Patents by Inventor Josef T. Ruef

Josef T. Ruef 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).

  • Patent number: 7945487
    Abstract: A certified secondary market inventory platform maintains a certified catalog of items for sale on a secondary market. Certified items are tracked by the platform and have a verified chain of custody between the manufacturer and the current owner. The certified catalog of items is presented anonymously, such that current owners of certified items are not revealed to potential buyers. Anonymity also extends to fulfillment, with shipment of a certified item to a buyer being performed without revealing the buyer and the current owner to each other. Verification of the chain of custody may, for example, include evidence such as a goods-received note corresponding to a shipment of the certified item from the manufacturer to the current owner, or a shipping notification from the manufacturer. A physical audit may also be conducted in association with publication of the certified catalog of items, as a pre-requisite for such publication.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2011
    Assignee: Arrow Electronics, Inc.
    Inventors: Josef T. Ruef, John P. Brown
  • Publication number: 20080243704
    Abstract: A certified secondary market inventory platform maintains a certified catalog of items for sale on a secondary market. Certified items are tracked by the platform and have a verified chain of custody between the manufacturer and the current owner. The certified catalog of items is presented anonymously, such that current owners of certified items are not revealed to potential buyers. Anonymity also extends to fulfillment, with shipment of a certified item to a buyer being performed without revealing the buyer and the current owner to each other. Verification of the chain of custody may, for example, include evidence such as a goods-received note corresponding to a shipment of the certified item from the manufacturer to the current owner, or a shipping notification from the manufacturer. A physical audit may also be conducted in association with publication of the certified catalog of items, as a pre-requisite for such publication.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 29, 2007
    Publication date: October 2, 2008
    Applicant: Verical, Inc.
    Inventors: Josef T. Ruef, John P. Brown