Abstract: Embodiments disclosed herein provide systems and methods for the filtering, selection and presentation of vendors accounting for both user characteristics and vendor characteristics, such that the systems and methods may be used by both customer and vendor alike to better match customer needs with the resource-constrained vendors with whom a successful sale has a higher probability of occurring. Embodiments may include filtering, selecting and/or presenting vendors to a user sorted by the probability that the particular vendor will possess the characteristics that appeal to a particular customer and therefore result in a large probability of sale and suppress presentation of those vendors that are unlikely to be selected by the customer since their characteristics are less consistent with those needed by the customer and, therefore, are unlikely to result in a sale.

Abstract: Embodiments disclosed herein provide systems and methods for the filtering, selection and presentation of vendors accounting for both user characteristics and vendor characteristics, such that the systems and methods may be used by both customer and vendor alike to better match customer needs with the resource-constrained vendors with whom a successful sale has a higher probability of occurring. Embodiments may include filtering, selecting and/or presenting vendors to a user sorted by the probability that the particular vendor will possess the characteristics that appeal to a particular customer and therefore result in a large probability of sale and suppress presentation of those vendors that are unlikely to be selected by the customer since their characteristics are less consistent with those needed by the customer and, therefore, are unlikely to result in a sale.

Abstract: Various techniques for providing a low leakage electrostatic discharge (ESD) structure for non-contact bio-signal sensors are disclosed. In some embodiments, a low leakage ESD structure for a capacitive bio-sensor includes a unity gain buffer, and an ESD protection circuit connected to the unity gain buffer, in which the ESD protection circuit includes a diode connected across an input and an output of the unity gain buffer, and in which a voltage range for the ESD protection circuit is configurable.

Abstract: A computerized system for activating, issuing and otherwise managing transactions and activities pertaining to stored-value cards over a communications network. A central information database is provided for storing stored-value cardholder and card purchaser information received directly from respective stored-value cardholders and card purchasers PCs through a universal central processor via respective communication gateways. The central processor is coupled for communication realtime to multiple unaffiliated stored-value card processing networks normally operated by respective hosts. Each network includes a stored-value card processor coupled to a stored-value card database and multiple respective merchant communication devices. The central processor is programmed for managing the activation and issuance of transactions and activities for the stored-value card through the respective unaffiliated networks.

Abstract: A vehicle identification number (VIN) decoder (VDC) implementing a unique VIN decoding method may, for a given VIN, shorten the VIN and form a stem and a leaf therefrom. Utilizing the stem, the VDC may operate to find matching leaf values, if any, from a set of look up tables. Depending upon a match outcome, one or more trim identification code (TIC) values can be assigned to the VIN and a candidate list can be constructed utilizing the assigned TIC value(s). The candidate list, which can be optimized, may contain one or more candidate trims for the VIN. For each candidate trim, a confidence score and a match probability can be generated. The VDC may provide decoded information containing trim data associated with at least one of the one or more candidate trims for the VIN to a client device over a network connection.

Abstract: Embodiments disclosed provide a system, method, and computer program product for identifying consumer items more likely to be bought by an individual user. In some embodiments, a collaborative filter may be used to rank items based on the degree to which they match user preferences. The collaborative filter may be hierarchical and may take various factors into consideration. Example factors may include the similarity among items based on observable features, a summary of aggregate online search behavior across multiple users, the item features determined to be most important to the individual user, and a baseline item against which a conditional probability of another item being selected is measured.

Abstract: A capacitive sensor system including a sensing plate, an amplifier, and a switching circuit is described. The sensing plate is capacitively coupled to a body surface. A change in the electric potential on the body surface generates an electric field that induces change in the electric potential of the sensing plate. The sensing plate includes a sensing node positioned in the electric field for generating an input signal from the electric field. The sensing plate is not in contact with the body surface. The amplifier receives the input signal at the input port, amplifies the input signal and generates an output signal at the output port. The switching circuit is connected to the input port and a reference voltage. The switching circuit non-continuously closes a shunting path from the sensing node to the reference voltage to reset the voltage at the sensing node.

