Abstract: Embodiments of the instant invention are directed to a method and apparatus for presenting unsolicited data to users without interrupting the user's activities, wherein the presentation of the unsolicited data is monitored and is available for review by the user at the user's convenience. Embodiments of the invention comprise a content and display manager, wherein the content and display manager include a display monitor, a content delivery system and a content controller. The display monitor selects the display of content to the users, in part, by reviewing a marker which defines the last time that content was displayed to the user and the type of content displayed. The content delivery system transmits a content window to a user computer via the controller.

Abstract: A point of view shopper camera system is provided to generate and analyze shoppers' view data. The point of view shopper camera system may comprise a head device including an eye camera and a head orientation sensor, a position tracking sensor to identify a shopper's position, and an analysis computing device. The eye camera may be configured to be mounted to the head of the shopper, and to capture a still or moving image of the field of view of the shopper. The analysis computing device may be configured to receive the captured image data from the eye camera, head orientation data from the head orientation sensor, and the shopper's position data from the position tracking sensor, and determine an estimated field of view of the shopper during a trip in a shopping environment.

Abstract: Embodiments introduced describe single-action surveys, wherein a survey requires a single action only, such as a click on a mouse, a touch, tap, or stroke on a touch screen. Each single action means selecting one specific survey answer and a survey session may end after a single action is taken. In addition, a survey may end automatically within a substantially short period of time in the absence of any action.

Abstract: A deal manager executing on computer hardware receives a discount offer proposal from a first consumer. The deal manager forwards the discount offer proposal to one or more retail suppliers. The discount offer can include proposed terms such as a conditional modification to an original retail price of a respective retail item offered for sale by the supplier. In response to receiving, from the supplier, acceptance of terms as specified by the discount offer proposal, the deal manager or other suitable resource initiates distribution of terms associated with the approved discount offer to the first consumer and/or a second consumer. The second consumer can be one of multiple consumers to which the approved discount offer is distributed. Accordingly, consumers can propose deals that are, in turn, used by other consumers.

Abstract: An electronic couponing technique includes transferring coupon information, which may include a coupon ID (identification) to a first portable terminal and storing same therein. The portable terminal displays a representation of the transferred coupon information on a display thereof. The stored coupon information may be transferred from the portable terminal to another terminal for redemption. The stored coupon information may also be transferred from the portable terminal to another portable terminal. Various schemes may be used to transfer the coupon information including a Bluetooth low-range radio link or an optical bar code scanner scanning an optical bar code or an infrared link or a wireless link from the portable terminal. The Internet or wireless LAN (Local Area Network) may also be used in transferring the coupon information to and from the various terminals.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for displaying content on a vehicle with at least one display device coupled to a frame member and extending to the right or left of the license plate receiving area of the vehicle. Content is selected and altered as desired, including based on user preferences and/or vehicle location.

Abstract: An example method for generating a user profile for a user based on a static profile and a dynamic profile of the user includes compressing dynamic rules into aggregated rules for validation. The dynamic rules associated with a particular user are matched to one or more validated aggregated rules to generate the dynamic profile for that user. The static profile for the user is generated for the user based on factual user information and historical transactional data for the user. The static and dynamic profile are then combined to form the user profile.

Abstract: Various arrangements for delivery of relevant content to a mobile device of a user are presented. Physiological state data and image data related to the user of the mobile device may be received by a host computer system from a mobile device. The image data may be analyzed to identify a characteristic of the image. The physiological state data may also be analyzed. Content to deliver to the mobile device of the user may be selected at least partially based on the physiological state data of the user and the characteristic of the image. The content may be transmitted to the mobile device.

Abstract: A real-time bidding system receives a notification of an available impression from an impression notification object integrated with an application executing on a client device. The real-time bidding system auctions the available impression to multiple different bidders and receives a bid response from each of the multiple different bidders. The real-time bidding system identifies a winning bid response, identifies a content requestor object indicated by the winning bid response, and generates instructions for the client device. The instructions cause the client device to use the content requestor object indicated by the winning bid response to request a third-party content item. The real-time bidding system provides the generated instructions to the client device in response to the notification of the available impression.

