Patents Issued in June 21, 2016
  • Patent number: 9373062
    Abstract: A printer and printing control method to enable print data received from a host computer to be selectively deleted without modifying the host computer or application. A data receiving unit 100 receives print data from a host computer 40. A deletion line parameter unit 81 sets the number of deletion lines that are to be deleted from the received print data. A print data deletion unit 87 deletes the print data corresponding to the deletion lines set by the deletion line parameter unit 81. A printing unit 120 then prints a receipt using the actual (i.e., corrected) print data, which is the received print data remaining after deletion of the selected deletion lines by the print data deletion unit 87.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2016
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Akimasa Takagi
  • Patent number: 9373063
    Abstract: Systems and methods for establishing ink usage of process channels are provided. Separation curves are generated that determine how multiple ink channels are used to render a corresponding process channel of an image. The separation curves are generated using process values and density measurements or estimations. A PVR curve is established to identify target densities. When a combination of ink channels are used, the model is accessed based on one of the ink channels to determine a contribution of the other ink channel to achieve the target density. Each ink channel has a corresponding curve and all of the curves collectively provide a smooth and predictable progression from zero coverage to full coverage for the ink channels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2016
    Assignee: Onyx Graphics, Inc.
    Inventors: Maxim Wasyl Derhak, Rohit A. Patil
  • Patent number: 9373064
    Abstract: An ink jet printing apparatus and an ink jet printing method capable of suppressing the occurrence of the texture or the feeling of granularity at a joint part even in the case where a thinning ratio in a boundary region is adjusted in order to reduce a joint streak are provided. To achieve such purposes, one dot arrangement pattern is set from a plurality of dot arrangement patterns for each pixel in accordance with a gradation level and a position on a printing medium. At this time, in a pixel region located at the joint part, a second dot arrangement pattern whose number of dots is different from a first dot arrangement pattern, which is set in the pixel region located at a part other than the joint part, is arranged so that low frequency components are less than high frequency components.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2016
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Takayuki Ushiyama, Yoshitomo Marumoto, Hiromitsu Yamaguchi, Hitoshi Tsuboi, Ryota Kato
  • Patent number: 9373065
    Abstract: A pharmaceutical filling system for a high volume pharmacy is described. The system can include a paper feed device and method. The system may include a paper collator with at one selectively openable shelf. A control device may monitor the capacity of the selectively openable shelf, and instruct a printer to hold printing additional print jobs. The selectively openable shelf may then be opened to allow the printed literature resting thereon to fall to a lower shelf, and the printer can then be restarted. Sheets of printed literature may be drawn from the paper collator, collected with any other sheets of printed literature associated with a prescription order, and mated with the prescription order for shipment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2016
    Assignee: Express Scripts, Inc.
    Inventor: Robert E. Hoffman
  • Patent number: 9373066
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus capable of displaying a thumbnail image of a first page of a document to enable a user to easily recognize the document based on the displayed thumbnail image. When determining that a print job received from an information processing apparatus includes page data for generating a thumbnail image of the first page of a document, the image forming apparatus generates the thumbnail image of the first page of the document based on the page data included in the print job and displays the generated thumbnail image on a touch display panel of the image forming apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2016
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Masahiro Iwadate
  • Patent number: 9373067
    Abstract: An image forming method according to the present invention includes obtaining a number of pixels in a sub-scanning direction of a white region in image data, the white region being adjacent to a region at a downstream side in the sub-scanning direction of the region and the region being in the image data and including, continuously in the sub-scanning direction, pixels with a density not smaller than a predetermined density, and correcting a pixel value for a unit region based on the number of pixels of the white region obtained by the obtaining so that a density of the unit region becomes low, the unit region being included in the region at the downstream side thereof in the sub-scanning direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2016
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Yasuhiko Hirano
  • Patent number: 9373068
    Abstract: When a printing apparatus starts job processing by acquiring a job in which an execution order is set thereto, the printing apparatus generates printable image data by analyzing the acquired job. In this period, the printing apparatus determines whether an error has occurred in a job processing period. In a case where the printing apparatus determines that the error has occurred in the job processing period, the printing apparatus stops the processing of the started job, and controls the processing of a subsequent job to stop or continue according to an instruction of a user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2016
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Yuzo Harano
  • Patent number: 9373069
    Abstract: Dynamic magnetic stripe communications devices are provided as magnetic stripe emulators. A magnetic stripe emulator may include a coil. Drive circuits may be coupled to this coil in order to produce electromagnetic fields from the coil operable to communicate with a magnetic stripe reader.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2016
    Assignee: DYNAMICS INC.
