Abstract: Various methods, systems and apparatus for displaying online advertising content associated with a point-of-interest (“POI”) in a digital mapping system, are disclosed. One such method may include detecting a change in the zoom level of an electronic map displayed on a computing device (e.g. desktop/laptop, smart phone, etc. operation on Windows®, Linux®, Mac OS®, iOS®, Android®, etc.) determining if the new zoom-level is at a pre-determined zoom level (e.g. at maximum zoom), identifying a POI on the map, retrieving advertisement content associated with the POI (“POI advertisement content”) and displaying the POI advertisement content. A POI may be a specific point of interest; or, an entire geographic region of a map displayed at a high zoom level. The method may further include detecting a change in the zoom, or pan, of the digital map while POI advertisement content is displayed, and removing or repositioning the POI advertisement content in response.

Abstract: A method of performing commercial transactions, comprising: establishing a secure link over an air interface by a purchasing device (e.g. a wearable computing device, a smart phone, etc.), the secure link being between the purchasing device and a point of sale device; obtaining a biometric read on the purchasing device; authenticating the biometric read on the purchasing device; conducting a secure commercial transaction between the purchasing device and the point of sale device, wherein the commercial transaction is carried out via an electronic transmission between the air interface of the purchasing device and the point of sale, and wherein payment information stored securely on the purchasing device is transmitted to the point of sale device as part of the electronic transmission. In another possible embodiment, obtaining a biometric read on a purchasing device places the purchasing device in a “ready to transact” state for a timed period.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method and system for incorporating advertisement into video-based digital media, comprising: providing a video in digital format wherein the video comprises a sequence of video frames; providing meta-data wherein the meta-data defines at least one surface in at least one of the video frames; providing an image, wherein the image is external to the video; incorporating the image into the at least one surface; and displaying the sequence of video frames wherein the sequence of video frames includes the image incorporated in the at least one surface. Attributes of the surface, such as lighting, shading, texture, curvature, etc. may be factored into a transformation function projecting the image onto the surface. To a viewer of the video, the incorporated advertisement may appear to be an integral part of the video.

Abstract: A method and system for conducting commercial transactions via a wearable computer coupled to a display, comprising the steps of: means for capturing at least one face image of a first person acting as buyer in a commercial transaction, wherein the at least one face image is captured via the wearable computer used by a second person acting as merchant; means for capturing additional transactional information including: identification of goods-or-services being transacted and monetary amount owed; means for transmitting the at least one face image and the additional transactional information to a remote processing entity; means for discerning identity of the first person and associating an account with the first person; means for attempting to debit the user account with the monetary amount owed and means for transmitting results of attempt to debit the user account to the wearable computer and displaying the results to the second person.

Abstract: Various methods, systems and apparatus for associating fictitious user identities (e.g. screen names, user names, email addresses, handles, etc.) used in electronic communications (e.g. over the internet or mobile network via instant messenger, e-mail, social networks, ecommerce, auction websites, etc.) with real personal information (e.g. the true identity of an individual such as their name, address, credit score, driving record, mobile number, etc.) are disclosed. One such method may include discovering, verifying and storing real personal information, associated with fictitious user identities and email addresses. The method may further include allowing a remote user or service to submit a fictitious user identity and a query requesting real-user information associated with the submitted fictitious user identity.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for mapping addressable information (e.g. locations denoted by name or address, street addresses, landmarks, etc.) off of disparate applications on a mobile device, onto an existing map on the mobile device, are disclosed. An application on a mobile device may display addressable information (e.g. a website displaying a location name and/or address, an email containing an address, etc.) In response to a user's selecting the addressable information and invoking a mapping command, a map-display application (e.g. Google Maps® , Yahoo! Maps®, Windows Live Search Maps®, MapQuest®, iPhone® maps, Waze® etc.) may be automatically presented (e.g. launched, become visible, displayed, etc.) displaying the addressable information in addition to at least one prior mapping content previously displayed by the map-display application.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for processing and email thread to discern and display an email-thread chart of senders and recipients (“senders/recipients”) included in the email thread, are disclosed. The email-thread chart may include the senders/recipients arranged in chronological order matching the order in which individual related emails, included in the email thread, were sent and received (the sending/receiving of related emails is hereinafter referred to as “transactions”). The email-thread chart may further include the date-and-time-stamp of the transactions and the labeling of the transactions by transaction type (e.g. “Cced”, “forwarded”, “replied”, etc.) The senders/recipients may be discerned from the body of the email. The body of the email may contain quoted text containing the email thread. The email-thread chart may be displayed automatically in response to a user's attempt to send the email to a remote userfrom an email client application on a computing device (e.g.

Abstract: A method, system and apparatus for displaying advertisements associated with points-of-interest (“POIs”) on a digital map are disclosed. One such method includes: presenting a digital map on a graphical display of an electronic device, wherein the digital map comprises map tiles and corresponds to a geographic region; receiving user input selecting a portion of the digital map; delimiting the portion of the digital map selected by the user; determining one or more advertisements associated with POIs whose geographic coordinates are within the portion of the digital map selected by the user; and displaying the one or more advertisements determined, wherein the displayed advertisements are displayed on the digital map at the geographic coordinates of each of the determined one or more POIs.

Abstract: Various methods, systems and apparatus for displaying online advertising content associated with a point-of-interest (“POI”) in a digital mapping system, are disclosed. One such method may include detecting a change in the zoom level of an electronic map displayed on a computing device (e.g. desktop/laptop, smart phone, etc. operation on Windows®, Linux®, Mac OS®, iOS®, Android®, etc.) determining if the new zoom-level is at a pre-determined zoom level (e.g. at maximum zoom), identifying a POI on the map, retrieving advertisement content associated with the POI (“POI advertisement content”) and displaying the POI advertisement content. A POI may be a specific point of interest; or, an entire geographic region of a map displayed at a high zoom level. The method may further include detecting a change in the zoom, or pan, of the digital map while POI advertisement content is displayed, and removing or repositioning the POI advertisement content in response.