Abstract: A method, system and computer program product for generating a review rating the performance of a pattern. The deployment of a pattern, the service history of the pattern and the operation of the pattern are monitored and information pertaining to the monitored pattern deployment, the monitored service history and the monitored pattern operation is collected, where a pattern is an abstract model of a topology and application environment that encapsulates installation, configuration and management of middleware and applications. The collected information is analyzed to automatically generate a review that contains a score and a comment rating the performance, such as the success or lack of success, in deploying, servicing and operating the pattern. In this manner, a review of a pattern, including a score and a suggested comment, may be automatically generated without requiring the user, such as a system administrator, to spend time writing the review.

Abstract: A mechanism is provided for automating capacity upgrade on demand. Responsive to a usage of an originally allocated resource exceeding an upper predetermined threshold, access to an additional resource is temporarily allocated. A trial time counter is initiated to track a time of access to the additional resource. A user of the logical partition is alerted that the additional resource is being accessed. Responsive to the user failing to license the additional resource, a determination is made as to whether a value of the trial time counter has exceeded a predetermined trial time period value. Responsive to the value of the trial time counter exceeding the predetermined trial time period value, access to the additional resource is deactivated.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for purchasing a product by a consumer using a computing device. The method includes transmitting product information from a payee to the computing device, obtaining a purchase request for the product from the computing device, wherein the purchase request comprises a security identifier input by the consumer, inferring a consumer identity based on the purchase request and consumer information, authorizing the consumer to access the consumer information based on the purchase request and the consumer identity, wherein the consumer information is used to purchase the product, and generating a purchase authorization for the product and sending the purchase authorization to the payee based on the purchase request and the consumer information.

Abstract: A networked service for providing secure access to an online marketplace by sellers and buyers. A secure member server interacts with an online classified advertisement website to allow for a selling member of the website to interface securely with a prospective buying member. Various methods are taught that allow the members to interact without exchanging personal information that could possibly be used in a fraudulent manner.

Abstract: A transcoding service is described that is capable of utilizing the excess capacity of the computing resources of a service provider. The customer of the transcoding service can submit a bid price for completing the transcodes. As long as the specified price exceeds the fluctuating price of the unused resource instances, the transcoding service will execute the job on the unused instance(s). If the price of the unused resource instances exceeds the customer's bid, the transcoding process stops. The transcoding service may pause the transcoding when the dynamically fluctuating price of the unused resource exceeds the customer's bid and then resume when the price falls back down. Users can specify constraints for transcoding, such as timeframes during which the transcode must be completed, a total price for completing transcoding or priorities of the media files. The system can automatically optimize the utilization of the resource instances according to the constraints.

Abstract: A personalized gift card creation system and method includes providing an application to be executed on a computing device in which the application includes a peripheral application program interface (API) for interfacing with one or more peripheral devices of the computing device. A server in communication with the application generates a graphical user interface (GUI) on the computing device using the application, receives at least one of user-supplied textual, audio, or video content from the one or more peripheral devices using the application, and generates a gift card holder from the received user-supplied content. The server also receives information associated with a merchant of a gift card and a monetary amount to be associated with the gift card, and transmits the gift card holder and the gift card to a recipient.

Abstract: A web based menu system that allows the users such as buyers and sellers to locate, purchase, and sell goods, items and services easily without any search queries. At the web site, the user first selects a category followed by a selection of makes, items, or services called a Sub-Category that relate to the category. This process repeats until the user reaches the finite end of the menu series. The user can filter and sort the presentation of ads based on various criteria and place requests for instant notification of subsequent new ad placements. Sellers can also grow the database based on their menu selections and form input. The system can be used for retreiving any orderly classification of information.