    Inventors: Bruce S. Cloutier, David Lambeth, James H. Workley
  • Patent number: 9373070
    Abstract: A method of assembling RFID components together while using an RFID chip that heats internally in order to assemble that RFID chip and another RFID component such as an antenna is followed while producing RFID assemblies or RFID devices. This RFID chip is associated with a member that has an electrical characteristic to develop heat internal of this RFID chip. An uncured adhesive is positioned between at least a portion of the RFID chip and a portion of the other RFID component. Action of the RFID chip internal member heats the RFID chip, heat emanating to the adhesive, resulting in adhesive curing into a cured adhesive joint attaching together the RFID chip and the other RFID component. This assembly is capable of being achieved without an external source of heat or pressure applied to the adhesive. Temperature monitoring is available to assess heat development in connection with threshold temperature designation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2016
    Assignee: Avery Dennison Corporation
    Inventor: Ian James Forster
  • Patent number: 9373071
    Abstract: A multilayer wiring type dual-interface IC card antenna module includes: an electrode diaphragm layer, including an antenna and an electrode diaphragm; a clamping base layer including eight first through hole points right below eight metal contacts on the electrode diaphragm; an RFID antenna layer including an RFID antenna, a connecting contact, a first chip attaching point and a second chip attaching point; an insulation layer including eight second through hole points located right below the eight first through hole points, a third through hole point located right below the connecting contact, a fourth through hole point located right below the first chip attaching point, and a fifth through hole point located right below the second chip attaching point; and a bridge layer connected with the second chip attaching point and the connecting contact in a bridging manner. The antenna module can achieve full-automatic production.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2016
    Assignee: Beijing Basch Smartcard Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Caifeng Liu, Zhongyu Wang, Qigang Lvqiu, Danning Wang
  • Patent number: 9373072
    Abstract: An antenna includes first and second radiation portions including one lead wire that is folded back into a loop shape to define a folded-back portion and that includes a first power feed portion at a first end and a second power feed portion at a second end. The lead wire portion extending toward the folded-back portion and the lead wire portion extending through the folded-back portion are close enough to each other near each of the first and second power feed portions in the first and second radiation portions, respectively, to be electromagnetically coupled to each other. The power feed portions of the antenna are coupled to a wireless IC chip. The power feed portions may be coupled to a feed circuit in a feed circuit board coupled to a wireless IC.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2016
    Assignee: MURATA MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Noboru Kato
  • Patent number: 9373073
    Abstract: Embodiments of the invention relate to a time-division multiplexed neurosynaptic module with implicit memory addressing for implementing a universal substrate of adaptation. One embodiment comprises a neurosynaptic device including a memory device that maintains neuron attributes for multiple neurons. The module further includes multiple bit maps that maintain incoming firing events for different periods of delay and a multi-way processor. The processor includes a memory array that maintains a plurality of synaptic weights. The processor integrates incoming firing events in a time-division multiplexing manner. Incoming firing events are integrated based on the neuron attributes and the synaptic weights maintained.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2016
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: John V. Arthur, Bernard V. Brezzo, Leland Chang, Daniel J. Friedman, Paul A. Merolla, Dharmendra S. Modha, Robert K. Montoye, Jae-sun Seo, Jose A. Tierno
  • Patent number: 9373074
