Patents Examined by Thomas M Hammond, III
  • Patent number: 8732084
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and machine-readable media are disclosed for identification of an individual and evaluation of risk from doing business with that individual. In one embodiment a method of evaluating a risk from conducting business with an individual comprises receiving identity information related to the individual. The identity information includes information from an identity credential presented by the individual. The identity credential is validated based on the information from the identity credential and one or more positive databases. An identity of the individual is verified based on the identity information and the one or more positive databases. The identity information is screened against one or more negative databases indicating past losses to one or more entities. Results of the screening are reported based on one or more criteria of an entity considering doing business with the individual.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 20, 2014
    Assignee: Early Warning Services, LLC
    Inventors: Julie McNelley, Ryan Talbert, Mike Gross
  • Patent number: 8732766
    Abstract: Methods, and systems, including computer programs encoded on computer-readable storage mediums, including a method for presenting a video content item in a first display area; concurrently presenting, with the video content item in the first display area, objects that are displayed during the presentation of the video content item in a second display area, wherein the objects persist in the second display area after the object is no longer displayed during the presentation of the video content item in the first display area; receiving an indication identifying one of the objects presented in the first display area or the second display area; and processing a tag associated with the object, the tag comprising a reference to a media item, wherein the processing comprises: accessing the media item referenced by the tag; and presenting the media item at least partially in the first display area or the second display area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 20, 2014
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventors: Michael Fink, Ran Tavory, Tamar Rachel Kolodny, Natalia Marmasse
  • Patent number: 8725562
    Abstract: A method of providing a keyword advertisement and a system for executing the method are provided. The method of providing the keyword advertisement includes: generating and maintaining an advertiser history ranking by using an advertiser keyword purchase history; and ordering the keyword advertisement display with respect to a user keyword by using the advertiser history ranking. In this instance, the advertiser keyword purchase history includes mapping information between an advertiser and a keyword purchased by the advertiser for each advertisement group or for each advertisement campaign.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 13, 2014
    Assignee: NHN Business Platform Corporation
    Inventors: Ki Ho Song, Minuk Kim, Byounghak Kim
  • Patent number: 8725616
    Abstract: A system and method for conducting a home equity sales (HES) program enables a real estate property owner to sell a partial equity ownership interest in a real estate property. This allows the property owner to sell the interest outright to an investor and receive compensation for the sale of the interest. The property interests of the property owner and the investor are both recorded in property records relating to that particular property. The property owner may sell multiple interests in the same property and an investor may also purchase these multiple interests.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 13, 2014
    Assignee: Home Equity Securities, LLC
    Inventor: Nelson Schneider
  • Patent number: 8719138
    Abstract: A system and method for ETF investing that provides a primary exchange traded fund (PETF) that comprises a plurality of shares, wherein the primary exchange traded fund comprises investments in a plurality of secondary exchange traded funds (SETF). The system and method enable intraday, or other periodic, trading of a variable number and type of ETFs through a single ETF, based on one or more categories and factors including, but not limited to, real-time NAVs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 2, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 6, 2014
    Assignee: State Street Corporation
    Inventor: Sean P. Brennan
  • Patent number: 8719140
    Abstract: The claimed invention relates to an adjustable derivative contract. Particularly a method and system for adjusting the derivative contract to account for time value of money due to an occurrence of a corporate event that affects the value of the derivative contract. The claimed method and system allocates distributions amongst different derivative contracts, each derivative contract representing a different economic interest of at least two shares of an underlying security. The claimed invention uses the concepts of present and future values to value derivative contracts in order to more fairly and accurately represent the interests of the various holders of such derivative contracts upon the occurrence of a corporate event affecting the value of these derivative contracts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 6, 2014
    Inventors: Peter A. Broms, Andrew M. Scott
  • Patent number: 8719059
