| 18th week of 2012 patent applcation highlights part 72 |
| Patent application number | Title | Published |
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| 20120109724 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR OPTIMIZED FLIGHT PLANNING - A computer-implemented system and method for the processing and optimization of flight plans is disclosed. Information regarding a plurality of previous flight plans is received over a digital network and is stored in at least a database. The database preferably includes aviation fuel price information, aircraft performance information, and aviation weather information as well. Upon receiving a request, a server generates at least an optimized portion of a flight plan. In one form, historical flight plan data of others is automatically used to aid in the determination of the optimized route offered to the user for review, with the resulting final flight plan being electronically filed with the FAA upon approval. In a further form, the user may arrange fuel transactions at intermediate destinations with the service provider receiving a fee in exchange for facilitating the transaction. | 2012-05-03 |
| 20120109725 | AFFILIATE REWARD DIVIDING APPARATUS, AFFILIATE REWARD DIVIDING SYSTEM, AFFILIATE REWARD DIVIDING METHOD, AFFILIATE REWARD DIVIDING PROGRAM, AND COMPUTER-READABLE RECORDING MEDIUM - A problem that a load on an affiliate server increases when an affiliate reward is divided among a plurality of people is solved. When a user purchases a commodity or receives service in an EC site, an affiliate reward dividing apparatus adds a full amount of a reward to one of a poster database and an introducer database on the basis of a dividing ratio stored in an affiliate database. A computation of referring to a dividing ratio for each reward and dividing a reward, and a process of accumulating a divided reward in each data base is not necessary, so that a load on a system can be lessened. | 2012-05-03 |
| 20120109726 | Methods and Systems for Trigger-Based Updating of an Index File Associated with a Captured Media Content Instance - An exemplary method includes a media content provider subsystem capturing data representative of a media content instance during transmission of the media content instance, detecting, during the capturing, a trigger included in the transmission and indicating a start time and an end time of an advertisement break included in the media content instance, and dynamically updating an index file associated with the captured media content instance with data representative of the start time and the end time of the advertisement break. Corresponding methods and systems are also described. | 2012-05-03 |
| 20120109727 | MEDIA MANAGEMENT AND TRACKING - A system for deploying advertisements, including a portable music player including a database of audio advertisements and playback rules therefor, wherein playback rules are used to govern when to play advertisements, an ad updater for periodically receiving advertisements and playback rules, and an ad scheduler for scheduling playback of advertisements in accordance with their playback rules, a host device including a database of audio advertisements and playback rules therefor, an ad provisioner for transferring ads and playback rules to the portable music player, an ad updater for receiving advertisements and playback rules from time to time, and an advertising server including a database of information about advertisers and their advertising campaigns, and for storing audio advertisements, distribution rules therefor and playback rules therefor, an ad provisioner for transferring ads and playback rules to the host device, and a web interface for receiving advertisements and playback rules for an advertising campaign. | 2012-05-03 |
| 20120109728 | INCENTIVES FOR MEDIA SHARING - Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for providing incentives for media sharing. In one aspect, a method includes receiving a request from a first user to share a media item with a second user, and providing the second user with access to the media item. The method includes determining that the second user has performed an action related to the media item, and in response to determining that the second user has performed the action related to the media item, accessing a referral attribute associated with the first user, the referral attribute being related to the action. The method includes comparing the referral attribute to a reference value, based on comparing the referral attribute to the reference value, determining an amount of referral credit, and providing the determined amount of referral credit to the first user. | 2012-05-03 |
| 20120109729 | SYSTEM FOR MANAGING A LOYALTY PROGRAM - Some embodiments include a method comprising detecting, by one or more banking servers, selection of an investment product, wherein the investment product pays interest according to terms of the investment product. The method can also include selling the investment product, wherein the selling includes: 1) receiving personal information about a purchaser of the investment product, wherein the personal information identifies a loyalty program account receiving, by the one or more banking servers, payment information indicating payment was received for the investment product, and 2) determining, by the one or more banking servers, an interest value for the investment product based on the terms of the investment product. The method can also include requesting transfer of loyalty currency into the loyalty program account, wherein the loyalty currency is valued at the interest value, and wherein the requesting transfer is performed by the one or more banking servers. | 2012-05-03 |
| 20120109730 | Systems and Methods to Provide Messages in Real-Time with Transaction Processing - In one aspect, a computing apparatus is configured to generate trigger records for a transaction handler to identify authorization requests that satisfy the conditions specified in the trigger records, identify communication preferences of the users associated with the identified authorization requests, and use the communication preferences to target real-time messages at the users in parallel with the transaction handler providing responses to the respective authorization requests. | 2012-05-03 |
| 20120109731 | METHOD OF PROMOTION BASED ON PRODUCTS CONSUMPTION - A Product Storage facility calculates each product's consumption pattern by sensing the presence and absence of an RFID signal from each package or by other means. Sensing of an optical Bar-code content could also be used to determine the consumption patterns of the products. The Product Storage broadcasts consumption patterns to Display Devices (DDs). A Display Device (DD) application utilizes the product ID information to search for lot-based or non-lot-based promotion of products. The personalized presented promotions on the (DD) display are at least for lots of products that their remaining shelf life matches the family's typical consumption pattern. | 2012-05-03 |
| 20120109732 | CONSUMER GROUP BUYING THROUGH ONLINE ADS - A system for presenting advertising materials including group sales offers within the context of a network-accessible document such as a Web page. One embodiment stores a plurality of ads, including some group sales offers. Fulfillment of each group sales offer is conditioned upon acceptance of the offer by a prescribed minimum number of viewers. The system receives a request for online content from a client computer operated by a viewer, where the requested online content is unrelated to group sales offers. Responsive to the request, the system selects a group sales offer from the plurality of ads based on the nature of the requested content and/or viewer characteristics or past behavior accumulated from past communications with the viewer. The system automatically delivers the selected group sales offer and the requested content to the client computer for display. | 2012-05-03 |
| 20120109733 | METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR PROVIDING DYNAMIC MARKETING DEVICES BASED ON "REAL-TIME" DATA - A method and system for providing dynamically customized marketing devices using real-time consumer data whereby shopping analytics data associated with a consumer regarding a consumer's current purchase related activity is monitored and/or collected. The shopping analytics data associated with the consumer is then used to automatically modify, and/or create, the terms of a mobile coupon, or other marketing device, and present the transformed mobile coupon, or other marketing device, to the consumer, in relative real-time, and in response to changing circumstances indicated by the shopping analytics data associated with the consumer. | 2012-05-03 |
| 20120109734 | Systems and Methods to Match Identifiers - In one aspect, a system includes a transaction handler to process transactions, a data warehouse to store transaction data recording the transactions processed at the transaction handler and to store mapping data between first user identifiers and first account identifiers, a profile generator to generate a profile of a user based on the transaction data, and a portal coupled to the transaction handler to receive a query identifying a second user identifier used by the first tracker to track online activities of a user. The system is to identify a second account identifier of the user from the second user identifier based on the mapping data between the first user identifiers and the first account identifiers to facilitate targeted advertising using the profile of the user and/or to provide information about certain transactions of the user related to a previously presented advertisement. | 2012-05-03 |
| 20120109735 | Mobile Payment System with Thin Film Display - A flexible stored value label has within it an integrated thin film flexible display and has RFID and security capabilities. In another embodiment, the present invention is a stored value payment system. The label has a secure processor with a memory, a near-field antenna connected to the processor and a bi-state display and a flexible encapsulation layer encapsulating the secure processor, the near-field antenna and the bi-state display. The encapsulation layer has a window through which information displayed on the bi-state display may be viewed. The secure processor and the display are powered solely by energy received through the near-field antenna and the label conforms to a shape of a non-planar surface of an object to which it is attached. | 2012-05-03 |
