Patents by Inventor Robert Lee Black
Robert Lee Black 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).
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Patent number: 12185133Abstract: Techniques provided herein employ a mesh network of wireless communication-enabled devices to monitor activity in a geographical area, such as a neighborhood or a parking lot. To this end, the mesh network monitoring system collects data about the devices found in the mesh network and establishes an expected activity level, which is used as a reference for comparing and classifying a current activity level. If the current activity level deviates significantly from the expected activity level, it may be classified as an unusual event. Upon detecting an unusual event, the mesh monitoring network may output a notification sent to the users of the devices in the mesh network. The mesh network monitoring system may help drivers determine availability of parking spots on a parking lot.Type: GrantFiled: February 24, 2023Date of Patent: December 31, 2024Assignee: United Services Automobile Association (USAA)Inventors: Arthur Quentin Smith, Oscar Guerra, Timothy Blair Chalmers, Noe Alberto Martinez, Justin Dax Haslam, Robert Lee Black, Jon D. McEachron
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Patent number: 12184599Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure include systems and methods for managing group information such as electronic mail (i.e., email) communications, text message communications (e.g., including instant messaging), calendar entries, contact information, and so forth, to improve communication effectiveness between members of a group (e.g., a group of an organization, such as a company, school, and so forth). For example, the embodiments described herein include prioritizing certain subsets of group information management data associated with a particular member of the group, to provide certain subsets of group information management data associated with the particular member of the group during a time period that is determined based at least in part on prior activity (e.g., prior usage habits) of the particular member, and to recommend suggested time periods to interact with the particular member of the group to other members of the group based at least in part on the prior activity.Type: GrantFiled: April 20, 2022Date of Patent: December 31, 2024Assignee: United Services Automobile Association (USAA)Inventors: David M. Jones, Jr., Robert Lee Black, Timothy Blair Chalmers, Gideon Bowie Luck, Sumita T. Jonak, Ana Rosa Maldonado, Oscar Roberto Tijerina
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Patent number: 12159126Abstract: Techniques are provided herein to identify unused computer code in a computer code corpus. Execution tracking characteristics may be used to identify unused code branches within the computer code corpus. A notification may be provided, indicating the unused code along with an option for easy removal.Type: GrantFiled: July 18, 2022Date of Patent: December 3, 2024Assignee: United Services Automobile Association (USAA)Inventors: David M. Jones, Jr., Robert Lee Black, Timothy Blair Chalmers, Gideon Bowie Luck, Sumita T. Jonak, Ana Rosa Maldonado, Oscar Roberto Tijerina
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Patent number: 12160430Abstract: Embodiments are described herein for systems and methods for continuously monitoring an electronic device to determine if tampering is possibly occurring with respect to the electronic device. For example, in certain embodiments, a hardware monitoring device may be configured to be communicatively coupled to the electronic device, and to transmit a command signal indicative of a network connectivity alarm to the electronic device in response to detecting that the hardware monitoring device has lost connection with a communication network. In addition, in certain embodiments, the hardware monitoring device may also be configured to indirectly couple the electronic device to a power source, and to transmit a command signal indicative of a tampering alarm in response to detecting that the hardware monitoring device has lost connection with the power source.Type: GrantFiled: June 22, 2021Date of Patent: December 3, 2024Assignee: United Services Automobile Association (USAA)Inventors: Thomas Wayne Schwarz, Jr., Sean Carl Mitchem, Timothy Blair Chalmers, Robert Lee Black, Gideon Bowie Luck