    Abstract: Certain aspects of the present disclosure provide techniques for time management and scheduling of synchronous neural processing on a cluster of processing nodes. A slip (or offset) may be introduced between processing nodes of a distributed processing system formed by a plurality of interconnected processing nodes, to enable faster nodes to continue processing without waiting for slower nodes to catch up. In certain aspects, a processing node, after completing each processing step, may check for received completion packets and apply a defined constraint to determine whether it may start processing a subsequent step or not.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2016
    Assignee: QUALCOMM Incorporated
    Inventors: Jeffrey A. Levin, Venkat Rangan, Robert J. Vachon
  • Patent number: 9373075
    Abstract: A mechanism is provided in a data processing system for applying a genetic algorithm to semantic sentiment analysis. The mechanism provides a sentiment analysis model to a sentiment analysis algorithm. The mechanism trains the sentiment analysis model using a genetic algorithm based on a training corpus of documents with corresponding desired sentiment analysis values for a given domain to form a trained sentiment analysis model. The mechanism performs the sentiment analysis algorithm on an input document using the trained sentiment analysis model to form a domain-specific sentiment analysis result. The mechanism outputs the domain-specific sentiment analysis result.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2016
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: John P. Bufe, III, Timothy P. Winkler
  • Patent number: 9373076
    Abstract: Computer-implemented systems and methods for identifying an object in an image are provided. In one example, the method includes identifying a first object related to an electronic image. The image includes at least a second object. Based at least in part on the identity of the first object, social networking information related to the first object is used to programmatically identify the second object. The first object and/or the second object may be a person. In some embodiments, metadata associated with the image may be used to identify the second object. Based at least in part on the identifications, social networking information may be associated between the first object and the second object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2016
    Assignee: AOL Inc.
    Inventors: Barry Appelman, Sharon M. Perlmutter, Keren O. Perlmutter
  • Patent number: 9373077
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a computer-implemented method for electronic design simulation. The method may include providing, using at least one computing device, an electronic design. The method may also include associating, using the at least one computing device, an identifier with each constraint solver call utilized in a simulation of the electronic design. The method may also include generating, using the at least one computing device, an application programming interface configured to allow a user to navigate through electronic design simulation results based upon, at least in part, the identifier associated with each constraint solver call.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2016
    Assignee: Cadence Design Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Daniel Asher Cohen, John LeRoy Pierce, Petr William Spacek, Prasanna Prithviraj Rao
  • Patent number: 9373078
    Abstract: Systems and methods to provide predictive alerting are disclosed. Trends and characteristics in the data may be identified in advance of actual occurrence, with an expected event being predicted or extrapolated based on data and a predictive model associated with stored and/or incoming data. This may be done by, for example, developing a set of rules associated with the model that may then be used to trigger predictive alerts based on predicted trends. Various data and associated characteristics may be determined based on past data and/or analogous data taken from similarly modeled systems. For example, seasonal trends may be factored into the model so that a prediction is based on both a received set of data and expected seasonal (or other temporal) trends. Various other characteristics may also be used in the predictive model.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2016
    Assignee: Anametrix, Inc.