Abstract: A system and method allows a user to define a search request by selecting and weighting graphical icons provided on a search creation interface. The graphical icons may be selected by using an icon selection feature provided on the search creation interface. The graphical icons may further be assigned relative search weights using an icon weighting feature provided on the search creation interface. The system and method generates search results based on metadata associated with the selected ones of the graphical icons and the search weights assigned to each of the selected ones of the graphical icons. The search results may comprise a ranked list of items, such as products listed for sale on an e-commerce server.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a platform for automating the discovery of product bundles that are promising for sale to customers (i.e., they are relevant, valuable and/or timely). Techniques are disclosed for generating a set of potential product bundles according to criteria, thresholds and/or scores which indicate a propensity for items to be purchased together by customers. The generated set of potential product bundles may be ranked according to opportunity metrics and/or scores which indicate value to a merchant and/or customers. A subset of product bundles is selected from the set of potential product bundles based at least in part on the ranking, and each product bundle in the selected subset is matched to one or more entities, such as merchants. These product bundles may then be presented to the associated (i.e., matched) entity based on some criteria, such as offerings of the merchants.

Abstract: A robobox may automate all of the functions of a retail store, combining the best of online and traditional retail in a platform that costs significantly less to operate than a brick and mortar store while providing greater availability, a more predictable experience, and instant gratification to the shopper. Customers may use a touch screen interface to choose products from an inventory of the robobox. They may also place orders in advance through the web or with mobile devices. As soon as an order is completed and the payment has been collected electronically, the inner workings of the robobox pick the items in the order and may deliver it to the customer on-site.

Abstract: A method, system, and network for interfacing the work-flow monitoring and reporting of a host computer, a local network of information technology devices, a community of network users, and third party vendors is provided. This includes processes and systems for initiating an inventory, including software, of a plurality of information technology devices associated with a local network of information technology devices from a host computer and determining the operational status of the information technology devices associated with the local network. The operational status of the information technology devices associated with the local network is monitored and presented to a host computer. Needs relating to the local network are identified and determined and a purchasing platform for purchasing product solutions from third party vendors is provided.

Abstract: An oral appliance is sized by obtaining a scaled image of a patient's dental arch. Dimensions of the arch are marked on a screen image, and the processor chooses an oral appliance having a best fit for a particular patient.

Abstract: Disclosed are various embodiments that provide immersive multimedia views for items. An immersive view for an item is rendered upon a display. The immersive view features an image of the item surrounded by a user interface layer that provides information about the item. The user interface layer is hidden when a cursor moves onto a first portion of the immersive view corresponding to the image of the item. The image of the item is replaced with a video stream of the item when the cursor moves onto a second portion of the immersive view corresponding to the image of the item.

Abstract: A method includes: capturing or receiving at least one image of one or more identity documents (IDs) using a mobile device; determining identifying information from one or more of the IDs; building an ID profile based on the identifying information; storing the ID profile to a memory of the mobile device; invoking a workflow configured to facilitate a business transaction; detecting a predetermined stimulus in the workflow, the stimulus relating to the business transaction; providing at least a portion of the ID profile to the workflow in response to detecting the predetermined stimulus; and driving at least a portion of the workflow using the provided portion of the ID profile. Related systems and computer program products are also disclosed.

Abstract: An enhanced social network module associated with an entity may create a social network for an individual, group, and/or organization. The module may then use the social network to determine risk associated with insuring a member of the social network. The determined risk may be used to calculate a rate for insuring the member. Additional features of the module may allow for the calculation of a group rate for insuring all members of the social network, the calculation of various centrality measures for each member of the social network, the calculation of a trust score for any given member, and the ability to poll members of the social network to determine various characteristics of any given member.

Abstract: A position determining system includes a surveillance and monitoring special purpose computer, one or more sensors in electrical communication with the surveillance and monitoring special purpose computer, one or more surveillance cameras in electrical communication with the surveillance and monitoring special purpose computer, the surveillance and monitoring special purpose computer receiving from the one or more sensors positional data about an asset and assembling and forwarding instructions to the one or more surveillance cameras in electrical communication with the surveillance and monitoring special purpose computer, the instructions requesting specific surveillance to be undertaken by the one or more surveillance cameras; and a processor in electrical communication with the surveillance and monitoring special purpose computer that determines if additional data is required about the asset and when additional data is required, assembling and forwarding instructions regarding an action.

