Patents Examined by Thomas Dixon
-
Patent number: 8185458Abstract: A system for preventing on the job injuries comprising identifying a company which will benefit from the system and approaching the same with a business proposal. Once hired, a therapist evaluates the company's workplace environment and an initial physical state of a group of employees employed by the company; assesses data gathered during the evaluation; develops a corrective therapeutic program to address areas of concern identified during the assessment; implements the corrective therapeutic through instruction of the employees; and conducts periodic follow-up evaluations, adjusting the corrective therapeutic program as required until the outcomes of the system are achieved.Type: GrantFiled: November 30, 2007Date of Patent: May 22, 2012Inventor: Theresa M. Schmotzer
-
Patent number: 8185425Abstract: Disclosed are apparatus and methods for locating one or more dates. Specific embodiments include a dates locator that is operable to analyze a date request in the form of natural language words or phrases and determine that such words or phrases correspond to a specific date or range of dates. In one natural language example, a date request may be in the form of a specified holiday or specified period of time before and/or after such specified holiday (e.g., Thanksgiving week) and the corresponding date or range of dates are retrieved by the dates locator. That is, dates locator embodiments receive a date request that uses date contextual information as input to thereby retrieve a specific date or range of dates. The retrieved date or range of dates may then be displayed based in the date request's contextual information. Additionally, a dates locator may include a learning mechanism to learn new associations between particular contextual information and a specific date or range of dates.Type: GrantFiled: October 17, 2006Date of Patent: May 22, 2012Assignee: Yahoo! Inc.Inventors: Chinhao David Lee, Arup Kanjilal
-
Patent number: 8175910Abstract: A computerized method and a system for marketing planning and marketing program development are provided. In example embodiments, the method may include receiving a marketing program proposal including program information. The method may also include facilitating a strategic review process of the marketing program proposal. The method may further include facilitating of a capacity review process of the marketing program.Type: GrantFiled: November 15, 2007Date of Patent: May 8, 2012Assignee: eBay Inc.Inventors: Lisa Oda, Shilpa Chen, Don Michael Berry, II, Anant D. Uttarwar
-
Patent number: 8175905Abstract: The invention relates to a resource allocation method. According to the invention, databases of computer objects are produced solely with properties intrinsic to the physical objects. Data filters are defined in order to sort the different intrinsic properties and to divide same into object classes. Allocation matrices are then used to match the resources with the object classes. During the handling of a process, the allocation method is implemented in order to determine a resource. A database is queried in order to obtain intrinsic information. Subsequently, the intrinsic information passes through a data filter in order to determine a membership class. One or more resources are then determined from the membership class with an allocation matrix. The inventive method is performed with the aid of a computer program. The invention also relates to a processing system which is designed to implement said method.Type: GrantFiled: December 23, 2005Date of Patent: May 8, 2012Assignee: France TelecomInventors: Samir Dorhmi, Jacques Potier, Michel Valette, Michel Monteil
-
Patent number: 8170903Abstract: A system and method for generating a business critical impact analysis report includes steps of: inserting a rank value field in each configuration item relationship type definition; inserting a rank value field in each single relationship between configuration items; determining default rank values for the rank value fields; assigning the default rank values to the single relationships and the relationship type definitions; receiving a user request to generate the business critical impact analysis report at a selected rank level of configuration items; and presenting the business critical impact analysis report to the user, displaying the configuration items and their relationships corresponding to the selected level.Type: GrantFiled: April 10, 2008Date of Patent: May 1, 2012Assignee: Computer Associates Think, Inc.Inventor: Brian Poissant
-
Patent number: 8160922Abstract: A method and system for making a donation to a third party, wherein a user executes a purchase transaction using a card linked to a reward point account If a user donation is desired, then the user's reward point account is decreased and corresponding value is transferred to a designated third party as a donation. In another aspect referred to as “topping off”, the donation amount is the difference between the tender amount and the purchase amount, and is transferred to a designated third party as a donation to the third party in lieu of providing change for the transaction back to the user.Type: GrantFiled: September 20, 2005Date of Patent: April 17, 2012Assignee: Signature Systems, LLC.Inventor: Richard Postrel
-