Abstract: In embodiments disclosed herein, a computer may operate to determine, for each member in a set and each non-member under consideration for the set, an expected revenue to be passed to an organization. The expected revenue may be determined utilizing a plurality of weighted features. Members in the set may be ranked according to their expected revenues. Top performing members in the set may be protected to ensure their expected revenues. Bottom performing members may be removed from the set and/or replaced with new members outside of geographical protective areas of the top performing members. The optimization process can be repeated until the set of members can satisfy an existing demand and/or revenue for the organization is maximized.

Abstract: Disclosed is a new methodology for defining fixed industry-specific market areas (ISMAs). A system implementing an ISMA construction algorithm may extract relevant primary geographic polygon (PGP) data and operate to optimize a predefined industry-specific objective function, given relevant constraints such as the spatial relationships between PGPs and their adjacencies, industry-specific constraints such as the number of sales, and non-industry-specific constraints such as median household income. A PGP represents an undividable geographic administrative unit such as counties, states, Census tracts, 5-digit or 3-digit ZIP Codes, etc. A set of ISMAs may be constructed using a hierarchical PGP merging process in which PGPs are merged iteratively until a stopping condition is met. An iterative PGP swapping process may be employed to adjust the outcome from the hierarchical PGP merging process to achieve the best possible outcome for the objective function.

Abstract: Embodiments disclosed provide a system, method, and computer program product for identifying consumer items more likely to be bought by an individual user. In some embodiments, a collaborative filter may be used to rank items based on the degree to which they match user preferences. The collaborative filter may be hierarchical and may take various factors into consideration. Example factors may include the similarity among items based on observable features, a summary of aggregate online search behavior across multiple users, the item features determined to be most important to the individual user, and a baseline item against which a conditional probability of another item being selected is measured.

Abstract: A vehicle identification number (VIN) decoder (VDC) implementing a unique VIN decoding method may, for a given VIN, shorten the VIN and form a stem and a leaf therefrom. Utilizing the stem, the VDC may operate to find matching leaf values, if any, from a set of look up tables. Depending upon a match outcome, one or more trim identification code (TIC) values can be assigned to the VIN and a candidate list can be constructed utilizing the assigned TIC value(s). The candidate list, which can be optimized, may contain one or more candidate trims for the VIN. For each candidate trim, a confidence score and match probability can be generated. The VDC may provide decoded information containing trim data associated with at least one of the one or more candidate trims for the VIN to a client device over a network connection.

Abstract: A computerized system for activating, issuing and otherwise managing transactions and activities pertaining to stored-value cards over a communications network. A central information database is provided for storing stored-value cardholder and card purchaser information received directly from respective stored-value cardholders and card purchasers PCs through a universal central processor via respective communication gateways. The central processor is coupled for communication realtime to multiple unaffiliated stored-value card processing networks normally operated by respective hosts. Each network includes a stored-value card processor coupled to a stored-value card database and multiple respective merchant communication devices. The central processor is programmed for managing the activation and issuance of transactions and activities for the stored-value card through the respective unaffiliated networks.

Abstract: In embodiments disclosed herein, a computer may operate to determine, for each member in a set and each non-member under consideration for the set, an expected revenue to be passed to a parent organization. The expected revenue may be determined utilizing a plurality of weighted features. Members in the set may be ranked according to their expected revenues. Top performing members in the set may be protected to ensure their expected revenues. Bottom performing members may be removed from the set and/or replaced with new members outside of geographical protective areas of the top performing members. The optimization process can be repeated until the set of members can satisfy an existing demand while maximizing revenue for the parent organization.