    Inventors: Anders Olsson, Roman Jugai, Andreas Jonsson
  • Patent number: 9373079
    Abstract: A system is described for improving decision making for individuals, groups and organizations. The system enables participants to collaboratively provide informational statements as well as supporting and opposing arguments and share them and then rate them. The system visually facilitates participants prioritizing arguments, and allows participants to rate arguments on clarity, agreement, and relevance. The system includes multiple levels of authority, both inherent and topic-assignable, which enable posts to be made visible/invisible based on authority level and/or “need to know”. The system allows decision makers to increase the reach of participants in decisions while keeping the input and process manageable yielding better decisions. All posts, ratings, and edits of posts and ratings within the system are archived along with any reasons given, and archives are reviewable by users.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2016
    Inventors: Alex McDonald, Lee Weinstein
  • Patent number: 9373080
    Abstract: A plurality of user made decisions concerning unknown data objects are received from a plurality of users. Each specific user made decision concerns a specific unknown data object made by a specific user, wherein the specific decision could not be made automatically with a sufficient level of confidence without user input. Accuracy of the received user made decisions is automatically determined, as empirical data determinative of the accuracy of the decisions becomes available over time. User weights are automatically dynamically calculated, based on the determined accuracy of decisions made by associated users. Multiple user made decisions received from multiple users concerning a specific unknown data object are aggregated, taking into account the user weights. A definitive decision concerning the specific unknown data object is automatically made without prompting any user for confirmation, based on the aggregating of the user made decisions concerning the specific unknown data object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2016
    Assignee: Symantec Corporation
    Inventor: Sourabh Satish
  • Patent number: 9373081
    Abstract: A system and related method for automating alert decision-making in a computer network are disclosed. The system and method act to receive an alert request from an event management system, and then carries out operations using several sets of inference rules, associating the alert request to a generic conceptual data model of alert request and alert resolution. The generic model is specialized to represent the specific environment being monitored. The alert request is enriched with contextual and network information in order to generate one or several alert resolution actions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2016
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventor: Freddy Lorge
  • Patent number: 9373082
    Abstract: An assessment engine includes a definition of inquiry skills being assessed. Assessment models are used to infer skill demonstration as one or more students engage in inquiry within computerized simulations and/or microworlds. A pedagogical agent and/or help system provides real-time feedback to one or more students based on the assessment model outputs, and/or based on additional models that track one or more students developing proficiency across inquiry tasks over time. A pedagogical agent and/or help system for science inquiry tutoring responds in real-time on the basis of knowledge-engineered and data-mined assessment and/or tracking models.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2016
    Assignee: Worcester Polytechnic Institute
    Inventors: Janice D. Gobert, Ryan S. Baker, Michael A. Sao Pedro
  • Patent number: 9373083
    Abstract: An information analytic system including an information gathering unit configured to gather at least one piece of information from at least one of a plurality of devices connected to a network, an information analysis unit configured to analyze the gathered information, and a rule generation unit configured to generate at least one rule based on the analysis performed by the information analysis unit. The rule analysis unit is configured to analyze each generated rule to identify the rules that can be applied to the corresponding piece information, and to apply applies the identified rule to the corresponding piece of information. The rule analysis unit is also configured to analyze unapplied rules and to determine what additional information is required to apply each unapplied rule to at least one piece of information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2016
    Assignee: INTELLIGENT BUILDINGS, LLC
    Inventors: Thomas Shircliff, Robert Murchison
  • Patent number: 9373084
    Abstract: A computer system includes a processor for executing a program, a computer holding the program executed by the processor, a first database holding relevance between physical amounts measured under conditions different in at least one of time and place, and a second database holding relevance between pieces of information including texts and corresponding to the measured physical amounts. The processor is configured to: calculate, based on the relevance between the physical amounts held in the first database and the relevance between the pieces of information in the second database, relevance between each of the measured physical amounts and each of the pieces of information, and hold the calculated relevance between each of the physical amounts and each of the pieces of information in a third database; and refer to, when the physical amounts are input, the third database to present information highly relevant to the input physical amounts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2016
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Minako Toba, Yasuhide Mori
  • Patent number: 9373085
    Abstract: A system and method for generating and inferring patterns with a network that includes providing a network of recursive sub-networks with a parent feature input node and at least two child feature output nodes; propagating node selection through the network layer hierarchy in a manner consistent with node connections of sub-networks of the network, the propagation within the sub-network including enforcing a selection constraint on at least a second node of a second pool according to a constraint node of the sub-network; and compiling the state of final child feature nodes of the network into a generated output.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2016
    Assignee: Vicarious FPC, Inc.