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Patent number: 12142097Abstract: The present disclosure is related to a system including a communication component and a processor coupled to the communication component. The processor may collect user input data indicative of skills for providing vehicle towing services from users, receive driving behavior data associated with each user, build a model indicative of an expected location of each user based on the user input data and the driving behavior data, receive a request for a vehicle towing service associated with a vehicle from a computing device, identify a user for performing the vehicle towing service based on the driving behavior data, send a notification to an additional computing device to request a confirmation that the user agrees to perform the vehicle towing service, send a location of the vehicle to the additional computing device, and transfer a digital key to the additional computing device to access the vehicle.Type: GrantFiled: July 28, 2022Date of Patent: November 12, 2024Assignee: United Services Automobile Association (USAA)Inventors: Robert Lee Black, Timothy Blair Chalmers, Zachery C. Lake, Justin Dax Haslam, Matthew Robert Byrd
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Patent number: 12079115Abstract: A system including a development environment data store configured to store development environment data associated with development computer code and a production environment data store configured to store production environment data pertaining to one or more electronic services. The system includes a scenario builder computer is configured to identify one or more scenario parameters relevant to the development computer code, the one or more scenario parameters comprising less than a full set of available scenario parameters and provides the one or more scenario parameters to a scrubber computer.Type: GrantFiled: March 9, 2022Date of Patent: September 3, 2024Assignee: United Services Automobile Association (USAA)Inventors: Robert Lee Black, Timothy Blair Chalmers, Sumita T. Jonak, David M. Jones, Jr., Gideon Bowie Luck, Ana Rosa Maldonado, Oscar Roberto Tijerina
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Patent number: 12063247Abstract: Embodiments are described herein relating to systems and methods for blocking access to phishing-related content accessible via links that are presented via applications being executed on electronic devices based at least in part on implied intent on the part of users using the electronic devices. For example, anti-phishing software may be configured to detect selection of potential phishing-related links that are presented via the applications being executed on the electronic devices, to determine authenticity of the potential phishing-related links, and to take appropriate action based on the authenticity of the potential phishing-related links. For example, the anti-phishing software may be configured to analyze content associated with the potential phishing-related links (e.g., to estimate user intent) and/or to access potential phishing-related content at locations corresponding to the potential phishing-related links (e.g.Type: GrantFiled: June 29, 2021Date of Patent: August 13, 2024Assignee: United Services Automobile Association (USAA)Inventors: Thomas Wayne Schwarz, Jr., Sean Carl Mitchem, Timothy Blair Chalmers, Robert Lee Black, Gideon Bowie Luck
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Patent number: 12020254Abstract: A system and method for preventing fraudulent credit card or debit card transactions by coupling a smart phone to the credit card or the debit card, and transmitting identification information from the smart phone to the card. The card is normally disabled such that no transaction may take place unless the card is enabled. The card receives the transmitted identification information and compares that information to corresponding information stored on the card. If the received information matches the stored information, the card is enabled thus allowing the transaction to take place.Type: GrantFiled: January 11, 2023Date of Patent: June 25, 2024Assignee: United Services Automobile Association (USAA)Inventors: Robert Lee Black, Matthew Ryan Santacroce, Andre Rene Buentello, Jose L. Romero, Jr., Timothy Blair Chalmers, Samip Dilip Mehra
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Patent number: 11995673Abstract: A method may include receiving, by a monitoring system from a software application configured to execute on a mobile device, a performance rating associated with an activity performed by an individual with respect to usage of a vehicle operated by the individual, determining, by the monitoring system, one or more rewards to allocate to the individual for use in a gaming platform, and updating, by the monitoring system, a user profile associated with the individual in the gaming platform, wherein the updated user profile is configured to access to the rewards.Type: GrantFiled: September 28, 2022Date of Patent: May 28, 2024Assignee: United Services Automobile Association (USAA)Inventors: Jose L. Romero, Jr., Andre Rene Buentello, Matthew Robert Byrd, Mounica Urity, Sayeef Rahim, Timothy Blair Chalmers, Robert Lee Black, Ashley Raine Philbrick