Abstract: Endogenous and exogenous variables associated with an item for sale by an affiliate may be displayed to a user of an affiliate decision-making tool. In response to the user selecting one of the endogenous variables, the affiliate decision-making tool may compute a number of introductions, a number of leads, and a number of sales for each of a plurality of possible values of the endogenous variable. The computation may be done utilizing a display position algorithm. A visualization of effects of setting the endogenous variable at different levels may be presented. The user may interact with the display position algorithm to vary one or more of the plurality of possible values of the endogenous variable such that the affiliate is eligible or disqualified to be displayed by an intermediary in response to a search for the item by a visitor of a network site owned and operated by the intermediary.

Abstract: A two piece shipping tray having a first unitary blank which provides a bottom panel with opposed end panels and opposed side panels connected by foldable corner gussets and a second unitary blank which provides a two walled cross divider adhered in fixed relation to the bottom panel to provide a knocked-down-flat condition in which the two walled cross divider foldably engages the bottom panel and in which the opposed side panels have a portion of the corresponding foldable corner gussets adhered in fixed relation to the opposed end panels to engage each of the opposed side panels with the bottom panel, which allows the basic configuration of the shipping tray to be manually foldably produced from the knocked-down-flat condition.

Abstract: A vehicle identification number (VIN) decoder (VDC) implementing a unique VIN decoding method may, for a given VIN, shorten the VIN and form a stem and a leaf therefrom. Utilizing the stem, the VDC may operate to find matching leaf values, if any, from a set of look up tables. Depending upon a match outcome, one or more trim identification code (TIC) values can be assigned to the VIN and a candidate list can be constructed utilizing the assigned TIC value(s). The candidate list, which can be optimized, may contain one or more candidate trims for the VIN. For each candidate trim, a confidence score and match probability can be generated. The VDC may provide decoded information containing trim data associated with at least one of the one or more candidate trims for the VIN to a client device over a network connection.

Abstract: In embodiments disclosed herein, a computer may operate to determine, for each member in a set and each non-member under consideration for the set, an expected revenue to be passed to a parent organization. The expected revenue may be determined utilizing a plurality of weighted features. Members in the set may be ranked according to their expected revenues. Top performing members in the set may be protected to ensure their expected revenues. Bottom performing members may be removed from the set and/or replaced with new members outside of geographical protective areas of the top performing members. The optimization process can be repeated until the set of members can satisfy an existing demand while maximizing revenue for the parent organization.

Abstract: A two piece shipping tray having a first unitary blank which provides a bottom panel with opposed end panels and opposed side panels connected by foldable corner gussets and a second unitary blank which provides a two walled cross divider adhered in fixed relation to the bottom panel to provide a knocked-down-flat condition in which the two walled cross divider foldably engages the bottom panel and in which the opposed side panels have a portion of the corresponding foldable corner gussets adhered in fixed relation to the opposed end panels to engage each of the opposed side panels with the bottom panel, which allows the basic configuration of the shipping tray to be manually foldably produced from the knocked-down-flat condition.

Abstract: Techniques are disclosed for sensory-evoked potential (SEPs, e.g., visual-evoked potentials) signal detection/classification by synchronizing EEG to the repeated presentation of sensory stimuli in the time domain. In some embodiments, a system receives a plurality of EEG signal samples, generates a stimulus-locked EEG and determines whether the plurality of EEG signal samples are evoked in response to a pattern of stimulus. In some embodiments, no prior knowledge about the update pattern (such as the flashing frequency of a visual stimulus) of the stimulus and no prior knowledge about an individual user's EEG pattern are required.

Abstract: Embodiments disclosed provide a system, method, and computer program product for identifying consumer items more likely to be bought by an individual user. In some embodiments, a collaborative filter may be used to rank items based on the degree to which they match user preferences. The collaborative filter may be hierarchical and may take various factors into consideration. Example factors may include the similarity among items based on observable features, a summary of aggregate online search behavior across multiple users, the item features determined to be most important to the individual user, and a baseline item against which a conditional probability of another item being selected is measured.