Abstract: A method for recording a transaction using a Dynamic User Interface (DUI) within an application, including receiving, from a user of the application, the transaction relating to a customer of the user; receiving a request to generate a form for the transaction; generating, based on the request to generate the form, the form containing a customer list and a form element; receiving a request to generate the DUI; generating, based on the request to generate the DUI, the DUI adjacent to the form displayed within the application; receiving an identification of the customer from the customer list; populating, based on the identification of the customer, the DUI with the transaction relating to the customer; receiving, from the user, a selection of the transaction from the DUI; populating, within the form adjacent to the DUI, the form element using the transaction; and recording, within the application, the transaction.

Abstract: A sales data processing apparatus which registers and processes sales data on a transaction-by-transaction basis. The apparatus includes: an imaging module; a moving image storage module; a manipulation situation storage module; and a generation module configured (i) to extract an image that satisfies a prescribed criterion among images which were taken with the manipulation timing indicated by the data stored in the manipulation situation storage module from the moving image stored in the moving image storage module and (ii) to generate user identification image data based on the extracted image.

Abstract: Embodiments include a method of aggregating data from a plurality of QuickBooks (QB) files that may be in physically separate locations, and having at least one account name in common. In one embodiment, the method includes, assigning a different parent account identification (ID) number to each differently named parent account. The method includes creating an entry in a hash table for each parent account ID, the contents of the entry being a collection of rows including a row for each different sub account of the parent account, wherein data for multiple instances of like named parent accounts are aggregated, the key of the entry in the hash table being the parent account ID.

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention provide techniques that quantize community interactions with social media to understand and influence consumer experiences.

Abstract: Automatically fading online user content may include receiving digital content from a first user, the digital content associated with a first user-defined fading time indication; posting the digital content at a first time; associating, using the one or more computing devices, the first user-defined fading time indication with the digital content; receiving, at a second time, from a second user, a request to view the digital content, the second time being after the first time and the second user being distinct from the first user; determining the availability of the digital content based at least in part on the difference between the second time and the first time and the first user-defined fading time indication; and when the determined availability includes availability of one or more aspects of the digital content to the second user, providing for display to the second user the available one or more aspects.

Abstract: The present invention relates to social customer service and support systems integrated with social media and social networks. More particularly, the invention provides a social customer care platform system to allow customer care functions, and in particular to allow customer service agents to identify, prioritize, match and triage customer support requests that may arise through a social network and may be serviced using a social network. It manages and tracks a high-volume of customer interactions and provides for monitoring of Internet social network posts relevant to a business's products or services along with the ability to capture, monitor, filter, make sense of and respond to, in near real-time, tens of thousands of social interactions.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a method includes receiving, from a client system of a first user, a structured query comprising references to one or more selected objects accessible by the computing device, generating one or more search results corresponding to the structured query, wherein each search result corresponds to a particular object accessible by the computing device, determining one or more search intents based at least on whether one or more of the selected objects referenced in the structured query match objects corresponding to a search intent indexed in a pattern-detection model, and scoring the search results based on one or more of the search intents.

Abstract: A server system for the administration of sequences for agricultural working machines made up of parameterized process steps of working devices includes a server and database in which a sequence inventory of sequences is stored. Sequence identifiers are assigned to each of the sequences of the sequence inventory, which describe one or more process steps of the respective sequence. A network interface to a global communication network is included to receive connection requests from a client and establish a connection-oriented, bidirectional data channel between the server and the client. The server receives a selection criterion from the client via the data channel, determines a sequence from the sequence inventory on the basis of a comparison of the criterion with the sequence identifiers and transmits the determined sequence to the client via the data channel.

Abstract: A method of limiting tokens for use by a student within an education application displays numerous membership options. For a price, a certain number of tokens are allowed per month. At the end of each month, tokens do not roll over; the account is reset with the monthly allotment of tokens. If the number of tokens in the account reaches zero, access is blocked. A method limits account sharing by using a limited time viewing window for videos and documents. A stated time limit displayed to the student is greater than the length of the video. An actual time limit not displayed to the student is greater than the stated time limit. Requests to restart the video within the actual time limit are granted. A request to restart the video after the actual time limit is denied unless the student again pays the number of tokens equal to the value of the video.