    Abstract: In the present invention, an insurance product, rating system and method generally relates to a rating and pricing system for quantifying the risk that the annual savings will not fall below specified levels associated with implementing and maintaining economic improvements. The product, system and method can be applied to various industries, including, power generation, petro-chemical, manufacturing and refining facilities. Various embodiments disclosed herein relate to a system and method for insuring a minimum return on investment for an insured.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 6, 2014
    Assignee: Hartford Steam Boiler Inspection and Insurance Company
    Inventors: Richard B. Jones, Gregory M. Barats
  • Patent number: 8719128
    Abstract: The handling of accounts and account transactions are implemented using a variety of different systems and methods. According to one embodiment a computer-facilitated system is implemented for handling accounts held by a user at a financial institution and an educational institution. A first database stores account balance information associated with a first account held at one of the institutions. A second database stores account balance information associated with a second account held at the other institution. Logic, located at one institution, encrypts an identifier of the first account, associates a resulting encrypted identifier with the second account and decrypts the encrypted identifier. A database interface transmits the encrypted identifier to the second database for storage. A user interface provides the user with the account balance information associated with the accounts in response to the logic decrypting the encrypted identifier.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 6, 2014
    Assignee: TCF Financial Corporation
    Inventors: Gene Allen, Kevin Kuntz
  • Patent number: 8706580
    Abstract: A method, a system, and a computer program for predicting an impact of a tax event on a user's tax liabilities at any intermediate time during a current tax year based on a comparison of known and predicted user information related to the user and the user's taxes, tax event information, and a tax deduction database of tax deductions, credits, and eligibility rules. The computer program and method for predicting the impact of the tax event comprise acquiring information about the user from a user profile, acquiring information about the tax event, comparing the user information and the tax event information with requirements for tax deductions and credits offered by a taxing authority, and identifying deductions or credits having requirements related to the user information and the tax event information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 22, 2014
    Assignee: HRB Tax Group, Inc.
    Inventors: Jason Houseworth, Samuel Brent Passer, Howard C. Wright, III
  • Patent number: 8694395
    Abstract: A method, a system, and a computer program for suggesting to the user a tax event to reduce the user's tax liability. Embodiments comprise accessing known user information related to the user and the user's taxes, wherein the known user information includes at least some information for a current tax year to date; comparing the known user information with requirements for at least one of tax deductions and tax credits offered by a taxing authority for the current tax year; identifying deductions or credits having requirements related to the known user information; and suggesting to the user a tax event for reducing the user's tax liability, wherein the suggested tax event is based at least partially on the known user information and the identified deductions or credits having requirements related to the known user information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2014
    Assignee: HRB Tax Group, Inc.
    Inventors: Jason Houseworth, Samuel Brent Passer, Howard C. Wright, III
  • Patent number: 8694423
    Abstract: Systems and methods for brokering data are invented and disclosed. A system for producing a data model comprises a message broker, filters, and a data collector. The message broker includes an interface configured to receive client requests from a plurality of communication devices, a transaction request identifier configured to identify a plurality of parameters associated with a client request, and a router configured to distribute the request responsive to at least one of the parameters. The filters are coupled to the router and apply and apply respective tests for determining when the client request should be processed by the system. The data collector is coupled to the message broker and forwards data from the client request to at least one of a plurality of data stores when at least one of the filters indicates that the client request should be processed by the system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2014
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Abu Reza M. Wajih, Gregory A. Andrews, Jiaxi Mao
  • Patent number: 8682758
    Abstract: A method and system are provided for processing multiple related financial transactions in a computer-based financial accounting system. The multiple related financial transactions have at least one of a common transaction type, a common transaction date and a common transaction amount. The method steps include receiving one or more of the common transaction date, the common transaction type, and the common transaction amount, receiving a set of parties, each party corresponding to at least one of the plurality of related financial transactions, and generating a plurality of related financial transactions, each related financial transaction of the plurality of generated related financial transactions comprising one of the set of parties and at least one of the common transaction date, the common transaction type, and the common transaction amount.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2014
    Assignee: Intuit Inc.
