Patents by Inventor David A. Patterson

David A. Patterson has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20140244357
    Abstract: The present disclosure extends to methods, systems, and computer program products for motivating customers to voluntarily provide information about themselves to retailers. The retailer provides the customer with an application for a mobile device, which application is configured for detecting the customer's presence in the retailer's store when the application is enabled. The application is enabled by the customer providing the requested information. When the application detects the customer's presence in the store for a selected time period or when the customer makes a purchase, then the retailer awards a contribution to charity. This charitable contribution is an incentive for the customer to use the mobile application in the store.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 27, 2013
    Publication date: August 28, 2014
    Applicant: Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
    Inventor: David Patterson
  • Publication number: 20140244641
    Abstract: The present disclosure extends to methods, systems, and computer program products for linking customer profiles in a customer profile database. Customer profile data are transformed from text data to large, sparse bit sets. The bit sets are then clustered into clusters based on similarities between the bit sets. Evaluation and analysis of customer profiles within clusters permit linking of customer profiles that exhibit selected degrees of similarity. This technology is both fast and accurate, and it preserves confidentiality of customer information by converting text data to bit sets.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 27, 2013
    Publication date: August 28, 2014
    Applicant: Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
    Inventor: David Patterson
  • Publication number: 20140244372
    Abstract: The present disclosure extends to methods, systems, and computer program products for selling advertising space for display of advertising on a website. A data broker, who controls a website, obtains information from customers, the information including identifying data, behavioral data, and demographic data concerning the customers. The data broker also obtains permission from the customers to provide this information to advertisers on the website and to track purchases made after receiving the advertising. The data broker then sells advertising space to advertisers and provides the advertisers with access to the customers' information. When the customers make purchases from the advertisers that can be attributed to the advertising, the data broker collects a payment from the advertisers and returns a portion of the payment to the customers. The customers benefit from this arrangement by receiving something in return for their purchases.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 28, 2013
    Publication date: August 28, 2014
    Applicant: Wal-Mart Stores, Inc
    Inventor: David Patterson
  • Publication number: 20140244360
    Abstract: The present disclosure extends to methods, systems, and computer program products for identifying attributes associated with potential customers. Attribute data contained in a potential customer database are transformed into bit sets or binary fingerprints. These bits sets or binary fingerprints are then clustered into clusters based on similarities between the bits sets, which correspond to similarities of the attributes. These clusters are represented graphically in a two- or three-dimensional map. The two- or three-dimensional map is analyzed to identify attributes associated with the potential customers.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 27, 2013
    Publication date: August 28, 2014
    Applicant: Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
    Inventor: David Patterson
  • Publication number: 20140188731
    Abstract: The present disclosure extends to methods, systems, and computer program products for providing a customer access to a merchant's secure network. In operation, the customer may be presented with recognizable tokens and non-recognizable decoy tokens for selection instead of entering a password.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 28, 2012
    Publication date: July 3, 2014
    Applicant: Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
    Inventor: David Patterson
  • Publication number: 20140188994
    Abstract: The present disclosure extends to methods, systems, and computer program products for determining, by a social neighborhood server, a social neighborhood of a user. In operation, user information is received that is related to social network connections to other users within the user's social network. Using this information, information is presented to the user related to social network connections attributable to the user based on the received user information, which may include user network connections of the user. Then, the user is invited to assign information related to user influence that the user attributes to individual social network connections presented to the user. In other implementations, social network entities, whether they be for example users or commercial interests, may be presented to a user that are not within the user's social network.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 28, 2012
    Publication date: July 3, 2014
    Applicant: Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
    Inventor: David Patterson
  • Publication number: 20140188657
    Abstract: The present disclosure extends to methods, systems, and computer program products for establishing a customer's identity via a customer identity server. In operation, customer information is received and evaluated for customer attributes and attribute values. The user is invited to provide information related to the customer's identity that they would like to have established with a merchant. Once a customer identity has been established the methods and systems may provide recommendations based on the customer identity.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 28, 2012
