin Asuncion, Tom Solodyna, Eric Folkemer
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Patent number: 9123015Abstract: A system and method is provided which determines optimal logistics solutions by allowing a purchaser of goods to vary order frequency and amount of goods ordered so as to lower logistics costs while still meeting inventory constraints. The logistics solution uses several models to search for the most optimal solution in any of a variety of metrics, including total cost, percentage trailer utilization, number of truck used, and miles driven.Type: GrantFiled: January 24, 2012Date of Patent: September 1, 2015Assignee: ARROWSTREAM, Inc.Inventors: Steven LaVoie, Shrinivas Sale, Michael Robb Swihart, Varunraj Valsaraj, Boyett Judson Hennington, IV, Anthony DeFrances, John William Michalski
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Patent number: 9098817Abstract: A method for controlling an energy storage unit having a model which tracks each charging instances includes, for each charging event, capturing energy charged into the energy storage unit and an unit energy price of the charging source(s) at the time of charging; updating a unit price of total energy stored in the storage unit at each time-step; during a discharging event, updating the unit price of energy in the storage unit on a selected cost model; comparing the unit price of energy in the storage unit with other generation sources in the microgrid and a utility tariff; selecting a lowest cost combination from generation, storage, and grid and using the lowest cost combination to supply a load; and if a controller decides to use stored energy at any time, sending a discharge command to the energy storage unit.Type: GrantFiled: April 6, 2013Date of Patent: August 4, 2015Assignee: NEC Laboratories America, Inc.Inventors: Babak Asghari, Ratnesh Sharma
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Patent number: 8990108Abstract: A computer-implemented method for presenting content based on information detected in real time includes: receiving first information corresponding to detection of at least attendance at a physical location; selecting, in real time with the detection, at least one winning bid based on the first information, the at least one winning bid conditioned on the first information meeting an attendance criterion; and providing at least one winning content item associated with the selected winning bid to a content presentation device at the physical location.Type: GrantFiled: December 30, 2011Date of Patent: March 24, 2015Assignee: Google Inc.Inventors: Gideon S. Mann, Ameesh Makadia, Shanmugavelayutham Muthukrishnan
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Patent number: 8965780Abstract: A system for determining preference, including a client device with feedback controls, a server and addressable URIs; the device and server in communication over an electronic network and the URIs' content retrievable over the network; the server automatically receiving and storing ratings, tracking URIs, using ratings to create a preference model for URIs, and using the preference model to suggest URIs; the stored ratings include a record having a rated item URI, a rater having a unique identification, a rating value provided by the rater, and at least one metadatum for creating subsets of ratings. Also, a method for automatically creating a chimeric preference vector, the method steps including identifying a multiplicity of datasets of rated items; automatically combining the datasets to form a combined dataset; automatically identifying ratings collisions; treating ratings collisions to form a data subset; and generating a chimeric preference vector based on the data subset.Type: GrantFiled: June 8, 2012Date of Patent: February 24, 2015Assignee: PRKL8, IncInventors: Joseph Anthony Carsanaro, Christopher Lawrence Mills
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Patent number: 8924270Abstract: Methods and system for admitting a content provider into a revenue sharing program are disclosed. In one embodiment, the method comprises receiving a request from a content provider to participate in the revenue sharing partner program and determining whether to invite the content provider based at least in part on infraction information associated with the content provider.Type: GrantFiled: May 5, 2008Date of Patent: December 30, 2014Assignee: Google Inc.Inventors: Thai Tran, Dean Yasuda, Shashi Seth, Aaron Kwong Yue Lee, Zheng Liu, Franck Chastagnol, George Strompolos
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Patent number: 8918327Abstract: A customer service status analysis device includes: a first time obtaining unit configured to detect occurrence of a prescribed customer service event and obtain an occurrence time of the prescribed customer service event based on image information provided by an imaging device capturing images of an interior of a commercial establishment; a second time obtaining unit configured to obtain an occurrence time of a prescribed customer service event from a sales information management device; a time period information obtaining unit configured to obtain time period information relating to customer service based on the occurrence time of the customer service event obtained by the first time obtaining unit and the occurrence time of the customer service event obtained by the second time obtaining unit; and an output information generation unit configured to generate output information representing a result of analysis based on the time period information.Type: GrantFiled: January 28, 2014Date of Patent: December 23, 2014Assignee: Panasonic CorporationInventors: Kunio Hirakawa, Yoshinobu Uno, Yuichi Nakahata
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Patent number: 8849686Abstract: An event recording is received. The event is associated with an event entity and occurs over an event duration at an event location. A tag is received responsive to user interaction with a communication device. The tag is associated with at least one of the particular entity associated with the event entity, a particular time period associated with the event duration, and a particular location associated with the event location. Additional information associated with the event recording is received, and the tag is matched with at least a portion of the event recording based on at least one of the particular entity, the particular time period, and the particular location associated with the received tag. The portion of the event recording matching the received tag is presented for review along with the received additional information associated with the event recording.Type: GrantFiled: June 16, 2011Date of Patent: September 30, 2014Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P.Inventors: Luis Albisu, Joseph Bentfield
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Patent number: 8812337Abstract: Security personnel time is assigned to a store property by generating an incident score based on a probability of an incident occurring on a store property. A set of ranges of incident scores, each range being associated with a number of hours of security personnel time, are retrieved from computer memory. A range of incident scores in the set of ranges of incident scores that the generated incident score falls within is identified and an associated number of hours of security personnel time is retrieved. Security personnel time is assigned to the store property using a processor based on the number of hours of security personnel time retrieved for the identified range of incident scores.Type: GrantFiled: March 7, 2012Date of Patent: August 19, 2014Assignee: Target Brands, Inc.Inventors: Jennifer Ptak, Matthew Caven, Atasi Sinha, Swathi RShetty, Prithwijit Mjumdar, Nikhil Khanolkar, Nikesh Suthar, Indraneel Peratla, Dhrubajyoti Chaudhuri, Bhaskar Roy