    Inventors: Dileep George, Kenneth Alan Kansky, David Scott Phoenix, Bhaskara Marthi, Christopher Laan, Wolfgang Lehrach
  • Patent number: 9373086
    Abstract: Mechanisms are provided, in association with a Question and Answer (QA) system, for implementing corpus identified reasoning when evaluating questions. An input question is received and an answer to the input question and supporting evidence for the answer are determined based on an evaluation of a corpus of information. The supporting evidence is analyzed to identify reasoning criteria specifying a reason as to why the answer is considered to be a correct answer by a provider of the supporting evidence. Rules are generated based on the identified reasoning criteria with the rules correlating the answer with the identified reasoning criteria and features of the input question. The rules are stored as entries in a reasoning data structure a subsequent question is processed based on the reasoning data structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 7, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2016
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Corville O. Allen, Scott A. Will, Eric Woods
  • Patent number: 9373087
    Abstract: Improved decision tree training in machine learning is described, for example, for automated classification of body organs in medical images or for detection of body joint positions in depth images. In various embodiments, improved estimates of uncertainty are used when training random decision forests for machine learning tasks in order to give improved accuracy of predictions and fewer errors. In examples, bias corrected estimates of entropy or Gini index are used or non-parametric estimates of differential entropy. In examples, resulting trained random decision forests are better able to perform classification or regression tasks for a variety of applications without undue increase in computational load.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2016
    Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventor: Reinhard Sebastian Bernhard Nowozin
  • Patent number: 9373088
    Abstract: A brain machine interface for control of prosthetic devices is provided. In its control, the interface utilizes parallel control of a continuous decoder and a discrete action state decoder. In the discrete decoding, we not only learn states affiliated with the task, but also states related to the velocity of the prosthetic device and the engagement of the user. Moreover, we not only learn the distributions of the neural signals in these states, but we also learn the interactions/transitions between the states, which is crucial to enabling a relatively higher level of performance of the prosthetic device. Embodiments according to this parallel control system enable us to reliably decode not just task-related states, but any “discrete action state,” in parallel with a neural prosthetic “continuous decoder,” to achieve new state-of-the-art levels of performance in brain-machine interfaces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2016
    Assignee: The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University
    Inventors: Paul Nuyujukian, Jonathan C. Kao, Krishna V Shenoy
  • Patent number: 9373089
    Abstract: A method of monitoring a position of a moveable entity includes equipping a moveable entity with a position sensor that outputs position signals indicating current geographical positions of the sensor, and using a machine learning system to process the position signals in accordance with a machine learning algorithm to identify reference positions indicated by the position signals corresponding to a first type of activity performed by the entity. Rules are defined based on the identified reference positions. The computer processor then monitors the position signals and apply the rules to the position signals to identify positions that violate the rules.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2016
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Roland Klinnert, Naveen Ramakrishnan, Michael Dambier
  • Patent number: 9373090
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention provide a system, method, and program product for predicting the classification of a work-item notification generated by an issue tracking system. A computing device analyzes a new work-item notification using a trained binary classifier that was trained using at least a past and/or current work-item history that was collected as a tuple that includes information reflecting the workitem-ID, actor, timestamp, attribute, work-item start-value, and work-item end-value. The computing device, in response to analyzing the new work-item notification, predicts a classification of the new work-item notification. In an embodiment, the classification is used for display of the new work-item notification.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2016
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Monika Gupta, Debdoot Mukherjee, Vibha S. Sinha
  • Patent number: 9373091
    Abstract: A method and system for providing a user of a wireless communication device (WCD) with vending service. The WCD may present the user with data indicating items available for purchase from a vendor. The WCD may then receive the user's directive to order an item from the vendor. In response, the WCD may obtain data stored at a transponder in proximity to the WCD that indicates a location of the WCD. In one example, the transponder may be at a fixed location, such as by being affixed to a fixed object at a venue (e.g., a stadium seat), in which case the stored data may indicate the fixed location. The WCD may then send an order for the item and the obtained data to the vendor. In turn, the vendor may use the data to determine a location of the WCD and then deliver the item to the determined location.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2016
    Assignee: Sprint Spectrum L.P.
