Abstract: An online booking system allows users to create, search, and book listings of goods or services. When a user searches for listings, the listings are ranked at least in part based on a location relevance score including at least one of a city relevance subscore, a neighborhood subscore, and a distance subscore. Generally, the city relevance subscore quantifies the probability that a searching user may have actually intended to look for listings in a city other than the city specified in a search query. Generally, the neighborhood relevance subscore quantifies the popularity of specific neighborhoods within a city as a replacement or addition to the distance subscore that determines a real world distance between a listing's real world location and a location specified in a search query.

Abstract: A related user identifying unit identifies a related user who has a given relation to an assigned user to whom at least one seat has been allocated. A restriction target selecting unit selects, as a restriction target, a seat or a group of seats that is adjacent to the seat allocated to the assigned user and that is not allocated to any user. An allocation restricting unit restricts the allocation of the seat or group of seats selected as the restriction target to any user other than related users for a given restriction period. A second allocation unit allocates, in a case where the request is received from the related user, the seat selected as the restriction target, or at least one seat out of the group of seats selected as the restriction target, to the related user.

Abstract: Availability of recycled auto parts listed in a centralized inventory system is verified by a query to the inventory system carrying the part. The query identifies the part and data about the part of relevance to a potential buyer (such as price, condition, location) to be verified. Verifications can be performed upon explicit user request, or upon actions implicitly requiring verification, such as adding a part to an estimate or shopping cart, ordering a part, or requesting the part seller to hold the part for future purchase, or the like; verification may also be automatically performed for some or all search results. Results of a verification may also be broadcast to the potential buyer and to the part seller (broker and/or part supplier) to enable audit and follow-up on the verification request.

Abstract: a mobile application is disclosed for providing a flight planning tool on a client device. The mobile application may include a data input module configured to receive, via interface hardware on the client device, a selection of one of a plurality of selectable tools. The mobile application may further include a graphics module configured to display, via the interface hardware, a user interface associated with the selection. The mobile application may further include a flight planning communication module configured transmit a request for information associated with the selection, via an API, to a flight planning system, and receive, from the flight planning system via the API, responsive information that fulfills the request, wherein the responsive information was generated by the flight planning system based on information from a third-party device.

Abstract: A centralized web-based system and method for managing appointments having a user interface that interacts with one or more users to display one or more items based on user input, a management module connected to the user interface and configured to receive data related to scheduling an appointment, determine one or more possible appointments based on the data, present the one or more possible appointments, receive a user selection from the one or more possible appointments, and schedule the appointment based on the user selection, and one or more databases configured to store appointment information, wherein the one or more databases are connected to the management module and wherein the data comprises a date and time slot and at least one of a facility, a service, and a servicer.

Abstract: A method of initializing a mobile device to operate in a mobile credentialing system, the method including sending an authorization code and host URL from a hotel loyalty application to a mobile credential library of a mobile application on a mobile device, the mobile device operable to perform a first sync with a credential service to establish an ongoing trust relationship between the mobile credential library and the credential service such that the mobile application is operable to interact with an access control without the user of the mobile device knowing either an authorization code or a host location of the credential service.

Abstract: When a user inputs an action request, such as a requested command, to be performed on a target machine, a management system receives the request and verifies it with a separate authentication and permission system. The authentication and permission system verifies signatures on the request and signs it and generates an approved workflow package. The approved workflow package is sent to the target machine.

Abstract: A method may include determining a first autocomplete option with respect to a data-field of a graphical user interface (GUI) of an electronic device. The method may further include generating the first autocomplete option such that a plurality of characters of the first autocomplete option are individually selectable by a user action. The method may additionally include providing the first autocomplete option via the GUI.

Abstract: This disclosure generally relates to a method and system for providing a ride for a third party rider at the request of a user ride requestor. In one embodiment, a driver device may be used to receive a ride request from one or more server computing devices for a third party rider. The driver device may receive information identifying the third party rider, including a password. Further, the driver device may transmit real time ride status information to the ride requestor directly or indirectly via the one or more server computing devices.