Patent number: 8160911Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention are directed toward providing a method utilizing project management software for creating a project plan utilizing a top-down strategy allowing a user to describe high-level objectives before filling in details for the underlying tasks of which the high-level objectives are comprised. As an alternative to basing summary task dates and durations solely on subtask data, the present invention allows a user to enter dates and duration values into summary tasks regardless of when the corresponding subtasks occur. By utilizing a top-down project management approach, embodiments of the present invention promote utilizing summary tasks as a starting point of project planning. Users are able to input high-level objectives of a project when more specific details of subtasks are unknown. Because summary task data is not rolled-up from the subtask data, a user may specify details such as dates and durations of subtasks at a later time.Type: GrantFiled: May 19, 2009Date of Patent: April 17, 2012Assignee: Microsoft CorporationInventors: Bonny P. Lau, Mohammad Yakoob Shahdad, Peter De Vries, Alice Pritikin Steinglass
-
Patent number: 8160942Abstract: An automated billing workflow system receives credit valuation adjustment (CVA) amounts associated with derivatives trades. The automated billing workflow system interacts with an Accounting System in order to make appropriate Profit and Loss (P&L) entries for the CVA amounts. The CVA amounts are billed to the business units which actually created the risk. The invention employs a plurality of Workflow Queues. As an item makes it way through the billing workflow, it may be slotted in one or more of these queues where further action will take place.Type: GrantFiled: July 20, 2010Date of Patent: April 17, 2012Assignee: JP Morgan Chase BankInventors: Harold Miller, Julian Mark Toghill, Tuan Pham
-
Patent number: 8155988Abstract: A workflow management system for managing a workflow including plural tasks is disclosed that includes a task data storing part for storing task data and a task control part for obtaining task data from the task data storing part, calculating a predetermined index from the task data, and outputting an evaluation of the workflow based on the result of the calculation.Type: GrantFiled: August 28, 2007Date of Patent: April 10, 2012Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.Inventors: Yohei Kunichika, Harald Holz, Oleg Rostanin, Michael Niemann
-
Patent number: 8155995Abstract: A system and method are provided for assessing an effectiveness of Internet marketing campaigns, and for providing data gathered thereby to subscribers. The assessment data can be gathered in concert with, for example, private sector partners. Different marketing methods are tested, compared, and evaluated for effectiveness in reaching customers. Equations are provided for calculating such values as probability of conversion of a sale and of a success of a marketing campaign, based upon such factors as user anxiety and external motivation. The data can be used to improve a marketing campaign, and also to inform a subscriber base of techniques found to be effective in Internet sales.Type: GrantFiled: January 3, 2008Date of Patent: April 10, 2012Assignee: Digital Trust, Inc.Inventors: Flint McGlaughlin, Jalali Hartman
-
Patent number: 8150763Abstract: The present invention relates to systems and methods for staging transactions and facilitating payments by consumers to a lender or merchant to consummate a financial transaction and/or to maintain a financial relationship. In one embodiment, a method for accepting payments from a consumer includes receiving a promise-to-pay record from a lender (210), receiving a payment from the consumer (220), associating the payment with the promise-to-pay record (230), and sending a notice to the lender (240), with the notice having an indicator that the payment has been received.Type: GrantFiled: August 1, 2006Date of Patent: April 3, 2012Assignee: The Western Union CompanyInventors: Paul Blair, Kurt Hansen, Gary Moore
-
Patent number: 8145569Abstract: A role associated with one or more parties involved with a purchase transaction is received. A routing rule associated with the purchase transaction is also received, the routing rule defining how the purchase transaction is routed among the one or more parties. The purchase transaction is processed based on the role of each party and the routing rule.Type: GrantFiled: December 13, 2007Date of Patent: March 27, 2012Assignee: Google Inc.Inventor: Yitao Gong
-
Patent number: 8145550Abstract: A data mining device, method, and apparatus configured to associate customer exclusive data from a payment card or device after a financial transaction. A financial transaction processing system comprises a report distribution management system, a data relationship manager, and a customer exclusive data association database. The report distribution management system receives financial transaction data. The data relationship manager determines an issuer associated with the financial transaction data, queries a subscription database for subscription data associated with the issuer and a core database for the issuer processing parameters. The processing parameters are applied to the financial transaction data and the subscription data. A customer exclusive data association database is updated with the financial transaction data once the processing parameters are applied.Type: GrantFiled: March 17, 2011Date of Patent: March 27, 2012Assignee: Visa U.S.A. Inc.Inventors: Brian Maw, Ayman Hammad
-
Patent number: 8140379Abstract: Mathematical models for predicting shopper traffic at a shopper region useful for developing inter alia a metric for measuring impressions to in-store advertising.Type: GrantFiled: July 1, 2011Date of Patent: March 20, 2012Assignee: Procter & GambleInventors: Jayaraman Anand, Kathryn Byrd Young, Ranjit Kumar Choudhary, Dina R. Howell