Abstract: During an analysis technique, a cohort of individuals is identified based on a set of attributes. Significance metrics for the individuals in the cohort are calculated based on profiles of the individuals and behaviors of the group of individuals, which includes the cohort, when interacting with the profiles. For example, a significance metric for a given individual may include a number of views of a profile of the given individual, by a group of individuals, during a time interval and/or a number of connection requests to the profile of the given individual, by the group of individuals, during the time interval. Based on the significance metrics, the subset of the individuals may be identified. This subset may include individuals that have achieved career milestones exceeding those of the other individuals in the cohort (e.g., notable individuals).

Abstract: The invention is a hospital scheduling system that allows for real-time updates of the status of a medical procedure to be transmitted. More particularly, this transmission allows for the consistent flow of a pre-arranged sequence of events a hospital may use for patient treatment procedures. Once an event has transpired, notice of the event occurrence may be transmitted to interested personnel through specific transmission, or a general broadcast for all personnel such that updates may be checked by any interested hospital personnel. The devices capable of receiving the transmissions may be a wired device, or may be a portable wireless device, such as a hand-held unit. Moreover, the invention describes a pedal that may be capable of programming such that when specific areas of the pedal are compressed, coding will be sent to a computer for translation into status messages that may be transmitted through a network to any number of recipients.

Abstract: The present invention relates to the field of display control processing and provides a display method and a display device. The display method includes: obtaining an object to be displayed; parsing the object to obtain corresponding information of the object; obtaining a media resource corresponding to the corresponding information based on the corresponding information; and displaying the object and presenting the media resource corresponding to the corresponding information. With the present invention, the display effect of the object can be enriched and the user's reading experience can be enhanced.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method for identifying content, preferably media content for publishing including the steps of a) Providing a content element for a user, b) Marking the content element with a global mark, c) Marking the content element with a local mark, d) Presenting the marked content element, e) Detecting at least part of the presented content element, f) Extracting the global mark and the local mark from the detected part of the content element, g) Identifying the extracted local mark and the global mark, and h) Identifying the content element based on the global and local mark. The invention relates also to a corresponding system and a use of the method and the system.

Abstract: Methods and apparatuses to reduce the number of IO requests to memory when executing a program that iteratively processes contiguous data are provided. A first set of data elements may be loaded in a first register and a second set of data elements may be loaded in a second register. The first set of data elements and the second set of data elements can be used during the execution of a program to iteratively process the data elements. For each of a plurality of iterations, a corresponding set of data elements to be used during the execution of an operation for the iteration may be selected from the first set of data elements stored in the first register and the second set of data elements stored in the second register. In this way, the same data elements are not re-loaded from memory during each iteration.

Abstract: A method includes acts for rendering, on a data processing system, a result derived from a set of data by performing data processing across a first data processing system and a second data processing system. The amount of processing performed by the second data processing system can be dynamically adjusted depending on factors affecting the second data processing system. The first data processing system receives information defining how the result will be rendered at the second data processing system. The first data processing system receives information indicating factors affecting the second data processing system. The first data processing system dynamically allocates the needed data processing between the first data processing system and the second data processing system, based on factors affecting the second data processing system.

Abstract: Methods and systems for digitally enhancing the characteristics of an image sequence including video and motion picture images are provided. Highly accurate motion information represented by trajectories are generated through analyzing available image frames in the image sequence. Some embodiments of the present invention relate to generating multiple layer trajectories from an image sequence. Certain aspects may be applicable to the enhancement of three-dimensional (3D) image sequences including 3D video and 3D motion pictures.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus that can be connected to a display device and removes blurring from a first-order image is provided. The image processing apparatus includes a generation unit, a display control unit, and a selection reception unit. The generation unit generates multiple I-th order intermediate images by performing blur correction in multiple blur directions on an I-th order image. The display control unit causes the multiple I-th order intermediate images to be displayed on the display device. The selection reception unit allows the user to select an (I+1)-th order image from among the displayed multiple I-th order intermediate images as a corrected image whose blurring has been reduced more than in the I-th order image. The generation unit, the display control unit, and the selection reception unit execute the above processing in order with respect to I=1, 2, . . . , K (K being a natural number).