Abstract: A system and method for scheduling tasks associated with controlling access to databases. The system and method relate to scheduling tasks for data requesting systems that satisfy particular conditions. For example, data requesting systems that satisfy the conditions may have associated tasks stored in a queue during a first processing phase. Data requesting systems that do not satisfy the conditions may have associated tasks inhibited from being stored in the queue during the first processing phase, but these tasks may be stored in the queue during a later second processing phase. Tasks stored in the queue during the first processing phase may be processed before tasks stored in the queue during the second processing phase. For example, the tasks may correspond to accessing a database for querying data representing access rights to a resource.

Abstract: A backend communications system can manage communications, using transmission control protocol (TCP), between a fleet of AVs in a given region and a backend system that manages transportation for the fleet of AVs. For each of the fleet of AVs, the backend communications system can select a designated one of a plurality of communication channels to transmit and receive transmission acknowledgments (ACKs). The backend communications system can transmit data packets to the fleet of AVs using any number of communication channels and receive ACKs from each of the fleet of AVs over the designated communication channel.

Abstract: An information sending method, where the method includes receiving, by a first network device, alarm information sent by an alarm terminal; and after confirming the alarm information, generating, by the first network device, first guide information according to the alarm information, and sending the first guide information to a target terminal, so that the target terminal can respond to the alarm information according to the first guide information, where the target terminal is a terminal selected from terminals that are within same base-station signal coverage in which the alarm terminal is located, or the target terminal is a terminal selected from terminals whose distances from the alarm terminal are less than a threshold. The present invention further discloses a corresponding network device and terminal.

Abstract: Techniques for providing vouchers to customers which automates voucher delivery and frees up agent time that would otherwise be spent interacting with customers to manually complete voucher forms. An example method includes determining eligibility of a customer to receive a voucher by a self-service computer, determining an amount of the voucher by the self-service computer, storing the amount in a payment card by the self-service computer, and dispensing the payment card to the customer by the self-service computer.

Abstract: Various embodiments of a system and method for generating recommendations based on similarities between location information of multiple users are described. Various embodiments may include a location-based recommendation system configured to, for each given user of a group of users, determine the given user has traveled to one or more respective locations and determine one or more characteristics of the given user. The system may also determine that a particular user has traveled to or will travel to each of one or more particular locations. The system may further determine a similarity between the one or more particular locations and one or more locations to which specific ones of the group of users have traveled. The system may generate a recommendation for the particular user based on at least some of the determined characteristics of the specific ones of the group of users for which the similarity was determined.

Abstract: A method and system for applying vehicle settings to a vehicle that include storing at least one user settings profile on a plurality of components associated with the vehicle based on a computing device that is used to create or update the at least one user settings profile. The system and method also include determining if the at least one user settings profile has been updated since a last ignition cycle of the vehicle. The system and method further include selecting the at least one user settings profile to be applied to control a vehicle system of the vehicle from at least one component of the plurality of components based on if the at least one user settings profile has been updated since the last ignition cycle of the vehicle and on a connection of at least: a first portable device and a second portable device to the vehicle.

Abstract: Computerized systems and methods are provided for allocating and managing table and seating inventory at commercial establishments, such as restaurants. In one implementation, a computer-implemented method receives a first request to allocate table inventory at a commercial establishment. In some aspects, the first request may include a first party size and a first requested time. Based on a received request, the method may determine a mode of allocation associated with the commercial establishment. The method may identifying one or more first units of table inventory capable of accommodating the first party size at the first requested time. In certain aspects, the identification may be based on at least the determined allocation mode.

Abstract: An information provision device according to one embodiment includes a receiving unit, an extraction unit, a setting unit and a presentation unit. The receiving unit receives search criteria. The extraction unit extracts reservation acceptance information of the target facility corresponding to a past determination target period based on the search criteria by referring to a storage unit storing reservation acceptance information of a facility. The setting unit calculates a rate of decrease from an initial number of vacancies in the target facility during the past determination target period based on the extracted reservation acceptance information, and when there is a date of change when the number of vacancies has changed to be less than a specified threshold during the determination target period, sets an estimated date for a reservation request. The presentation unit outputs the value set-as estimate information for reservation request.