| 20120109736 | Method of and System for Managing Promotions for Purchase Transactions Over a Network - A system for managing promotions over a network includes a promotion server system having a computer processor and associated datastore, the datastore containing data representative of terms and statistics of one or more item promotions, and a commercial server system including a computer processor, the commercial server system being selectively coupleable to the promotion server system over the network. The promotion server system includes promotion code for transferring, to the commercial server system, the data representative of the terms and statistics of the promotions. | 2012-05-03 |
| 20120109737 | Measuring the Effects of Social Sharing on Online Content and Advertising - A computer-implemented method, advertising network, and computer readable medium for measuring ad performance metrics after user-initiated sharing activity at a website. The method commences by receiving an original internet ad, the original internet ad for hosting within a website (e.g. a social networking website), then recoding the original internet ad (also for hosting within a website) wherein the recoded sharable internet ad comprises ad sharing and instrumentation code for capturing, tracking and later reporting various user-initiated sharing activities by measuring online events using the ad sharing and instrumentation code (i.e. the online events being in response to user-initiated sharing activity) without requiring any explicit action to be provided by the website operator. In some cases, the measured event occurs in the form of expanding an ad, clicking a request to share, printing a coupon, or performing an online conversion action. The ad can comprise any forms of internet media. | 2012-05-03 |
| 20120109738 | TESTING ON-LINE ADVERTISING - The claimed subject matter provides a method for testing on-line advertising. An exemplary method comprises determining a need for test for an advertising campaign based on performance of the advertising campaign. The exemplary method also includes determining whether the need for test exceeds a predetermined threshold. Additionally, the exemplary method includes allocating a test impression to a buy control placement of the advertising campaign based on the need for test. | 2012-05-03 |
| 20120109739 | ARTICLE AND ADVERTISEMENT CORRELATION IN ONLINE ADVERTISING - Techniques are provided that include utilization of correlation techniques in online advertising. Methods are provided in which, for top-performing articles and advertisements, for example, correlation scores are computed, which provide a quantitative measure relating to performance. An aggregate correlation index may be computed, and individual correlation scores may be determined in relation to the correlation index. In determining positioning of scored articles and advertisements to be displayed on a Web page, preference may be given, as at least one factor in the determination, to position an article adjacent or proximate to an advertisement if they have similar correlation scores. | 2012-05-03 |
| 20120109740 | Integrating Simulation And Forecasting Modes In Business Intelligence Analyses - An optimization object may include fields storing parameters used by the intelligence system during business intelligence data analysis. One of these fields may include a mode type field to selectively switch between a forecasting mode to extrapolate a value from the data and a simulation mode including an optimization module to calculate a value from the data expected to maximize a particular objective. The stored parameters may include common parameters used in both modes and unique parameters to one of the two modes. The optimization object may also include fields specifying details and other data associated with a trade promotion. The analysis mode selected in the type field made be executed on data relating to the promotion details fields of the object subject to the parameters in the corresponding parameter fields. | 2012-05-03 |
| 20120109741 | METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR DYNAMIC CONTENT - Methods and apparatus for dynamic content according to various aspects of the present invention may be implemented in conjunction with a method for displaying an overlay object fixed in position and anchored to at least one side of a content area, sending a request for content to a server, receiving a response from the server, and displaying content in the overlay object according to the response. In one embodiment, the response may be determined according to an optimization algorithm. | 2012-05-03 |
| 20120109742 | USING LOCATION INFORMATION FROM A REQUEST TO CONTROL AD SERVING - The usefulness, and consequently the performance, of advertisements are improved by allowing businesses to better target their ads to a responsive audience. Location information is determined (or simply accepted) and used. For example, location information may be used in a relevancy determination of an ad. As another example, location information may be used in an attribute (e.g., position) arbitration. Such location information may be associated with price information, such as a maximum price bid. Such location information may be associated with ad performance information. Ad performance information may be tracked on the basis of location information. The content of an ad creative, and/or of a landing page may be selected and/or modified using location information. Finally, tools, such as user interfaces, may be provided to allow a business to enter and/or modify location information, such as location information used for targeting and location-dependent price information. The location information used to target and/or score ads may be, include, or define an area. The area may be defined by at least one geographic reference point (e.g., defined by latitude and longitude coordinates) and perhaps additional information. Thus, the area may be a circle defined by a geographic reference point and a radius, an ellipse defined by two geographic reference points and a distance sum, or a polygon defined by three or more geographic reference points, for example. | 2012-05-03 |
| 20120109743 | METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR SCHEDULING AN ADVERTISEMENT - A method and system for broadcasting multimedia data is disclosed. In an embodiment, a method for broadcasting multimedia data is disclosed. The method comprising generating one or more multimedia data streams using the multimedia data, scheduling the one or more multimedia data streams at one or more timing slots of one or more advertisement, and processing the one or more multimedia data streams with a first data stream at the one or more timing slots. The method further comprises inserting multimedia data streams within the first data stream in accordance with a geographic location. | 2012-05-03 |
| 20120109744 | TRACKING LOCATION-SPECIFIC AD PERFORMANCE - The usefulness, and consequently the performance, of advertisements are improved by allowing businesses to better target their ads to a responsive audience. Location information is determined (or simply accepted) and used. For example, location information may be used in a relevancy determination of an ad. As another example, location information may be used in an attribute (e.g., position) arbitration. Such location information may be associated with price information, such as a maximum price bid. Such location information may be associated with ad performance information. Ad performance information may be tracked on the basis of location information. The content of an ad creative, and/or of a landing page may be selected and/or modified using location information. Finally, tools, such as user interfaces, may be provided to allow a business to enter and/or modify location information, such as location information used for targeting and location-dependent price information. The location information used to target and/or score ads may be, include, or define an area. The area may be defined by at least one geographic reference point (e.g., defined by latitude and longitude coordinates) and perhaps additional information. Thus, the area may be a circle defined by a geographic reference point and a radius, an ellipse defined by two geographic reference points and a distance sum, or a polygon defined by three or more geographic reference points, for example. | 2012-05-03 |
| 20120109745 | NEWS COMMENT RELATED ONLINE ADVERTISING - Techniques are provided relating to online advertising in connection with news comments. Information may be obtained indicating that an online user is engaged in news comment viewing or interaction activity, including interacting one or more comments, such as user comments, following or displayed below a news article on a Web page. An online advertisement may be targeted to the online user based at least in part on the activity, such as by being targeted based on a topic or opinion associated with the one or more news comments, or of a reply or other action of the online user. | 2012-05-03 |
| 20120109746 | Trusted Online Advertising - Online advertisements are delivered to one or more users. An authorization to access one or more data streams for a given user is received. The authorization is explicitly granted by the user. The data streams are stored within a user data repository. Upon the user conducting an online action that initiates a dynamic advertisement (DA) request, the authorized data streams for the user are used to generate a customized DA that is optimally relevant to the user. The customized DA is then delivered to the user. The customized DA is also monetized. | 2012-05-03 |