    Inventors: John E. Belser, David U. McKinney, Timothy L. Swan, Douglas R. Green
  • Patent number: 9373092
    Abstract: A system for automated distribution of supervisory functions in an enterprise is provided. The system includes a monitor module configured to monitor performance of resources in the enterprise. The system further includes a skill finder module configured to find at least one skilled resource for at least one type of work request. The system further includes an assignment module configured to assign the at least one skilled resource a subset of supervisory role for the at least one type of work request.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2016
    Assignee: Avaya Inc.
    Inventors: Paul D'Arcy, Neil O'Connor
  • Patent number: 9373093
    Abstract: A system includes a backend server with business applications within a business object processing framework. The business object processing framework includes a framework data format. The system also includes a generic gateway service manager coupled to the business object processing framework, and a gateway coupled to the generic gateway service manager. The gateway includes a gateway data format, and the generic gateway service manager is positioned between the business object processing framework and the gateway. The generic gateway service manager is configured to retrieve the framework data format from the business object processing format and store the framework data format in the gateway. The gateway is configured to transfer data between the business object processing framework and a user interface using the framework data format stored in the gateway.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2016
    Assignee: SAP SE
    Inventors: Dirk Schiebeler, Jan Rumig
  • Patent number: 9373094
    Abstract: A Dynamic Web Service server may facilitate custom Enterprise Application interface development with little or no developer input by dynamically creating a web service for performing a particular transaction according to a transaction map. An Enterprise Application client device may create a transaction map by “recording” a transaction between an Enterprise Application client and an Enterprise Application server and mapping transaction fields to a custom interface generated to collect data for re-performing the recorded transaction. The Enterprise Application client device may call the dynamic web service, and the Dynamic Web Service server may then perform the recorded transaction using input data collected in the custom interface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2016
    Assignee: Winshuttle, LLC
    Inventors: Vishal Chalana, Amit Sharma, Piyush Nagar, Vishal Sharma, Vikram Chalana
  • Patent number: 9373095
    Abstract: Provided is a method of controlling a component for a network system. The method of controlling the component for the network system includes recognizing low-price period or high-price period information, recognizing a scheduled operation time including a scheduled operation start time of the component, determining whether a change condition of the scheduled operation time is satisfied, and changing the scheduled operation time when the change condition is satisfied and operating the component at the changed scheduled operation time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2016
    Assignee: LG Electronics Inc.
    Inventors: Junho Ahn, Yanghwan Kim, Hoonbong Lee, Koonseok Lee, Sangil Hwang
  • Patent number: 9373096
    Abstract: A method and system for dynamically optimizing workload of a cloud computing system. The cloud computing system is configured into an operative status by defining a virtual machine (VM) topology representing a respective virtual machine assignment for each physical server of the cloud computing system. An objects database (ODB) stores: business policies, a respective software cost per software application in one or more software license pools, and a power cost of the cloud computing system. It is determined that the cloud computing system does not perform optimally with respect to a total cost of the cloud computing system, which is a sum of the respective software cost and the power cost. The workload of the cloud computing system is distributed pursuant to a new VM topology that has a minimum total cost of the cloud computing system pursuant to the business policies stored in the ODB.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2016
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Lucas G. Franco, Lucas M. Lima, Ana B. Parra, Jose A. Reguera
  • Patent number: 9373097
    Abstract: A system and method for tracking passengers during travel events and generating alerts if rules for those travel events are violated includes readers, which are installed in vehicles and obtain location data from one or more positioning systems. As passengers enter or exit the vehicles, the passengers swipe access cards in the readers. The readers then tag passenger identity information with the obtained location data. This information is then transmitted to a monitoring system, which generates rules for each of the travel event of the passengers. During the travel events, the received location data and time information is analyzed and to determine if any of the vehicles are violating the generated rules. The monitoring system generates alerts if any of the generated rules are violated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2016