    Publication date: July 3, 2014
    Applicant: Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
    Inventor: David Patterson
  • Publication number: 20140188530
    Abstract: The present disclosure extends to methods, systems, and computer program products for establishing attributes representing a customer for distribution to recipients that are organizations. In operation, customer information is received and organized as attributes that are then made available to predetermined recipients.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 28, 2012
    Publication date: July 3, 2014
    Applicant: Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
    Inventor: David Patterson
  • Publication number: 20140188550
    Abstract: The present disclosure extends to methods, systems, and computer program products for establishing an attribute template for a customer for distribution to recipients. In operation, customer information is received and placed as attributes in a template that is then made available to predetermined recipients.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 28, 2012
    Publication date: July 3, 2014
    Applicant: Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
    Inventor: David Patterson
  • Publication number: 20140189886
    Abstract: The present disclosure extends to methods, systems, and computer program products for establishing an attribute template for a customer for distribution to third party recipients. In operation, customer information is received and placed as attributes in a template that is then made available to predetermined recipients.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 28, 2012
    Publication date: July 3, 2014
    Applicant: Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
    Inventor: David Patterson
  • Publication number: 20120209625
    Abstract: Computer-implemented methods, systems, and computer-readable storage mediums are provided for use with a clinical decision support system for identifying and providing information regarding associations between patient attributes and one or more Adverse Events (AEs). In one example, a process includes processing database information comprising AEs and one or more patient attributes for associations between AEs and patient attributes and identifying at least one association between one or more AEs and one or more patient attributes. The association(s) may be discovered through an association rule discovery process to determine one or more association rules, where each association rule satisfies a confidence, support, and/or other threshold. The exemplary process further provides information or alerts to a user based on the identified or discovered association(s).
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 21, 2010
    Publication date: August 16, 2012
    Inventors: John M. Armstrong, Ramona R. Leibnitz, Vladimir Dobrynin, David Patterson
  • Patent number: 7747593
    Abstract: A method of determining cluster attractors for a plurality of documents comprising at least one term. The method comprises calculating, in respect of each term, a probability distribution indicative of the frequency of occurrence of the, or each, other term that co-occurs with said term in at least one of said documents. Then, the entropy of the respective probability distribution is calculated. Finally, at least one of said probability distributions is selected as a cluster attractor depending on the respective entropy value. The method facilitates very small clusters to be formed enabling more focused retrieval during a document search.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2004
    Date of Patent: June 29, 2010
    Assignees: University of Ulster, St. Petersburg State University
    Inventors: David Patterson, Vladimir Dobrynin
  • Publication number: 20090318556
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are biomarkers for determining gamma radiation exposure by an animal or human. The biomarkers include 3-hydroxy-2-methylbenzoic acid 3-O-sulfate, N-hexanoylglycine, ?-thymidine, taurine, xanthine, xanthosine, 2?-deoxyuridine, 2?-deoxycytidine, 2?-deoxyxanthosine, or any salt, ion, or combination thereof. Also disclosed are methods for determining gamma radiation exposure by an animal or human, which include the step of measuring the amount of one or more biomarkers specific to gamma radiation in the biological fluid and correlating the amount of said biomarkers to the amount of gamma radiation exposure by the animal or human. Systems for determining gamma radiation exposure by an animal or human and methods of treating an animal or human for gamma radiation exposure are also disclosed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 15, 2008
    Publication date: December 24, 2009
    Inventors: Jeffrey R. Idle, Frank J. Gonzalez, John B. Tyburski, Kristopher W. Krausz, Andrew David Patterson
  • Patent number: 7590747
    Abstract: A network storage system includes a virtual file system (“VFS”) that manages the files of the network storage system, and a storage center that stores the files. The VFS and the storage center are separated, such that a client accesses the VFS to conduct file system operations and the client accesses the storage center to upload/download files. The client accesses the network storage system through one or more storage ports. The storage center includes a plurality of distributed object storage managers (DOSMs) and a storage cluster that includes a plurality of intelligent storage nodes. The network storage system includes additional storage centers at geographically disparate locations. The network storage system uses a multi-cast protocol to maintain file information at the DOSMs regarding files stored in the intelligent storage nodes, including files stored in disparate storage centers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2005