| 20120109747 | METHODS OF MARKETING MEDICAL SERVICES USING SOFTWARE APPLICATIONS - The present application relates systems, and methods of using the systems disclosed herein for marketing services and business methods for marketing services. In several embodiments, the system and methods are used to market premium medical related services and provide at least medical service providers with a mechanism to invest in the system for potential future investment returns. | 2012-05-03 |
| 20120109748 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PRESENTING CONTENT TO CONSUMERS - System and method for presenting content, in the form of elements, from a content provider to a consumer in which the elements to present to the consumer and an order of presentation, if multiple elements are to be presented, are determined based on information about the consumer. In the advertising context, the elements are marketing messages so that each consumer is presented with a customized message flow. One of the marketing messages may be a question which elicits a response from the consumer, with subsequent marketing messages and/or the order thereof being determined based on the consumer's response. | 2012-05-03 |
| 20120109749 | Systems and Methods to Provide Recommendations - In one aspect, a computing apparatus stores in a computer readable storage media transaction data related to a plurality of payment card transactions processed at a transaction handler for a group of accounts. Based on the transaction data and user feedback, such as ratings and comments, the computing apparatus computes preference scores to rank merchants and to provide recommendations or suggestions to users of the account group based on the preference scores, such as suggesting hotels or restaurants to business travelers of a company based on spending amount and frequency derived from the transaction data of the corporate credit card accounts of the company. | 2012-05-03 |
| 20120109750 | METHOD FOR REDUCING UNWANTED PAPER ADVERTISEMENTS IN COMMERCE - A method for reducing unwanted paper advertisement mailings includes offering an interface for presenting advertisements from businesses for products or services to consumers, presenting the advertisement to the consumers, and providing the consumers with information for opting out of paper advertisement mailings from the businesses. | 2012-05-03 |
| 20120109751 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DISTRIBUTING OFFERS TO A POPULATION OF USERS BASED ON RELEVANCY DETERMINATIONS - A system and method is provided to enable a merchant to specify an offer that is associated with at least one geographic location. A locality is determined for individual persons comprising a group of users. The locality of the individual persons used to make a determination as to whom the merchant's offer is relevant to. The offer is then electronically communicated to the one or more persons. | 2012-05-03 |
| 20120109752 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR DELIVERING TARGETED CONTENT TO A CONSUMER'S MOBILE DEVICE BASED ON THE CONSUMER'S PHYSICAL LOCATION AND SOCIAL MEDIA MEMBERSHIPS - Systems and methods for creation, management and delivery of targeted marketing campaigns to a consumer based on a consumer's social check-in activity as identified by a consumer on one or more location based social networks. In one embodiment, a campaign management system receives information relating to a consumer's social check-in activity from various (heterogeneous) location based social networks in a wide variety of formats, and further normalizes such disparate information received into a standardized format. According to an aspect, the system processes the normalized information in conjunction with pre-stored marketing campaigns created by marketers for purposes of identifying consumers who satisfy one or more conditions specific to the pre-stored marketing campaigns. Campaign-related information corresponding to the pre-stored marketing campaigns generally comprise various promotional offers, discounts, coupons, etc., which are delivered to the identified consumers, who initiate some kind of action thereby fulfilling the marketing campaign. | 2012-05-03 |
| 20120109753 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PROVIDING ADVERTISEMENTS IN AN INTEGRATED VOICE NAVIGATION SERVICES ENVIRONMENT - The system and method described herein may provide advertisements in an integrated voice navigation services environment. In particular, one or more advertisements may be identified based on affinities among a current location associated with a navigation device and shared knowledge and information used to interpret natural language utterances that relate to a navigation context, wherein the one or more advertisements may then be presented via a multi-modal output. As such, the shared knowledge and the information relating to the navigation context may provide the system and method with dynamic awareness relating to context, available information sources, domain knowledge, and user behavior and preferences, among other things, which may be used to deliver targeted and contextually relevant advertisements in the integrated navigation services environment. | 2012-05-03 |
| 20120109754 | SPONSORED MULTI-MEDIA BLOGGING - The sponsored multi-media blogging technique is an advertising-driven service on a computing device, such as a mobile phone, that makes the multi-media micro-blog or blog an effective carrier for advertising. The data collected while employing the sponsored multi-media blogging technique is used for user intent mining and increasing advertisement relevance for mobile advertising projects. The benefits to the sponsored multi-media blogging technique's users are a natural interface for composing multi-media micro-blogs/blogs and instant experience sharing, while the benefits to advertisers is the promoted brand impression from the contextual advertising in rich media micro-blogs/blogs. | 2012-05-03 |
| 20120109755 | CONTENT RECOGNITION FOR TARGETED ADVERTISING CAPABILITY - A system and method for delivering targeted advertisements to consumers by inserting the targeted advertisements into a content stream. The content stream may be monitored for timing indicators, such that the system may synchronize with the content stream. Once synchronized with the content stream, the system may determine an advertisement placement opportunity in the content stream from a look-up table. At the occurrence of the advertisement placement opportunity, a portion of the content stream may be replaced with a replacement steam carrying a targeted advertisement. The targeted advertisement is then rendered to the targeted consumer. Once the targeted advertisement has been rendered, the system switches back to the original content stream. The system may also use confidence factors to increase the probability of detecting an advertisement placement opportunity. The system and method also can be utilized when no timing indicator is available in the content stream, including extracting data points from a content stream and identifying the content through a reverse lookup data based upon the data points. | 2012-05-03 |
| 20120109756 | ADVERTISING SERVICE CONTROL APPARATUS AND METHOD THEREOF - An advertising service control apparatus and method thereof. The advertising service control apparatus includes an intelligent switch to control packet data transmission/reception between a user terminal and a service server. The intelligent switch may be implemented to provide the user terminal with an advertisement which is found from the advertisement DB corresponding to advertising selection information. Accordingly, a network provider may obtain additional profit from advertising. | 2012-05-03 |
| 20120109757 | SPONSORED STORIES AND NEWS STORIES WITHIN A NEWSFEED OF A SOCIAL NETWORKING SYSTEM - A social networking system generates socially-relevant stories for a user based on actions taken by other users to whom the user is connected. The social networking system may receive a request for a sponsored story for a viewing user and may select information about one or more actions performed by one or more users to whom the viewing user is connected to identify one of a plurality of candidate information for a sponsored story based on one or more criteria (e.g., affinity of the viewing user for the candidates, expected value for the candidates, etc.). The social networking system may also generate the sponsored story and generate a feed comprising the sponsored story and news stories (e.g., non-sponsored stories) about one or more users of the social networking system with whom the viewing user is connected. This feed may be provided for display to the viewing user. | 2012-05-03 |
| 20120109758 | Method For Matching Electronic Advertisements To Surrounding Context Based On Their Advertisement Content - A system for selecting electronic advertisements from an advertisement pool to match the surrounding content is disclosed. To select advertisements, the system takes an approach to content match that focuses on capturing subtler linguistic associations between the surrounding content and the content of the advertisement. The system of the present invention implements this goal by means of simple and efficient semantic association measures dealing with lexical collocations such as conventional multi-word expressions like “big brother” or “strong tea”. The semantic association measures are used as features for training a machine learning model. In one embodiment, a ranking SVM (Support Vector Machines) trained to identify advertisements relevant to a particular context. The trained machine learning model can then be used to rank advertisements for a particular context by supplying the machine learning model with the semantic association measures for the advertisements and the surrounding context. | 2012-05-03 |
| 20120109759 | SPEECH RECOGNITION SYSTEM PLATFORM - A device including a processor and a memory, the processor operating software performing a method of providing content to a device, the method including the steps of receiving an input from a sending device, gathering information pertaining to the sending device or a receiving device, searching a storage unit for content related to the information and the input, generating a message based on the content returned from the storage unit, incorporating the message into the input, transmitting the input including the message to the receiving device. | 2012-05-03 |