Abstract: Various methods, systems and apparatus for associating fictitious user identities (e.g. screen names, user names, handles, etc.) used in electronic communications (e.g. over the internet or mobile networks via instant messenger, e-mail, social networks, eCommerce and auction websites, etc.) with real personal information (e.g. the true identity of an individual such as their name, address, credit score, driving record, etc.) are disclosed. One apparatus, according to aspects of the present invention, may include means of associating real personal information, submitted by a user, with fictitious user identities, means of verifying the real personal information and the ownership of the real personal information by the submitting user, and means of receiving a request for some personal information associated with a fictitious user identity, from a remote user, abstracting a user's true identity from information associated with them.

Abstract: Various methods, systems and apparatus for displaying content associated with a point-of-interest (“POI”) in a digital mapping system, or a region within the digital map, are disclosed. One such method may include detecting a change in the zoom level of an electronic map displayed on a computing device, determining if the new zoom-level is at a pre-determined zoom level (e.g. at maximum zoom), identifying a POI on the map, retrieving content associated with the POI (“POI content”) and displaying the POI content. The method may further include detecting a change in the zoom, or pan, of the digital map while POI content is displayed, and removing the POI content in response.

Abstract: Various methods, systems and apparatus for displaying alternate content in a digital mapping system, are disclosed. One such method may include detecting a change in a zoom level of an electronic map displaying geographic content (e.g. tile-based digital map, satellite image, etc.) on a computing device (e,g. desktop/laptop, smart phone, etc, running Windows®, Linux®, Mac OS®, iOS®. Android®, etc.); determining a predetermined (eg. maximum) zoom level has been reached; retrieving alternate content, and displaying the alternate content in addition to, or in place of, some-or-all of the geographic content. The method may further include detecting a zoom-out command while the alternate content is being displayed, and in response, restoring the display of the geographic content (e.g. at the maximum zoom level and/or last state of the geographic content display prior to displaying the alternate content.) Alternate content may be associated with any portion of geographic content displayed (e.g.

Abstract: In a collaborative computing environment, a method and system for displaying revisions associated with a hosted electronic document are disclosed. In accordance with the disclosed method and system, select revisions of an electronic document may be displayed to a user, recreating a visual history play-back of the evolution of the electronic document. The electronic document may be displayed in a web-browsing application, utilizing a Document Object Model (“DOM”) retrieving the select revisions via Asynchronous JavaScript and XML (“AJAX”) calls to a remote device/server.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for allowing the user of an electronic device to enhance privacy over a display with the use of software, are disclosed. A security window including a translucent graphical effects region may be displayed on the electronic device such that it overlays content the user may choose to protect. The security window allows the protected content to remain discernable for the user of the device yet substantially indiscernible to a person at a further distance and/or greater viewing angle from the screen of the device. The user may control the size, shape, texture, translucency level and any other graphical or behavioral properties of the security window and graphical effects region. The user may invoke or terminate a security window with the single click of a button. Security windows may automatically attach to applications in focus, or be attached in response to a user command, and allow uninterrupted usability of those applications.

Abstract: Various methods, systems and apparatus for displaying content associated with a point-of-interest (“POI”) in a digital mapping system, are disclosed. One such method may include detecting a change in the zoom level of an electronic map displayed on a computing device, determining if the new zoom-level is at a pre-determined zoom level (e.g. at maximum zoom), identifying a POI on the map, retrieving content associated with the POI (“POI content”) and displaying the POI content. A POI may be a specific point of interest; or, an entire geographic region of a map displayed at a high zoom level. The method may further include detecting a change in the zoom, or pan, of the digital map while POI content is displayed, and removing or repositioning the POI content in response. One apparatus, according to aspects of the present invention, may include means of detecting a change in the zoom level in a digital map displayed through an application (e.g. a web browser, an application on web-enabled cellular phones, etc.

Abstract: Various methods, systems and apparatus for associating fictitious user identities (e.g. screen names, user names, handles, etc.) used in electronic communications (e.g. over the internet via instant messenger, e-mail, social networks, eCommerce and auction websites, etc.) with real personal information (e.g. the true identity of an individual such as their name, address, credit score, driving record, etc.) are disclosed. One such method may include storing real personal information, associated with fictitious user identities, in a CGI, hosted by a GICS. The CGI may be a unique record for an individual person and may contain real personal information verified with proper authorities (e.g. a name, address and driving record of the individual verified with a department of motor vehicles), as well as fictitious user identities used by the individual, feedback receiving from other users, etc.

Abstract: Various methods, systems and apparatus for displaying content associated with a point-of-interest (“POI”) in a digital mapping system, are disclosed. One such method may include detecting a change in the zoom level of an electronic map displayed on a computing device, determining if the new zoom-level is at a pre-determined zoom level (e.g. at maximum zoom), identifying a POI on the map, retrieving content associated with the POI (“POI content”) and displaying the POI content. The method may further include detecting a change in the zoom, or pan, of the digital map while POI content is displayed, and removing the POI content in response. One apparatus, according to aspects of the present invention, may include means of detecting a change in the zoom level in a digital map displayed through an application (e.g. a web browser, an application on web-enabled cellular phones, etc., displaying a map generated by a service such as Google Maps®, Yahoo! Maps®, Windows Live Search Maps®, MapQuest®, etc.