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Patent number: 11783152Abstract: Chip cards that are protected from unauthorized access to information and instructions stored in the chip card's chip by unauthorized persons using illicit devices that emulate chip readers to interrogate the chips in chip cards and obtain or download confidential data stored in the chips. The chip cards are disabled when not ready to be used, such that the chips cannot be accessed by illicit devices, thus protecting the chip card owner and/or issuer from potential losses.Type: GrantFiled: April 13, 2022Date of Patent: October 10, 2023Assignee: United Services Automobile Association (USAA)Inventors: Robert Lee Black, Matthew Ryan Santacroce, Andre Rene Buentello, Jose L. Romero, Jr., Timothy Blair Chalmers, Samip Dilip Mehra
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Patent number: 11756043Abstract: A system to identify and update expired payment cards may include servers that can perform operations including determining that a transaction performed with first payment card is denied due to expiration of the first payment card, determining that the expired first payment card is replaced with a second payment card, and sending information associated with the second payment card to a merchant payment server for performing the transaction.Type: GrantFiled: February 25, 2021Date of Patent: September 12, 2023Assignee: United Services Automobile Association (USAA)Inventors: Robert Andrew Massie, Brian Francisco Shipley, Priyadarshini Badugu, Timothy Chalmers, Robert Lee Black, David Joaquin Harris, Christopher Flores
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Patent number: 11599756Abstract: A flexible chip card such as a credit card or a debit card that incorporates a protective layer that precludes unauthorized access to the chip in the chip card. The protective layer is a highly conductive layer that shields the chip and prevents electromagnetic waves that may be emitted by an illicit device from accessing the chip. This protective layer thus prevents any unauthorized persons from obtaining confidential information from the chip card that may then be used to consummate fraudulent transactions or conduct other illicit activities. In one embodiment, the flexible chip card includes one or more stiffening structures to provide rigidity to the chip card.Type: GrantFiled: October 20, 2021Date of Patent: March 7, 2023Assignee: United Services Automobile Association (USAA)Inventors: Robert Lee Black, Matthew Ryan Santacroce, Andre Rene Buentello, Jose L. Romero, Jr., Timothy Blair Chalmers, Samip Dilip Mehra
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Patent number: 11568410Abstract: A system and method for preventing fraudulent credit card or debit card transactions by coupling a smart phone to the credit card or the debit card, and transmitting identification information from the smart phone to the card. The card is normally disabled such that no transaction may take place unless the card is enabled. The card receives the transmitted identification information and compares that information to corresponding information stored on the card. If the received information matches the stored information, the card is enabled thus allowing the transaction to take place.Type: GrantFiled: August 20, 2020Date of Patent: January 31, 2023Assignee: United Services Automobile Association (USAA)Inventors: Robert Lee Black, Matthew Ryan Santacroce, Andre Rene Buentello, Jose L. Romero, Jr., Timothy Blair Chalmers, Samip Dilip Mehra
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Patent number: 11361207Abstract: Chip cards that are protected from unauthorized access to information and instructions stored in the chip card's chip by unauthorized persons using illicit devices that emulate chip readers to interrogate the chips in chip cards and obtain or download confidential data stored in the chips. The chip cards are disabled when not ready to be used, such that the chips cannot be accessed by illicit devices, thus protecting the chip card owner and/or issuer from potential losses.Type: GrantFiled: September 24, 2020Date of Patent: June 14, 2022Assignee: United Services Automobile Association (USAA)Inventors: Robert Lee Black, Matthew Ryan Santacroce, Andre Rene Buentello, Jose L. Romero, Jr., Timothy Blair Chalmers, Samip Dilip Mehra
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Patent number: 11182663Abstract: A chip card such as a credit card or a debit card that incorporates a protective layer that precludes unauthorized access to the chip in the chip card. The protective layer is a highly conductive layer that shields the chip and prevents electromagnetic waves that may be emitted by an illicit device from accessing the chip. This protective layer thus prevents any unauthorized persons from obtaining confidential information from the chip card that may then be used to consummate fraudulent transactions or conduct other illicit activities.Type: GrantFiled: September 11, 2020Date of Patent: November 23, 2021Assignee: United Services Automobile Association (USAA)Inventors: Robert Lee Black, Matthew Ryan Santacroce, Andre Rene Buentello, Jose L. Romero, Jr., Timothy Blair Chalmers, Samip Dilip Mehra