| 20120109760 | GUIDANCE APPARATUS, GUIDANCE METHOD, AND GUIDANCE PROGRAM - An orderer who has placed an order for goods is guided in accordance with a guidance program. Goods preparation-time information is stored that indicates goods for which an orderer has placed an order and a preparation time required for preparing the goods. A preparation complete time required for completing the preparation of the goods is derived by using the stored goods preparation-time information and using ordered goods information indicating the goods when the ordered goods information based on the order placement by the orderer is received. Guide information is generated for guiding the orderer based on the derived preparation complete time. | 2012-05-03 |
| 20120109761 | APPARATUS, METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR A POINT OF SALE TERMINAL - An apparatus, system and method are presented for a point of sale terminal including a scanner. A display device, a printer device and a magnetic strip reader device are connected to the scanner. A processor in the scanner executes software that causes the processor to operate the scanner, the attached devices and provide the features and functions of the point of sale terminal. | 2012-05-03 |
| 20120109762 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PROVIDING MOBILE PAYMENT THROUGH A DEVICE USER INTERFACE - An approach is provided for facilitating the purchase of items at a point-of-sales terminal based on barcode information presented by a wireless communication device. Barcode information is received at a point-of-sales terminal as obtained from a wireless communication device. A message in response to the received barcode information is generated for transmission to the wireless communication device to permit acknowledgement of the purchase transaction by a user of the wireless communication device. | 2012-05-03 |
| 20120109763 | Mobile Charging of Electric Vehicles Off the Electric Power Grid - A system and method are disclosed that provide mobile electric power to one or more electric vehicles without drawing electricity from the electric power grid. The system may include a transportation vehicle, a combustion engine coupled to an electric generator, and a controls box coupled to the generator to transmit electricity to an electric vehicle or storage batteries. | 2012-05-03 |
| 20120109764 | SYSTEMS, METHODS, AND COMPUTER READABLE MEDIA FOR UTILIZING ONE OR MORE PREFERRED APPLICATION LISTS IN A WIRELESS DEVICE READER - The subject matter described herein includes systems, methods, and computer readable media for utilizing one or more preferred application lists in a wireless device reader. A transaction terminal designates compatible application identifiers, where each of the compatible application identifiers is respectively associated with a transaction application that is compatible with the transaction terminal. A proximity payment system environment (PPSE) application is configured to store user preferred application identifiers, where each user preferred application identifier is respectively associated with a to transaction application stored on the mobile wireless device. A wireless device reader for receives the compatible application identifiers from the transaction terminal, and stores the compatible application identifiers in preferred applications lists (PALs). | 2012-05-03 |
| 20120109765 | INTERNATIONAL E-COMMERCE SYSTEM - The present invention is an electronic commerce system that includes a virtual mall server for implementing mirror websites of stores offering products through and affiliated with the virtual mall. The mirrored product data can be viewed by purchasers using a remote computer or wireless device. The system also includes a tariff database including tariff or importation tax information for at least one country. The tariff of tax information is displayed to the user so that the user knows the expense of importing a purchased product into the user's country. The virtual mall server also provides to the user's remote computer real-time information of product price in a currency of choice as well as shipping fee information. | 2012-05-03 |
| 20120109766 | Method for Making Money on the Internet - A computer-implemented system for monetizing internet content. The system includes an internet content provider providing online information on a web page and an online comment section associated with said online information, said online comment section capable of having posted thereto reader comments in a free default format. The system includes computer executable instructions for performing steps of displaying an offer associated with said online information to alter a reader comment from a free default format to a distinctive format for a fee, said fee being dynamically adjustable; receiving by the internet content provider; and displaying the reader comment in the distinctive format on the web page. The system also includes a processor for executing the computer executable instructions, and a memory for storing at least the computer executable instructions. | 2012-05-03 |
| 20120109767 | METHOD FOR MONETIZING INTERNET NEWS SITES AND BLOGS - A computer-implemented system for monetizing internet content, the computer comprising a processor for executing computer executable instructions. The system includes an internet content provider providing by the computer executable instructions online information and an online comment section associated with the online information. The online comment section is capable of having posted thereto reader comments in a free default format or a fee-paid distinctive format. | 2012-05-03 |
| 20120109768 | Method and Arrangement for Enabling a Media Purchase - A method and arrangement for enabling a purchase of a media object for a user operating a user terminal ( | 2012-05-03 |
| 20120109769 | Method of Proximity Based Purchasing and Selling, and System Thereof - A method for proximity based purchasing and selling, and a system thereof are provided. The method includes the steps of determining a geographical location of a plurality of buyers, determining a product/service desired by at least a portion of the plurality of buyers, and grouping buyers by the determined geographical location and the desired product/service, such that a seller provides the product/service at a discounted rate as a result of the grouped buyers being in a geographical region and wanting a similar product/service. | 2012-05-03 |
| 20120109770 | AUTOMOBILE TRANSACTION FACILITATION USING A MANUFACTURER RESPONSE - A system, methods, and apparatus for performing automobile transactions are disclosed. In an example embodiment, automobile market data representative of current automobile market characteristics is stored. The automobile market data may include pricing, inventory, and consumer interest information received from manufacturers, dealers, and consumers. A consumer may provide a request for a manufacturer response indicating whether a specific automobile can be provided. Automobile market data may be provided to a manufacturer based on the request and a manufacturer response provides a verification, confirmation, or offer indicating that the specific automobile can be provided for the consumer. Bids to sell the specific automobile may be requested from dealers based on the manufacturer response. Dealer bids may be provided to the consumer with prices and a delivery options. The consumer may select a bid which specifies a pickup location at a first dealer. | 2012-05-03 |
| 20120109771 | Application Name Marketplace - Application name marketplace techniques are described. In one or more implementations, a service provide implemented by one or more computing devices identifies one or more terms for use in naming applications to be available for purchase via a network. The one or more terms are exposed by the service as available for purchase of a right to use the one or more terms to name a respective application. | 2012-05-03 |
| 20120109772 | INTEGRATED CLOUD BASED MARKETPLACE SERVICES - Cloud based services are provided enabling electronic data interchange between suppliers and consumers of goods and services with the integration of business tools for finance, manufacturing, customer relationship management, supply chains, analytics and electronic commerce. By providing a compatibility layer to these business tools between various suppliers and consumers of goods and services, workflows can be extended with cloud-based services and automatic supply-demand matching provided based on constraints specified by the suppliers and consumers. Real-time (event-driven) order fulfillment can be implemented through the cloud based services. | 2012-05-03 |
| 20120109773 | METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR IMPLEMENTING BAR CODES WITH ONLINE AUCTIONS - A method of and system for scanning a bar code associated with a product with a mobile device to obtain (i) a list of online auctions for the product or a similar product; (ii) a list of commercial web sites in which the product or a similar product is being offered for sale; and/or (iii) a list of resellers of the product or a similar product where the product or similar product is located in a geographic region in predetermined proximity to the location. In addition, a seller may scan a bar code associated with a product that the seller would like to sell via an online auction service in order to obtain a predetermined product listing that the seller may modify prior to listing on the online auction service. | 2012-05-03 |
| 20120109774 | INTEGRATED CLOUD BASED MARKETPLACE SERVICES - Cloud based services are provided enabling electronic data interchange between suppliers and consumers of goods and services with the integration of business tools for finance, manufacturing, customer relationship management, supply chains, analytics and electronic commerce. By providing a compatibility layer to these business tools between various suppliers and consumers of goods and services, workflows can be extended with cloud-based services and automatic supply-demand matching provided based on constraints specified by the suppliers and consumers. Real-time (event-driven) order fulfillment can be implemented through the cloud based services. | 2012-05-03 |