Abstract: Tracking waiting lists associated with merchants and presenting deals to users based on adding the users to waiting lists is described. A service provider may enable merchants to track waiting lists associated with their own services and services of other merchants. Users may be automatically added to waiting lists of merchants based at least in part on a service provider determining that a user is at a geographic location of a merchant. Based at least in part on adding a user to a waiting list for a particular merchant, the service provider may access and select deals from one or more alternative merchants. The one or more alternative merchants may not have waiting lists or may have waiting lists with fewer groups than the waiting list for the particular merchant. The service provider may offer the deals to the user via a user device.

Abstract: Systems and methods for authenticating a broadcast device using facial recognition are herein disclosed. The disclosure includes receiving, from a wearable device, a broadcast signal comprising an identification code of the wearable device; determining, using a processor, whether the identification code is stored within a database; identifying first facial data stored within the database, the first facial data associated with the identification code; generating second facial data; and determining, using the processor, whether the second facial data matches the first facial data. In an implementation, the broadcast device is a Bluetooth low energy device. In a further implementation, the broadcast device comprises the wearable device. In a still further implementation, the disclosure includes detecting gait data and determining whether the gait data matches gait feature data extracted from stored gait data features.

Abstract: A method and system are disclosed for re-ranking trips from a journey planner using real traveler preferences. A trip request is received that includes an origin, a destination and a departure time. An associated journey planner retrieves a list of candidate trips that correspond to the request. A ranking function, ascertained from actual trips that match the trip request and from which are determined real-world traveler preferences, is applied to the list of candidate trips output by the journey planner, thereby re-ranking the list of candidate trips to reflect real-world traveler's experiences.

Abstract: A method, medium, and system to receive a baseline airline schedule including details associated with at least one flight; optimize the baseline airline schedule in accordance with at least one specified optimization objective to generate an optimized airline schedule; evaluate a robustness of the optimized airline schedule based on an execution of a simulation based process to generate a set of quantitative metrics; and generate a record of the set of quantitative metrics.

Abstract: A lockbox access apparatus comprising a wireless communications device having a stored program configured to: cause the wireless communications device to communicate an access request to a lockbox; and receive lockbox identifying information from the lockbox. The wireless communication device is further configured to: record biometric identifying information of an individual; take entry from a user of non-biometric identifying information of the individual; and transmit the lockbox identifying information, the biometric identifying information, and the non-biometric identifying information to a remote destination.

Abstract: A system accepts event criteria for at least one ticket and at least one event; accepts price criteria for the ticket(s) and the event(s); displays an interactive graphics-based event venue map illustrating a location of all sections at a venue with at least one ticket meeting the event and price criteria; accepts section selection criteria, at least one section being selected from the interactive graphics-based event venue map; displays ticket information to allow a user to drill down to a specific ticket, cause a location of the specific ticket to be displayed in the interactive venue map; and enable a capability to utilize the interactive venue map to choose a section of interest, causing corresponding ticket information to be displayed in the web browsing language.

Abstract: Disclosed are a method and a system for controlling a vehicle service, which are designed to simply set or unset a service even when a service license-authorized vehicle is halted and then a driver and/or occupants are changed, whereby the service licensee can promptly take necessary measures without trouble in response to a changing situation.

Abstract: The system and methods of the present application comprise one or more computers for substantially removing the element of chance in a contest that would normally be on whose outcome would be determined by a mixture of chance and skill. The system comprises one or more computers that interact with a user in order to reduce or eliminate the elements of chance, thereby forcing the contest to obey the law of averages within a finite number of iterations of the contest, thereby reducing variance and increasing the success of skillful players.

