Abstract: A system monitors user purchases and determines a purchase schedule of the user for various products. User rules for substitutions of products and budget constraints are also received. Coupons are retrieved or received from various sources and associated with an account of the user. The purchase schedule is evaluated and items are automatically purchased with a frequency indicated by the purchase schedule. Coupons and product substitutions are made according to the user rules and budget constraints in order to provide savings to the user. Where coupons will expire prior to a scheduled purchase date for a product, the product will be purchased ahead of schedule subject to the budget constraints provided by the user.

Abstract: In some embodiments, apparatuses and methods are provided herein useful to allow customer devices to authorize purchases. In some implementations, a system comprises: a purchase control system comprising: a control circuit; and a memory storing computer instructions that when executed by the control circuit cause the control circuit to: receive a request to register a remote consumer device; identify, from a plurality of different customers, a first registered customer with which the customer device is to be associated; associate the customer device with a customer account corresponding to the first customer; receive a purchasing authorization for the customer device as authorized by the first customer; and define purchasing authorization limits of the customer device that set limits on the customer device's authorization to initiate purchases over time on behalf of the first customer for one or more products corresponding to the operation of the customer device.

Abstract: A control circuit has access to both a relational database comprised of structured data and a text-based index of reciprocal queries for the relational database. The control circuit, upon receiving a text-based query via a user input, applies the text-based query to the text-based index of reciprocal queries to thereby obtain one or more reciprocal queries that the control circuit uses to query the relational database for structured data content responsive to the text-based query. By one approach the text-based index of reciprocal queries comprises a text-based index of SQL reciprocal queries. By one approach the text-based index of reciprocal queries comprises at least one virtual document.

Abstract: A user specifies a wish list of items and creates an account. Transactions for customers with accounts are reported to a server system prior to processing payment. A transaction price is incremented, e.g. rounded up, and the incremented amount is added to a roll-up account of the customer. The roll-up account of the customer may also be augmented by refunds assigned to the customer in response to determining that a third party offers a lower price for a product purchased by the customer, the refunds being determined according to the difference between the purchase price for the product and the lower third party price. Upon determining that the roll-up account has sufficient funds to purchase an item of the wish list, the roll-up account is reduced by the purchase price and shipping of the item is invoked.

Abstract: Exemplary embodiments are directed to electronic order processing of items in an electronic commerce environment. A geographic boundary associated with a physical location of a retail entity can be implemented using, for example, a geo-fence. An order for an item from the retail location can be received by a customer and a notification prioritizing processing of the order can be generated based on a location of the user relative to the geographic boundary.

Abstract: An improved system for transmitting and receiving digital images includes means for storing portions of an incoming data packet in memory while the data packet is still being received from the data source, and extract the framing characters from the incoming data stream into separate buffers. This allows the next data packet to be requested very quickly due to the ability to perform the data validation testing immediately upon receiving the last character of the packet. This immediate validation feature allows the remaining data of the packet to be processed into memory concurrently with the reception of a new data packet from the data source.