| 20120109775 | SYSTEM, METHOD, AND COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCT FOR TECHNOLOGY ECOSYSTEM - A system for formation of product offerings is described. The system defines feature data related to attributes, benefits, or features. This feature data may be grouped into a package. These packages may be associated with base products such as a new or existing base transaction account. Also, these packages, alone or in combination with additional packages, may be grouped into a market offering for offering to a consumer. | 2012-05-03 |
| 20120109776 | APPLICATION FOR DESIGNING PHOTO ALBUMS - Some embodiments of the invention provide a computer-based application that allows its users to insert their pictures in a variety of different photo books. Each photo book has several pages that have one or more picture fields for presenting pictures. Different photo books can differ in their size, themes, covers, page designs, page colors, picture-field designs, picture-field layouts, and/or other attributes. In some embodiments, the application also allows the users to modify photo books that they select. For instance, a user can modify the page design, color, frame design, and/or other thematic aspects of a selected photo books. Also, in some embodiments, the user can add picture and text fields to the photo book. Once the user has completed designing the photo book and inserting pictures in the photo book, the user can order the photo book through an online transaction that is initiated through the application. | 2012-05-03 |
| 20120109777 | SYSTEM FOR CREATING AND MAINTAINING E-COMMERCE USER STORES FOR CUSTOM AND CUSTOMIZABLE PRODUCTS - Users access a computer system using a network to customize products offered by selecting from a library of customizing components and applying the components to the products. Data indicative of customized products created by the users is stored in a database. The users can purchase their customized products and/or create an online store to offer and sell their customized products to others. Other users can access the computer system and the online stores to create sub-stores to sell sub-customized products. The stores and sub-stores can provide all of the products and customizing components or just subsets thereof. The online stores and sub-stores can be linked to social media sites and/or be embedded in other web sites. The system can be used with any customizable product including, for example, clothing that is customized with appliqué patches. | 2012-05-03 |
| 20120109778 | ITEM RECOMMENDATION SYSTEM WHICH CONSIDERS USER RATINGS OF ITEM CLUSTERS - Various computer-implemented processes are disclosed for using item clustering methods in the process of generating personalized item recommendations for users. One process involves applying a clustering algorithm to a user's collection of items, and using information about the resulting clusters to select items to use as recommendation sources. Personalized recommendations may then be generated based on the selected source items. Another process involves displaying the clusters of items to the user via a collection management interface that enables the user to rate entire clusters of items. The resulting cluster ratings may be used to select recommendation sources, and/or may otherwise be considered in generating recommendations for the user. Cluster-based processes are also disclosed for filtering and organizing the output of a recommendation engine. | 2012-05-03 |
| 20120109779 | METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR SHARING DIGITAL CONTENT - A method and system for sharing digital content are provided. The method includes creating, by a first user, a purchase request message containing a content ID of digital content to be purchased, and transmitting the purchase request message to a content providing server, transmitting, by the content providing server, requested content to the first user, and transmitting content meta data containing a user ID of the first user and the content ID to an integrated management server, storing, the first user, the received content, and examining, by the integrated management server that manages content lists for individual users, the content meta data, adding the purchased content to an integrated content list of the first user, and displaying the integrated content list. | 2012-05-03 |
| 20120109780 | METHODS AND SYSTEMS TO SUPPLEMENT A LISTING VIA A THIRD PARTY TRUST PROVIDER - Various embodiments include a method and system to supplement a listing via a third party trust provider. Responsive to an event associated with an item listing, supplemental trust information is requested from a third party trust provider using at least one predetermined criterion from the item listing. At least a portion of the supplemental trust information may be stored in the item listing. A notification may be presented in response to a trigger based on the at least a portion of the STI stored in the item listing. | 2012-05-03 |
| 20120109781 | PASSIVE SHOPPING SERVICE OPTIMIZATION - A shopping system may receive, from a user, a request to add information about an item to a watch list associated with the user; may receive, from the user, a price associated with the item; and may receive, from the user, a schedule associated with the item. The shopping system may identify a vendor offer associated with the item and associated with a particular vendor, where the vendor offer includes a price that is less than or equal to the received price, the identifying being based on the schedule associated with the item; and may provide a notification to the user, where the notification includes information about the identified vendor offer. | 2012-05-03 |
| 20120109782 | IMAGING PRODUCT SELECTION METHOD - A computer implemented method of transacting a sale for an image composited product includes presenting a graphic user interface (GUI) is on a display of a computer system and providing a selection of different image products. The user is enabled to select a subset of desired displayed image products and the digital images are electronically composited into one or more image product displays in the selected subset to form composited image product views for each of the selected image products. A selection from the user using the GUI for one or more desired displayed composited image products results in completing the transaction and the selected composited image product is made (or assembled) with its corresponding received image. | 2012-05-03 |
| 20120109783 | Product information search - Searching for product information is disclosed, including: receiving a search request that includes at least a desired purchase quantity and a desired unit price; determining a preset purchase quantity that corresponds to the desired purchase quantity, wherein the determined preset purchase quantity is selected from a set of preset purchase quantities and each of the set of preset purchase quantities is associated with a different predetermined number of units; generating a search query that includes at least the determined preset purchase quantity and the desired unit price; and using the search query to search for matching products, wherein a matching product is associated with a unit price corresponding to the determined preset purchase quantity that corresponds to the desired unit price. | 2012-05-03 |
| 20120109784 | METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR AUTOMATING PROTECTION OF MEDIA FILES FOR DOWNLOAD - Method and apparatus for providing copyright protection of downloaded media files (audio, video or images) is provided. The method and apparatus specifically comprise wrapping the copyrighted media file into an executable wrapper along with information about the media, information about the user downloading the media, information about the usage of the media, a media player, helper scripts and any sets of keys used to encrypt the media file or the other information. The present invention also includes running this executable wrapper on the user's computer to decrypt and extract the wrapper and its various components provided user enters a valid pass code. The components of the wrapper make sure that the media can be played only for the requested period and in the prescribed or pre-arranged manner. The helper scripts are used on the user's computer to scramble the media when it is incorrectly or maliciously accessed, to delete the media when the rental duration expires and to monitor other processes on user's computer that may record or store unprotected media. | 2012-05-03 |
| 20120109785 | PERSONALIZED VIRTUAL GOODS HOLIDAY OR EVENT CALENDAR - A printed calendar, method and system for preparing the printed calendar, and system for redeeming virtual goods are provided herein. The printed calendar includes at least one form sheet having printed thereon one or more occurrences of time. The one or more occurrences of time being coupled with at least one viewing panel capable of hiding and revealing an image. The printed calendar further includes at least one back sheet having printed thereon at least one graphical representation associated with the one or more occurrences of time. The at least one graphical representation being aligned with the form sheet, such that, the graphical representation is visible through the at least one viewing panel coupled to the one or more occurrences of time. The at least one graphical representation representing a virtual good accessible to the selected recipient at one of the one or more occurrences of time. | 2012-05-03 |
| 20120109786 | MULTI-LANGUAGE MULTI-PLATFORM E-COMMERCE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM - A computerized system for sale of products having non pre-catalogued parameters in a multi-lingual environment wherein a buyer and a seller communicate in different languages, the system including a non pre-catalogued parameter database, a listing engine operative to prompt in a first language a listing seller to enter multiple non pre-catalogued parameters relating to a product being listed and to store the non pre-catalogued parameters in the non pre-catalogued parameter database and a non pre-catalogued multiple language parameter description engine which is operative to provide human-readable descriptions of the non pre-catalogued parameters in at least one language other than the first language. | 2012-05-03 |