    Inventors: Michael Rainwater, Michael T. Bohn, John Florio
  • Patent number: 8676621
    Abstract: A computer system that provides pooled computing resources to clients may receive requests for resources, each of which includes a bid amount. While the supply of resources exceeds the demand, the system may adaptively determine a theoretical bid threshold for the resource pool that represents the predicted value of the lowest bid amount for which corresponding requests will be granted when demand for the resources exceeds supply. The determination may be dependent on a distribution of the bid amounts included in the requests for resources. The system may adaptively determine the lowest bid amount for which corresponding ones of the requests will be granted during non-contention dependent on changes in demand for the resources, the total capacity of the resource pool, and the theoretical bid threshold value, and may grant requests that include higher bid amounts. The use of some resources may be terminated in response to changes in demand.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 18, 2014
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Brian Helfrich, David Nunnerley
  • Patent number: 8676610
    Abstract: In the present invention, an insurance product, rating system and method generally relates to a rating and pricing system for quantifying the risk that the annual savings will not fall below specified levels associated with implementing and maintaining economic improvements. The product, system and method can be applied to various industries, including, power generation, petro-chemical, manufacturing and refining facilities. Various embodiments disclosed herein relate to systems and products for providing a computer implemented insurance product.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 18, 2014
    Assignee: Hartford Steam Boiler Inspection and Insurance Company
    Inventors: Richard B. Jones, Gregory M. Barats
  • Patent number: 8676648
    Abstract: Systems and methods for selecting advertisements for presentation in a map space are disclosed. Map requests are received, map spaces identified, advertisement bids are received for advertisement space within the map spaces, and advertisements are selected for presentation in the map space based on the advertisement bids. The advertisement bids can be selected through an auction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 18, 2014
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventors: Brandon Badger, James E. Payne, Michael S. Perrow
  • Patent number: 8676687
    Abstract: A asset planning and tracking system plans and tracks progress towards a savings goal and analyzes the consumption of assets that are being used to satisfy the savings goal. The system may further be configured to analyze a user's periodic (e.g., monthly, quarterly, yearly) transactions and provide suggested transactions if the user has excess income for the period. An asset planning and tracking system may be implemented in the context of a retirement planning system to aid a non-retired user in planning for his or her retirement and to aid a retired user in tracking the consumption of retirement assets.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 18, 2014
    Assignee: FMR LLC
    Inventors: John McDonough, Steve Elterich
  • Patent number: 8666868
    Abstract: The claimed invention relates to an adjustable derivative contract. Particularly a method and system for adjusting the derivative contract to account for time value of money due to an occurrence of a corporate event that affects the value of the derivative contract. The claimed method and system allocates distributions amongst different derivative contracts, each derivative contract representing a different economic interest of at least two shares of an underlying security. The claimed invention uses the concepts of present and future values to value derivative contracts in order to more fairly and accurately represent the interests of the various holders of such derivative contracts upon the occurrence of a corporate event affecting the value of these derivative contracts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2014
    Inventors: Peter A. Broms, Andrew M. Scott
  • Patent number: 8660908
    Abstract: It has been discovered that instances of an item to be sold in online auctions may be linked to an already created online auction listing for the item. The associating propagates the online auction listing to these other item instances. The propagating allows junior bidders (i.e., losing bidders) to continue pursuing purchase of the associated item instances and allows the junior sellers of the associated item instances to leverage the information of the online auction listing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 25, 2014
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Glen E. Chalemin, Indran Naick, Clifford J. Spinac, Calvin L. Sze
  • Patent number: 8635103
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer program products, in which one or more webpages are identified based on one or more signals associated with an advertisement, a content of each of the webpages, and a property associated with the advertisement, and a performance measure is determined for the advertisement for each of the webpages. An auction score is calculated for the advertisement for each of the webpages based on the performance measure and a bid associated with the advertisement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 21, 2014
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventors: Gregory S. West, Leon Chih Wen Wong, Matthew C. Cary
  • Patent number: 8626622
    Abstract: A system and method for generating, executing and maintaining electronic contracts in connection with indirect financing transactions involving an acquisition by a customer of an asset offered by a vendor with financing provided by an independent finance source. In one example embodiment, the system includes en e-contracting component configured to generate an electronic contract having one or more signature fields. The contract further includes a contract identifier and one or more signature identifiers embedded therein. The e-contracting component provides the generated electronic contract to one more contracting parties, including the customer, the vendor and the finance sources. The system further includes a holographic signature capture device configured to capture one or more holographic signatures indicating execution of the contract by the contracting parties. The capture device if further configured to transmit the captured signature information to the e-contracting component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2014
    Assignee: RouteOne LLC
    Inventors: Taruvai N. Subramaniam, Mark Leonard