-
Patent number: 8140383Abstract: In a computing system, a selection of a predefined key performance indicator that is associated with a plurality of predefined dimensions and with definitional data is received. A dimension value for at least one of the predefined dimensions, at least first and second attributes associated with the dimension value, and a condition that defines a relationship between the first and second attributes are also received. A first reporting format is determined using the dimension value, first and second attributes, and the condition, and second and third reporting formats are determined using the definitional data. A report view formatted according to the first, second, and third reporting formats is displayed on a display device.Type: GrantFiled: December 17, 2007Date of Patent: March 20, 2012Assignee: SAP AGInventor: Carsten Busch
-
Patent number: 8135610Abstract: A method and process according to the invention supports at least two distinct activities. A first activity relates to system analysis—the ability to collect, measure, track, monitor and report on health and performance of individual systems within a complex environment of highly interdependent and/or loosely coupled systems. Another activity relates to customer experience tracking—the ability to capture and track an entire customer's experience as that person interacts with multiple technologies such as a web site, telephony system and a set of agent tools. According some aspects, a system according to the invention provides the backbone for monitoring production systems and for enabling integrated, real-time reporting of a company (e.g. insurance agency) website, telephony system and agent desktop suite.Type: GrantFiled: October 12, 2007Date of Patent: March 13, 2012Assignee: Answer Financial, Inc.Inventors: Daniel John Bryce, Walter Lee Schaedle, Jr., Randall Leonard Sterba, Randal Cameron Sue, Todd Christopher Williams
-
Patent number: 8135639Abstract: A system and method are provided for trading a tradable object. One example apparatus includes a microprocessor, a graphical user comprising a first screen region having a plurality of locations in the first screen region, each location corresponding to a price level along a first axis and a time along a second axis. The apparatus also comprises a user input device for sending a command to initiate placement of a timed trade order, and an indicator being dynamically displayed in one of the plurality locations of the first screen region and corresponding to the timed order. In one example embodiment, the indicator dynamically moves over time relative to the second axis indicating a time until the order will be automatically sent to a computerized matching process.Type: GrantFiled: August 31, 2010Date of Patent: March 13, 2012Assignee: Trading Technologies International, Inc.Inventor: Simeon C. Peebler
-
Patent number: 8135608Abstract: Methods, systems, and software for conducting a marketing campaign are described. One or more scores associated with sending offers to proposed contacts are received; and an overall campaign score corresponding to a sum of the scores is optimized to generate optimal assignments of offers to customers. The optimal assignments are included in the marketing campaign.Type: GrantFiled: January 8, 2008Date of Patent: March 13, 2012Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Francisco Jauffred, Mukul Goyal, Glen Osterhout, Ruby Kennedy, Robert Crites
-
Patent number: 8131591Abstract: Embodiments of the invention provide ways to update and permit third-party advertising content of a webpage developed using Asynchronous JavaScript and XML (“AJAX”) techniques. An illustrative method includes registering a set of possible triggering events that can invoke an advertisement-update process, registering advertisement containers (portions of the webpage that can present the advertisements), receiving an indication that a triggering event has occurred, identifying (in some cases) advertisement containers whose advertisement content is to be updated, accessing third-party advertisement data that is stored outside of the domain of the webpage to receive the fresh advertising content, and presenting the fresh advertising content in the one or more advertisement containers.Type: GrantFiled: September 12, 2007Date of Patent: March 6, 2012Assignee: Microsoft CorporationInventors: Sunitha Gorty, Mark Masterson, Scott Tomlin, Mansoor Malik, Hyejin Yun
-
Patent number: 8131643Abstract: Money transfer system authorizing an escrow agent computer electronically by touch-tone telephone, computer modem, P.O.S.(point of sale) terminal, live operators, to send cash transfers from a sender's account such as their credit, debit, bank, or ATM card, or a bank account, to a recipient who accesses the money at any remote ATM type location or P.O.S.(point of sale) terminal by using cards such as a specialized magnetic cards, credit cards, debit cards, and automated teller machine(ATM) card, at anytime and anywhere. Senders can authorize the transfer by touch-tone and PIN(personal identification number) secure codes. The system can operate without pre-existing relationships, and monitor transactions and take surcharges based on transfer amounts, and use a cards tethered to ATM machines and be used with double magnetic sided cards.Type: GrantFiled: February 21, 2011Date of Patent: March 6, 2012Assignee: Integrated Technological Systems, Inc.Inventors: Stephen D. Battaglini, Michael D. Battaglini, Gil Starkey