| 20120109787 | GIFT CARD EXCHANGE KIOSKS AND ASSOCIATED METHODS OF USE - The present disclosure is directed to gift card exchange kiosks and associated methods of use. In one embodiment, for example, a consumer operated kiosk can receive a gift card identifier associated with a gift card via a user interface and/or a card reader, verify the gift card's activation status and/or face value, and display exchange options for a consumer. The exchange options can include exchanging the gift card for cash or a redeemable cash voucher. The kiosk can also store exchanged gift cards for later sale at the kiosk or at a remote location. | 2012-05-03 |
| 20120109788 | MERCHANDISING ITEMS OF TOPICAL INTEREST - Various embodiments are described herein that provide one or more of a systems, methods, software, and data structures within an Internet marketplace context that are useful to promote products that may be associated with an event occurrence. Some embodiments further utilize collaborative filtering to augment event-based product recommendations. | 2012-05-03 |
| 20120109789 | IDENTIFYING SOURCE MATERIAL ASSOCIATED WITH FOOD PRODUCTS USING BILL OF MATERIAL - Identifying one or more source units for one or more food items may include assigning a sequence of numbers to a plurality of source units received at a processing entity and assigning a sequence of numbers to a plurality of end product units processed from the plurality of source units at the processing entity. A production rate associated with the end product units may be determined from a bill of materials associated with the end product units. A probability distribution function may be generated using at least the production rate. The probability distribution function maps a range of the sequence numbers associated with the plurality of source units to a range of sequence numbers associated with the end product units. A conversion algorithm may be generated that uses the probability distribution function to determine a source unit associated with a selected end product unit. | 2012-05-03 |
| 20120109790 | INTEGRATION OF APPLICATIONS WITH A FINANCIAL CLOSE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM - A computer-readable medium, computer-implemented method, and financial close management system are provided that includes a integration framework that allows an end user to leverage services or interfaces from external applications as part of a business process, such as a financial close process, of a financial close management system. The integration framework can integrate a task that requires the user to interact with a user interface of an external application (identified as an “end user task”) with the financial close management system. The integration framework can also integrate a task that runs without any user interaction required, and that interacts with a web service of an external application (identified as a “system automated task”) with the financial close management system. | 2012-05-03 |
| 20120109791 | CASH MANAGEMENT OF SELF-SERVICE TRANSACTIONAL DEVICES - Devices and techniques for cash management of self-service transactional terminals are provided. Cash flow, cash holding cost, and cash service cost data, associated with one or more self-service transactional devices are received. An optimal cash reset value and associated interval between services calls may be calculated based on the cash flow data, the cash holding cost data, and the cash service cost data. The cash reset value being the amount of cash left in each of the one or more self-service transactional devices after a service call. | 2012-05-03 |
| 20120109792 | INSTANT TAX RETURN PREPARATION - A method involves generating a partially completed tax return based on basic user information without needing to obtain other user inputs through an extensive user interview. A list of simple and concise interview questions are generated or selected from an interview question collection based on the partially completed tax return to finalize the tax return. The method further involves using an inference engine to allow data collection at any time and in any order via specific, personalized questions geared toward completion of the tax return. Therefore the taxpayer spends time reviewing rather than preparing his or her tax documents. | 2012-05-03 |
| 20120109793 | FLEXIBLE AND ADAPTIVE ACCRUAL METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CALCULATING AND FACILITATING COMPLIANCE WITH TAXES AND OTHER OBLIGATIONS - A computer-based system and method calculates and facilitates periodic revenue accrual for making larger, less frequent payments of estimated taxes by electronic messaging. A service host enables a plurality of payers to make set-asides at various levels as needed, on an individual or batch basis. Payer preferences are applied to satisfy variable payment intervals, amounts, and available resources. The obligation, required payments, and set-aside schedules are recalculated as needed, under payer and/or system control. Excess accruals are minimized; set-aside schedules are configurable. Automatic data links move information and command fund transfers from the payer's bank, to accrue funds and make payments to other accounts. The service host provides individual or batch taxpayer enrollment with the taxing authority for tax payment by electronic messages, and makes the tax payments by transmission of individual payment messages or by batch file transmission to the taxing authority. | 2012-05-03 |
| 20120109794 | SYSTEM, METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PLANNING AND MANAGING ENGAGEMENTS - To address this and/or other needs, the present inventors have devised a system, method and apparatus for planning and managing engagements associated with fee arrangements. In one exemplary apparatus, a server, particularly a processor within the server, enables the management of a law firm matter project. The exemplary apparatus includes the processor configured to populate a law firm matter project with either a piece of financial information and/or a piece of a matter project template associated with an existing law firm matter project. Moreover, the exemplary apparatus enables a time entry mechanism within an exemplary system. Even moreover, the exemplary apparatus calculates a budget associated with a piece of financial information. | 2012-05-03 |
| 20120109795 | METHOD AND APPARATUS OF TRACKING TIME WORKED IN A MULTI-TASKING ENVIRONMENT - A method and apparatus of maintaining time information for a multi-tasking customer service agent is disclosed. One example method of operation may include maintaining time information allocated to a plurality of tasks. The method may include receiving a first task and starting a first timer at a computing device corresponding to the beginning of work performed on the first task. The method may also include receiving a second task and starting a second timer different from the first timer, which corresponds to the beginning of work performed on the second task. The method may further include transferring a total time allocation record representing a total time counted by the first timer and a total time counted by the second timer to a data record stored in memory, wherein the data record associates the total time counted by the first timer with a corresponding task, and associates the total time counted by the second timer with a different corresponding task. | 2012-05-03 |
| 20120109796 | Taxi Service Control System - Apparatus for taxi service controlling, the apparatus comprising: a token data reader, installed in a vehicle of a fleet, configured to read token data from a machine readable medium provided by a passenger, and a vehicle data communicator, in communication with the token data reader, configured to communicate the read token data to a remote server of an operator of the fleet, and to receive billing data based at least on the token data, from the remote server. | 2012-05-03 |
| 20120109797 | METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR RECONCILIATION OF A CHARGING EVENT - Methods and systems for reconciling a charging event are disclosed. In an embodiment, a method establishes an identity tag at a grid connection point that uniquely identifies the point and receives tag information to uniquely identify the point at a mobile charging device. The method monitors charge event information indicating attributes of the charging event, associates event information with the identity tag information, and sends the information for reconciliation of billing accounts associated with the point and the mobile device. In another embodiment, a method receives an energy storage device for powering a mobile asset, couples the storage device to an electric grid during a connection event, realizes energy services from the connected storage device to the grid, determines a quantity of energy services realized by the storage device during the connection event, and reports the quantity of energy services realized and a unique identifier of the energy storage device. | 2012-05-03 |
| 20120109798 | METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR MANAGING RENEWABLE ENERGY SERVICES FOR FIXED AND MOBILE ASSETS - Methods and apparatus for managing energy services are disclosed. One method includes determining a quantity of the energy service realized during the connection event; identifying an account associated with the grid connection point; and adjusting the identified account based on the quantity determined. Another method includes receiving an indicator indicating an asset identifier or a grid connection point identifier; determining a location of the asset on the grid based on the indicator; determining operating conditions for realizing the energy service based on the determined location; sending the conditions; identifying an account associated with the point based on the indicator; and adjusting the account based on a quantity of energy services realized by the asset in accordance with the conditions. A computer readable medium includes instructions for determining a quantity of energy services realized during a connection event; identifying an account associated with a connection point; and adjusting the account. | 2012-05-03 |