Abstract: In accordance with embodiments, there are provided mechanisms and methods for query optimization in a database system. These mechanisms and methods for query optimization in a database system can enable embodiments to optimize OR expression filters referencing different logical tables. The ability of embodiments to optimize OR expression filters referencing different logical tables can enable optimization that is dynamic and specific to the particular tenant for whom the query is run and improve the performance and efficiency of the database system in response to query requests.

Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed for managing cash in transactions for an entity's accounts. In an embodiment, a system comprises a processor configured to render an interactive graphical user interface (GUI) for a cash in center on a display device. The GUI includes plurality of selectable, actionable user interface (UI) elements. The cash in center displays past, unconfirmed and ‘confirmed’ Cash in transactions, which can be edited, deleted, and scheduled (or re-scheduled) by selecting UI elements. A UI element is selectable to add new customers and new Cash in transactions. In embodiments, methods employ the Cash in center to add, edit, project, and delete Cash in transactions such as incoming transfers, credits, customer payments, and receivables. The methods and system also enable entities to place Cash In transaction in a confirmed status to indicate that an incoming customer payment, credit, or transfer is being processed.

Abstract: A personal display system with which a user may adjust the configuration of displayed media is provided. The personal display system may include an electronic device operative to provide media to a personal display device operative to display the media. Using one or more optical and digital components, the personal display device may adjust displayed media to overlay features of a theater, thus giving the user the impression of being in the theater. In some embodiments, the personal display device may receive a user selection of a seat in the theater, and may adjust the media display accordingly. In some embodiments, the personal display device may detect the user's movements using one or more sensors and may adjust the displayed image based on the user's movements. For example, the device may detect a user's head movement and cause the portion of media displayed to reflect the head movement.

Abstract: A server device is provided that includes a registration unit configured to accept information identifying a target application for pre-registration and information identifying a user from a terminal device and register the accepted information, and a providing unit configured to provide registration information to a management service for performing a verification with respect to the information identifying the target application and the information identifying the user accepted from the terminal device after the target application is released. The registration information may be provided in a batch or each time the verification is performed.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for providing travel itinerary filters. In one aspect, a method includes receiving a flight query including a plurality of parameters; determining a plurality of itineraries that satisfy the parameters of the flight query; clustering the plurality of itineraries into a plurality of clusters, wherein the clusters depend upon values of particular features of the plurality of itineraries that satisfy the flight query, and wherein each cluster is generated to have particular values for one or more features of a plurality of features; generating one or more filters corresponding to one or more of the clusters, wherein each filter has the particular values of the one or more features identified by the corresponding cluster; and providing the plurality of itineraries that satisfy the flight query and the one or more filters for filtering the plurality of itineraries.

Abstract: A method for providing a demand-responsive transportation system includes receiving mobility trace data of collaborative individuals. Clusters of individuals are generated and mobility-activity models for the clusters are defined. Non-collaborative individuals are assigned to the clusters using a combinatorial optimization problem. An Origin-Destination (OD) demand is determined from the clusters. Non-collaborative individuals are re-allocated to different ones of the clusters using an approximation function that learns from an observed OD and the mobility trace data. The mobility-activity models are trained based on the re-allocation of the non-collaborative individuals to different ones of the clusters. An OD database (OD-DB) is maintained to be queried with a geographic location and time so as to receive information from the OD-DB about the current OD demand for the geographic location and time. Control actions are issued to vehicles in a fleet of the transportation system based thereon.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method for monetizing future location of users includes identifying indicator(s) retrieved from log data or an electronic declaration that indicate a possibility that a user will be at a specific location in the future; generating a probability that the user will be at the specific location in the future based on the indicator(s); and charging an advertiser a cost for an impression to which to serve a location-specific advertisement targeted to the user, the cost charged being greater when the probability is greater that the user will be at the specific location in the future. The method may be extended to targeting a group of users that expect to be at the same location at the future point in time. Monetization of future locations may depend on the quality and/or quantity of the log data and declarations of future locations and on a number of users in a group of users if monetized according to the group.