    Date of Patent: September 15, 2009
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventors: Joshua L. Coates, Patrick E. Bozeman, David A. Patterson
  • Patent number: 7428540
    Abstract: A network storage system includes a virtual file system (“VFS”), to manage the files of the network storage system, and a storage center that stores the files. The VFS and the storage center are separated, such that a client accesses the VFS to conduct file system operations and the client accesses the storage center to upload/download files. The client accesses the network storage system through one or more storage ports. The storage center includes a plurality of distributed object storage managers (DOSMs) and a storage cluster that includes a plurality of intelligent storage nodes. The network storage system includes additional storage centers at geographically disparate locations. The network storage system uses a multi-cast protocol to maintain file information at the DOSMs regarding files stored in the intelligent storage nodes, including files stored in disparate storage centers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2000
    Date of Patent: September 23, 2008
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventors: Joshua L. Coates, F. Alan Jones, Georgina L. Russell, Michael Gonzalez, Patrick E. Bozeman, Taylor Gautier, David A. Patterson
  • Publication number: 20080220854
    Abstract: A computer implemented method for monitoring game play behavior of a user in an online gaming environment. Responsive to detecting execution of a game, gaming characteristics of the user are monitored. The game interacts with a game server. Game play data of the user is collected. Collecting game play data is performed by a plug-in application located on the game server.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 8, 2007
    Publication date: September 11, 2008
    Inventors: Timothy Michael Midgley, David Patterson Tuttle, James Yeh Yang
  • Publication number: 20080220869
    Abstract: A computer implemented method, a data processing system, and a computer program product for presenting a user guide for supplementing game play. An exemplary method includes querying a source of data containing game guide data corresponding to a game. The game is executing on a data processing system. The source of data is external to the game. The method also includes presenting, while the game is executing in a foreground, the game guide data to the user in a dynamic window.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 8, 2007
    Publication date: September 11, 2008
    Inventors: Timothy Michael Midgley, David Patterson Tuttle, James Yeh Yang
  • Publication number: 20080220872
    Abstract: A computer implemented method, a data processing system, and a computer program product for providing game play security measures. An exemplary method includes retrieving a prompt rule set. The prompt rule set identifies at least one rule for providing challenges during game play. Responsive to detecting game play, a current game play condition is matched with the at least one rule of the prompt rule set. Responsive to matching the current game play condition with the at least one rule of the prompt rule set, a challenge prompt is presented to a user. The challenge prompt is presented in a dynamic window that is present while the user is playing the game. Responsive to receiving an answer to the challenge prompt, the answer is processed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 8, 2007
    Publication date: September 11, 2008
    Inventors: Timothy Michael Midgley, David Patterson Tuttle, James Yeh Yang
  • Patent number: 7420947
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for using information about a mobile terminal's location relative to a base station can improve performance of a communication system. In addition, information about the mobile terminal's velocity relative to the base station may be used to improve performance of the communication system. The location information may be used to estimate a nominal PN offset, and a set of PN offset to use, for processing communication signals. The velocity information may be used to estimate a nominal frequency of the communication signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2003
    Date of Patent: September 2, 2008
    Assignee: Qualcomm Incorporated
    Inventors: Andrew Sendonaris, Da-Shan Shiu, David Patterson, Pavathanathan Subrahmanya, Daisuke Terasawa
  • Patent number: 7254612
    Abstract: Node component(s) of apparatus in one example, upon registration of user(s) in second network subsequent to registration of one or more of user(s) in first network, serve to cause mailbox profile portion(s) for voice mailbox(es) that are associated with one or more of user(s) to be copied from first voicemail system component(s) that are associated with first network to second voicemail system component(s) that are associated with second network contemporaneous with location of voicemail message(s), for one or more of user(s), on storage device(s) that are coupled with second voicemail system component(s) through internet protocol network. Mailbox profile portion(s) comprise address(es) for location(s) on storage device(s) that serve to allow one or more of user(s) to employ voice mailbox(es) on second voicemail system component(s) to access one or more of voicemail message(s) on storage device(s).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2002
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2007
    Assignee: Lucent Technologies Inc.
    Inventors: Merle Leland Green, Theodore Edward Kraft, Alton David Patterson, David Alan Roberson, Paul Raymond Sand