| 20120109799 | Method and Apparatus for Supporting Delivery, Sale and Billing of Perishable and Time-Sensitive Goods Such as Newspapers, Periodicals and Direct Marketing and Promotional Materials - Systems and methods provide for tracking, controlling, optimizing, and otherwise managing the delivery of goods. One exemplary arrangement includes a web server, a database server, and handheld computers. A database including at least route delivery information may be created and at least portions of the database may be communicated to respective handheld devices for display. Time-sensitive goods such as newspapers or periodicals may be delivered based at least in part on the information displayed on the handheld devices, which are also used to collect information during said delivery. The collected information is communicated to the database for billing, reporting and analysis. | 2012-05-03 |
| 20120109800 | GROUP CHARGING METHOD, CHARGING PROCESSING APPARATUS AND COMMUNICATION SYSTEM - A group charging method, a charging processing apparatus and a communication system are provided in the embodiments of the present invention, in which the group charging method includes: obtaining at least one of a group identifier and a field of a charging characteristic of a user equipment; generating a charging rule according to the obtained at least one of the group identifier and the field of the charging characteristic; and charging user equipments in a group according to the charging rules. The method, the apparatus and the communication system provided in the embodiments of the present invention are capable of improving charging efficiency of charging user equipments of a group and reduci | 2012-05-03 |
| 20120109801 | Managing Schedules In a Financial Close Management System - A computer-readable medium, computer-implemented method, and financial close management system are provided that manage a schedule. A schedule is a core object of the financial close management system, and is an expression of a template. Managing a schedule can include creating a new schedule, modifying an existing schedule, deleting an existing schedule, duplicating an existing schedule, validating an existing schedule, creating a template from an existing schedule, setting a status of an existing schedule, and importing and exporting an existing schedule. In addition, managing a schedule can include defining task type parameters that can be set during scheduling and setting task parameters of a schedule at a schedule level rather than a task level. | 2012-05-03 |
| 20120109802 | VERIFYING IDENTITY THROUGH USE OF AN INTEGRATED RISK ASSESSMENT AND MANAGEMENT SYSTEM - Embodiments of the present invention relate to systems, apparatus, methods and computer program products for integrated risk management. More specifically, embodiments of the present invention provide for identity verification based, at least in part, on comparing transaction data received from multiple financial institutions to data associated with a current financial transactions, such as type of transaction, transaction amount or the like. The transaction data provides for basing identity verification on how a customer, a counterparty or both previously transacted, in that transaction patterns can be identified to understanding who the transacting customer or counterparty is. In additional embodiments the identity verification may be based, at least in part on other data, such as financial institution relationship data, non-financial institution transaction and/or relationship data, customer/counterparty data or the like. | 2012-05-03 |
| 20120109803 | System and Method for Verbal Authorization for Fulfillment of a Service - In some embodiments, a verbal authorization system comprises a financial services repository operable to store information identifying one or more financial services provided by a financial enterprise. The financial enterprise provides a financial service of the one or more financial services in response to a written authorization from a client. An eligibility engine is operable to determine whether the client is eligible to apply for verbal authorization status such that the client may provide verbal authorization during a telephone call to a fulfillment representative of the financial enterprise in lieu of the written authorization. A verbal authorization repository is operable to store client authorization information. The client authorization information identifies the client and whether the client has achieved the verbal authorization status. | 2012-05-03 |
| 20120109804 | Social Network that enables lending and borrowing between components of the network using auction and reverse auction methods - A software application means comprising a social network for lending and borrowing funds and including a controller that provides a platform for contracting and funds transfer and whereby users bid in an auction platform either to lend or borrow. A means for creating and facilitating a chit fund whereby a group of users submit funds into a large fund after which bidding commences for a lesser amount than the final total value of the sum of user fund submissions and the lowest bidder receives the value of his bid, or in the alternative a prize with a set value that is analogous to the final total value of the user funds. | 2012-05-03 |
| 20120109805 | SIMPLIFYING MIGRATION FROM ONE FINANCIAL CONSOLIDATION APPLICATION TO ANOTHER - Facilitating the migration of financial data from a first financial consolidation application (FCA) to a second FCA. According to one aspect, transactions classified according to categories in the first FCA are migrated to the second FCA associated with values of dimensions, based on a mapping between the categories and the values of the dimensions specified by a user. According to another aspect, substructures storing break up information related to the transactions in the first FCA are migrated to corresponding subset of dimensions in the second FCA, based on the mapping between the substructures and the subset of dimensions specified by a user. Accordingly to one more aspect, accounts specified according to corresponding conventions in chart logics in the first FCA are migrated to the second FCA as corresponding portions of the account hierarchy, while ensuring that the migrated accounts are computed according to the corresponding convention. | 2012-05-03 |
| 20120109806 | METHOD FOR DETECTING INELIGIBILITY OF A BENEFICIARY AND SYSTEM - A method and system are presented for identifying improper benefit payments to an ineligible beneficiary. Record data may be accessed from a financial institution and may be analyzed to identify patterns within the banking transactions. Deviations may be identified between a pre-benefit pattern and a post-benefit pattern by applying one or more rules, which may be ranked. The deviations that are identified may be determined to be either in compliance, in noncompliance, or within some acceptable level of compliance. A level of noncompliance outside of a range of acceptable noncompliance may result in generating a request for an action to be taken, such as an audit of the beneficiary. The aforementioned methods may be carried out using a computerized device. | 2012-05-03 |
| 20120109807 | Gaming Industry Risk Management Clearinghouse - Systems, methods, apparatus, computer program code and means for gathering, organizing and presenting on a real time basis information pertinent to Risks associated with subjects related to the Gaming Industry. Risks associated with the Gaming Industry can be managed by gathering data relevant to the Gaming Industry from multiple sources and aggregating the gathered data according to one or more risk variables. An inquiry relating to a risk subject can be received and portions of the aggregated data can be associated with the risk subject. The associated portions of the aggregated data can be transmitted to an entity placing the inquiry or other designated destination. | 2012-05-03 |
| 20120109808 | PERIODIC RESET TOTAL RETURN INDEX FUTURES CONTRACTS - A periodic reset total return index may be based on a standard index, such as an equity index. The value of the periodic reset total return index may be the sum of the standard index plus the income flow generated by the index, such as dividends generated by stocks. The periodic reset total return index valuation may be deployed as the basis for a futures contract. On a periodic basis, the income flow accrued for the preceding period are passed from the short to the long position holder, with a corresponding adjustment of the settlement price of the contract. The expiration of the contract may be settled at the sum of the underlying index quotation plus the income flow accrual for the previous period. A buyer of a futures contract based on a periodic reset total return index receives the performance of the index plus the intervening income flow accrual. | 2012-05-03 |
| 20120109809 | MIDPRICE TRADING WITHIN A SPREAD MARKET - A system and method is provided to allow traders to submit midprice orders to trade at a price within a spread of a market, preferably at the midpoint of a spread market, while maintaining anonymity of the midprice order. A midprice order is anonymous because other traders do not know whether the submitted midprice orders are orders to buy or orders to sell. A midprice order may remain active until it is traded with a contra midprice order or until a parameter associated with the order is breached, thereby resulting in cancellation of the midprice order. | 2012-05-03 |