Abstract: A centralized web-based system and method for managing appointments having a user interface that interacts with one or more users to display one or more items based on user input, a management module connected to the user interface and configured to receive data related to scheduling an appointment, determine one or more possible appointments based on the data, present the one or more possible appointments, receive a user selection from the one or more possible appointments, and schedule the appointment based on the user selection, and one or more databases configured to store appointment information, wherein the one or more databases are connected to the management module and wherein the data comprises a date and time slot and at least one of a facility, a service, and a servicer.

Abstract: A travel reservation system having a common object model for representing disparate travel products and services. In general, the system may provide efficient integration relationships between the travel reservation system and various third-party travel providers by using a single common model and interface structure, regardless of the type of product or service being offered. The system may include translators for converting travel products and services conforming to the common object model into a corresponding provider-specific model, and vice versa. In some implementations, the use of the common object model may allow the system to provide a set of query results covering multiple different product types in response to a single query input.

Abstract: A user profile server stores a particular user profile corresponding to a user who belongs to a plurality of separate loyalty programs, and the particular user profile includes a plurality of different loyalty program user identifiers each identifying the user on a respective one of the separate loyalty programs. The user profile server communicates user a preference included on the particular user profile to a first controller via the computer network and communicates the user preference included on the particular user profile to a second controller via the computer network. The first controller is associated with a first hospitality location where the user is identified according to a first loyalty program user identifier included on the particular user profile, and the second is controller is associated with a second hospitality location where the user is identified according to a second loyalty program user identifier included on the particular user profile.

Abstract: Methods and systems for data relocation in global storage cloud environments are provided. A method includes locating a data server near a travel location of a user based on one or more travel plans of the user. The method further includes transferring data of the user from a home data server near a home location of the user to the data server near the travel location.

Abstract: A system comprising a computer-readable storage medium storing at least one program and a computer-implemented method for automatically saving and presenting a state of a communication session are presented. The communication session may be established between a client device of a user and an application server of a content publisher. In some embodiments, the method may include determining that the communication session includes a typical process flow of the user. Session data representative of a state of the communication session may then be selected and stored in response to performance of a particular operation that is at least similar to an operation included in the sequence of operations of the typical process flow of the user. The method may further include generating and presenting an interface that includes an element that allows a user to return to the saved state of the communication session.

Abstract: The invention relates to a mobile robot able to move inside a self-storage site comprising a plurality of outer walls defining said inside space and a plurality of storage boxes arranged in said inside space, said mobile robot comprising an entry module configured to allow a user to enter information relative to the location of a storage box, and a distributor of at least one locking means configured to lock said box once it is rented.

Abstract: Various embodiments of the present invention relate to systems and methods used to search for information (e.g., from multiple sources). In one example (which example is intended to be illustrative and not restrictive), such systems and methods may select a subset of available relevant Internet information sources, such as suppliers and/or purchasers of goods, services, and/or commodities. In another example (which example is intended to be illustrative and not restrictive), a system and method are provided for determining when to launch an information search and for determining the set of information sources to search.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for statistically determining buffers for time variances for scheduled operations. Buffers for a particular operation can be based on a statistical analysis of past instances of the specific operation, and a buffer can be applied based on a selected statistical confidence interval. The statistical analysis can include determining a Gumbel distribution for time variances for a particular operation. Once buffers have been determined for the various operations, itineraries of operations can be prepared such that the scheduled times plus the buffer times for the operations in an itinerary do not exceed personnel limits of the personnel who may be assigned to the itineraries.

Abstract: Systems and methods for managing demand for virtual computing resources are disclosed. A demand forecasting service can obtain and analyze historical demand data for purposes of predicting future demand. The analysis includes identifying untargeted demand corresponding to requests for virtual machine instances that can be fulfilled by any availability zone of a set of zones. The demand forecasting service may provide predictions of future demand including information regarding future untargeted demand, thereby enabling efficient allocation of computing resources among various availability zones to meet the future demand.

