Abstract: Herein is disclosed a ground tile for melting snow and ice. The ground tile includes a flat housing having upper and lower walls and opposite sides, the upper and lower walls and opposite sides defining an interior space. The ground tile also includes first and second electrodes disposed in the interior space, the first and second electrodes being spaced apart accordingly from one another. The interior space is filled with an aqueous glycol solution, the aqueous glycol solution being configured to heat up by electric resistance when an AC current is applied between the first and the second electrodes.

Abstract: A method and system is provided that in a fully automated manner generates and stores records regarding online product offerings from a variety of merchants, obtains records relating to a product displayed on a merchant web page, then normalizes and compares the two records to determine whether or not the products they represent are a match. An exemplary method according to the invention is a method for comparing and validating product data. First records that describe a plurality of first products are generated and stored in a database system. Second records that describe a second product are obtained from a web site, and normalized into the same format as the first records. The second records are then compared to the first records to determine whether or not they relate to the same product.

Abstract: A method and system is provided that in a fully automated manner identifies a product on a web page as it is displayed on a user's computer, retrieves information regarding the availability of discounts or promotions for that product and notifies the user. An exemplary method according to the invention is a method for identifying and delivering online sales promotions to a user. A product on a web page being displayed on a user's computer is identified, and then information about that available promotions relevant to that product is retrieved from a database system. A notification is then displayed on the user's computer indicating the availability of one or more promotions relevant to the product.

Abstract: A method and system is provided that in a fully automated manner facilitates comparison shopping retail products online. An exemplary method according to the invention is a method for automated comparative shopping. A product for sale by a first merchant that is displayed to a user on a web page is first identified and first records relating to the product are extracted from the web site, including the price of the product and the name of the first merchant. Second records from a database system are retrieved, including the price of the product and the name of the one or more second merchants selling the product, and are formatted into one or more merchant listings, each merchant listing including at least the name of the merchant and the price of the product. The merchant listings are then provided for display to the user.

Abstract: A method and system is provided that in a fully automated manner notifies users of price conditions, including both conditions set by the user and conditions determined to be of interest to the user. An exemplary method according to the invention is a method for online consumer price alerts in which a request is received from the user to notify the user when the price of a product reaches a specific price threshold. The price of the product is monitored on a plurality of merchant web sites, and a notification is provided to the user when the price of the product is at or below the specific price threshold.