| 20120109810 | System and Method for Selectively Displaying Market Information Related to a Plurality of Tradeable Objects - A graphical interface and method are provided for selectively displaying market information corresponding to a plurality of tradeable objects. According to one example method, a scanning feature is provided in relation to a number of tradeable object indicators. Upon detecting a predefined movement of a user input device in relation to the plurality of indicators, a graphical interface dynamically displays market information corresponding to the tradeable objects as a predefined movement of the user input device is detected in relation to the tradeable object indicators. | 2012-05-03 |
| 20120109811 | System and Method for Activity Based Margining - A system and method for factoring in a trader's trading activity into the margin requirements is disclosed. In the securities arena, day traders are assessed different margins than non-day-traders, however, the specific profile of the trader is analyzed (that is, the same rule applies to all day traders). | 2012-05-03 |
| 20120109812 | System and Method for Use in Auditing Financial Transactions - A data processing system that records detailed market information for one or more financial markets to facilitate the audit of executed trades for time, quantity, and price as being reasonable. The system receives and records data from financial markets, including the date and time trades are executed and the prices at which the financial instruments traded. The system provides users the ability to compare a particular transaction for a financial instrument to transaction data for the same and/or related financial instruments at around the same time, to determine whether the price paid for the financial instrument is reasonable for the time the trade was executed. A trade confirmation service is also provided to permit traders to verify the parameters of executed transactions. | 2012-05-03 |
| 20120109813 | System and Method for Assisted Awareness - A data feed is monitored to determine whether a condition is satisfied. If the condition is satisfied, an alert is initiated to attract a user's attention. Thereafter, playback mode is entered causing the example system to playback a short period of time-compressed data that occurred just prior to the event occurring to set context for the user. Once the playback signal has caught up with the real-time data feed, the data is output at normal levels. Other configurations, which are described herein, are also possible. | 2012-05-03 |
| 20120109814 | Method and System for Managing and Preparing Documentation for Real Estate Transactions - A system, method and computer product for facilitating closing of a loan is provide. In one embodiment, the method comprises receiving transaction information for the loan, storing the transaction information in a memory, preliminarily compiling one or more electronic documents with at least some of the transaction information, outputting for review by a first party to the loan, the one or more preliminarily compiled electronic documents, receiving an electronic signature indicating approval of at least one of the preliminarily compiled electronic documents by the first party, maintaining one or more financing terms associated with the loan, outputting electronic closing documents for the loan that comprise the at least one preliminary compiled electronic document with an electronic signature, and one or more documents sufficient to contractually bind the first party to the loan. | 2012-05-03 |
| 20120109815 | System and Method for Matching Loan Consumers and Lenders - A system and method for matching a loan consumer with lenders via the Internet includes receiving loan consumer application information. The application information is stored in a database. An internally specified filter is applied to the information to determine if the loan consumer meets a set of loan criteria. A subset of the information is submitted to a credit bureau. A credit report is generated based on the subset of information. A lender database is searched to match the customer information and credit report to ranked lenders. A query is transmitted to one of the lenders. A response is generated and received based on the query. Subsequent query and response steps are repeated only after receipt of the previous response, until all lenders have been queried. Only lenders who responded with an approval are presented for review by the customer. | 2012-05-03 |
| 20120109816 | COMPUTER-IMPLEMENTED METHODS, PROGRAM PRODUCT, AND SYSTEM TO ENHANCE BANKING TERMS OVER TIME - Managing access to a line of credit, for example, can include a financial institution computer determining eligibility for a line of credit program responsive to a consumers prior enrollment in a prepaid card program and one or more of the following: the consumer's historical direct deposit data, and data associated with the consumer's historical behavior in the prepaid card program. The financial institution computer can extend an amount of available credit to the consumer through the line of credit program so that a consumer credit limit is capped through underwriting criteria to ensure that no more than a predetermined percentage of a consumer's historic direct deposit amount is required for minimum repayments. The financial institution computer can further receive loan repayments over one or more predetermined direct deposit periods and change the consumer credit limit by preselected increments responsive to a change in the consumer's direct deposit amount. | 2012-05-03 |
| 20120109817 | Product and Method of Providing First Class Customer Service or Product Support - Disclosed is productized customer service and related methods of use. | 2012-05-03 |
| 20120109818 | Third Party Integrated Security System - A third party payment system is provided which allows a user to conduct transactions through payment accounts stored on the third party payment system. The user can enroll in the third party payment system and create an account with registered payment accounts. The user can access the payment accounts via a mobile device and load the payment data associated with a payment account to the mobile device. The user can then utilize the mobile device to provide payment during a transaction. | 2012-05-03 |
| 20120109819 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR PROVIDING CUSTOMIZED INSTALLMENT PAYMENT PLANS - Systems and methods for making installment payments are disclosed. The installment payments may be used to purchase flights or travel packages and may be made online. The installment payments may be customizable and provide a consumer with more flexibility than standard payment options. | 2012-05-03 |
| 20120109820 | Computer-Implemented Methods, Computer Program Products, and Systems for Enhanced Loan Product Repayments - A computer configured and programmed as a financial institution computer, method, and system to schedule and obtain loan repayments from a customer, including flexible loan repayment mechanisms and schedules corresponding to expected deposit dates, e.g., multiple paydays. The computer can determine a repayment schedule for one or more loans responsive to an electronic loan request by the customer, direct deposit data for the customer, and preselected loan product parameters. The computer can monitor an account for an expected direct deposit from a first time prior to an expectation date of the expected direct deposit and up to a second time after the expectation date for the expected direct deposit to thereby define a time period around the expected direct deposit. The computer can obtain one or more repayments responsive to a receipt of the expected direct deposit, the expected direct deposit being one of a predetermined hierarchy of deposit sources. | 2012-05-03 |
| 20120109821 | SYSTEM, METHOD AND COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCT FOR REAL-TIME ONLINE TRANSACTION RISK AND FRAUD ANALYTICS AND MANAGEMENT - Embodiments disclosed herein provide a behavioral based solution to user identity validation, useful in real-time detection of abnormal activity while a user is engaged in an online transaction with a financial institution. A risk modeling system may run two distinct environments: one to train machine learning algorithms to produce classification objects and another to score user activities in real-time using these classification objects. In both environments, activity data collected on a particular user is mapped to various behavioral models to produce atomic elements that can be scored. Classifiers may be dynamically updated in response to new behavioral activities. Example user activities may include login, transactional, and traverse. In some embodiments, depending upon configurable settings with respect to sensitivity and/or specificity, detection of an abnormal activity or activities may not trigger a flag-and-notify unless an attempt is made to move or transfer money. | 2012-05-03 |
| 20120109822 | CUSTOMER CONTROLLED ACCOUNT, SYSTEM, AND PROCESS - Access devices like credit cards and/or check cards have enhanced security features that allow a customer to control circumstances under which their account is accessed. Fraudsters may try to access the account without the knowledge of the consumer set controls, the system takes remedial action with reduced instances of false positives. An account is established for an account holder through a central entity, e.g. an issuer. At least one user is associated with the access device that is established for one or more transactions. Use of the access devices is defined by a set of rules defined by the central entity and are controllable by the customer, including comprising any of the account holder and the user of the account. The customer inputs, controls, and/or updates parameters associated with the customer-controllable rules. Subsequent authorization of the access devices is controlled based on the customer input and other controls. | 2012-05-03 |
| 20120109823 | VERIFYING THE SOURCE OF ELECTRONICALLY EXCHANGED VALUE - Computer-implemented method and system are provided for verifying a financial instrument. The method comprises performing a plurality of transactions using a source of electronically exchanged value identified by a user, recording details of the plurality of transactions, inviting the user to identify the details to a verification system, and verifying the source of electronically exchanged value based on the details provided by the user to the verification system. | 2012-05-03 |