    Assignee: Sensormatic Electronics, LLC
    Inventors: Sarthak Mahapatra, Amit Kumar Sharma, Mahesh Nagaraju
  • Patent number: 9373098
    Abstract: Systems, methods, and devices of the various embodiments enable cartonization of products for store replenishment based on the individual store layout of each store of a group of stores to which the cartonized products are to be provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2016
    Inventors: Hazem Nizar An Nashif, Thomas Frederick Brady
  • Patent number: 9373099
    Abstract: The invention relates to a network of participants connected through a website and thereby forming a virtual cold chain, and wherein the participants can make proposals and/or bids to shipment owners, shippers, receivers, and customers, to provide services or products to keep the shipment at desired conditions (especially, temperature conditions) during a period of the remaining shipment. The shipment can be monitored en route by agents acting for the website or by either the same participants making proposals, or other participants.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2016
    Inventor: Maurice Barakat
  • Patent number: 9373100
    Abstract: A quality management system for products including a multiplicity of barcode indicators, each operative to provide a machine-readable indication of exceedance of at least one threshold by at least one product quality determining parameter, the at least one threshold being at least one of a time duration threshold and a combined temperature and time threshold, a barcode indicator reader operative to read the barcode indicators and to provide output indications and an indication interpreter operative to receive the output indications and to provide human sensible, product unit specific, product quality status outputs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2016
    Assignee: Varcode Ltd.
    Inventors: Yaron Nemet, Ephraim Brand
  • Patent number: 9373101
    Abstract: A method for filtering social media content based on interest categories. Users of a social network can be associated with one or more interest categories. Posts or updates made in the social network by friends of a first user are associated with one or more interest categories. A social feed can be filtered based on the interested categories or the first user of the social feed and/or the interests associated with the posts or updates made by the first user's friends. In some cases, the filtered social media content is ordered based on expertise of the first user's friends in the particular interest categories of those users' posts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2016
    Assignee: SMUGMUG, INC.
    Inventor: Don Macaskill
  • Patent number: 9373102
    Abstract: A system and method for delivering content in real-time using advanced messaging technology that reduces the risk of content being lost or dropped in transmission. The system and method utilize a custom, simplified XML format to deliver real-time textual, numeric, and metadata content directly to subscribers. The XML tag set specifies all of the information needed to package, process, and distribute real-time content messages and includes an advanced tagging structure that allows granular content customization. Messages are built on the fly using multi-channel data processing techniques. The XML delivery system and method offers an array of real-time market-specific page-based “Alert” services and aggregated newswires with accompanying real-time numeric data feeds. These feeds contain proprietary assessments and other price data across a broad spectrum of global and regional commodity markets, including oil, petrochemicals, metals, electric power, natural gas, coal, and risk.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2016
    Assignee: McGraw Hill Financial, Inc.
    Inventors: Sameer Merchant, Gerald Bueshel, Jules Michael McLeod, John Marshall
  • Patent number: 9373103
    Abstract: Provided is a method for managing a long-term plan by an e-calendar, including creating a plan and setting the keyword with respect to the plan, by a user, and pushing related information to the user when an event related to the keyword occurs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2016
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd
    Inventor: Ga Zhang
  • Patent number: 9373104
    Abstract: Methods, program products and systems to assign photographers on an event invite and automate requesting, uploading and sharing of the event's photos/videos are described here. The solution would allow to assign photographers for an event using the event's invite itself, indirectly triggering the auto-creation of a new photo/video album and allowing the photographer invitees to upload their photos/videos for the event, either real-time or manually at a later time. Thereafter, once an event is complete, the event's photo/video album would be either automatically or manually shared with the event's guests depending upon the preferences set by the event's owner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2016
    Inventor: Ankit Dilip Kothari
  • Patent number: 9373105