Abstract: A personal display system with which a user may adjust the configuration of displayed media is provided. The personal display system may include an electronic device operative to provide media to a personal display device operative to display the received media. Using one or more optical and digital components, the personal display device may adjust displayed media to overlay features of a theater, thus giving the user of the personal display device the impression of being in the theater. In some embodiments, the personal display device may receive a user selection of a seat in the theater from which to watch the media, and may adjust the media display accordingly. In some embodiments, the personal display device may detect the user's movements using one or more sensors and may adjust the displayed image based on the user's movements. For example, the device may detect a user's head movement and cause the portion of media displayed to reflect the head movement.

Abstract: The present document describes methods and apparatuses for managing and viewing calendar event items in an electronic calendaring application. For example, calendar event items may be viewed in an “agenda” view. A calendar event item may have a date and include any information relating to a corresponding calendar event. According to some example embodiments, a list of calendar event items and a list of dates are each displayed in a navigable format. The list of dates may include at least dates in a date range defined by the dates of the calendar event items. A navigation position of the list of calendar event items and a navigation position of the list of dates may be coordinated.

Abstract: This disclosure is directed to techniques, systems, and apparatuses to provide electronic concierge services and information to one of more users, as well as perform other operations related to planning one or more activities. Concierge services may include providing information about activities, recommending activities, arranging travel, and other related tasks. The electronic concierge may access and use personal information about the user (or group of users) to determine the activities that may be of interest to the user, and possibly to a group of users. The personal information may include transaction history, user settings, past user activity, social network information, and/or other types of information. The electronic concierge may receive other inputs such as a time period to undertake activities, a number of participants, an identity of the participants, and so forth.

Abstract: A transportation services providing method and an user device and a server using the same are provided. The transportation services providing method includes following steps: providing a service platform connecting with at least one community website; collecting a status message, related to an event information and posted on the community website, so as to show the collected status messages on the service platform; obtaining an event location of the event information; and establishing a transportation service link on the status message, where the transportation service link provides a transportation service interface indicating the event location and a plurality of transportation requirement settings.

Abstract: The present invention is an applications gateway that offers multiple functions and features for specific geographic venue locations, while providing easy access to advertising, purchasing, and redemption opportunities for that specific geographic venue location. Venue locations can be stadiums, shopping malls, amusement parks, open air spaces where people can congregate, and/or buildings, which most often require the presence of a concentration of people. The venue location may correlate to the location of the hand-held mobile unit or it may be a remote geographic venue location not near the location of the hand-held mobile unit. Access to the gateway application is through a hand-held mobile unit, which can include a mobile phone, smartphone device, or portable computer having a wireless radio transmission connection. (e.g. iPhone, Droid, iPad, Slate, etc.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to an interactive computing system configured to provide a network-based application that can provide offline functionality. A user computing device, such as a mobile device, access a network-based application through an interactive computing system. The network-based application can be configured to provide transaction information sufficient to conduct a transaction with a point-of-sale terminal when the network application is not in communication with the interactive computing system.

Abstract: A lockbox access apparatus comprising a wireless communications device having a stored program configured to: cause the wireless communications device to communicate an access request to a lockbox; and receive lockbox identifying information from the lockbox. The wireless communication device is further configured to: record biometric identifying information of an individual; take entry from a user of non-biometric identifying information of the individual; and transmit the lockbox identifying information, the biometric identifying information, and the non-biometric identifying information to a remote destination.

Abstract: A system and methods provide for the automatic and computer-assisted generation of vectorized venue maps for event venues, including the outline, location, and label of each section in the venue, each row within each section, and in some cases, each individual seats in each row.

Abstract: Cluster management software comprises a plurality of cluster agents, with each cluster agent associated with an HPC node including an integrated fabric and the cluster agent operable to determine a status of the associated HPC node. The software further includes a cluster management engine communicably coupled with the plurality of the HPC nodes and operable to execute an HPC job using a dynamically allocated subset of the plurality of HPC nodes based on the determined status of the plurality of HPC nodes.