Abstract: A single still input image is converted into a decomposition video that, when played, appears to be a close facsimile of the input image. Each frame of the decomposition video has a subset of the pixels of the input image that is disjoint from the subset of pixels selected for any other frame. A union of the subsets, represented by each decomposition video frame, contains all the pixels of the input image. To preserve sufficient brightness, a decomposition video generally needs to contain a relatively small number of frames. To achieve effective and efficient blocking, of the content of the input image as it appears in each frame of a decomposition video, the present invention focuses upon a spatial filtering strategy and, preferably, a two-tiered strategy. A first tier focuses upon the obscuring of relatively high frequency spatial frequencies, while a second tier focuses upon the obscuring of relatively low frequency spatial frequencies.

Abstract: A device for creating a digital image is described. The device that may receive two or more input images. The input images may have a common viewpoint with unique lighting configurations. The device may utilize basis light functions and modifiers to create a final composite image. The device may include a computing device configured to provide user a graphical user interface enabling a user to create a final composite image. Devices described herein may be useful for computational light workflows in photography.

Abstract: A method for mapping a target image to a reference image includes receiving a target image; receiving a reference image that overlaps the target image; preprocessing the target image, wherein the preprocessing includes: rejecting a target image with a shadow region above a shadow threshold while keeping a target image with a shadow region below a shadow threshold; providing an uncertainty in a location of the kept target image relative to the reference image; transforming the kept target image to an atlas projection to match the reference image; partitioning the transformed kept target image into a sub-region; and determining a matching statistic for each sub-region to determine a location for each sub-region relative to the reference image.

Abstract: There are provided an imaging section imaging a subject and generating a plurality of images; an evaluating section performing evaluation on the plurality of images generated by the imaging section; a selecting section selecting, based on an evaluation result of the evaluating section, a part of images from among the plurality of images generated by the imaging section; a recognizing section performing scene recognition on a plurality of images selected by the selecting section; and a determining section determining, based on a recognition result of the recognizing section, reproduction order of the plurality of images subjected to the scene recognition.

Abstract: The present invention discloses a bleed-through detection method and a bleed-through detection device. The method includes: obtaining a recto image and a verso image, thereby obtaining pixel pairs including the first points and the corresponding second points; determining some foreground pixels and some background pixels; performing modeling for four types of pixel pairs, so as to form four models; calculating, for a pixel pair that hasn't been modeled, similarities of the pixel pair with respect to the four models respectively, so as to determine a type of the pixel pair; and judging, as bleed-through on the verso image, a second point determined as a background pixel which corresponds to a first point determined as a foreground pixel, and judging, as bleed-through on the recto image, a first point determined as a background pixel which corresponds to a second point determined as a foreground pixel.

Abstract: One embodiment relates to a method of inspecting an array of cells on a substrate. A reference image is generated using a cell image that was previously determined to be defect free. A reference contour image which includes contours of the reference image is also generated. The reference contour image is used to detect defects in the array of cells on the substrate. Another embodiment relates to a system for detecting defects in an array on a substrate. Other embodiments, aspects and features are also disclosed.

Abstract: A method and system for detecting a damaged machine component during operation of the machine are provided. The damaged machine component detection system includes one or more processors, one or more memory devices communicatively coupled to the one or more processors, an image capture device configured to generate a stream of temporally-spaced images of a scene including a machine component of interest, the images generated in real-time, and a grouping model configured to compare features of a current image of the stream of images to features of previously captured images sorted into a plurality of groups of images having similar features, generate an alert if predetermined features of the current image deviate from corresponding features of the grouped images by a predetermined amount, and update the groups with the current image if the predetermined features of the current image are similar to corresponding features of the grouped images by a predetermined amount.

Abstract: Provided is an ultrasound image display method. The ultrasound image display method includes displaying an ultrasound image of an object, selecting at least one region of interest (ROI) in the ultrasound image based on a user input, converting image pixel information corresponding to the at least one ROI into height values, and three-dimensionally displaying a partial ultrasound image corresponding to the at least one ROI by using the height values.