    Abstract: Provided is a system for coordinating collection and processing of digital data by a plurality of deposit modules with respect to a plurality of users over a communications network, the digital data based on a plurality of original paper deposits and including at least digital images of the original paper deposits and respective deposit information, the system comprising: a communications module that provides a list of one or more deposit functions assigned to each respective user, each of the deposit functions coordinated by a corresponding module of the plurality of deposit modules, and that provides a list of the respective digital data that is associated with each of the assigned deposit modules; the plurality of deposit modules that facilitates a distribution of the deposit functions for the collection and processing of the digital data with one or more users of the plurality of users.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2016
    Assignee: RDM Corporation
    Inventors: Graham Heit, Douglas Newman, Dima Shamroni, Dhammika Botejue, John Kavanagh
  • Patent number: 9373106
    Abstract: Provides a consumer of digital products with an experience like that of visiting a shopping mall, where a product may be “tried on,” or downloaded, without having to pay until it's actually used. A consumer may download three identical copies of an item, but not be billed for any of the downloads until one of the copies of the item is actually installed or used on the client device. At that point, a purchase of that particular copy of the item is deemed to have occurred and the user is billed for that particular copy. The sale is credited to the provider that the particular copy is associated with, based on a transaction identifier that associates that particular copy of the item with the client device and the provider. The unused copies of the item may automatically be deleted or disabled once the purchase has occurred.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2016
    Assignee: Sprint Communications Company L.P.
    Inventors: Raymond Emilio Reeves, Ryan Alan Wick, Wen Xue, Thomas M. Hughson
  • Patent number: 9373107
    Abstract: In a gaming method and system, a player is permitted to move funds from a gaming machine at a casino, such as funds won at the gaming machine or input into the gaming machine, with a funds account which the player can utilize to fund remote or mobile gaming. When a player of a gaming machine is identified, such as by detecting or sensing the player's mobile communication device or by a player's use of a player card or the like, a gaming machine may be configured or triggered to activate one or more funds association options, such as to offer the player the opportunity to associate funds provided to the gaming machine with their account for use in remote or mobile gaming.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2016
    Assignee: Tipping Point Group, LLC
    Inventor: Sam Johnson
  • Patent number: 9373108
    Abstract: A method for point of sale payments includes receiving, from a seller device over a network, payment information. The payment information is associated with payment code information in a database. The payment code information is then sent to the seller device over the network for posting at a service location. The payment code information is then captured by a payer device at the service location and transmitted over the network. The payment information is then retrieved from the database using the associated payment code information. The payment information is then sent to the payer device over the network. A payment confirmation is received from the payer device over the network and, in response, a payment from a payer account to a seller account is initiated and the payment information and an indication of the payment confirmation is sent to the seller device over the network.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2016
    Assignee: PayPal, Inc.
    Inventors: Nikhil S. Sathe, Norihiro Edwin Aoki
  • Patent number: 9373109
    Abstract: The present invention extends to methods, systems, and computer program products for helping customers select lesser congested checkout lanes. A cashier can adjust a user-interface control to indicate customer congestion at his or her checkout lane. The indicated customer congestion is combined with indicated customer congestions for other checkout lanes (which may be more or less congested). The combined indicated customer congestions are used to form a lane congestion report for a physical store location. The lane congestion report can be sent to and presented at customer mobile devices at or near the physical store location. Customers can use the information presented in the lane congestion report to select a lesser congested checkout lane.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2016
    Assignee: WAL-MART STORES, INC.
    Inventors: Stuart Argue, Anthony Emile Marcar
  • Patent number: 9373110
    Abstract: An information processing apparatus communicates with an electronic device for performing first contact or noncontact communication and performs second communication different from the first communication with the electronic device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2016
    Assignee: FeliCa Networks, Inc.
    Inventors: Shuichi Sekiya, Mitsuhiro Kimura, Naoki Waki
  • Patent number: 9373111
    Abstract: A method is disclosed. It includes presenting a payment card to an access device, obtaining additional data, encrypting the additional data, and passing the encrypted additional data to the access device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2016
    Assignee: Visa International Service Association
    Inventors: Kim Wagner, Dinah Sloan, Brian Byrne